Cherry Blossoms

My first week in Chile. A week of fresh seafood, cumbia rhythms, and cherry blossoms. I have been able to see and do and eat so much here already that I could go home tomorrow filled to bursting with Chilean goodness.

But I'm not planning on it. 

Today was a beautiful day here in the city. The last three days in fact have been no-coat blue-sky days. A wonderful way to welcome September.

September is an important month here. Not only is it the beginning of spring, but September 18th is Chile's Independence Day--las fiestas patrias. From what I've heard it's the largest celebration of the year throughout the whole country. And it is not just a one night affair. The kids are granted an entire week off school to honor the holiday.

I will be up North for the revelry. The desert country. That's the plan.

Here's where I am for those who need a visual.




Yes. I am way down here.

Chile, as you can see, is a long country. It spans a wide range of latitudes, so it consists of climates and landscapes of all types. From the deserts of the North to the glaciers of the South. I am in Santiago now. Right in the middle. Probably about where that arrow is pointing. The capital city, built just west of the Andes Mountains (I get to see them every day!) and about an hour's drive from the sea.


So. The plan. Well, it's less of a plan and more of a bus ticket.

Above that arrow is mostly desert. The Atacama desert. The driest desert in the world, says google. And once a year, depending on the rain fall, for a few weeks, it blooms. That's why I'm getting on a bus Monday to Copiapo--a mining city up North. And that's why I will be somewhere in that region during las fiestas patrias. I'm not going to miss a flowering desert.

Unfortunately, as you can imagine, there are just a handful of organic farms on my WWOOF list that are located in the northern region. I've sent emails to this handful with little luck. I realize that internet might not be easily accessible, so I may try contacting by phone. My WWOOF list includes phone numbers for most farmers, but my spanish is much better in emails than on the phone. So, as of now, I am unsure if I will have a place/places to stay while I explore the North. I think I'll find something... Right now I just know that I plan on spending my September in the desert country.

I have the next few days to appreciate the blooms of Santiago.

Cherry trees are bursting into flowers all over the city, and I found these particularly beautiful blossoms atop cerro San Cristobal, an abrupt hill in the middle of the flat, zipping metropolis.

I paid 

about 4 USD 

(1800 pesos) 

to take a funicular 

to the top. 

And the view 

was worth my 

4 bucks.

From every

direction.

The building with the yellow top I am told is the tallest building in South America. Or it will be! It's not finished yet. I use that building as a reference point. I can see it from tio Juan's house. And always the Andes Mountains rest steady and strong in the background--la cordillera as they say here (the mountain chain). It is always there, but somehow, it's never the same. Which is why it usually causes me to gasp.

Here is la cordillera as I turned around on my walk up the hill to tio Juan's house at sunset time.

And here is la cordillera from the site of a house tio Juan is designing for his friend Pedro.

Depending on the snow and the clouds and the light, the mountains can be almost any color you can imagine. And they are M A S S I V E. They are the presence of God here. Something BIGGER and unfathomable. 

I think los santiaguinos would have a hard time living in Indiana.

Pedro's house will sit on the side of a mountain that overlooks all of Santiago and la cordillera. It will be integrated into the landscape as much as possible, using boulders already there as support. I tagged along as tio Juan and Pedro discussed how to best design the house tucked into the hillside, how to wind the entranceway around the rocks and uneven terrain...

and completing the structure with an open-faced terrace where Pedro will be able to sit with his wife and three kids to soak in the view.

Just like tio Juan, Pedro will have all of Santiago out his back steps. Only a little farther away.

Santiago has been wonderfully accessible to me, welcoming me to Chile with open arms. I feel at ease among the shadows of the high rises and the sunbeams of the plazas. I have a metro card (called a BIP!), I am familiar with the major landmarks, and I can navigate my way through the streets of downtown. I come home to warm food every night. A warm family. A warm bed.

I'm excited to travel this country. But I realize my journey may be colder and lonelier than I have found Santiago to be. So I bought a friend.

I sat in this little hidden grotto, among the cherry blossoms atop San Cristobal, and I read aloud the words of Pablo Neruda The pride of all of Chile. The most acclaimed poet of South America. 

His words will keep me company as I travel his country. I don't understand all of them, but I love the sound of them. The rhythm. Just the way the words roll off my tongue soothes me, thrills me, moves me. Neruda wrote about all aspects of his beloved country. I'll read his poetry on the flowers of the desert as I depart Monday for the dry land. Tonight I smile to speak his words concerning cherry blossoms.

Quiero hacer contigo

lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos.