on the edge

...of this thin country, of a lake, of the election...

Ahora estoy en Pucón, a little touristy lakeside town on the shores of clean clean Lake Villarrica and in the shadow of Volcán Villarrica, one of the most active volcanoes in the Americans and a really magnificent earthern mass (still covered in white white snow!) to behold from a hostel window.

I've already left Concepción (where the omnipresent Bernardo O'Higgins announced independence from the Spanish crown) and Temuco (where Pablo Neruda grew up, among green hills and beside a growing railroad).

I'm almost sad that I'm leaving Pucón on Sunday, since I saw a lifesize cardboard cutout of Sebastian Piñera on (what other but) Calle O'Higgins today, announcing his arrival on Sunday at noon to Pucón. I would love to stay here for that, with the same curiosity I would have had for a McCain rally, but my visa renewal calls, and I have to head across the border to avoid fees I can't afford.

Oh, Piñera. Even his slogans piss me off. Let's compare:

Piñera: Así queremos Chile --> This is how we want Chile.
This wouldn't bother me as much if it didn't follow sayings like "Narcos, tienen días contados," or, "Drug traffickers, you have numbered days." Let's attack the problem at the shallowest end, and present an uncompromising idea of how the national culture should look and be.

Marcos Ominami:Sigue el cambio --> Follow the change.
All right, a little repetitive, a little unoriginal, a little too Obamaesque for me, but at least he's not imposing anything on me.

Frei: Vamos a vivir mejor --> We are going to live better.
Or Vota con el corazón --> Vote with the heart.
We are going to live better! So much hope! So little constriction! Vote with your heart! Ok, that's a little too Disney, but it's so much more convincing that he cares about the voter.

Not to say that Frei would be the best choice. His track record seems spotty, especially given that he was president before and wasn't super popular. But he does want a new constitution (the constitution hasn't changed since Pinochet), and to recognize the Mapuches, and to expand health care and education in ways that seem doable.

We'll see what happens. I haven't seen any big signs for Arrate, the Communist candidate, but he'll certainly get at least a percentage of the votes. ...That's my very sparse political commentary for the week. I'll return to beautiful sights in my next post, especially after visiting the Huerquehue National Park, I promise.