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Published: March 10th 2009
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First of all, I need to start this entry with an admission. I went to Chaiten purely as a voyeur, planning on taking a view photos of the town, then leaving. For those of you that don't know the history, Chaiten was a busy port village until May 2008, when the nearby Volcano Chaiten erupted. This caused the river to overflow, and the town was devestated. Thankfully, everyone got out alive. Now, despite government warnings, 200 of the 7,000 residents have returned to try and get on with their lives.
Anyway, I got off the bus at the dock, and set off walking into town. I figured I had about an hour until the bus returned, so I needed to be quick. This was until Nicholas drove past. Nicholas is the owner of Chaitur, and one of the residents that returned to the town. He said that if I wanted, he could take me on a tour of the national park, see the volcano up close, camp out for free then get a bus to Puyuhuapi the next morning. This sounded perfect, and the price was right, so I was game.
It was one of the best decisions I
have made in recent times. The tour was very interesting, especially seeing the volcano, which has a lava dome which has grown about 300m in very little time at all. Make no mistake, it is still very active, and even as we were there, it started making very omnious noises. Nicholas assured us this was all normal. The rest of the tour was also very nice, the Pumalin National Park is a very beautiful area, despite being officially closed. But the best bit was being able to talk to Nicholas, and get a real idea of what life is now like for the residents of Chaiten, and how they're having to fight against the Chilean government for the right to live in their home town.
After the tour, I did my voyeur bit, and did a wander round the town. Words can't really describe the destruction I saw, so I'll let the pictures do that. Suffice to say, the residents are going to have a huge job on their hands to restore the town. The ash was so deep in places, that the playground and football pitch appeared as if they were built for people much smaller than children.
That night, I camped in the bus station, which must surely get at least an honourable mention in the "strange places to camp" awards. It was slightly disconcerting when I heard someone walk around the tent at the dead of night, but all was well in the morning.
And so the next day I left Chaiten. As I said at the start, I arrived as a voyeur, but I feel that thanks to Nicholas, I left as someone fully informed about the delicate situation that the town finds itself in. The residents know full well that the volcano could erupt at any time, and if that happens, they'll have to leave. But for now, they just want the chance to try and build a new life there. By cutting off their water and electricity, and refusing to repair the river banks (until the Argentinian government offered to help), the Chilean government aren't really giving them that chance.
So I end this entry by wishing the people of Chaiten the very best of luck.
Stewart
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