La Naturaleza

It turns out that for Robert and I, the biggest threat to our safety in Latin America is Mother Nature, that wizened old crone. We were chased out of Baños, Ecuador by the eruption of Mama Tungurahua; I´m quite certain that we experienced two brief but nerve-wracking earth-tremors (quakes is too strong a word) in Pasto, Colombia the other night; while swimming in Río Magdelena outside of Santa Marta I slipped on a rock and took a healthy chunk of flesh out of my shin; I have been continuously plagued by bites from mosquitoes, spiders, and no-see-ums; Robert is suffering from two weeks of horrible allergies; we´ve both had our share of healthy sunburns; and we almost died of heat exhaustion in Cartagena.

The mountains of Central and South America are relatively young, geologically speaking. They continue to heave and lurch and sigh and groan as they settle into themselves throughout Latin America. The earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are, for me, a metaphor for life in this part of the world. These countries feel young and wild; untamed and bold, with the kind of fearlessness only the young possess. Everything is so grandiose, starting with nature. The Andes don´t have the severe, rocky facade that I´m so familiar with in the Rockies. They are green and soft, rolling with thick jungle. Like a Botero painting, they resemble round, fleshy bodies, reclined, all hips and butt and breast and tummy, nurturing and maternal. But clearly fierce and threatening at times, too. This land roils; it´s loud and brash and hot and proud. It is not subdued or quiet, not behaved. It is dangerous and exciting, too.

I am convinced that the disposition of Latinos is a result of the land they live on. The grand and fierce beauty that one finds in these countries is impossible to ignore. It is visible in the subdued dignity of the indios, the only folks here with a claim to ancientness. It is visible in the mothers and their babies, the fathers and their children, the grandparents and the aunts and uncles; the families which occupy every corner and crevice of life here. It is visible in the violence and struggle, the resistance, which boils over and cracks the earth with its powerful horror and sadness. Its heat and sensuality is visible in the music; the vallenato, the tango, the salsa, the reggaetone.

I am blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know these places: Nicaragua, Colombia, and Ecuador, and hope to come back to see more of Latin America soon, soon, soon.