Arica and the North Chilean Parinacota
Despite a slight improvement in my condition, we broke camp this morning and decide to win Parinacota, a small village situated a little lower, at a dozen miles downstream. An engineer from Santiago we load quickly enough and we will walk part way with him.
This man seems to devote a real aversion to the far north of Chile, but he has little choice. His boss sent him for months in that country to oversee major repairs of the track. It also finds our holiday project in the altiplano as a real and unnecessary sacrifice. Throughout the journey he never ceased to repeat such a vain lament: "Oh, if you know the South! .
After four or five miles, the engineer stopped his vehicle already headed for a team of laborers waiting for instructions from the day.
The physical and the men's outfit reminiscent of ancient Mongolian warriors. Small and stocky, each of which covers the face with a strange grin no one knows if froze after too long and blissful contemplation of premises or if it is due to a genetic mutation caused by the high brightness and icy winds of the steppes.
An ample sweat and a cap filled with wide flaps to give their complete silhouette a monolithic appearance.
"Only they know how to work here," sighed the engineer. They all come around, they are genuine Aymara. By dint of living at this altitude, they acquired a capacity oversized chest ... Ah, but if you know the South .... "
The vehicle has now resumed its course. In the mirror, we see little group away. He resumed work at the pace slow and measured in a colony of convicts.
Parinacota is a tiny hamlet where only two families and a dozen children. Most houses were deserted, roofs are ripped and many walls are
partially destroyed. A church with a wonderful simplicity confers yet alone all the village's charm.
Finally, only the building of the park warden, a little behind the village is newly built and is the subject of a special maintenance.
We're greeted by a young woman which is the first work week in this part of the reserve. She admits to being still in a period of "acclimatization" and for now his days boil down to long hours spent in bed interspersed with short periods of work in which she tries to put
be some order in records left by his predecessor. It allows us to pitch our tent nearby and accept that we use the sanitary water supply for us. The rest of the afternoon is devoted to the installation of the camp and harvesting of firewood for the evening fire.
Research combustible materials is one of the most thankless tasks for people living in these highlands as the vegetation is sparse and stunted. It is estimated, according to data from the park warden, at least one member of each family sacrifices by seven to eight hours daily for this vital chore.
While we were raising a few thin twigs, a child suddenly emerged from nowhere. Slowly, he approached us then wordlessly began to fill our small reserve of timber. Having been a nice bundle of
size, it came down near the tent and went away smiling.
This child with the employee of the reserve, will be our only meeting in Parinacota. If we understand that from time to time a door creak, the sound of a gate will close, if we guess sometimes a fleeting shadow glide among whitewashed streets, yet no one ever does.
Llamas, crossed the village when we arrived, they did not themselves immediately adopted a more reserved attitude towards us?
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