- ¿Cómo fueron sus comienzos?

Con 17 años, muy joven, estuve en el apartado técnico de la tele; pase por cámara, vídeo, sonido. A la vez hacía periodismo. Cuando acabé de la facultad, por unas cuestiones casi de azar, un compañero me ofreció hacer un documental de aficionado sobre montaña. Lo hicimos con técnica cinematográfica y tuvo mucho éxito en el mundillo de la montaña. A partir de ahí me invitaron a ir a una expedición al Himalaya. Le pedí a mi jefe una cámara mejor y así surgió la primera vez que fui al Himalaya, en 1981 y a raíz de ahí se enredó la historia para que volviéramos en 1983. En 1985 hicimos un equipo estable de ‘Al filo de lo imposible’.

- ¿Cuándo empezaste a escalar?

Empecé a ir a la montaña muy de niño, con 9 ó 10 años. Con unos 16 empecé a escalar en la Pedriza y a partir de 1977 empecé a hacer alpinismo en serio, a ir a los Alpes, a hacer ascensiones en vías de roca y de hielo y desde 1988 empecé ascensos en el Himalaya.

- ¿Cómo repercutió en su familia su relación con la montaña?

A mis padres nunca les gustó este tipo de actividad por la cantidad de riesgo e incertidumbre que conlleva, pero respetaron mi historia. Mi mujer me conoció haciendo este tipo de actividades y, tanto ella como mi hijo están acostumbrados a este tipo de profesión que tengo que consiste en estar mucho tiempo fuera, que hago expediciones de montaña o que hago documentales y que eso, al mismo tiempo, conlleva un riesgo determinado.

- ¿Su hijo le sigue los pasos?

Mi hijo hizo comunicación audiovisual y viaja también bastante, de forma distinta a la mía, aunque este año se viene conmigo al Karakorum.

- Sois los únicos en haber estado en 14 ‘ochomiles’, más de 300 programas, 27 años… ¿Cómo han sido sus dificultades?

Primero hubo que hacer un equipo determinado para hacer las cosas y luego pelear para mantener la continuidad del programa. No solo hemos tenido dificultades para conseguir la expedición, también hemos tenido que buscar el presupuesto para la siguiente.

- Eduardo Martínez de Pisón dice que se aprende más en la montaña que con un libro.

Probablemente. Además, sobre todo gente como Pisón. Hay gente que tiene la capacidad de saber mirar las cosas, es una cualidad que no tiene todo el mundo y para lo cual se necesita seguramente ser tan sabio como Pisón. Pisón es capaz de leer el paisaje.

- ¿Te gusta la soledad?

Si, en determinados momentos. La soledad buscada siempre es muy agradable.

- ¿Prefiere estar por encima o por debajo del mar?

Siempre por encima.

- ¿Montaña o desierto?

Pff. La montaña y el desierto, las dos cosas.

- ¿Qué le puede más el riesgo o la prudencia?

La prudencia siempre. Pero eso no quiere decir que no haya que se audaz, ni valiente, ni lanzarse para hacer las cosas.

- ¿Dónde se enfrenta el riesgo con la prudencia?

Pues son fronteras muy sutiles que te las dan la experiencia. En eso consiste la gracia de la historia, en saber medir. Por mucha experiencia que tengas nunca tienes la certeza absoluta de qué vas a hacer. Hay que luchar entre la audacia y con el objetivo final de toda expedición: el objetivo final no es subir a la cumbre, sino volver a casa.

- ¿Qué hace una persona como usted cuando se aleja del riesgo?

Pues hago un montón de cosas, tengo una vida muy rica: escribo libros, intervengo en radio, hago artículos,…

- Usted ha criticado mucho que haya expediciones guiadas al Everest, Pisón decía que ha perdido su identidad, romanticismo y credibilidad. ¿Tiene algo que ver con el hecho de que no use botellas de oxígeno cuando sube?

Tiene que ver con una forma de entender la montaña. Desde luego usar botellas de oxígeno desde los 6.000 m y querer compararse con Messner (primer alpinista del mundo en subir las 14 cumbres de más de 8.000 m) es incompatible, es hacer trampas. Pero sobre todo por una cuestión fundamental, porque desde 1978 que se sube con botellas de oxígeno yo creo que todos los alpinistas están obligados a intentar hacer el máximo en esa montaña. Entonces ponerse botellas de oxígeno es hacer trampa, es hacer truco, porque lo que haces es rebajar la altura de la montaña. El alpinismo, y exactamente el Everest, para que conserve su esencia consiste en todo lo contrario, consiste en tú medirte con la montaña, no en rebajar la montaña. Además, las expediciones comerciales han cambiado la esencia de lo que hacemos. La gente que hace este tipo de montañas, no hace montaña, está haciendo turismo y se aleja mucho de las primeras personas que fueron al Everest y que como Mallory o Hillary (se duda quién de los dos llegó primero a la cima del Everest) que siempre consideraron al Everest como la montaña más alta de la Tierra.

- Un escenario.

Es difícil. Elegiría el Karakorum, el gran Mar de Arena, Tierra de Fuego y la Antártida.

- Un momento

Probablemente el primer año que fui de expedición al Karakorum. Entonces no lo sabía, pero llegué a intuir que aquella expedición me estaba cambiando la vida.  Y la cambió absolutamente. Yo pasé de técnico de sonido a hacer documentales.

- El mayor riesgo

Pues creo que atravesar los Andes en globo. Entonces no fuimos conscientes pero estuvimos a punto de matarnos.

- Una persona que le haya influido

Walter Bonatti, Shackleton, Cherry-Garrard, Luís de Saboya y Mallory (todos ellos alpinistas).

- El mayor sueño

Tengo muchos. Ahora mismo, por ejemplo, sobrevolar el K-2 en globo. Tengo también una travesía en el desierto muy importante y un montón de proyectos en la Antártida, en el Ártico. Los iré haciendo poco a poco.

- ¿Con qué están ahora?

Ahora mismo tengo dos expediciones en el Karakorum y el 1 de septiembre nos vamos de expedición al Manaslu (8163 m) el ‘ochomil’ número 11 de Edurne (Pasabán; alpinista)

- ¿Puede llegar el fin de ‘Al filo’ a finales de año?

Si, probablemente, el 31 de diciembre. Seguramente irán reponiendo capítulos y dejaremos algo de lo que nos falta por montar. Creo claramente que se acabará ‘Al filo’. Peligraría el peligro de más de 100 personas que movilizamos al año.

- ¿Dónde ve su futuro?

Voy a seguir haciendo lo que creo que tengo que hacer. Mi vida va a seguir ligada a las aventuras y a los documentales. Pero lo primero que haré será darme un poco de cuartelillo, esperar, tomar unos meses de reflexión y estar tranquilo en casa. Seguramente mi mujer y mi hijo lo agradecen. Ahora lo único que tenemos es diez ‘corazones corazones’, no saldría adelante un programa como ‘Al filo’.

- Una frase

La que pusieron sobre la tumba de Scott Fischer, un verso del Ulises de Tennyson: “Luchar, buscar, encontrar y no rendirse jamás”.

There are some astounding new pictures of Chaiten in full eruption over at the Smithsonian Website. There pictures were released by the USGS/VDAP team and show a full eruption column coming from the new dome in the Chaiten caldera (see above and below). The dome itself looks giant, filling up a lot of the old caldera (the highlands around the edge of the dome itself). The eruption is almost the antithesis of the 2004-08 Mt. Saint Helens dome eruptions which has produced a minute dome filling the 1980 crater. This rhyolite dome is the first major rhyolite eruption in almost 100 years, so I can't understate the significance of Chaiten. Exciting stuff for those of us into silicic magma.

Depois da Cordilheira dos Andes existe Santiago do Chile, cidade com uma das maiores qualidades de vida da América Latina. A capital do país andino respira modernidade, mas também preserva suas raízes. No cardápio de atrações, museus, boates, artesanato e uma porção de lugares históricos. E é neste passeio que nós levamos você agora.

Como os preços no Chile são um pouco salgados, uma boa pedida é hospedar-se em albergue ou residência estudantil. Nossa reportagem sugere o El Punto, hostel universitário com piscina, cozinha, TV a cabo e acesso wireless à web. O prédio fica no centro de Santiago, próximo ao Parque Quinta Normal.

É pelo parque que nosso passeio começa. Além de muito verde, a Quinta Normal abriga vários museus – entre eles, o Museo Nacional, apresentando um acervo de História Natural que conta, até, com moais vindos da Ilha de Páscoa. E o bom é que o parque fica ao lado da primeira estação da linha 5 do metrô da cidade.

O trem é um transporte rápido, barato e seguro em Santiago. O moderno metrô se divide em cinco linhas e atravessa todos os cantos da capital chilena. Vale a pena adquirir a tarjeta Bip, um cartão que substitui as fichas de passagem no trem e nos ônibus.

Saindo do subterrâneo (e com um pouco de caminhada) chegamos aos principais pontos turísticos de Santiago. Entre eles há o Cerro Santa Lucia, berço da cidade, e o Cerro San Cristóbal, onde se pode fazer um passeio de teleférico. Ambos os locais ficam em pontos elevados e a vista é belíssima. Também não podem ficar de fora o Palacio de la Moneda, casa do governo do Chile, a feira de artesanato de Santa Lucia e La Chascona, uma das três casas do poeta Pablo Neruda.

Agora, se o seu programa é sair à noite, você não pode deixar de conhecer a Sala Murano. Localizada em Las Condes, área nobre de Santiago, a boate toca uma mistura de música eletrônica, pop e ritmos latinos como o Reggaeton e até mesmo o Axé. O ingresso vale uma bebida. Mulheres, é claro, têm desconto.

Se bater fome, a dica é fugir dos “restaurantes típicos” (caríssimos) e procurar qualquer restobar da cidade. Estes lugares costumam servir aperitivos e refeições, mantendo, geralmente, um cardápio com duas opções de prato do dia. Gorjetas não são obrigatórias, ainda que seja costume de turistas fornecê-las.

Para aproveitar sua estadia no Chile, é bom também lembrar de outro detalhe básico. O clima do verão de lá é quente e seco, então, além de muita água, é importante usar filtro solar e labial. No mais, é aproveitar sua estadia além dos Andes e voltar com o castelhano na ponta da língua!

On January 2nd 2008, I arrived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, where I would be spending the next five months of my life. I am going to be a senior at Boston College, and decided to spend the second semester of my Junior year studying abroad in Ecuador, a decision that changed my life. My program was coordinated through Boston College and combined a full semester of classes, trips, and volunteering with a local organization of our choice. Like most students who study abroad in Ecuador, I took classes at La Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, located in a valley called Cumabaya, a short bus ride outside of the Ecuadorian capital. The school is made up of 3,000 students of which approximately 300 are international students (mostly from the US). This mix allowed me to become good friends with both Ecuadorians and non-Ecuadorians who were interested in many of the same things as me. During the semester I lived with a family whom I became very close to as the semester progressed and as my Spanish developed. Living with a family provided the invaluable opportunity to become intimately connected to the culture: eating the local food, listening to Ecuadorian music, and sharing stories with the family during the long weekend lunches. The family that I lived with had two sons around my age so it was very cool to be able to spend time with them and learn how life is for a 21 year-old Ecuadorian.

At the university, I only had class four days a week, which allowed me to travel any weekend that I pleased. Ecuador is a very small country, roughly the size of the state of Colorado, but is very rich in biodiversity. Inside the small borders of Ecuador are the Amazon Rainforest, the Andes Mountains, and a large stretch of coast on the Pacific Ocean. During my travels, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit all three regions of Ecuador several times. My favorite trips included white water rafting in a small town called Tena at the beginning of the Amazon Rainforest, climbing the second highest mountain in Ecuador and the highest active volcano in the world called Cotopaxi, an adventure in the Amazon Rainforest to a small indigenous village, and my trip to the world famous Galapagos Islands.

Throughout my semester, I volunteered at a home for children whose parents were suffering from alcoholism, were in jail, or simply no longer around. At El Hogar Suizo, The Swiss Home, I worked with the carpenter that is in charge of repairing and maintaining the classrooms and the sleeping areas of the children. Volunteering with this organization was very rewarding, but frustrating at times due to the lack of resources available.

The Ecuadorian people are very nice, outgoing and very proud of their beautiful country and what it has to offer. If you are lost or simply trying to practice your Spanish, every Ecuadorian is very eager to offer a helping hand or have a friendly conversation. After spending five months in Ecuador I feel as though I have a second home, and have really grown to understand and love the culture. During my travels in the future, I know I will end up in Ecuador again, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Who put that there?

Sometimes, the anticipation of the unknown is better than the actual discovery itself. A carefully wrapped birthday present bound with ribbon and topped with a bow is a prime example. You hold it, shake it, listen to it and feel it. Your mind spins faster than a supercomputer with every possible gift or surprise that someone could imagine. When you open the box and wade through the mountain of Styrofoam nuggets and find… a porcelain ice hockey player with a bobblehead and no teeth…you deftly hide your rampant disappointment and smile appreciatively. You then take the bubblewrap to a corner and pop each bubble to your heart’s content in a form of therapy.

But sometimes, the contents exceed your wildest expectation, the grin is genuine and your head bobs like a bobblehead for days afterward.

Arriving anywhere after dark is much like receiving a wrapped present and it’s not until the following morning when you draw back the curtains of your room that you find out what it’s like outside. Sometimes it’s a litter-strewn graffiti-decorated brick wall. But sometimes it’s like Santiago, Chile and you become the bobblehead.

The drive from the airport had been long and arduous. Construction had closed the main highway and left the detour restricted to one lane. It had been dark when we landed and although usually possessing a decent sense of direction, I didn’t have a clue where I was or where we were heading. The traffic was bumper-to-bumper and there was nothing much to see except for red taillights. After an hour we arrived at our hotel. As we were only in Santiago for a brief stopover and had booked a city tour for the following morning before returning to the airport, I must confess that for once I hadn’t done much research and really didn’t know what to expect.

We went to our room and I immediately headed for the windows. I drew back the curtains and gazed out at a vast inky darkness with a vague grid of streetlights and a scattering of home or office lights. Exhausted, we went to bed.

The next morning light shined around the curtains. I glanced at the clock and rolled out of bed. Habit propelled me to the window, although I wasn’t expecting much after the previous evening’s disappointment. I pulled back the drapes and stood there, the proverbial grinning bobblehead myself.

The entire window was filled with the Andes Mountains, close enough to touch. They were snowcapped, rugged, their base shrouded in cloud and seemed to be violently shouldering each other as if the tectonic plates were still driving and grinding them upwards. The light had a muted early morning glow that dabbed delicately at the snow line. As it was Sunday, the streets were quiet and nothing competed for attention with the natural skyline.

I stood and gazed in wonder. The Andes would be spectacular under any circumstances and serving as a backdrop to a city like Santiago would always make them special, but to draw back the curtains and see such a vista moments after rolling out of bed was completely unforgettable.

What a way to start the day!

Photo and post by: Simon Vaughan

What is pretty clear here is thank a new rhyolite dome is erupting on top of the old dome. (On a side note, when I was visiting the Smithsonian last week, we were all lamenting the fact that no one has come out and said what composition this lava is? I'm 99% convinced it is rhyolite, e.g., high silica, lava, but I haven't seen an official determination so far EDIT 5/27: Thanks to one of my readers, Hawkeye, for pointing out that the SERNA report I link to above lists the composition as 73-75 wt% silica, a rhyolite). From the looks of the picture, there isn't a lot of new lava dome on the surface, so much of the volume of erupted material came out in the form of ash and pyroclastic material.

The most recent update from the SERNAGEOMIN show the waning eruption and the new dome:

The eruption is now classified as "sub-plinian", so a much smaller volume and dispersal area (~5-500 square km). Some of the rivers are choked with volcanic material, mostly ash and pyroclastic material again, but they are creating a lot of lahars.

The seismicity at Chaiten has been gradually going down for the last few days, so this might mean that the eruption is finally winding down - here, a full 3.5 weeks since it started. What is fascinating about this eruption is the idea that what we're seeing might just be the emplacement of a new dome inside the caldera itself, what is referred to a "resurgent dome", where eruptions come up through the middle of the caldera after the cataclysmic eruption rather than along the ring fractures at the edge of the caldera. What is yet to be seen is how long is magma was sitting underneath the Chaiten caldera before it erupted and what might triggered such a rapid evacuation of the magma chamber. 

Por José Luis Castillejos. Enviado

Potosí, Bolivia.- De lejos es una bella e imponente colina roja; de cerca, el cerro del Potosí es la "tumba" diaria de unos 15 mil mineros que subsisten, a cuatro mil 700 metros de altura, masticando hoja de coca y bebiendo el "whisky" de los Andes, un alcohol de 94 grados, en medio del irrespirable aire de este techo del mundo.

Pocos, o casi nadie, se han interesado por la vida de los niños, mujeres y hombres que se han hecho recios a golpe de las circunstancias. Aquí parecieran ser los olvidados de Dios.

Ariel Choque, es un niño minero quechua, de 13 años, que observa desde la mina "Caracoles" la riqueza que discurre abajo, en la ciudad de Potosí, la antigua Babilonia del altiplano andino, por donde transitan camionetas Hummer, de 50 mil o 100 mil dólares y camionetas 4x4 blindadas.

"Algún día me gustaría tener una de esas", dice Ariel quien los fines de semana va a ver a su madre, en un suburbio potosino, a quien le entrega el dinero que gana en la mina y acompaña a su jefe, Franklin Condori, al que le gusta ir a la cantina a tomar "whisky" y a buscar "señoritas".

Muchos de los que viven en la bulliciosa ciudad, con 36 iglesias, grandes salones, restaurantes, bares, agencias de viajes y algunos hoteles de lujo, no saben lo que pasa arriba, en el techo del mundo, en el Cerro del Potosí, donde caminan, abrazados, el hambre y la miseria.

Uno de esos rostros que se pierden entre socavones, de donde los mineros extraen plata, estaño, zinc, bronce y plomo es el de Ariel quien, desde el inhóspito paraje del cónico "Cerro Rico", cuenta al enviado de Notimex: "soy un experto en la minería porque trabajo desde que tenía nueve años".

Ariel golpea dos piedras y muestra pequeños puntos color gris, que asegura son fragmentos de plata. Sin embargo, a pesar de haberlo extraído, casi arañando la tierra, no le pertenecen. Él es un peón, un jornalero y otro, el de una camioneta Hummer, el dueño de la mina, que sólo viene a ver cómo trabajan los mineros.

Ariel es un "chasquiri" (ayudante de perforista) y trabaja con Franklin Condori (23) quien mata con alcohol sus penas, su ausencia familiar y su dolor por la vida. Fue uno de los pocos que quiso hablar en una zona donde no se permite el ingreso de la prensa, donde no se permiten las fotos y quien intente hacerlo, ingresar a la fuerza es ahuyentado a pedradas.

La altura y el frío doblega, ocasionalmente, a este niño que sueña con cambiar de vida, bajar del cerro, vivir en Potosí, ir a la escuela, tener mucho dinero y ser patrón-minero y tener muchas señoritas porque "para eso es el dinero, señor".

Durante la colonia fueron extraídas del "Cerro Rico" dos mil millones de onzas de plata y hoy, de ese lugar, salen cuatro mil toneladas por día de concentrados de plomo, plata, zinc, antimonio y estaño de los cuales se extrae un 25% de riqueza mineral y el resto es basura.

El Prefecto (gobernador) y Comandante General del Ejército del Departamento de Potosí, Mario Virreira Iparri, aseguró en entrevista que el "boom" minero, merced a los elevados precios de los metales beneficia a todos "porque trae modernidad, luz, agua, escuelas, hospitales".

"Los mineros viven bien", dice sin rubor y asegura que todos están ligados al desarrollo, y "aquí no creemos en guerras, en sublevaciones contra el gobierno boliviano (de Evo Morales), estamos bien". Pero Ariel Choque, el niño minero, lo desmiente: "No tenemos nada. No tenemos médico, escuelas, viviendas; vivimos mal", enfatiza el menor mientras en su pequeña radio a pilas se escucha la voz del cantante guatemalteco Ricardo Arjona con su "Jesús, verbo no sustantivo":

"Jesús es mas que un templo de lujo con tendencia barroca. El sabe que total a la larga esto no es más que roca. La iglesia se lleva en el alma y en los actos no se te olvide que Jesús, hermanos míos es verbo, no sustantivo", se escucha. Ariel, sin querer, desmiente a la máxima autoridad del pueblo al indicar que aquí pasan hambre, frío y que todo el dinero se los llevan los jefes de las minas mientras que el resto apenas gana unos cinco dólares por día.

Lo que él ignora es que este cerro comenzó a explotarse desde 1545 y fue artífice del esplendor de Europa entre los siglos XVI y XVIII. Pero pregunta "¿porqué le llaman Cerro Rico y todos aquí somos pobres? Y se responde mientras con su dedo índice recorre el horizonte: "no hay igualdad, aquí vivimos mal, con frío, poca comida, pura coca y trago".

Aquí han pasado más de cinco siglos de historia de sometimiento y nadie se inmuta; "a veces quiero irme al pueblo, tener una casita y tener mi cuarto", afirma Ariel mientras se alista para ir a Potosí, una ciudad de sinuosas callejuelas, desordenadas y sucias, con muchos indígenas ebrios, lujosas camionetas e iglesias cerradas en pleno domingo.

Los curas se regodean en sus residencias y se alejan del bullicio citadino y desde sus terrazas solo ven a pequeños hombres-hormigas que socavan el cerro del Potosí.

Aunque fue "el nervio principal del reino", según lo definiera el virrey Hurtado de Mendoza, hoy preocupa a la UNESCO como va decayendo el esplendor de las casonas coloniales, carcomidas por el inexorable paso del tiempo.

De sus lujosos salones, teatros y tablados que en la época de la colonia lucieron riquísimos tapices, cortinajes, blasones y obras de orfebrería y los balcones de las casas de donde colgaban damascos coloridos y lamas de oro y plata. Hoy de esa luz, de esos destellos solo queda el recuerdo. En 1608, Potosí festejaba las fiestas del santísimo sacramento con seis días de comedias y seis noches de máscaras, ocho días de toros y tres de saraos, dos de torneos y otros de fiesta.

En las afueras de esta ciudad moribunda, fundada el 1 de Abril de 1545, cuando se empezó a explotar el Cerro Rico, están las vetas más ricas del mundo donde funcionan unas 55 cooperativas, en manos de unos cuantos dirigentes que no aceptan ventilar sus asuntos en la prensa. Los indígenas quechuas son los encargados de extraer los minerales,
pero ellos, los verdaderos dueños ancestrales del cerro, no logran arañar la riqueza que pasa por sus manos.

Durante la Colonia, el Virrey Francisco de Toledo instauró en 1572 la mita (tributo que pagaban los indios): "una vez cada siete años, durante cuatro meses, los varones de entre 18 y 50 años estaban obligados a trabajar en las minas, casi sin paga y sin ver la luz del sol".

De esa forma desapareció el 80 por ciento de la población masculina de 16 provincias del Virreinato del Perú del que formó parte Potosí. "Cada peso que se acuña en Potosí cuesta diez indios muertos en las cavernas de las minas", escribió Fray Antonio de la Calancha en 1638.

Hoy la muerte es más lenta, el alcohol, la desnutrición, las enfermedades, los males respiratorios y la falta de higiene, golpean a diario a los indígenas. Aquí las mujeres están tristes porque no tienen dinero, ni documentos para cobrar cuando algún familiar muere en la mina. Tampoco cuentan con partidas (actas) de nacimiento ni reciben la renta cuando enviudan y que el patrón debe pagarles.

Johana, es una joven austríaca que trabaja en un organismo no gubernamental europeo, e intenta cambiar la vida de los niños a los que le enseña música, inglés y confiesa a Notimex que en este lugar "son menos que un cero a la izquierda".

Algunas mujeres se emplean como "guardas" (vigilantes de las minas) y son más aguerridas que los hombres porque piedra en mano ahuyentan a quien quiera conversar con ellas; otras son "palieres" (indígenas que golpean la piedra para sacar los minerales". Viven en casas de un cuarto, con maridos que todos los fines de semana se van a emborrachar, pero ONGs, como Musol e Intersol intentan ayudarlas, orientándolas sobre cómo mejorar su calidad de vida.

Aquí en el techo del mundo, donde el Estado no protege a los indígenas, se escucha la melodía de Arjona que resume el drama: "Rezando dos padres nuestros el asesino no revive a su muerto. “¡Jesús, hermanos míos, es verbo no sustantivo!".

Franklin Condori es otro minero que vive entre el alcohol y el olor a lodo, a barro y piedra quemada. Desde su “suite” como llama él a un maloliente cuarto muestra la ropa y los equipos que utiliza. En un pequeño estante tiene el “whisky” de los Andes, un aguardiente de 94 grados que al primer sorbo quema la lengua y cuesta pasar por la garganta. “Es para aguantar el frío y la presión (atmósferica)”, afirma Franklin, quien con su amabilidad intenta hacerse escuchar: “Aquí no tenemos nada, todo se lo llevan los dueños de las minas. Esta es como una especie de tumba donde vamos muriendo de a poquitos”.

Y luego de otro sorbo de alcohol, rebajado con una bebida carbonatada, el minero dice que años van y años vienen y todo sigue igual. Es mucha la piedra, con filamentos de plata, que sale de aquí, cientos, miles de toneladas, “pero nosotros no vemos más que miserias”.

POTOSÍ, UNA CIUDAD QUE AGONIZA

La ciudad boliviana de Potosí, con grandes cinturones de miseria, agoniza lentamente y de su antiguo esplendor solo va quedando ruinas. Hoy a las puertas de Potosí, en la entrada principal del pueblo, decenas de mineros alcoholizados grafican todo lo contrario de lo que fuera este pueblo de gran belleza.

Los indígenas quechuas que extraen los pedazos de roca con plata no logran obtener riqueza. Ellos solo ven como raudamente se desplazan por las retorcidas callejuelas las camionetas blindadas, las hummer, los hombres acaudalados.

Desde el siglo del esplendor hasta hoy no ha cambiado el sistema de explotación del hombre por el hombre. Los mineros más ricos llenan los bares y prostíbulos mientras otros, allá arriba del cerro tienen que sobrevivir con el aire que inyectan las compresoras dentro de los socavones donde la única luz que existe es la mirada de los extractores de minerales.

Se estima que siete de cada diez bolivianos que viven de la minería tienen problemas respiratorios y no cuentan con servicios médicos, beneficios laborales y otras prestaciones.

El escritor uruguayo Eduardo Galeano describió alguna vez a la sociedad potosina con la siguiente radiografía: "enferma de ostentación y despilfarro aún queda la vaga memoria de sus esplendores y las ruinas de sus templos y palacios". La razón de ser de Potosí ha sido siempre la minería, pero hoy poco a poco va cambiando todo.

El Cerro tiene una roca de muchas vetas de donde se saca toda la roca posible y se le muele. Ese trabajo, sin embargo, puede pasar la factura a la larga a los mineros, colapsar y venirse abajo. Pero los habitantes de Potosí dice que no quieren que este se derrumbe ni que pierda el Cerro el título de Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

En 1572 Potosí ya superaba en tamaño a las ciudades españolas. En 1610 tenía 160 mil habitantes e igualaba en extensión a Paris y Londres y era una ciudad opulenta donde la gente vestía de seda con encajes de oro y plata.

Hoy la gente se viste de miseria y de la primera Casa de la Moneda de estos confines, construida por ordenes del Virrey Toledo, hoy solo queda el recuerdo y aunque la ciudad ha sido Declarada "Patrimonio Cultural y Natural de la Humanidad" por la UNESCO poco se hace para volver al lujo de antaño.

Denominada "Villa Imperial" desde el año 1547 por el emperador de España rey de la época, Potosí era la ciudad más fascinante de Bolivia. Hoy aquí solo viene la gente en busca de la riqueza aunque aún quedan leves destellos del estilo colonial que aún decora la ciudad con calles adoquinadas, fachadas barrocas, iglesias.

Potosí, la otrora ciudad colonial y minera poco a poco va muriendo a la par de cómo mueren allá en el Cerro el niño Ariel Choque y su jefe, Franklin Condori.

"Jesús es verbo... No sustativo".

Copyright ©-José Luis Castillejos A.

joseluiscastillejos@gmail.com

Cordilheira dos Andes vista de um satélite da NASA

Era para ser uma viagem simples, entre Puerto Montt e Junta, cidades da região sul do Chile separadas por pouco mais de 200 km. O avião bimotor, que fez há viagem há duas semanas, decolou no sábado (7) e deveria fazer o trajeto em uma hora e quinze. Mas a 19 km do destino veio o desastre e o avião caiu.

Os sobreviventes passaram cinco dias e quatro noites isolados. Praticamente sem comida, beberam água extraída da neve, suportaram temperaturas abaixo de zero e temeram pelo pior. O resgate realizado pela Força Aérea Chilena no dia 11 de junho foi bem sucedido: dos dez ocupantes do avião acidentado, nove viveram para contar a história.

O piloto Nelson Bahamondes -- 65 anos, mais de 40 anos de profissão -- morreu dois dias depois do acidente, por conta de uma forte pancada na cabeça.

O engenheiro elétrico Omar Villegas conta que, quando ele e os companheiros perceberam que o piloto tinha morrido, foi um choque. Entraram no avião e ficaram calados. “Percebemos que era esse nosso destino”, lembra. Refugiado da cidade de Chaitén, que dá nome ao vulcão que entrou em erupção em maio, Villegas tomou seu segundo susto em pouco mais de um mês.

“Achamos que não ia ser daquela vez, mas aí o helicóptero voltou. Fiz uma força mental, que nunca tinha feito na vida, para atrair a atenção dos militares”, contou Omar, sobre a aproximação do socorro.

Miguel Almonacid, 29, pai de quatro filhos, conta que as condições de vôo não eram boas e e que, de repente, pioraram com chuva e neve. Ele, que estava na cadeira do co-piloto, se lembra de ter gritado ao piloto para ter cuidado. Omar, que estava mais atrás, diz que não houve nem tempo para a posição de pouso de emergência, aquela da cabeça entre as pernas, porque a asa esquerda já batia contra as árvores.

Mesmo gravemente ferido, o piloto dava instruções aos passageiros, lembra Omar. Até momentos antes de morrer, dizia o que eles tinham que fazer para se proteger do frio e para serem avistados pelo resgate. Antes de morrer, conta Miguel, amigo do piloto, ele pediu que lhe fechassem a boca, nada mais.

Com o passar dos dias, além do frio, os sobreviventes começavam a enfrentar outro problema: a fome. Omar tentou comer grama, mas desistiu porque era simplesmente intragável. Água havia, do gelo que se acumulava ao redor do avião, mas para tentar se aquecer um pouco, só havia uma opção. O engenheiro conta que durante três dias bebeu a própria urina. “Era o que havia de quente”, diz. “Não tínhamos uma cozinha, não era um pic-nic.”

Passageiros começaram a pensar numa solução dramática para a fome. Miguel conta que tinham decidido comer a carne do piloto, porque a fome era insuportável.

Perdidos e desesperados, eles lembraram do drama famoso acontecido há 36 anos, quando o avião que levava uma equipe de rugby uruguaia caiu, também nos Andes. Sobreviventes comeram carne humana. Numa entrevista ao fantástico em 96, um dos 16 passageiros que escaparam contou que a decisão foi difícil, mas inevitável.

“Justo no dia em que íamos fazer isso, fomos localizados por um dos helicópteros da força aérea. Se isso não tivesse acontecido talvez naquela mesma tarde teríamos começado a comer o corpo do piloto”, conta Miguel.

O comandante da terceira brigada aérea, general Hugo Peña, diz que foi muito difícil localizar o avião. A fuselagem, branca, no meio da neve confundia as equipes. Além disso, ele afirma, o tempo na região é traiçoeiro: muda de repente e pega de surpresa até os pilotos mais experientes.

O general Peña conta que os acidentes por lá são freqüentes, um avião cai a cada ano e meio, dois anos. Normalmente, as equipes de busca encontram os ocupantes mortos.

Fonte: G1

Just when you thought it was safe to go outside.

After apparently settling down a bit over the weekend, Chaiten has kicked it back up a notch. The latest reports say that two ash columns are active ... and that is about all we get for more news. Not surprisingly, most of the damage around the volcano has been done by flooding and/or lahars, thanks to the ash and debris-choked rivers like Rio Blanco. It also sounds like the SERNAGEOMIN is digging in for the long-haul, calling for the eruption to go on - to some degree - for months. This isn't too shocking considering the minor dome eruption at Mt. Saint Helens that started in 2004 has been going on for 4 years.

The newest reports out of Chile are indicating that the eruption at Chaiten has reached levels of intensity not seen since the eruption first started over six weeks ago. I have to admit, that isn't a good sign in terms of keeping the volcanic edifice in one piece. There have been frequent, small (<M3) earthquakes along with "rumbling noises," which might indicates that the domes are collapsing to form pyroclastic flows. Alternately (and need I remind you, very speculatively) it might be the the edifice itself beginning to show the wear of this long eruption and the emptying of the magma chamber.

The most troubling to me is this part of the report: [The military flyover] spotted two new craters. Officials said they saw bursts of gas coming from different areas around the base of the volcano. This suggests that there is enough pressure under the volcano to start opening new vents. Whether or not this leads to the formation of a ring fracture - the series of fractures around edge of a caldera that facilitate collapse - is pure speculation, but at the very least, this is a new stage of activity at Chaiten.

So, this was a bit of a surprise to me. Six weeks into the Chaiten eruption in Chile, apparently the volcano has picked up the tempo again. Not much in the report except that apparently two new vents/craters have opened, there is an increase in ash emission and seismic activity. What this might be is difficult to ascertain from the report, but it could indicate that the volcano might be heading down the road toward a collapse, such as the one previously alluded to by scientist-in-charge Luis Lara. Another report - albeit almost identical to the first - does mention in the headline that the police and military were told to evacuate, which is never a good sign. I'll keep an eye open over the weekend for more developments.

Reuters has a short video showing some of the damage inflicted on Chaiten by the volcano of the same name. Looks like the ash, lahars and flooding have wiped out at least a third of the town (according to the voice-over) ... and in a sense, Chaiten (the town) lucked out as the destruction could have been a lot worse.

Sí, y es que los panas de Dantamedia le tomaron el Pulso a las montañas y la ciudad de Mérida. A través de una clara influencia de los documentales Baraka y El hombre de la cámara (dos de mis documentales de culto), Pulso nos narra el transcurrir de un día en los andes venezolanos.

1era Parte

6:13

2da Parte

5:51

碩步甲

청가슴연두딱정벌레

Carabus (Apotopterus) davidis (thieffryi Hauser) (China)

We've been hearing a lot of conflicting reports about the state and future of the Chaiten eruption. Now ending its fourth week of eruption, Chaiten was said to be easing up a bit, but recent reports have Luis Lara from the SERNAGEOMIN still worried about a potential collapse, followed by a devastating eruption. I'll have to take his word for it as the explanations in the article don't really make a lot of sense. It sounds like both Lara and Dr. Petrinovic (Argentina) are worried about dome collapse, but that would just form large pyroclastic flows ... unless the dome collapses enough to release the pressure on the underlying magma, then maybe you could get a large eruption (see Mt. Saint Helens, 1980). I also have some compositional data from ash erupted at Chaiten (big thank you to reader Werner Luis for finding these). Most of the ash is rhyolite (73-75 wt% SiO2), but at least a couple are dacite (64-65 wt% SiO2), which indicates that the composition of the lava/ash erupting has changed during the eruption. There isn't much context to the data, but it is still interesting nevertheless.

An added note on the flight cancellations by LanChile, apparently the problem is more related to wind direction than increased activity, but both are likely playing a role.

Just for the record, everything in the preceding lines was fabricated and probably has very little to do with either Old or Shakespearean English. If you were fooled, now is the time to be impressed. If you are a graduate student finishing a degree in "Ornate Linguistics of the Medieval Period," do not send Break Out The Oreos letters of correction. Devon will share them with Nicole and they will collectively laugh at your major.

Congratulations, BOTO readership! You've done so well in recent weeks that you've been rewarded with the first colored text of our humble blog's young history! Not only have you set new records for daily and weekly hits here at Break Out The Oreos, you've also accomplished what once seemed impossible: you've increased site traffic so much that a Google search for "break out the oreos" now leads websurfers directly here, even without the quotation marks! You've even managed to make Googling Devon's name a quick hop to the blog, which sure as hell beats the YouTube videos, high school sailing rankings, and decade-old Amazon.com book reviews that used to show up. BOTO could, of course, observe the logical correspondence in timing between BOTO's sudden rise in popularity and the appearance of Nicole's blogging on the site, as well as the blatant and shameless self-advertisement by said writers on Facebook. On the other hand, did we mention that Devon's in Argentina?

Devon defeats poor wifi and battery life on his laptop to bring you updates from Patagonia, after the jump:

WARNING: The snarkiness stops here, as Devon childishly delights in natural and cultural wonders.

BOTO won't go into the details of Devon's lengthy and arduous voyage to the Argentine city/town of San Carlos de Bariloche (ten hours by plane from Hawaii, four-hour layover in Los Angeles, nine hours by plane to Atlanta, three-hour layover, twelve hours by plane to Buenos Aires, six-hour layover, nineteen hours by bus across the Argentine pampas to Bariloche), but will instead describe the location: it's gorgeous here. Nestled on the shores of Lago Nahuel Huapi, Bariloche offers spectacular and near-constant views of the Andes that are reminiscent of those of the Remarkables from Queenstown--except for the fact that these mountains extend in practically every direction you turn. The result is photos like these, taken at several locations in and around Bariloche:

The people in Bariloche are exceedingly pleasant, and speak just enough English for a certain Columbia undergraduate to ease himself through a semester's absence from Spanish classes and back to general fluency. Chocolate manufactured in the Swiss tradition is everywhere in town, and gratuitous abundance has in no way affected the quality of these treats. Also commonplace are dogs of every kind, both tame and feral, all of which appear to be well-behaved and generally clean; St. Bernards are evidently iconic and characteristic of the town.

Bariloche's odd balance of rustic simplicity, city-like bustle, and majestic environs make it an endearing and memorable vacation spot, particularly for those of us who are at home in big cities; the unique and charming nature of the place is a tasteful break from urban life when enjoyed a few weeks at a time. As one American expatriate encountered by BOTO stated while gesturing toward the Andes, "I'll take those over the (building) any day."

That's all from Bariloche. This half of BOTO will continue on to Buenos AIres in a day, and the other half shall continue supplying you, the loyal and suddenly much larger readership, with Break Out The Oreos' normally snarky commentary. ¡Ciao!

Photo Source: http://www.portalagrario.gob.pe/dia_papa.shtml

Mention the mere word of "Potato" and one might think of Ireland, as in the Irish Potato Famine, Idaho Baked Potatos, Sweet Potatos, Thanksgiving Mashed Potatos and of course the all American favorite, - French Fries!

But did you know that the potato is native to the Andes? It originates back to 7,000 years ago and was cultivated by the Incas long before it became a staple food of Europe and North America.

The potato is one of the most durable of veggies (a member of the nightshade family) and can grow in seemingly god-forsaken-soils. As a matter of fact the Incas cultivated the potato at elevations of 15,000 ft. above sea level!

An American scientist by the name of David Spooner did extensive research to pin point exactly where the potato came from. In 2006 he determined that the potato originated in the areas of Cuzco and Puno in the South of Peru. If you've ever traveled these regions then you know that you are traveling through some dizzying altitudes.

There are over 98 cultivated varieties of potato...NINETY EIGHT! You don't even see half of that in the local supermarket!

The "papa" as it is called in Spanish is one of the most nutritional foods and one of the most diverse. Historically it has played an important role in world nutrition and continues to be an important global crop in today's modern world.

There are over 151 countries that cultivate the potato and in Peru it is estimated that cultivation and harvest requires 7,000,000 seasonal laborers.

The potato first made its way to Spain in 1565-1570 after Spanish Conquistadors discovered it during their conquest of the Americas. The arrival of the potato in Europe was not warmly welcomed as it was originally thought to be Anti-Christian and responsible for numerous infirmities. This could be due to the improper use of the potato by the Spaniards. The leaves of the potato are poisonous and if left out in the light it will produce a green skin which contains solanine, subsequently causing the potato to taste rather bitter.

It wasn't until two decades later in Europe that the potato finally gained the recognition that it deserved as a food for mass consumption.

Photo Source: The History Place

The Irish had adopted the potato as early as 1590. Irish farmers quickly discovered that the potato grew well and quickly in their boggy and rocky soil. One acre of fertilized land could yield 12 tons of potato. By the 1800's the potato would be a dietary staple of the Irish poor and eventually would be the provocateur of one of the most famous famine's in history when an airborne fungus (Phytophthora infestans) destroyed the island's potato crop and killed millions.

The potato would once again play an important role in European history when it would no longer be considered a staple of the poor or prisoners. During the 7 year war a French chemist by the name of Antoine Augustine Parmentier realized the nutritional benefit of the potato while being held captive by the Prussians, after he was freed he decided to demonstrate why the potato should be included as a staple of the French diet and planted 50 acres of potato on the outskirts of Paris.

The potato was not only introduced to Europe, but also introduced to Asia when it landed in Taiwan in 1603 and from there it would be taken to Mainland China. By the 17th Century Portuguese Mariners would take the potato to India and by the 18th Century the potato would be introduced to Bhutan, Nepal and The Philippines. The year 1880 would bring the potato to East Africa and finally in the latter half of the 1900's the potato would finally reach the completion of its world tour when it arrived in the Middle East.

The potato is the 4th most important staple food in the world after rice, wheat and corn and for this reason the year 2008 has been dubbed "The Year of the Potato" for the significance that the potato plays world wide.

Peru not only celebrates the year of the Potato, but also the day of the Potato every May 30th according to national resolution Nº 009-2005-AG. This was emphasized even more during the V ALC-UE summit when Peru's President Garcia gifted the leaders of the participating countries with a potato, citing that it is a product that is 100% Peruvian!

Mr. Potato head may not have his day, but he has a lot to be thankful for. If it wasn't for the globalization and vital role of the potato in world history, Mr. Potato Head may have never become so famous!

Hot Potato Links:

Ministerio de Agricultura Peru

Indepthinfo.com

The History Place

Some news from the Chaiten eruption. Apparently, LanChile has cancelled some flights around the region of southern Chile due to the ash. They likely implies that the eruption column is bigger than reported by the SERNAGEOMIN on Monday, but the report has little in the way of details. Sounds like the volcano is still huffing and puffing away. Definitely one of the more important and interesting eruptions in the last few hundred years and it has the Cascades Volcano Observatory along with the USGS VDAP buzzing (based on some conversations I've had recently), even almost four weeks in.