El Campo

I had to drop off some wool yarn at a weaver's house last week and absolutely enjoyed the trip over to her house. This particular artisan, lives in the campo, or farmland, between the cities of Nueva Imperial and Chol-Chol.

Getting there by public transportation involves taking two buses on a very limited and set schedule and takes about 2 hours. In contrast, the trip takes about 45 minutes by car...just goes to show how necessary a personal vehicle is for getting work done in this part of the world, even though gas prices here are also quite expensive (750 Chilean Pesos per liter).

Once at the artisan's house, it was very nice to see her acres of farmland- complete with herds of sheep, cows, pigs, and chickens. After dropping off the wool, the family generously gave us some fresh chicken eggs and lettuce straight off the land as well. The contrast between her lifestyle and that of the businesspeople in Santiago where I was living earlier this year is quite striking. While she wakes up at daybreak to feed animals and tend the fire, those in the city kick off their days by grabbing a cup of coffee to go and hopping on the metro.

Personally being raised in a society more akin to the latter option, talking with artisans as well as their extended family is extremely educational and grounding for me. For example, I had a very nice conversation with her grandmother about modern medicine vs. traditional, natural herbs. At the age of 78, she explained to me that she has never taken pills or modern medicine, except for one time when she needed a serious operation at a hospital in Temuco. She also very kindly showed me some of her more recent weaving pieces and explained more about the yarn-spinning and dying processes she uses.

The way these people live in harmony with nature fascinates me. However, their age-old knowledge and customs are disappearing in the face of the realities of our globalized world. Her grand-daughter, who is 20, knows little about weaving and currently attends a boarding school 4 hours from their house. She is studying to achieve her life's dream and become a professional veterinarian- an occupation that will help her earn a living wage in the future. In order to help her attend school, the family must work extra hard to save money. Her mother, for example, left home to work on a fruit plant several hours away to help make ends meet.

El Campo, Farmland

Sheep on the Horizon

Chancho, Pig

The Bus-Ride There

Although we were planning on taking a bus back home, a cab saw us waiting by the road and offered to take us for the regular bus fare of 50 cents each. Taking a cab out this far into the campo usually costs about $10 USD, however getting back to main cities is almost always easier and cheaper. This is because cabs usually get paid the normal amount to drop off someone and then look for an easy way to make a little extra by picking up stragglers on route back to the cities.

In the campo, people also tend to be more generous with others since they understand how difficult it can be to make it back to cities. (the buses only pass by a few times a day and go extremely slowly compared to cars) In turn, it's also quite common for people with cars to offer free rides when they run into others waiting by the side of the road.

Vacas, Cows

our cab had to swerve out of the way to avoid this herd crossing the road : )

Neuquén

With colder nights and warmer days, Neuquén has more of a "desert" like feel to it. When exploring the region, I was struck by the local sights and sounds- in sectors of Neuquén, the housing seems to have been developed spontaneously and randomly without much planning, creating a interesting effect that reminds me of Valparaíso in Chile. (a port city where scattered houses cover the hills bordering the coast)

I was also impressed by the artisanal crafts Neuquén features. I had the pleasure of exploring the city's central Feria, which spans several blocks and is open year-round. The diversity and creativity of products particularly caught my attention, and the friendliness of artisans was heart-warming. Neuquén also hosts an annual "Feria Artesanal," which is quite famous and attracts many artisans and tourists. The website of this event is: http://www.feriadeneuquen.com.ar/

Other interesting site to check out are Neuquén's official website: http://www.neuquentur.gob.ar/es/ and a local artisan organization: http://www.artesaniasneuquinas.com/aann/index.php

Neuquén

Footprints in Sand

Artesanía Craftwork

Since I am working with indigenous textiles for my internship, I really enjoyed having the chance to discuss the craft with a local Argentinean artisan. She was nice enough to spend a good 20 minutes talking me though the all-natural dyes she and her family make, as well as explain the meaning behind the symbols on several pieces.

Asado, Grilled Meat

one of Argentina's specialties- lucky enough to get to try it freshly homemade

Río Limay

While in Neuquén, the family of a friend was nice enough to take me in and show me around town. Even though the recent volcano activity in South America hasn't directly struck Neuquén, there was quite a bit of ash debris- when walking around a few millimeters of ash dusted most surfaces. In addition, several people I talked with explained that they have lived in Neuquen their whole lives and never seen anything quite like this...the day after they wash their cars, they are coated in ash once again.

After my host family treated me to a traditional lunch of home-made empanadas and potato salad, we spent the afternoon playing guitar and drinking maté (very Argentinean activities) by Río Limay, which runs through the town. More information and pictures regarding the Río Limay can be found at: http://www.argentour.com/es/provincia/neuquen/rio_limay.php. Enjoy the pics!

Río Limay

Crossing the Border

In search of adventure, I decided to hop on a bus and head over to Argentina for a few days. At first, I wanted to visit Bariloche, which is a popular tourist destination. However, due to recent volcano eruptions, the town has pretty much shut down. (A neighbor told me the city was covered in over a meter of ashes...not sure if this is an exaggeration, but the natural disaster was quite serious, forcing businesses to close and preventing travel via plane and bus.) Some photos and information about the region can be found here:

In turn, I opted for Neuquén, which is northeast of Bariloche and a bit closer to my home base in Temuco. In all it takes about 9 hours to reach Neuquén by bus, which includes about a 2 hours of stops at the Chilean and Argentinean "Aduanas" (border patrol and customs offices). These borders function much like their counterparts in airports, but it was interesting for me to have to board on and off the bus a few times to go through the routine on land.

The view during the trip is also quite gorgeous- it starts off on lower lands and involves driving over the "cordillera" or mountain range so the variety of landscapes is impressive, from dry plains to snowy hills, including a well-known volcano called Lonquimay. See for yourself below!

Snowball Fight!

La Rueca

"Ruecas" are a type of machine used for spinning wool. As reflected in the picture below, ruecas fall somewhere between the traditional wooden "husos," or spinning needles, used to hand-spin wool and the larger, industrial wool processing plants.

According to my teacher, ruecas started becoming more widespread in southern rural Chile about 20 years ago and have become even more popular over the last 10 years. The machine can be powered by a foot pedal (as pictured) or hooked up to an electric motor and run automatically. Even though ruecas are by far more efficient than hand-spinning wool, one reason they have not completely taken over the practice is because they are large and immobile. Many artisans incorporate wool-spinning into their daily lives, bring their spinning needle with them wherever they go during the day: whether feeding their livestock, caring for children, or chatting with neighbors. In contrast, the rueca does not allow for this flexibility and social interaction.

La Rueca

Teñido de Aromo

this dark-green dye is created by boiling the Aromo tree's leaves and branches