29C and sunshine

... that's the forecast for Santiago de Chile, for tomorrow, the day after and the day after that.

How do I know? I've been checking it out frequently.

Why do I care? Because I will be there as of next Friday onwards. In fact - the forecast for Antofagasta in the North of Chile has been greeting me for past few days with incessant sunshine.

Now - Antofagasta - ANTOFAGASTA - hm, what a name... so many 'a's and so little else. Rather beautiful, don't you think? And, while the town maybe a bit much harbour and industry, it's on the way to this:

Moon rise over the Valle de la Luna, Chile,
by Simon Prisner

And the best of it all: I will be there at the next full moon. In San Pedro de Atacama.

The Atacama desert and the Pacific ocean, the Pacific ocean and the Atacama desert. A full moon and one of the clearest skies on earth. For three weeks.

Did I say where I will be going?

I've made some plans on painting/sketching material - and one of the things I'm seriously considering is taking a small plate along and some ink for monotypes.

Have you ever taken printmaking material on plein air outings? If so, what type of printmaking and where? I'm very intrigued by this - in fact, I may give it a try on my next trip to Balloch on Sunday with H. - that should give me a sense of practicality before lugging it halfway around the world.

Now - there was a plan to brush up my Spanish - that has for one reason or another not materialised. But, I had been doing a bit of digging around Chilenean poetry - there is Pablo Neruda of course. I also came across Gabriela Mistral. A mystical and rather romantic earthieness and invocation of nature... How's this for a start?

DESPERTAR

Dormimos, soñé la Tierra
del Sur, soñé el Valle entero,
el pastal, la viña crespa,
y la gloria de los huertos.
¿Qué soñaste tú mi Niño
con cara tan placentera?

Vamos a buscar chañares
hasta que los encontremos,
y los guillaves prendidos
a unos quioscos del infierno.
El que más coge convida
a otros dos que no cogieron.
Yo no me espino las manos
de niebla que me nacieron.
Hambre no tengo, ni sed y
sin virtud doy o cedo.
¿A qué agradecerme así
fruto que tomo y entrego?


And another one:

YO NO TENGO SOLEDAD

Es la noche desamparo
de las sierras hasta el mar.
Pero yo, la que te mece,
¡yo no tengo soledad!

Es el cielo desamparo
si la Luna cae al mar.
Pero yo, la que te estrecha,
¡yo no tengo soledad!

Es el mundo desamparo
y la carne triste va.
Pero yo, la que te oprime,
¡yo no tengo soledad!

And in case you wonder: no, my Spanish isn't good enough to get it completely, just a little bit and enough to be interested..., I'm sure there are some translations out there...

See here for more of her work in Spanish