To pick up where I left off, I think I was still up to my elbows in animal shit the last time we talked. That pretty much carried on for the entire 2 weeks that I stayed Nonna Rosa, the goat factory. It was a wonderful experience. Karla, Efren, Ari and I became a close-knit family, sharing a house, meals, life stories, and above all a love for honey. It is really hard to explain how special it was to share our lives for those brief two weeks. The interesting thing about it is that we all needed each other in one way or another. We took care of each other in a way that indicated it was obvious that fate had thrown us together at this exact moment in our lives. Karla and I have since had numerous conversations marvelling at the karma involved in our experience at Nonna Rosa. Finally, it's difficult to define how I was affected, let alone describe what took place between us and within us all. I would actually like to make a movie about it... more on that later...
It was a also a manner of fate how Karla and I managed to decide to go to San Pedro de Atacama together. I had planned to go since I arrived at the cabrerìa, but Karla had been undecided, mostly because of the cost. However, a parisian couple that had worked at Nonna Rosa earlier with Karla, came by to say hello and buy some cheese. Lo and behold, they had 2 tickets to Calama, an hour from San Pedro de Atacama, that they didn't need. So we got cheap(er) tickets to the north... which meant that I had to say goodbye! My last few days were incredible. Saturday we had another party with goat stew and Karla and I finally got to meet Ari's son that we heard so much about, and there was a much larger turnout than the previous week. We also had karaoke which is always super fun, although I didn't sing because I wasn't drunk. That being said, I went to bed "early" at 2am because I was planning to herd goats with Juanito, the goat master, and it was very restful sleep at that- I had no problem waking up at 8am.
Sunday morning was beautiful and serene, and I couldn't imagine anything better than going to pasture (pastorear) with the goats and the cactus. Basically we just walked around about a 2 square mile space of low trees, prickly bushes, and cactus, and I even had a moment to myself to do some meditating and reflecting in the sun. Absolutely magical. When I returned it was lunch and then back to watering the orchard with urine... yeah, seriously.
Monday afternoon after lunch I headed to Valparaìso as the tickets were from there. It was about an hour train ride which I spent shooting the shit with a Chilean Señora that loves to travel like I do. I spent the afternoon wandering around the city and eating lunch in a large market. The hostel I stayed in is owned by a friend of Aldo's, and his daughter Juliana gave me quick tour of the adorable neighborhood in Cerro Concepción. Very cute, but also very expensive- about $16 for a set lunch, which is ridiculous even for Chile. So that is why I went to eat in the market, although it was about 20 minutes away, walking. I got home after dark and sat and watched the port for awhile drinking wine. Later Karla (who had arrived after closing the store at Nonna Rosa) and I went to eat with a friend of Ari's, Jose Manuel. Because it was a holiday (feriado) there was only one place open, and they only served one dish: chorrillanas, which is a pile of french fries with chorizo, steak, and onions on top... actually very delicious!
The next morning we were off to Calama! It was about a 24 hour bus ride, which wasn't too bad because I was able to sleep pretty well. The arrival in Calama, however, was quite an adventure. First of all, it was bitterly cold, and when we got off the bus we were informed that the bus terminal was closed due to a miner's demonstration/strike, so we weren't quite sure how we would get to San Pedro. Somehow a Columbian evangelist christian latched himself onto us, as well as an African American man that spoke no spanish and had traveled overland from New Mexico in an attempt to get to Brazil to see his daughter who is studying there. We walked, we discussed, we asked around, and didn't accomplish much. I helped the American guy get a hostel and eventually we managed to get the Columbian off our tail (although he was very kind and jovial). As we wandered in the direction of the main highway to leave town towards San Pedro (which everyone told us was closed and we had NO chance of leaving), an official looking pickup truck pulled over to ask if we needed a ride. The 2 gentleman informed us that there should be no problem getting to SP and they would happily take us to the edge of town to hitchike. When we landed, we saw that we were in the middle of nowhere- desert landscape flanked by snowy capped mountains. Within 15 minutes we had a ride to SP with a kind young man and his father heading out to visit family. They even fed us Coke and cookies!
Upon arrival to San Pedro we were instantly in love. The town is full of adobe buildings and dirt roads- and not much else. We found a great campsite that is affordable and fully stocked with Wi-Fi, a kitchen, and a communal area with a fireplace. Thank the lord, too, because it is suuuuuuppppeeerrrr cold here at night! About 6 below 0 at night (celsius)- ack! Last night was our first night, and although we had some thick ground covering that the owner lent us, I had trouble sleeping for the first hour due to the cold. Tonight I am going to prepare a watera (hot water bottle) because I think it's the only way I will survive. By contrast, during the day it is bright and sunny and in the sun one can even wear a t-shirt! I thoroughly enjoyed my tea in the sun this morning.
And now my toes are starting to feel the cold in this internet cafe, so I am going to head "home" to finish my emailing on my ipod (unfortunately I can't update my blog with the ipod). Today is the 30th of June which means I have only 12 days left before heading home! Ayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So amped!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
La Cabrería
Cabra means goat, cabrería means, loosely, goat factory. And so I have arrived at a farm where there are more goats than people, and that is VERY exciting!
As I was preparing to leave Linares and the ecological park, I checked my email one last time to make sure the farm in Curicó was still apt to receive me. Alas, they were not, so I spent 20 minutes on the phone calling half the farms on the wwoof list. Most of the numbers were out of service but finally a very friendly voice answered the line and insisted that I arrive the same day. Although it was 7 hours of travel, I knew heading north would bring a little bit warmer weather, finally!
I arrived around 9:30p last Tuesday and haven't had time since to even pick up a book. The owner, Aldo Vitali (obviously of Italian descent) is charismatic, tall, and with a mass of kinky, salt-and-pepper hair. He has been in the goat business since 1979, and currently lives with his girlfriend Erika, or Kika, and his adolescent son, Agustín, while Kika's very cool daughter Tamára visits often. They are wonderful people and I already feel like I have known them for years. And even more special is the one other wwoofer, Karla, from Ecuador. Adorable and fun-loving, she is in awe and marveling at her newly discovered world of farming- we get along famously! She is basically my immediate manager as she has been here for about a month and a half. She also loves to eat, and we have been making some fantastic meals together- vegetarian, as she has a huge heart for animals and cannot imagine eating them.
The day after I arrived, a friend of Aldo's arrived- Ari. A Jewish Chilean, he was recently hit by a car and his achilles tendon was demolished. He weighs about 200 pounds (I think) and has a cast that is not made for walking. As such, moving around our small cabin and the farm is not easy for him, and we have all been his little helpers. The day after Ari arrived, another friend of the family arrived- Efrén- who has been working as a biodynamic agriculturalist for many years. Biodynamic agriculture is very interesting, as the planting and harvesting is planned around astronomical timing. Also, the human energy is extremely important in the dealings with plants, organisms, etc. I am very interested to learn more, as it appears to be a much more complex system than permaculture. Efrén is a very calm and sage-like man, with a lot of intellectual resources and life experiences. He, Karla, and I have had some very interesting and illuminating conversations.
Juanito, a joker by nature, is primarily the one who cares for the goats, beginning with milking by 7:30am, then taking them out to the pasture until lunchtime. For the most part I have been hauling goat shit for the last 5 days. First I cleaned all the shit out of the goat corrals (with over 40 goats, that's a lot of shit), and took it to the compost pile. Then I used that shit mixed with compost to create a rich bed of soil at the base of the lemon and apricot trees. Karla's ongoing duty, besides feeding the rabbits and watering all the gardens and orchards, is running the store we have on-site. We sell our own goat and sheep cheese, as well as some neighbor's products such as cow cheese and the most delicious chocolate truffles I have ever tasted.
On Saturday, before a huge storm came in, Karla and I hauled a bunch of firewood into the quincho (an outdoor, covered area for barbeques and bonfires) to prepare for the fiesta that night. We boiled almost an entire goat over an open fire, ate well, drank well (mainly chicha- a type of moonshine made from grapes or corn or basically anything), and listened to Kika's beautiful singing and guitar playing. It was a magical evening. This morning we were able to sleep in til 10, worked a little, then Karla and I came to the center of Olmhué for internet. It has also been a special day because there are a lot of fathers around ;)
I am thoroughly enjoying every minute here, and loving the hard work. I plan to stay until the end of June, when I will leave to see the famous city in the desert, San Pedro de Atacama, far to the northeast. There I hope to do some horseback riding and mountain-biking, and maybe even take a tour to Bolivia to see the salt flats. For now, however, I am very content to stay put for awhile, and daydream about my imminent return to my home country.
Blessings to you all- much love and hugs!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Home Stretch
Again, I have some catching up to do! Hmmm... where did we leave off? Valdivia, no? Well, Priscilla and I stayed only one week with Daniel from Ohio, occupying ourselves with making apple sauce and apple pies to freeze and save for the students that visit the farm during the summer. I took many photos of the area with Priscilla's camera, I'm sure at some point we will all see them! After leaving Daniel's farm we stayed one more night in Valdivia, to experience the night life on Calle Esmeralda one last time, and to eat at La Ultima Frontera (The Final Border/Crossing)- a very bohemian place displaying local art, and with a great menú del día. That day we were also having a hard time deciding what to do. I considered returning to Chiloé to work on a farm that had finally answered my email... but then Priscilla found out about a surf competition in Pichilemu! Within 20 minutes we had both changed our plans completely and decided that we had to go see the event. That evening, off we went! It was a long bus ride and thankfully we both slept a little.
We arrived in Pichilemu around 10am and of course the town was still asleep. We wandered around until we found a sweet little campsite called Pequeño Bosque (Little Forest). The owners were incredibly nice, and although it was expensive for camping, we were actully able to wash our clothes in their washing machine and they had a gas stove for us to use as well as a fully stocked kitchen. In other words, not really camping at all, except we slept in a tent... with a cush mattress that they also let us borrow. Lucy and Felipe are a bohemian couple that built their own house and established the "campsite" below it. Their house appears similar to a loft above a carport, and the warm-colored wood decor inside reminded me of Aunt Shirley's dome.
Immediately after settling in, Priscilla and I decided to go for a run, as we had been eating way too many sweets and not exercising in the least. It was a beautiful day- the first time we had seen the sun in ages! That evening we made a delicious, healthy dinner consisting of a giant salad with hard boiled eggs. We also attempted to go out that evening but the one discoteque in town was empty, so we stood out front and enjoyed the music without having to pay the entrance fee.
The following day, Saturday, was the day of the finals in the Quicksilver Ceremonial, Punta de Lobos competition. We ate breakfast and carried out our favorited empanadas baked in clay ovens. Hitchhiking to Punta de Lobos where the comp. was at was quick and easy, with a laidback Pichilemu local taking us all the way to the point. There were hundreds of people there, and the waves were up to 25 feet! Incredible is all I can say! I have never seen waves that big in real life, let alone with human beings bold enough to drop in! The atmosphere was exciting to say the least, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Priscilla had never even seen anyone surf before! (Besides on TV, of course.) Nor did she know that her neighboring country, South Africa, hosts another world class wave at Jeffrey's Bay.
At the comp I ran into a friend I had met the last time in Pichi, Raul. He invited us to a get together at his house later that night, whoo hoo! After dinner we were picked up by Antonio, Paula, and Carlos (owner of Hostal Atlantis, where I stayed last time). VIP! They took us to Raul's, which was very close, and we hung out there for a couple hours before heading to the same discoteque that we had observed the night before. Only this time, the place was packed! For once the DJ's weren't playing reggaeton, thank heavens, because that seems to be the only music in the clubs here. And for the first time we were in a club that was actually full! Good times! I also attempted to talk to Grant Washburn (although I confused his name with another big wave surfer, Greg Long) because I knew his face from the movie Riding Giants, but I was slightly intoxicated and, honestly, could not speak english! Everytime I opened my mouth to ask a question, out came more spanish, and he had no idea what I was saying. Luckily I did manage to ask the question that was bugging me- what's the name of the guy who surfed Mavericks for 15 years by himself? (Jeff Clark) I have to say that was embarassing. We danced until about 5am and then of course slept until 12 or 1 the next day. That dide not stop me from surfing (or attempting to, again), or Priscilla from going for a run. Another beautiful day in Pichilemu!
That evening we were invited to another small get together near Punta de Lobos, where there ended up being 3 or 4 guys that had surfed in the event, including Ramon Navarro, a local who took 2nd place. It was a fun, chill party, and Priscilla managed to get involved in a heated debate with a South African about politics in Southern Africa.
The following day it was time to make decisions. Priscilla needed to go to Santiago to visit friends before leaving, but I wasn't quite ready to leave Pichilemu yet. I bid her adeu around 6pm then had a quiet evening to myself. The following day I packed up and then went for a surf with Carlos. And finally!!! I actually caught some waves! They were small, but I had a board around 7ft in size and so it was much easier to get into the powerful but mushy waves. I was so happy I actually felt like a surfer again! And the last wave was a party wave shared with Carlos- I was elated to leave on a good note. That night I left for Santiago happily with arms like jelly.
I arrived in the 'hood of Las Condes, Santiago (very yuppie) around 9:30pm and headed to the apartment of my friends Rob (from San Diego), and Pablo, a Chileno. We had a pleasant, mellow evening punctuated by a visit to the local movie theater to see Hangover 2. The movie was ridiculous of course, but what struck me was the establishment. Called Parque Arauco, for the neighboring park, this mall contains Hoyts Premium theater, where there is a gourmet restaurant in which to wait and eat, but which also brings you your meal into the theater. Each lavish seat is made of leather and has an attached pull out little table to eat at. Wine, beer, and spirits are also offered. ¡Muy lujoso!
The next day, Friday, I slept in late and laid around the house while Pablo was at work and Rob studied. Rob has been in Santiago about a year and is close to finishing his Master's in Economics at an institute in Santiago, through a program offered at Georgetown University in the states. He is incredibly smart, and I have never seen anyone study like he does. For the 3 days that I was there, he only left his room to eat, or go to the store to get food. Literally. I wanted to drag him outside to go to the park, but he refused. "Have to study, have to study" were about the only things out of his mouth. Here's to you, Rob, for working hard for the rest of us on vacation!
Friday night was Francisco's (of Francisco and Marie) show at Bar Clandestino. The band, Mr. Toé y Los Sicarios del Ritmo, are a mix of cumbia and hip-hop- very danceable and very fun! After the show, the DJ played more fun music, so we (Margaret, Pablo, and I) danced until about 5am (the norm in Chile, obviously).
Saturday brought a late wake-up, again, and a quick stint in the park nearby, Parque Arauco. That evening we went to a costume party in an event hall reserved for 3 people with birthdays that weekend. I want as Janis Joplin because all I had were hippie clothes, although I lacked her glasses so I really just looked the same as I always do- like a dirty backpacker! Again, we danced until very late, and accordingly I slept in very late the next day. The rest of the Sunday afternoon was spent packing and prparing for my departure to Linares, a city 4 hours to th south by bus, for my next WWOOF adventure.
And so, here I am in Linares, with not much to do because it is pouring rain. The "farm" is actually an ecological park in a residential neighborhood of the city. The owners, Jorge and Paula, have a 3 year old daughter, Gaby, who enjoys eating manjar (a caramel-like spread for toast) by the spoonful, and stuffing herself in my sleeping bag when I am already in it. Jorge is very passionate about his park and is continually working on projects to improve it. He is very meticulous and organized, and harvests red worms (originally from California) for their humus, as well as fruit trees and vegetables in a permaculture style. He also has a couple meditation spaces, although I haven't been able to use them because of the rain. Therefore I am doing a lot of reading in both spanish and english, and hoping to learn more about permaculture.
Next week I am heading to another ranch near Curicó where there is apparently ample livestock (including horses- yay!) and a bona fide farm. I am excited to see the place, and hoping it won´t be too cold and rainy because I will have to sleep outside in my tent...maybe...maybe they´ll let me sleep on the floor inside the house instead. More to come...
I am definitely ready to come home, I am aching for warm weather and familiar faces- as soon as I purchase my ticket home I will give you all the dates!!!
We arrived in Pichilemu around 10am and of course the town was still asleep. We wandered around until we found a sweet little campsite called Pequeño Bosque (Little Forest). The owners were incredibly nice, and although it was expensive for camping, we were actully able to wash our clothes in their washing machine and they had a gas stove for us to use as well as a fully stocked kitchen. In other words, not really camping at all, except we slept in a tent... with a cush mattress that they also let us borrow. Lucy and Felipe are a bohemian couple that built their own house and established the "campsite" below it. Their house appears similar to a loft above a carport, and the warm-colored wood decor inside reminded me of Aunt Shirley's dome.
Immediately after settling in, Priscilla and I decided to go for a run, as we had been eating way too many sweets and not exercising in the least. It was a beautiful day- the first time we had seen the sun in ages! That evening we made a delicious, healthy dinner consisting of a giant salad with hard boiled eggs. We also attempted to go out that evening but the one discoteque in town was empty, so we stood out front and enjoyed the music without having to pay the entrance fee.
The following day, Saturday, was the day of the finals in the Quicksilver Ceremonial, Punta de Lobos competition. We ate breakfast and carried out our favorited empanadas baked in clay ovens. Hitchhiking to Punta de Lobos where the comp. was at was quick and easy, with a laidback Pichilemu local taking us all the way to the point. There were hundreds of people there, and the waves were up to 25 feet! Incredible is all I can say! I have never seen waves that big in real life, let alone with human beings bold enough to drop in! The atmosphere was exciting to say the least, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Priscilla had never even seen anyone surf before! (Besides on TV, of course.) Nor did she know that her neighboring country, South Africa, hosts another world class wave at Jeffrey's Bay.
At the comp I ran into a friend I had met the last time in Pichi, Raul. He invited us to a get together at his house later that night, whoo hoo! After dinner we were picked up by Antonio, Paula, and Carlos (owner of Hostal Atlantis, where I stayed last time). VIP! They took us to Raul's, which was very close, and we hung out there for a couple hours before heading to the same discoteque that we had observed the night before. Only this time, the place was packed! For once the DJ's weren't playing reggaeton, thank heavens, because that seems to be the only music in the clubs here. And for the first time we were in a club that was actually full! Good times! I also attempted to talk to Grant Washburn (although I confused his name with another big wave surfer, Greg Long) because I knew his face from the movie Riding Giants, but I was slightly intoxicated and, honestly, could not speak english! Everytime I opened my mouth to ask a question, out came more spanish, and he had no idea what I was saying. Luckily I did manage to ask the question that was bugging me- what's the name of the guy who surfed Mavericks for 15 years by himself? (Jeff Clark) I have to say that was embarassing. We danced until about 5am and then of course slept until 12 or 1 the next day. That dide not stop me from surfing (or attempting to, again), or Priscilla from going for a run. Another beautiful day in Pichilemu!
That evening we were invited to another small get together near Punta de Lobos, where there ended up being 3 or 4 guys that had surfed in the event, including Ramon Navarro, a local who took 2nd place. It was a fun, chill party, and Priscilla managed to get involved in a heated debate with a South African about politics in Southern Africa.
The following day it was time to make decisions. Priscilla needed to go to Santiago to visit friends before leaving, but I wasn't quite ready to leave Pichilemu yet. I bid her adeu around 6pm then had a quiet evening to myself. The following day I packed up and then went for a surf with Carlos. And finally!!! I actually caught some waves! They were small, but I had a board around 7ft in size and so it was much easier to get into the powerful but mushy waves. I was so happy I actually felt like a surfer again! And the last wave was a party wave shared with Carlos- I was elated to leave on a good note. That night I left for Santiago happily with arms like jelly.
I arrived in the 'hood of Las Condes, Santiago (very yuppie) around 9:30pm and headed to the apartment of my friends Rob (from San Diego), and Pablo, a Chileno. We had a pleasant, mellow evening punctuated by a visit to the local movie theater to see Hangover 2. The movie was ridiculous of course, but what struck me was the establishment. Called Parque Arauco, for the neighboring park, this mall contains Hoyts Premium theater, where there is a gourmet restaurant in which to wait and eat, but which also brings you your meal into the theater. Each lavish seat is made of leather and has an attached pull out little table to eat at. Wine, beer, and spirits are also offered. ¡Muy lujoso!
The next day, Friday, I slept in late and laid around the house while Pablo was at work and Rob studied. Rob has been in Santiago about a year and is close to finishing his Master's in Economics at an institute in Santiago, through a program offered at Georgetown University in the states. He is incredibly smart, and I have never seen anyone study like he does. For the 3 days that I was there, he only left his room to eat, or go to the store to get food. Literally. I wanted to drag him outside to go to the park, but he refused. "Have to study, have to study" were about the only things out of his mouth. Here's to you, Rob, for working hard for the rest of us on vacation!
Friday night was Francisco's (of Francisco and Marie) show at Bar Clandestino. The band, Mr. Toé y Los Sicarios del Ritmo, are a mix of cumbia and hip-hop- very danceable and very fun! After the show, the DJ played more fun music, so we (Margaret, Pablo, and I) danced until about 5am (the norm in Chile, obviously).
Saturday brought a late wake-up, again, and a quick stint in the park nearby, Parque Arauco. That evening we went to a costume party in an event hall reserved for 3 people with birthdays that weekend. I want as Janis Joplin because all I had were hippie clothes, although I lacked her glasses so I really just looked the same as I always do- like a dirty backpacker! Again, we danced until very late, and accordingly I slept in very late the next day. The rest of the Sunday afternoon was spent packing and prparing for my departure to Linares, a city 4 hours to th south by bus, for my next WWOOF adventure.
And so, here I am in Linares, with not much to do because it is pouring rain. The "farm" is actually an ecological park in a residential neighborhood of the city. The owners, Jorge and Paula, have a 3 year old daughter, Gaby, who enjoys eating manjar (a caramel-like spread for toast) by the spoonful, and stuffing herself in my sleeping bag when I am already in it. Jorge is very passionate about his park and is continually working on projects to improve it. He is very meticulous and organized, and harvests red worms (originally from California) for their humus, as well as fruit trees and vegetables in a permaculture style. He also has a couple meditation spaces, although I haven't been able to use them because of the rain. Therefore I am doing a lot of reading in both spanish and english, and hoping to learn more about permaculture.
Next week I am heading to another ranch near Curicó where there is apparently ample livestock (including horses- yay!) and a bona fide farm. I am excited to see the place, and hoping it won´t be too cold and rainy because I will have to sleep outside in my tent...maybe...maybe they´ll let me sleep on the floor inside the house instead. More to come...
I am definitely ready to come home, I am aching for warm weather and familiar faces- as soon as I purchase my ticket home I will give you all the dates!!!
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