There were four reasons for moving to Chile:



“The straw that broke the camels back”

Fred S.

Climate

Charles Darwin

One fateful morning in July 2004, after a frenzied phone call from a co-worker, Dennis declared that he had had enough at his workplace and said, “Let’s move to Chile!” As you know, Dennis does NOT make rash decisions and calculates any change in his lifestyle carefully. This was no Joke, he was Serious!!! I have to admit I was a bit taken-aback that he wanted to move to Another Continent in the Other Hemisphere!! - Not the typical Oregon, Washington, New Mexico or even Costa Rica. However, being the poster child of impulsivity, I quickly fueled this spark!

The seed of Chile was initially planted by our dear friend Fred. Fred is married to a Chilean and lived outside Santiago for several years. Fred nurtured this seed, unbeknownst to him and anyone else, by his delicious descriptions of Chile – the people, the varied and imposing landscapes, and the climate of Central and South/Central Chile - a California Upside-down, during our yearly visits with him and his wonderful parents and hermanos in the LA area.

The magical words – A California Upside-down translated to Dennis as a climate MOST-CIVILIZED. How many places on the earth have this type of climate – Of course the MOTHER of good climates – the Mediterranean, others are New Zealand, Chile and South Africa. Well, Dennis did venture to New Zealand, and loved it, but the cost of living is comparable to California, along with THE Mediterranean.

During this same time period – the era of our 40’s – In Claremont – working REAL jobs, one of Dennis’s bosses told him to name all the BIG UNIX Based Computers (whose own computer was named ‘the beagle) after places Darwin ventured to in the Voyage of the Beagle. Dennis was intrigued by this assignment, and read the Voyage of the Beagle and named some computers the following: – Maldonado, Galapagos, Osorno, and the infamous, Corcovado. This assignment opened a new window into Darwin and when he came to Darwin’s adventures in Chile he paid heed.

Our first visit to Chile in December 2004, we climbed La Campana as Darwin did in July 1834, 170 years ago.

Dennis at the Darwin Marker at the summit of La Campana, Chile. December 2004.

Darwin was here



The following are excerpts from Darwin’s journals during his stay in Chile:


Charles Darwin
Voyage of the Beagle
Chapters XII – XV
Excerpts: Chapter XII – Central Chile

“What a difference does climate make in the enjoyment of life!”

"We set out to ascent the Campana which is 6400 feet high. The paths were very bad, but both the geology and scenery amply repaid the trouble. We spent the day on the summit, and I never enjoyed one more thoroughly. Chile, bounded by the Andes and the Pacific, was seen as in a map. The pleasure from the scenery, in itself beautiful, was heightened by the many reflections which arose from the mere view of the Campana range.” “Chile as may be seen in the maps, is a narrow strip of land between the Cordillera (The Andes) and the Pacific; and this strip is itself traversed by several mountain-lines, which in this part run parallel to the great range. Between these outer lines and the Cordillera, a succession of level basins, generally opening into each other by narrow passages, extend far to the southward: in these, the principal towns are situated, as San Felipe, Santiago, San Fernando. The contrast of these flat valleys and basins with the irregular mountains, gave the scenery a character which to me was new and very interesting. The orchards produce an overflowing abundance of peaches, figs, and grapes. With all these advantages, the inhabitants of the country ought to be much more prosperous than they are.”

Vista from the Campana Trail.


We started back there?


La Campana


It doesn't look so far from here


Some facts-info:



Santiago – LatitudLongitude Similar to Los Angeles, Ca


Pucón – Latitude S. 39 16´ 541" Longitude W 71 58' 697"


Chile has 13 regions-Pucón is region 9


The climate ranges from the Atacama dessert – the driest place on earth, to semi dessert, rugged Mediterranean, moderate, rainy wet, bitterly cold to polar or arctic conditions.

Chile is a presidential republic comprising three authorities: the executive which rests with the president who is elected by an overall majority of the popular vote for a six year term; the legislative and the judicial power.

We searched the internet and gathered and devoured many articles about the country. We learned quite quickly that 1) we (citizens of the USA) are very naïve about our South American neighbors; 2) it isn’t a reckless and backward continent without laws, integrity and human rights and; 3) we seem to be responsible for hobbling its growth both economically and politically.


WHY PUCÓN…

Pucón has profound beauty, weather and character! Pucón is small with a population of about 25K, which is only taken over by tourist for about 45 Days. It has the distinction of being both awesomely RAW and CIVILISED. Maybe a Tahoe+ in the early 30’s ? And it DOES HAVE one of the current 4 Casinos in the country! Pucón is also a magical city; Similar to Hanalei in Kauai. It has Awesome EVERYTHINGNESS - where people are keenly aware of their insignificance! We have the Volcano Villarica - A PROUD Chain SMOKER! We have Valdivia – a coastal city 145K away that has suffered THE GREATEST EARTHQUAKE/Tsunami ever recorded – 1960 … maybe twice looking at Darwin’s records. It is an area of Great POWER - which translates to us humans as a place of great Vulnerability! Living on the Edge! RAWNESS in its purest form!!!


We have lived in Pucón, Chile for the past 4 months and have visited the South-Central area 3 times previously. NEVER in our time spent here have we met up with ANYONE who isn’t of GOOD EDUCATION! (Good education translates to respecting oneself, others and the environment - Not a Harvard) . In every circumstance the people ARE NOT JADED in the impacted over-populated manner we find in many places in our country. There is a CONSCIOUSNESS that permeates. MANY people DO NOT know about the latest Hollywood movie - or shop at Walmarts or have IPODS continuously stuck in their ears… BUT, They know the TASTE of an egg from a truly FREE RANGE CHICKEN - the Taste of BUTTER and CREAM and Fresh Milk delivered to your doorstep by a milkman in a horse driven carriage, Raspberries, Tomatoes, and Strawberries that STILL have an ESSENSE - the TASTE of a LIFE we HAVE LEFT BEHIND MANY YEARS AGO!!!

AND they HAVE a sense about the effects of their consumption of natural resources; they actually think about THE COSTs of HEATING or Cooling a home, Drying clothes in a dryer, using too much water - collecting rain water and using river water for their animals, and on and on....


An EXAMPLE of Pucón´s sophistication and earthiness!!!

Just last week on the road outside of our cabaña I met up with a couple from NEPAL - in TRADITIONAL DRESS!!! I asked them if they wanted a lift into town (In spanish) and they accepted. They quickly asked if I spoke English and I happily said yes. We proceeded to have quite a conversation about their experiences in Pucón from their native Nepal!!! They have been here for the past year teaching Reiki at the Yoga center in downtown Pucon. AMAZING!!!