where i have been

two weeks ago sivan and i set out on a rural bus from temuco, headed toward the cordillera, aka the andes mountains. we had heard about this eco-tourism/indigenous rights group that worked out in the mountains, and we contacted them, and offered to come help out in exchange for accomodations. we really didn't know much more than that.

we got off the bus at the puente mapocho, a small bridge in the countryside, and Ignacio, one of the founders of this organization, Trafkura, was there to meet us. Trafkura is essentially a nature preserve run by a group of chilean activists, trying to make a living off of eco-tourism and spreading the word of forest preservation and indgienous rights around chile. Ricardo, another one of the founders, is the architect of the Trafkura locale and he has built with his two hands all the structures onsite. there's a main house which is built in the traditional mapuche style, with the fogòn or fireplace being the centerpiece of the house, with a savvy roof that keeps the rain out and yet allows the smoke to escape. the majority of those two weeks were spent aroudn the fogòn - cooking, conversing, warming ourselves - the center of the household, the center of trafkura life. collecting firewood is the most important daily task at trafkura because without it, you can't do much - the fire becomes the source of all basic necesities. i miss it already, and we only left this morning...

for two weeks we slept in a tent, cooked everything from scratch, ate some of the best bread i've had in my life, made marmalade from fruit we picked ourselves, learned how to nurse a fire, had amazing conversations and some stupid ones too, took cold showers with the most amazing view of the mountains, cut bamboo with a machete, sang songs, learned how to serve and share matè, climbed moutnains and collected piñones from the amazing araucaria trees just below the clouds, had some intense dreams every night in the tent, got soaking wet, walked and walked, hammered and sawed, got dirty. really dirty.

have i become a hippy? am i going to go back to berkeley with dreads and move into loth? no...
but this was an amazing time that i can't really explain on a blog. i'll show you fotos when i get back, and maybe you'll understand a bit better.

now we're in pucòn, a lake town about an hour from temuco. we're spending the night here...had my first hot shower in two weeks and man was it wonderful. tomorrow, i'm determined to get to some hot springs....can't leave the lakes district without some termas.
tomorrow night we're headed back to santiago...to upload fotos ((yes! finally!)) and eat some choripan.

word on the street is that i'm looking at tickets home. it's true. i'll let you know more when i figure it out myself.