Imagine going to a town in the heart of the rockies. Its partly cloudy with a crispness in the air bordering frigidity. The chimneys are steaming with the fresh smoke of firewood. Without warning, a pack of stray dogs raid a series of trashcans for churros with no mercy right across the street. It phases nobody, and the pack goes about their day with a fresh meal compliments of the local restaurants.
I arrived yesterday by plane to a small airport about 50 km outside of the city of Coyhaique. I could only find two similarities between where we landed and Kansas. The first being gale force winds. The terrain of the valley we landed in is comparable to a vast aged parking lot. Its very flat, so the wind has a chance to pick up speed, and weather battered by so many winters that it had developed an extensive series of cracks which now hold streams of water.The winds were so strong during the time we were descending, I thought the water in the cracks was going to blow right out of its banks. The second similarity really made me feel a little more at home: cows. There were lots of cows. I love cows...The rest of the area around Coyhaique looks more like scrub lands with mountainous mole hills. There are a few large peaks, but nothing serious.
When we arrived in the city, I felt pretty good. I didnt have any trouble getting there, my bags were fine, no trouble with customs, and then I got to the hostal...which was locked. I thought to myself, "Alright, I will be ok until it gets dark, then I might have to break a window." Luckily a local car salesman helped me before I could get my hands on anything rigid. The next piece of bad luck was losing my debit card to a malfunctioning ATM. The cashier at the desk said it wouldnt work because it was upside down. The only reasonable explanation is that the difference in magnetic fields from the northern and southern hemispheres caused it to redistribute itself within the machine. Thats believable right? The city definately has the feel of a mexican town transplanted in place of Denver. If it werent for the mountains, and the smoke stacks, and it being bone chilling cold in my room at night, I would definately be in the street yelling "¡Viva la Mexico!"
I arrived yesterday by plane to a small airport about 50 km outside of the city of Coyhaique. I could only find two similarities between where we landed and Kansas. The first being gale force winds. The terrain of the valley we landed in is comparable to a vast aged parking lot. Its very flat, so the wind has a chance to pick up speed, and weather battered by so many winters that it had developed an extensive series of cracks which now hold streams of water.The winds were so strong during the time we were descending, I thought the water in the cracks was going to blow right out of its banks. The second similarity really made me feel a little more at home: cows. There were lots of cows. I love cows...The rest of the area around Coyhaique looks more like scrub lands with mountainous mole hills. There are a few large peaks, but nothing serious.
When we arrived in the city, I felt pretty good. I didnt have any trouble getting there, my bags were fine, no trouble with customs, and then I got to the hostal...which was locked. I thought to myself, "Alright, I will be ok until it gets dark, then I might have to break a window." Luckily a local car salesman helped me before I could get my hands on anything rigid. The next piece of bad luck was losing my debit card to a malfunctioning ATM. The cashier at the desk said it wouldnt work because it was upside down. The only reasonable explanation is that the difference in magnetic fields from the northern and southern hemispheres caused it to redistribute itself within the machine. Thats believable right? The city definately has the feel of a mexican town transplanted in place of Denver. If it werent for the mountains, and the smoke stacks, and it being bone chilling cold in my room at night, I would definately be in the street yelling "¡Viva la Mexico!"
From the perimeter of civilization
James Bowden
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