CHE BOLUDO

CHE BOLUDO.

Wet your feet in its sand and get into this land traveler… and drink this poison that has the good people, if there’s something that chain you or stays inside you… when you leaving here take with you this landscape and this Cafayate´s sky. Jose Rios (poet)

Hi, after many surprises and many efforts I have arrived to Argentina, this country full of contrast and full of Creole slang like “boludo or pelotudo” a country with lots of faith against its icons, and now on top of it they have the Pope and of course they also have “D10S” Maradona´s way to say God, so, with all of them I guess I’ll be well protected here, unless I am going against them of course.

GAMBADA

I’ve left san Pedro de Atacama this Little Paradise that was one day and today isn´t anymore, after this very bad weather that I had, here in town everybody seemed happy, sun came out and those that we were waiting to cross the high mountain passes we felt happy too.

I´ve prepared me I took a deep breath and I’ve hit the road, my first obstacle on the map was the Paso Sico, but my first surprise came after one day pedaling up, there I could hear my first,” Che boludo”, a local old man with his bulging eyes and friendly smile asked me, ¿where the hell are you going? With a poker face I have answered, I am going to the Sico´s pass why? My whole face changed when I heard the answer, the pass it´s close and it will for two month at least.

Those words hurt me, were like sharp knives ripping all my skin, moments like this, after all the useless efforts you feel so defeat, like those that never have any chance to fight, and on my way back to San Pedro my eyes were like fire, I stared the hole world like it was a brutal enemy, I didn´t want to have another experience like I had some weeks before that made me learn another big life lesson.

So, back to San Pedro again, that little paradise that was and today isn´t anymore, my only option to cross the Andes was the Jama pass, and my only fight for the moment was accepting it.

The Jama´s pass it’s paved, you must climb till 4.900 meters, to finally going down to 4.200 meters, there where Chile and Argentina divide their lands.

On my climbing days, my knees didn´t like me for sure, meanwhile me I have tried to enjoy those cold and devastating landscapes, but my mind tried to find loved images, images that look like that never existed, what a sadness, all was like a big dark hole, dark and silent, much more silent than death itself, Oh man, what the cold could do…

PAJAROS EN LA CABEZA / BIRDS IN MY HEAD

So, me I kept climb and climb, trying to do the necessary movements, not more not less, and very often in my mind I could see those naked and shiny African bodies, those bodies able to heat the sun itself, but, this wasn´t real of course, because at night inside my tent, cold weather still was able to frozen up the batteries, the water and any sign of hope.

Although, traveling like this puts you very often near many good people, like Michel that I found in the Argentinean border, and I have share a couple of days with him, thanks a lot Michael to help me to forget all the problems with lots of smiles.

Then, from the high lands to the big salty flats, to finally get to the big green valleys, today well known all over the world, but, with the cold weather as a companion.

Just, this sensation that today everything goes to fast, and inside me I do feel this anger because I know that I can´t do anything to change it, it´s like the death, the illnesses and the injustices are the only perfection in this constant changing world.

And this is how I have arrived to Salta´s city “the beauty ones” as they call it here, I’ve arrived there, fill of removed energy, basically because the offering of somebody, the offer of help those in need, but… unfortunately I have found another of those people that promise and promise and nothing, they just are another of those “boludos”, (Argentinean slang), but I am not going to talk about them here, because they don’t deserve any importance in my site.

I am so tired of this comedy, or all those people that twist their mouths and you never know if it´s a fake smile or a repugnance gesture.

But now that I am here talking about silly things, I would like to ask you a question that I have been thinking for long. Who the hell decides that today it´s the day of the mother, the father, the kids, the gays, the cars etc etc etc? Oh well, because I am sure that I won´t have any answer, and nobody ask me my opinion, today I feel happy and this is why I  declare the smiling day…”Che Boludo” smile because you only have one life and this is so short.

CHE BOLUDO, SONRIE / CHE BOLUDO SMILE.

Ok,now I am feeling much better, and my life it´s still wonderful, and constantly my instinct warns me that something good will happen to me along the journey, and this is true, because some days ago, Pep´s and Ramon´s came from Barcelona to Salta,s visit me, and on top of it they brought my some spares for Halima´s that the friendly Koos gave to them, people like this are truly the strong light that pass through all the crevasses of my skin, Thanks a lot with all my heart.

And yes, The Andes are on my back, sun seems to be hotter, this and all the memories make me feel that I really have to share all this with you all, the ones that love me or follow me, because in the end of the day in my solitude I wouldn´t be anything without you all.

I am in Argentina, the country of the barbecues, the cowboys, the Pope and of course the D10S, and here in this country I will believe in the good people, and I will forget the bad ones.

How many wonderful landscapes I’ve left behind and how many people’s I’ve meet? That many that I wouldn´t never imagine it…

Today I am looking around me and I see people with white skin, straw color hair, blue eyes and lots of tranquility, and even if my body it´s still a bit tired I feel happy, full of hope.

I am on the winery and shiny lands, heading down south towards the famous road 40, I am heading to Mendoza city, there, the friendly Patricia´s waiting for me, and we will have the chance to help there, I hope I’ll work, oh man! With people like this, what else I can say?

I guess that I just have to say thanks to my life to make me feel as a privileged ones, so I can´t complain no matter how difficult this could be.

I am in Cafayate town, a place where the sun, the wine and the siesta times are icons too, so, I guess today I will leave you with a well deserved wine and little nap, because in the end of the day we are like those rivers that try to find the riverbed capriciously and patiently.

“Che Boludo” wet your feet in the sand and get into this land, traveler…

ESTA TIERRA VIAJERO / THIS LAND TRAVELER

I MAY BE CRAZY, BUT AT LEAST I CAN FLY. (Jacques Pierre)

HEALTH AND GOOD JOURNEY, NANDO.