Before you begin reading, I invite you watch this video first. It better explains the title than what I have written below. I always say that a video speaks a million words. I must say that I have always appreciated nature but never was really enchanted as I was by it when I filmed this video. Enjoy.
So, it’s been about a few months since I was able to to visit one of Chile’s most scenic places, Chiloe Island. The farthest I have ever been from the hustle and bustle of Santiago where I am living. It doesn’t get any better than the tranquility of only being able to hear my breath in the silence of the shores of the island or even to appreciate the unhindered sun rays penetrating through the thickets of green on afternoon hikes on its moderate hills. Prolonged hours of walking and trekking forgiven by the scenery that it all provided. My filmer-self wanted to capture everything and was frustrated that even what I caught didn’t capture the fullness of what I experienced. But I had to try to film what I could up until I got overwhelmed by it all, put my camera away and just took it all in. Somethings, however, I had to film. Like watching waters by our hotel ripple right under the dock taking the breath away from my friends was a shot that I couldn’t miss.
My filmer-self wanted to capture everything..up until I got overwhelmed by it all, put my camera away and just took it all in.
Or the wandering cat in the forest that became our ambivalent companion our trek. Or the horses on the plains that seemed overly indifferent to our presence than they were focused on their grassy lunch. Or even just the creativity that seven dandelions, a sandy cliff, and a still puddle of the Pacific’s water can inspire. What did we learn from running around Chiloe’s shores? That nature provides us with flowery diadems, earthy mattresses, and water playgrounds. But how could I have not seen this before? Has the life of a busy college student killed the childlike spirit within me that I have forgotten what it is like to be a child? To explore? To question? To play? Questions like these began flooding in my head as I experience this all and with another one being “Where can I go to experience this again?”
“Nature provides us with flowery diadems, earthy mattresses, and water playgrounds.”
I wanted more. It was certainly something that I would make sure that I would dedicate more of my time to in my stay in Santiago be it hiking the cordillera or exploring the areas most untouched by the metropolitan influence in the country. My next stop, I decided, was San Pedro de Atacama. With only 20 days left until I visit the world’s driest desert where the stars are so large and clear that they almost seem reachable. I only hope that when I visit that I take in the experience for what it is and not for what it could be like in my next Instagram post or documentary. But I admit, that will be difficult for me to do.
“Ser sólo con la tierra, vivir en consecuencia con la tierra solo como hermano” / “Be with the earth, live accordingly with her, like siblings”
Below are some small videobits and photos that were left out of the montage above. It will say each video is 0:00 but you will have to press play until the white bar goes all the way through and it will play.
