Havana, patagonia and tribar

HAVANA, Patagonia and the TRIBAR

Author: VILLANUEVA PEDRO GONZALEZ

Intellectual Property Registry No. 166 796. Chile

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CHAPTER 1 It was the spring of 2005, on very hot and humid lay, looking from the window of my room the bright blue sky. It was 10 in the morning, I got up from my bed and in my hands still smell of oil paint because I painted late. I felt hungry and I eat for breakfast what was in my kitchen and I feel some regret to see that there was only a bit of stale bread and brown sugar. I mixed with cold water and ate the bread. He thought in frustration over breakfast food shortages had in Cuba for the general population and long lines to get something streamlined and food distributed by the state.

I turn on the television and see the old man dully and almost incomprehensible, Cuban leader Fidel making a long political speech in the morning that lasted seven hours and the day became dense. Fidel spoke about his childhood, his life and his achievements. There was nothing entertaining on television because there are only two channels working. There is no cable or satellite and Internet in Cuba public television. Turn off the television and begin to paint with oil on canvas prepared and feel the sound of the phone, they were my parents calling from the small town of Trinidad is about six hours from Havana by road, was not from another world, a conversation routine to see how I was.

My parents went to live in the city of Trinidad because they liked living in the past, time stopped and there has been no progress to alter the city of Trinidad is purely colonial style in their architecture, combining trellises, balusters Turned wooden railings complex work, cobbled streets, squares and cloistered silence without missing donkeys. The city was founded by the conquistador and first governor of the island, Diego Velazquez in 1514. It is a quiet, isolated town, full of legend and where you can share with neighbors and family.

My mother was fortunate that my grandfather inherited the house in Trinity. My parents chose to live there while I was in the city, because they did not stand living before chaos, decay and polluting dust in the capital, see garbage in the streets, buildings able to landslides, mangy dogs dying hunger, lack of public transport and could not migrate to another country because it was late, believed in socialism and welfare would come that never came. They were content to be isolated in time and live in the small Trinidad.

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I lived right in Old Havana street ObrapĂ­a, was a colonial style with something terrible condition for lack of maintenance as they occur in many Cuban homes. In my house I had my paint shop and my personal library of books on art, literature and theater. He lived alone since my leisure. Did not want to have any obligation to me because personal freedom was more important to create and explore my artistic work and always with the dream of living and feeling the fall, the forests full of pine, fir, beech, lakes, mild cold and the gray skies of northern Europe. My dream despite obstacles to live in the old continent did not decrease, but grew strongly. I wanted to Cuba as a country, but also had a cosmopolitan worldview. Enjoy the cultural variety of the world, assimilate and live it was also a pleasure and a search as an artist. One must be completely free as a human being, because the Earth is a single country. Wars, warlordism banners and for me did not have much sense, plus it was against all violence and so admired Gandhi, who fought for the independence of their country through peaceful means.

Although often loneliness also has its price. Nostalgia came over me to remember when I studied at the Academy of Fine Arts to her, who I loved so much with a force of Platonic rapture became a mystical love that I identified a lot with the work of Honore de Balzac "Seraphita". The beautiful girl was a beauty to perfection, very white skin and golden braids, round face and chiseled features, was unearthly race, his intelligence was remarkable and he liked the philosophy that she embodied it in his artistic works , you could say that a young beautiful, deep, intelligent and with sensitivity to art that is not common in Cuba, nor in the world. It was actually a gift from the angels at the time I met her I could touch the sky for the first time in my life. Such heavenly beauty that awoke in my mind no common sexual interest in adolescents. I was 16 and she was 18 at the time, now I have 26 years. I chose this mystical love, it is better not to touch sacred to experience an earthly consciousness. Maybe it was my way of thinking and the ability to stop what was beautiful in an eternity, the ability to stop time and contemplate the beauty from all angles without getting tired. Learning every day metaphysics of love against the fleeting time and pointless.

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I got dressed and put on my typical plaid shirt, being comfortable. I took my bike made heavy and clumsy Chinese, I went out to the street and greeted the Josefa old woman sat on a wooden bench on the sidewalk. Josefa is charged with spying and watching every movement of the neighbors with huge glasses half broken glass on the left side and fastened with a dirty tape. Actually she was the neighborhood informant paid by the government and always wondered in his usual shrill tone 'My son, when you're getting married ?, is not good that a decent man like you Andes alone there, because attentive to our revolutionary morale and raised his hand, pointing his index finger and imitating the same gesture and undisputed leader Fidel. I just smiled and ignored him, as if exploited prisoner emotionally surely fell by issuing a contrast judgment.

I started peladear Ene do with my rustic locomotion and so I stopped an old man with his grimy hands, toothless and asks me 'You buy the Granma newspaper - No, thanks, I answered and continued moving the pedals, thinking that official newspaper of the Communist Party of Cuba and the country has only four pages which reported the most negative parts of the world as if it were already finished and censor the progress of the world. At the national level do not say all the country's problems and highlight the laudable political speeches of the Cuban leader, but unfortunately many get up very early and make lines to buy that newspaper depressing printed in white, black and red. That's because the thirst for information, as there is more newspapers and magazines worldwide. That way you can easily create stories Cubans living in a glass case in a separate and surreal island.

On the way there was a small park full of flowers and royal palms and stop to see something that caught my eye, something moving on a flower with large petals and white, thought it was a strange insect but the closer I realize it was the smallest hummingbird bird Cuba and is 5 cm. The disminuto bird had a deep green color with metallic flashes and flutters were surprising speed, roughly a rate of 80 times per second. Cute ZunzĂşn fed on nectar and fragrant white flower in full suspension using his long, thin beak, I was contemplating this wonder of nature for more than fifteen minutes. I resumed my pedaling my bike taking the Boyeros Avenue.

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He went to the psychiatric hospital to see my friend Israel Gonzรกlez where he was admitted for severe chronic depression with suicide attempt. Israel and I were excellent fellow students at the Art Academy. He was a very bright young man without studying could get excellent grades in almost all subjects, it was Punk music fanatic, often had problems in the Academy by their dress punk style. Being a countercultural artist was a pain in the ass for the government of the island. Israel was one of the most important members of the counterculture group known as Art-Calle, who did graffiti on abandoned city in protest against censorship of information walls, this happened just at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Cuban government forced to withdraw all Russian magazines "Spunitk" by very liberal consider and Art-Street Group protested against these measures. Two of the group were exiled from the country and the other two were expelled from the Academy, only Israel emerged unscathed from the situation, thanks to his uncle who was a viceminister of finance at that time, who bailed.

In my free time friend Israel and I walked near a place called Cubanacan leafy vegetation.

After lunch Academy took advantage of a walk and talk. I got to meet with Israel Cuban youth counterculture. I had about Aldous Huxley and his works were most impacted "perception Gate" and "The Island" in which the author saw as an ideal psychedelia to solve the problems of society solution also read Jack and told me Keourac about his favorite book "The Dharma Bums" of the Beat generation and precursor of the hippie movement. He talked about seeing a film that was very shocked entitled "Zabriskie Point" accompanied with the music of Pink Floyd and Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia shocked to see the beauty of the actress and dancer Daria Halprin. All this was new to me, because this kind of information did not reach the island. Israel's girlfriend was a Spanish girl, daughter of the consul of the Embassy of Spain in Cuba at the time. She offered him all the information and gave her books.

When we graduated we allow ourselves to see. Israel had to go to the province to work as an art teacher in a school and years later I got the news of his mental breakdown. He could not stand mediocrity and political hypocrisy that was present in the small town when he arrived. The first thing he asked me and I felt a strong shock to see him talking 5

inconsistency raft 'When we go to Europe, Peter - and I said go rafting -so that it is not better to travel in Israel plane- and stared at me In Cuba he told me, you know well that everyone traveling in balsams.

I left very upset and decided to go to hospital pottery workshop of my friend Javier who was very close to the National Library. Javier workshop was a small place where there was a tree that grew over time and destroyed the wooden roof in the center. Now the tree is a lucky charm, a part of trunk has scribble poems, prayers and drawings. At the entrance of the door was a piece of pottery which represented a talisman drawing inspired Triqueta of ancient Celtic culture where each oval It represents one, and circle the union between the three. S imboliza the perennial flow, the cosmic circuit that every living being and makes its way through the three kingdoms. It symbolizes life, death and rebirth, where each oval symbolizes the vagina receiving three dimensions of female divinity: maiden, mother and crone. L to Trinity, unity and interaction between body, mind and spirit. The healthy man ys Ă­mbolo ascension, which raises the level of consciousness and reconnects us with Being.

Javier was a wave of Celtic culture aficio, plus use of the three elements of the Triqueta coincided with his name; Trinidad.

Mu and tired arrived with my transport pedals, Javier went out to meet and greeted me with his usual emanating hug his charismatic smile. It was a special friend because of its enormous goodness and simplicity of soul. He showed me the new ceramics imitated all the old locks, rusted and large keys, antique guns, pots with faces of typical Creole Caribbean mulatto with his cigar in the thick lips. All they reproduced in molds to be sold in the Plaza de craft, which was located in the oldest cathedral square of Old Havana and the other near the boardwalk.

Javier was now the head of the workshop, as the former lost his head conquering a rich old woman in the Dominican Republic, leaving his two children and his wife. Led by Javier there were several young men working for him, also he stopped using mud or clay and the oven so they too could create their own pottery.

In the workshop of Javier there were a few furniture 19th century Napoleonic style and desvejencidos broken. The cheerful, rhythmic and syncopated Perez Prado Mambo music was heard in the fo nd. We sat at home like old friends, I served golden rum and said: 'It's 6

rum quality- After a pause he said sipping rum: - Tell a novelty but at the moment he entered the workshop a bald, thin man with very sweaty face. Javier got up and said: 'I present to Hector, is our sales-representative Hector greeted me with great warmth as if it were a member of a brotherhood with many hugs and handshakes, greeting after a long five minutes, Javier waited said: This is my old friend Peter, he is a painter who lives and exposes his paintings abroad and the money it brings has made many donations of paintings for children who are invalids returned to Hector me embrace and said: How nice, Pedro We sat back in the antique furniture, Hector Javier started talking to sales of parts and with a calculator in hand accounts pulled complaining about government abuses! as to leave and exaggerated tax break that made many artisans, he was concerned about the future of the workshop, but Javier remained optimistic and confident, despite the obstacles did well in a way.

After this little talk, Hector asked for a glass of rum asked me about my paintings and my exhibitions, I told him about my style in the tables in the manners of the city was reflected with some social criticism, despite predominated vivid colors, Hector told me-and remember seen your paintings in an exhibition at the City Museum in the past year and Javier interrupted with some pride Hector friend said: 'Pedro is the only deaf graduate of the Academy of Art-faced astonishment Hector did not realize my deafness by my good form normal talk and ask me: 'How did you do it, boy I replied that luck was because of my training? Parents who were not content to study at a school for the disabled at an early age and began studying at a school of listeners. Hector nodded and listened with interest as he drew from his pocket a plastic tube adsorbent for adsorbing well liked rum with the tube in his mouth.

A youth who was working was accidentally dropped a piece that was going to put it in the oven, furniture Javier rises to calm the boy and help rebuild the part, but Hector wanted to continue telling and more relaxed by the effect of rum He took from his pack of cigarettes and began to smoke and wondered while expelling white smoke through the nose and adsorbed while rum: -ÂżCuĂŠntame some countries you've visited - I told Hector that my first exposure Europe was in Antwerp, Belgium and remember that I arrived at midnight to my 7

presentation, people expected me warmly despite the delay of the flight, I was very tired and had sleepless hours with a stopover at the airport in London but the public was cheerful and drank beer in the same cultural center where my exhibits, then placed Salsa music and so the opening was open until dawn.

In the morning I had breakfast at the home of a friend named Elena and then came a girl named Wenka wished walk with me and show me the oldest city in Europe, visit the Museum of Rubens, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Antwerp, the Chamber of Commerce, cafes and train terminal with Art Nouveau architecture of the 19th century Two months later I went to exhibit at a cultural center in Amsterdam where I was struck by the Coffee Shop where varieties of Cannabis legalized by Public Health are sold and features Cannabis an annual festival where experts will test the varieties of plants and seeds. I also visited the Van Gogh Museum where I saw closely the works of the famous painter. Hector ask me: How is it that has this kind of travel and see so many places - I will tell you that sometimes when I was little was to be with my grandparents who lived in a deal close to "La Virgen del Camino"? I used to go a lot to the statue is located at the convergence of the most important roads in the city, which is a virgin and is known as the patron saint of travelers passing through this area for thousands of people and vehicles, they come and go to and from the center of the city. To me seduced that sculpture carved by the artist Rita Longa, a sultry virgin, tender emanating from its forms and costumes that from its circular base, springs large petals situated in the center of a source suppliers, the statue has in its hands a compass rose that guides travelers.

I felt a strong attraction to La Virgen del Camino and something strange happened when I was there I could see a bright ring of very powerful, his eyes yellow taught me the doors of the world so big and so small at the time, so she taught me with its sign that the world was a single home wherever you are.

While talking with Hector on places of these countries, he listened very pensive, but at this time an old man looking at the door Javier Hector gets up from the chair, I presented the old man appears and said: 'It's the old Conrado do you know ?, I replied that no, Hector tells me 8

he is a legendary Cuban baseball pitchers. Hector asks Don Conrado: 'What's my old Conrado so mischievous smile and listening to the conversation Javier says: It's Don Conrado comes looking gift for your sweetheart. Javier wrapped gift ceramic was imitating a large pink and he entrusted to his girlfriend, while he sits and begins to tell his story for the tenth time player, as I said Javier.

In the decade of the '40s played with the Washington Conrado league in the United States, he told: There's a game I'll never forget, when I went to play in Yankee Stadium. At this time Washington was against the Yankees. The pitcher who matched him up to the box suffered an allergy attack, then the manager asked me to take the ball. I was excited because at that time did any soul to play with the Yankees. Could be the pitcher with Yoggi Berra was one of the best hitters in the league of the Yankees. I went to the best resource, calm, I managed clothes, I walked around the mound knowing that Berra was a danger, because I had thrown shoes and anything but the ball, I saw my team running and the game was over. Then when I was in the bathroom I ask my catcher Berra hit 'Where?' He answered me -A fly by the center what you did not see it?, 'I said no because I did not watch the hit, because if Ball itched, I left the field, and was out the game also ended.

We listened intently, as I tried to understand the typical language of the game Baseball and out, fly, ball, home run, really long time since I played baseball. When Javier brings you the gift to the old Conrad, he says: - Tell them how was your physical preparation to be a great lanzadorDon Conrado proudly laughed and said: -The secret of my preparation is in the works that from boy had to do in the field, working more wagon carrying a cane at noon than throwing a ball game. I had to get up at dawn and work until six in the evening to and fro with the wagon. I was small, but strong and that gave me good legs. I asked him, 'How you managed to concentrate as a pitcher - then be Pitcher is quite difficult and hence depends on the fate of the team he replied Well boy, I played on pitching, did not speak with anyone yet? I sat in the dugout, I do not like anyone, no, I said nothing. He wanted to be left alone because in my mind it was only in the game-

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After a silence, the old man longs to see something red wrapped gift and effort up and said, well, good going to see my girlfriend, heh, Conrado je- out the door with something in gift and limping his left leg.

I get up from the chair to see the work done by the young, as patiently kneaded clay or clay with their hands, also using its rollers to make them stick plates and joints be creating pieces.

Shortly macharse Conrado an elderly mulatto with typical shirt white guayabera and a well-kept guitar arm appears, was the neighbor Javier who came to buy old Ron Javier sold him cheaper price on the black market because his cousin was vice-director of the Museo del Ron Havana Vieja, the old Javier introduces me and says Rios He is one of the oldest in Cuba and troubadours recently married a Swedish cute, in a their giras-. The old Rios greeted me warmly, but was interested in the bottle and said, 'I am powerful if the rum, I do give up finally. He picked up the guitar and began to sing under his very serious voice with a powerful breath alcohol in the mouth, sang these lyrics It is raining It is dripping Ye dew is producing rain Slowly it makes me mourn I'm so lonely I am so sad That does not fit my soul Not a minute of joy ....

We applaud for his song and said, 'Now I'm lucky with my boleros, at the time when he was young, he played at dances and we charged five cents a piece. There were people dancing and then would not pay and had to be liked back and sticks to pagaran- us. Hector jokingly asked their wives, Rivers tells him: 'I have been married twice with my first wife and lasted thirty with her and my other woman anything, but there is time, at my age I can still have children , drinking rum and compose the most a few songs. Now I live alone but I have luck with women, now I have almost always we are lucky and the women like us My 10

Swedish Karen coming down these days, good musicians. Javier gave the bottle of rum and he looked well and dollars spent. The old mulatto out the door with his guitar opened the bottle, started drinking and singing at the same time. Javier tells me he knows Rivers since childhood and was born in the city of Pinar del Rio says it-he was always so, hopefully a good singer and drank rum before and after singing, otherwise not inspired For sing-.

Soon, out of a taxi is an old and elegant plump and wore a vest, looking to Javier, he went to meet him and embraced him warmly when he presents I was somewhat astonished me was undoubtedly the famous painter Gilberto Gonzรกlez Cuban based in Nunavut 40 years.

At this moment I think "What a coincidence came today three interesting old and thought of the theory of synchronicity of Carl G. Jung".

Javier tells me that she met him in Cathedral Square when he was selling his pottery under a huge umbrella and the painter Gilberto enjoyed her pieces and commissioned.

Gilberto sat on that old furniture, something broken and the fear of it falling, because he was big and tall. He walked very perfumed and dressed in casual clothes and carrying a first pure gold chain around the neck of the Virgin of Charity, Patroness of Cuba. He pulled from his pocket a sketch for Javier ceramic reproduce what actually seeing the sketch was a huge ass and said: 'I'd like a large pot shaped ass for my plants in my house that I love see Cuban black with his big ass and I identify with Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow when he exhibited his artwork on culos-.

At first we were somewhat muted until Javier interrupted and asked, 'Well, Don Gilberto would you like a glass of rum, coffee, lemonade - and Gilberto replied: -A cold lemonade please not stand the heat. Javier was to prepare the lemonade in a small kitchen that has the workshop. I invaded curiosity and Gilberto asked about his art and his personal history.

He tells us: Look, my son, since I was little when I lived in the village of Baracoa in the east of the island, my father worked in a print shop, I picked up the papers he did not use and I started to draw, draw the River, the house of my aunt, then when I was a big boy I 11

liked to do cartoons and I was lucky to meet Rafael Blanco, one of the best cartoonists and quoted at the time. One day my father took me to Havana to see if I really had talent, because I confess that I was not good for reading or mathematics. Lucky for me, Rafael Blanco saw my drawings and my father asked permission to publish one or two social magazine. After a pause continued Gilberto and says: 'When I later came to the United States in 1943, a friend told me they were looking for an artist for a new newspaper would be published in Boston and it was so I started to publish social cartoons in the newspaper "La Avenida" A few years later I get a scholarship of painting in Paris and during these years toured most of Europe, I slept in stations, parks, I traveled on a cargo ship to Africa, visited Egypt, I toured Italy and Turkey bike. When I returned to Boston, I got married and went to live north to Nunavut, is a quiet and spiritual-.Gilberto country continues to tell us: Then when the second world war comes, I thought I could do more than just social caricatures and I enlisted as a volunteer in the Canadian Army and fought in northern Germany. For a long time, I regretted having lost those years of my life, but then I started to remember places, to think as had been the war, write about it and made many drawings of prisoners, men and women wounded. At the end I was happy to have lived this experience ... and now with my 82 years I have often thought, this is my last painting, but the next day I remember something and go back to painting. When one is old notion of time is very important.

Javier gave him the lemonade Gilberto and he thanked her drinking it at home. Hector asks -多Gilberto, because you do not live in Miami, as they are beyond Cuban community, instead of living in place so far and cold as Nunavut -.

Gilberto replies, perhaps for being a wanderer Cuban and seen so many things that I think ultimately we're all from everywhere, I consider myself a citizen of the world, I think it should not have borders. One place is a thing of mind, not a physical thing. All countries have their more or less. And in the end all that matters is respect, because everyone has their own mentality, we were all educated in a different way, all grew up in a different way and we are all different and as Pablo Neruda said: Home 12

Sad word, As thermometer or elevator.

Gilberto pulled out some bills and showed us photos and said, ago-I was recently in Mali, what interested me in the capital Bamako, is that almost all jazz musicians and there are many places to hear jazz. To the extent that European producers are always looking for new stars beyond all why are dry, indeed in Mali there are very famous jazz masters like Salif Keita and Toure Kunda, you know that? -. Gilberto ask us and we said no, Gilberto says: Well, Africa has already seen its music, its art, its achievements and is not all as they put on Cuban television, children dying of hunger. After some silence, Gilberto Javier asks, 'When will be ready the piece - and he replied that next week also was responsible Hector process it at customs to not have problems?.

The well-known painter rose with difficulty from his chair and took out his handkerchief, wiping sweat from his face and had in his cell called a taxi, glanced at the workshop and said: I'm staying at the Hostal Villanueva Old Havana You locate me better in the night and said goodbye to us when the taxi arrived.

It was five in the afternoon and the day was heavy, hot and humid. Hector fell asleep in the chair after drinking half a bottle of rum with the adsorbent and Javier said, Come with me, I'll clean the carburetor my motocicleta-, we went to the sidewalk where his motorcycle was parked and started to disassemble the carburetor and clean it with gasoline. The day was quiet only hear arguments in a corner of the domino players in the street, I decided to go and said goodbye to Javier.

I went on my bike to the gallery RenĂŠ Portocarrero which is near the ancient wall of Havana. I got the good news that a picture of my painting sold at good prices in foreign currencies, I was very happy and went to a nearby Agromercado to buy fruits, meats and milk. Then I continued toward the Capitol of Havana to throw me a photograph in black souvenir white with Pancho photographer and I had inherited from his grandfather a camera 1910. Pancho with his ability teases new technologies, recreating a world still in black and 13

white. He makes a living selling photos pulling and tourists with its wooden camera lens and built a century ago. Part of the money was turned to my parents and I also sent my photograph.

I went for a walk to the Main Square taking the pedestrian street Obispo to see the show of used books, for he was longing to buy some books, I began to see and spin flipping through each book getting anxious sellers who were there. I found a very interesting book that is so called "Maria Villablanca, the woman who ascended in a balloon in 1850 in Havana. Life and work ". I was very interested and bought the book because it is information that almost nobody knows, so I could browse as fast reader, Maria Villablanca unnoticed because it was a scandal in the patriarchal colonial and Catholic that a woman would dare such a company that also belonged to a group of feminist women influenced by Paris.

Maria Villablanca was a wealthy woman of aristocratic parents in his youth was not subjected to marriage and money built the balloon. She climbed successfully in the square near the nose of Havana, but disregard and lack of support for parts of meteorologists of that time serving the interests of the Royal Navy. Maria Villablanca began his undertaken in a seemingly calm day, but in half an hour began to cloud the sky quickly, had thunder and rain and wind dragged with force pushing the balloon into the sea and dense clouds they did lose sight. More I never heard from her, no importance was given to the event and the news was censored by the authorities at the time. Only one of her friends could write his biography and that was not published until 1930 with the initiative of his granddaughter, but few copies were sold. Nobody was interested to continue spreading the news and behold this curious specimen of this time I have in my hands, a woman ahead of her time.

Interestingly Maria Villablanca was ahead of Matias Perez, the man was a manufacturer of tarpaulins of Portuguese origin who lived in Havana. In 1856 MatĂ­as PĂŠrez decided to take flight in a balloon built by himself named Villa de Paris at the now defunct Plaza de Mars, near the current capitol of Havana.

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Matias Perez also gone through a bad time that frightened the public who was in the square with horror. Therefore in Cuba when a person goes without returning people say: -¡Voló as Matías Pérez -.

Matias Perez is known as the first aeronaut of the island although frustrated the project, but actually the first, was the heroine woman who flew.

Then I was curious to walk around the neighborhood The sites of Old Havana, because there walking the most popular musician Joseito Fernandez, author of the famous "Guantanamera" that used to visit his neighbors dressed always in white from head to feet.

The neighborhood's sites was one of first settlements of Havana, I always loved going through the street La Reina, listed by the writer and one of the architects of renewal of Latin American literature, Alejo Carpentier as the queen of the streets of Havana known for cultural tradition, in this neighborhood created the famous troupe "The Boyeras" and maintains its presence in the carnivals of Havana.

While listening to the sound of the maracas and bongo in the Plaza de Armas with cobbled floor made of blocks of wood, I think it is the second in the world that there is this kind of paving stones, the other is in Russia. I go to a small restaurant known as "palate" called "Doña Carmen". Inside the restaurant there was a fountain with a marble Angelito water coming out from her small mouth and around were many plants as ferns and very green Malangas emanating freshness of oxygen. To the left was a wooden screen Mahogany colonial style and the windows were stained glass upper part reflecting light with pure colors to the ground. The background music is heard Bolero. I sat back and offered me the menu, but noticing the elongated hands, bony, hairy, long fingernails painted pink and arm full of pulse, raised my face and I realized he was a man with a wig and lipstick near her late fifties and asked who wanted. I order a plate of old clothes that are vaccine with tomato sauce, chili and onions, black beans asleep with rice, banana plantains and meat cold beer.

The waiter picks up his menu and removed.

In Cuba "Palate" is the name under which the private restaurants that emerged during the economic crisis are known. That original name comes from a Brazilian television series that 15

both like the Cubans. One of the protagonists of the soap decides to open a restaurant that puts name palate. Is a family restaurant that can be installed in a private house, in a garden of a mansion, in a dining room. The owner of a "Palate" can only serve up to 12 tables. No access to credit and pay very high taxes to avoid competition with its expansion and state restaurants.

I delighted to smell clean white tablecloth and napkins lists inside the cups. After finishing lunch I order a hot coffee and heard a deep voice May I sit down? I said yes and introduced ourselves, was a man of Argentina was something sad because he had recently divorced and went on vacation to Cuba to forget their penalties, but he asked for a good Cuban coffee concentrate and well priced cigar brand. While he is smoking his cigar and sipped coffee relaxing with background music accompanied by the voice of singer Omara Portuondo.

The Lord told me that is professor of biology Argentine Antarctic Institute and traveling to a cold medium recessed research station on Antarctica Robert island every year when summer begins to investigate about a vegetation that exists there, a grass on seemingly insignificant called Deschampsia Antarctica. ? I asked him 'What investigate further with the ground she answered: I am evaluating the effects of ozone depletion and increased UV radiation on the ground in particular, I thought the plant was damaged by radiation but I found curiously defended in a spectacular way, as it has filters that prevent cell damage. I said, 'Actually this research could have a great interest on an industrial level I said yes because flavonoids plant produces naturally in response to radiation and say,' In any case, the most important of this They are the studies and the conclusions that can be drawn.

Although international treaties can not make commercial use of anything that grows on Antarctic soil.

I asked him, 'When you were first to Antarctica - and he tells me that in 1992-and since then I have not stopped going, I remember the first trip was a disaster, we were trying to weather 36 hours,? a storm that caught us at the entrance of the Sea of Drake. The ship creaked and one thought that at any moment was going to sink, clear that when the storm passed, he left a spectacular sun that accompanied us until we reach Antarctica.

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'And you feel good to go every year - and he said: -Go to Antarctica is something that, in truth, you can not describe. Starting because there are always too many problems to solve.

Those who go regularly say this is the last time, this really is the last time. But even despotriquemos the end all return.

There was silence as he served the food dish and enjoyed the delicious smell. Zuniga tells me: - The first time I went, someone told me "there is one thing I know about this place; Antarctica is loved or hated. "- Asked: 'And what about the island life Robert - answer me?

Nothing. During that month, the food we have to do ourselves what happens is it's a really wild place, in front of which is Greenwich Island, the site where they built a larger base. In fact when it is clear across the English Channel currencies with some envy on this island it is the only place where no phone. Robert On the island, there is nothing, it is a place which has not intervened man and a protected location where, in fact, tourists can not enter. In any case, the island has changed ten years ago saw the iceberg go every day. Now hopefully you see an iceberg in the month. I said, 'Sounds very desolado- he continues telling me:' It's very desolate and every time we arrived, we have to enable the shelter as if it were a beach house that has been abandoned throughout the year. Sure it's an abandoned house in the Antarctica-. I keep wondering curiously. 'And it's worth paying to go to meet the Antarctic he replies:' Anyway is a spectacular place, you live on the edge. In one day you can enjoy the sun and five minutes later, face winds of one hundred km / hr.

Zuniga suddenly choked while eating black beans and coughed, still talking as his words emitted a high-pitched sound. It was getting red. I said, 'Stop talking and drinking water.

After a pause, he continues to count: 'In Antarctica you have the chance to see the unique constellation of stars visible only in polo s ur. The Octant constellation, with its brightest star known as Southern Polar. There is a fellowship of scientists known as the club beyond "octants" and bears a stamp with a picture of the constellation. This club is very close, only to scientists who have long been in the south pole.

While Zuniga cut the pieces of meat with onion and chewed with delight. She wiped her full of beans and fat lips with his napkin, he tells me: I knew in Antarctica there is already considered cultural heritage architecture Who would have thought that the frozen continent 17

and white would be a monastery ?, as well is . I tell you that this church is called the Holy Trinity. It is a small Russian Orthodox church on King George Island near the base Russian Bellingshausen in the Antarctic . The temple is a structure 15 m high built wood in the old Russian style. It can accommodate up to 30 people. The structure was built of cedar and Siberian larch by professional carpenters in the mountains of Altai , then dismantled, shipped to the Antarctic continent with by ship and reassembled there for the team of Bellingshausen station. The church opened in 2004. All I a priest staying and living in the style of a hermit monk throughout the year. The temple is an architectural jewel carved and ornate.

I said with some amazement: 'Actually I'd love to see a picture of this monasteryZuniga laughed-and I'll send it by mail, do not worry. É l still telling: - The Antarctic always surprises. On Deception Island, for example there is a crater halved, and in the middle you can swim because the water is warm without forgetting the great site The dry valleys of Antarctica, where there is no snow but granite rocks and sands, as as the Gobi desert and the living creatures of the land, with an average temperature of 20 ° C below zero, it is a nematode that feeds on bacteria, a microscopic worm that can survive in frozen state. Imagine that in the Antarctic midnight. The sun having just touched the horizon begins to rise again. On the horizon are two suns; next to each other. That is due to the atmospheric phenomenon of the South Pole and are sometimes up to six apparent soles while it's fantastic! Antarctica has experiences that you do not find elsewhere. It is the feeling of being at the end of the world. And you can see in the clouds that are always on top of your head. Believe me: Antarctica is the only place where you can feel the weight of the sky. I said delighted: -¡Vaya that made me want to paint one day, the Antarctic landscape - Who knows Mr. Zúñiga said as he called it, took out his wallet and gave me his card and told me:? - Someday when you go to Argentina, you have a house in Buenos Aires and there I will contact so you can go to Antarctica with your project artistic-. I said thank you very much. Mr. Zúñiga got up from the table after smoking his cigar and told me that he was leaving for the airport, I wished him a good trip and I told him it was very interesting to have known.

18

After finishing the conversation and food, I went to my transport pedals removing the safety lock to prevent me from stealing, it is very common in Havana theft of any bike and went way to the National Library, it had to make some sketches for a painting slope needed RenĂŠ Portocarrero Gallery pencil. Something got tired to the library and walked to the square facing the front of the building. I leaned on a tall pole and began to draw the largest building in pale green where there was a huge facade that has the Sphinx or silhouettes in metal Ernesto "Che" Guevara, I drew the royal palms that were around and the people who passed in bicycle tired and I noticed a man carrying a child bicycle back and forth a huge anachronistic Russian TV tied with rope. The poor man spent working heaving pedals.

Many made a big to move without sacrifice locomotion in the city. Time stopped in Cuba like listening to a broken record that beset us in our ears.

On the way I meet a neighbor of mine Nelson in his blue 1950 Chevrolet car and invites me to take me home, so the bike in the trunk of the car got tied up with ropes and making a tremendous noise. Nelson kerosene mixed with gasoline, because there was no fuel and the car walked without any difficulty, with the only difference that made a lot of noise.

I got tired of my house and it was almost dark with a very nice evening with almost red sky with good fresh breeze. The old street lamps ObrapĂ­a where I live were already lit and surrounded by midges that attract the light., Crying a lot of children playing in the street could be heard, there were some who were shirtless and barefoot people and adults Domino playing with a board resting on his legs. I bumped into Mrs. Josefa with huge glasses sitting on an old wooden chair and moving her fan to ward off heat, she asked me: 'Where have you been Pedro' I smiled and simply said, 'Well, nothing I was enjoying a enamoradita I have for there-. Josefa laughed his false teeth being felt poorly made and said: How good -.

I showered comfortably, because at that time the old engine fixed water for the tenth time.

After feel light and fresh, I went to turn on the TV and hear a senile husky voice, I said, 'Ah - again relayed the prolonged discourse of Cuban leader old man with his graying beard, I have repeated two times and I had to turn off the TV. I sit down to read the book he had bought in the square, but after five minutes knock on the door. Yolyanko was my friend brought me a movie. He studied with me at the Academy of Arts, had much affinity because 19

we liked each other a lot of electronic music. After prepare and serve a milkshake with fresh fruit rich red mamey pulp to Yolyanko. He tells me the news that the residents of the Finlay Square neighborhood of Vedado watched with surprise in the early morning the absence of the statue of bright yellow brass that has always been there the Viennese musician Johan Strauss which was donated by the municipality of Vienna (Austria), they told Yolyanko that the monument is being repaired because criminals believed the statue was made of gold and violin were stolen.

My friend Yolyanko lend me a DVD movie and said, 'I'll be interested much-. After a brief discussion of common issues that I had on the preparations for her wedding. Yolyanko manifested very nervous grinning, I told him to buy sedatives because their gestures frightened anyone.

Once I left my friend, I feel good to see the film "Koyaanisqatsi" was called in Hopi language means "life out of balance" director Godfrey Reggio. The film is full of grandeur trip. Places like the Grand Canyon with its inhospitable and steep reliefs. An endless sky with clouds that cross without stopping at speed of vertigo. Contemplating human incessant wandering quickly floods the streets with schizophrenic looks. Panoramas of highrise buildings that challenge the sky. See mounts food series machines and all circulating like night and day not stop. See rockets taking off and bursting in air. "Koyaanisqatsi" is a provocative film before the wild and crazy life of the 20th century breaks all the traditional schemes, without dialogue or narrative structure, uses images such as landscapes, cities, crowds of people in order to produce an intense journey through our planet. I was struck by the musical and personal style of Philip Glass in the film that is distinguished by its repetitive structure but with a successful music that fits the film narrative. One does not know if the pictures are to music or vice versa. After the film impressed I went to sleep thinking your pictures and music.

Chapter 2

20

Very early in the morning woke me up a noise that seemed more like a roar and was felt with my deafness because he did not put my hearing aid, I had to leave the balcony decorated with iron, to see what happened. My neighbors were fixing his car and yelled something moody saying 'You can not fix that pileup later - and my neighbor said to me in Cuban slang -ยกTe go pa' the boy dick -!. That means something like andate to hell. I had no choice but to shut up and breathe deeply. I entered and went to bed thinking about my conference was being prepared about the initiatory love. After a while I dressed in light clothes and put on sunglasses. I decided to walk taking via the Havana seawall and dodging a little broken streets with puddles of water while I ate bread with sweet rich round fruit tropical "Guava" he had in his pocket, as the guava bought it from Through my friend Professor of Astronomy selling it on the black market to earn a few more tickets. He walked and gave me a lot of pain to see beggars searching in garbage cans something to eat and disposable razors that threw away the tourists.

The golden sun radiated hard and sidewalks burned my shoes burning my feet walking and my shirt was soaked with sweat, but was normal in Cuba most of the year. My grandfather told me that Cuba was an island of very cool breezes and pleasant temperature until the climate change affected the Caribbean.

I walked up to the Avenue of the Presidents close to the cultural building "House of America" recalled that in the Avenue was so called because the pedestals and statues of several of the first presidents of Cuba rose. After arrival and settling in the power of the charismatic Cuban leader Fidel, it was decided that everything that was in the republic was doomed and all that would happen in the future would be affable, simply statues of old presidents were removed from their pedestals. The first president of Cuba, Don Tomas Estrada Palma only remained his shoes bronze on cold pedestal. This caused me some grace to see the follies of history and took a pencil and paper in his pocket and made a sketch to carry oil painting.

I returned again to walk the Malecon in Havana trying to enjoy the strong sun had and walked watching the sea feeling as the waves crashed on the rocks and made a noise that hypnotized anyone saw the bike taxis (taxis that operated pedal ) passing through the 21

streets, see the fishermen with their inflatable rubber rafts rubber trucks, fastened with a net, some are too did not know whether or not returning away, as the Florida of the United States was close. Also looked at the facades of buildings facing the front of the pier, some with Moorish style, Art Deco to see his pure and strong as the predominance of red, pink, yellow, green, blue. I felt a certain pride that the architects were inspired by these colors through my paintings when I made my first exhibition in a gallery that exhibits works of urban issues and is also a center of architects. My parents were visiting when in Havana, the first thing I was told to see the facades of the buildings seem -ยกNos boardwalk watching your pictures of your paintings, you painted what became reality! -.

I took by the strong "The Tower" was once a secure establishment to defend against pirates 200 years ago. It is said that the threat of pirate Francis Drake made the Spanish crown decided to build, in their possessions in the Caribbean, quite an impressive system of fortifications. Solid castles of Havana, as the Morro Castle Point and Force are truly monuments to Francis Drake.

I continued walking around the neighborhood "Key West", walking through the cemetery Espada, who was the first that existed in Havana, the funny thing is that the walls and niches of the old cemetery, took advantage to build housing, ie in living people and do not fear the dead, or ghosts.

Close I came to the Alley Hamel, it is a narrow street but the walls and the houses are painted in colors and very garish forms where there are art installations that represent the Orishas, ie African deities, poems written on the walls. Offerings to the Orishas as soup, iron pots, snails sacred candles coconut palm. At the entrance of the alley there is a wall where it is written in large letters "I can wait more than you, because I am the time."

All the artwork was done by a self-taught painter known as Salvador began painting on a piece of wall until today that spans the alley painted. His neighbors greatly admire his work and artistic innovation and liked so much that is one of the most visited and frequented by people around the world places.

Salvador lives just down the alley and has its own art gallery in addition to its paint shop. I greeted Mrs. Salvador is a mulatto very clear and friendly eyes and asked for him. She 22

shouted from above: -¡Salvador you looking Peter - He lowers his red spiral staircase from his room upstairs and ask me in a good mood!? 'What news are you, boy - I answer anything and he felt a pure routine. I asked permission to Salvador to use their computer to write my lecture. He asks me that it was the CIA conferen and I said initiation was about love. Salvador laughs, looks at me somewhat puzzled and said: I do not understand anything about the initiatory love, the only love I know is to embrace and enjoy my mulataas he hugged his wife. I said, 'If you can attend my lecture on Thursday, if you have time-.

At this time a tall young woman with straight hair and light brown, very deep eyes, legs and a very good toast sexy buttocks coming speaking in Portuguese, appears as something understood that he wanted to buy his paintings. Salvador realize I wear red and did not take the view that female sculpture, he laughs and says: -¿Pedro, that love is the initiation-and patted me on the shoulder as I threw puffs his cigar smoke.

When I finished writing my lecture on the computer it took me two hours. Salvador and his wife invited me to eat in the dining room, with chairs and painted tables in different colors.

Mrs. Salvador made a delicious dish of Afro-Cuban kitchen, she had Quimbombó with pork and plantains (fried plantains twice and crushed), co n Malanga yam and fried garlic. F ollowing eat tasty eat sweets such as creamy froth milk, yemitas and accompanied with delicious sweet drink "El Guarapo" with pieces of ice, is a juice extracted by crushing sugar cane that the Savior charge a farmer friend yours. Salvador tells me he has been nervous for a while have seen the ghost of Hamel (Fernando Hamel was the founder of this road and established its industry tinsmith, was Franco-American origin, so you live the painter called Callejon de Hamel) He says he had to go to Babalawo (priest of the Yoruba religion) to shoo him to death. I said, No be afraid, maybe is a gesture of gratitude for his name was made famous thanks to your arterial Salvador was thoughtful as he chewed their cream of milk and said Compadre, it is true, You are right!-.

Alley Hamel, I was walking through the steps of the University of Havana, until the film Yara is the most important and largest of the capital for the third time the movie "Madagascar" by filmmaker Cuban Fernando Pérez, so I could enjoy the air conditioning inside the cinema, because there was almost unbearably hot at 36 ° C. with many deafening 23

noises of urban transport. I loved watching this film that lasts 49 minutes and are fascinated poetic images immersed in cerulean blue, sadness, melancholy. The film "Madagascar" is a social challenge: Laurita (the main character) wants to escape to utopia; desire suffocated when the end of the film he joined the conformism, the mass of automatons cyclists tunnel deep into the Bay of Havana, ie hordes of cyclists who pedal en masse to nowhere.

Roving frame, mother and daughter (Laura) live moving from house to house, in a ceaseless exchange that do not lead anywhere. In new houses windows that connect the stunning open a disoriented tour. Both share the impatience m isma find meaning in their lives. In some sequence Laurita and her mother, take in their hands a picture of the early years of the Cuban Revolution and, when viewed with a magnifying glass, surprised asks: 'Where am I, my God - the film reflects on the chaos? social Laura generation (mother) which in 1994 was over forty years old and was in the midst of social stagnation of Cuba that goes into its secrecy and economic crisis that was not his nor one, any - in the world; he had given a play and an ideal that now abandoned.

The film follows several visits to a psychiatrist Laura. She wonders what happened ?, "Nobody knows what happened ?, Because the truth is that his life is consumed in the daily list of boats passing under his window. Ten pots. All days ten boats. But if the existence of Laura is isolated by the nightmare and frustration, Laurita's universe is not different. It's a world that comes, essentially, by the assessments of the mother: "time passed absorbed.

Only interested in their marauding mice in the house. " Clearly, the only sequence where both get a cordial dialogue are talking about their mice, how the cycle repeats, how alienation Laurita merely prolong her mother.

The routine and gloom not only perceived in the actions of characters who have boats, cleaned ten times its misty lens, or incessantly draw a pencil. Which states that every occasion is the expression of uncertainty, harassment and emotional distress. Images of trains, stairs, mirrors, shadows, the former power plant and the continuous molted family are. These images are inspired by paintings and dark metaphysical painting by Giorgio di Chirico and returns as the enigmatic ambivalence of painting the Belgian surrealist painter 24

Rene Magritte, particularly his painting as "The Empire of Light" where the Day and night live in the moment of reality. So, Laurita and her mother discussed amid the darkness of the room, and when the doors are opened outside is day, a heartbroken that bright day, but the day after all.

The end of Madagascar add to their characters in the same tunnel the start, and the conditions are reversed: Laura confesses to having acute nightmares, but nevertheless tells their return to school; instead the mother said to take a break and "we travel to Madagascar". The story of the film ends with an account of his metaphor, along which the roles are exchanged and both feel that the other characters meet a familiar cycle.

That reminded me of an uncle who was moving many times, but she had a habit of drilling, to fill the void in the walls hang paintings, photos, objects and tarecos few had, but this mania for drilling holes in the walls, the poor man has broken water pipes, gas than they did pass in trouble and complicated for himself. Whenever he was moving from house to house always he left the walls full of holes.

Having seen the film, I took a taxi to go to the library of the Museum of the City which was once the Palace of the Captains General during the time of the Spanish colony and where the office of the historian of Havana is also located. In the library I contacted Luis Migueles cultural coordinator and invited me to sit in his office. I took my backpack my printout of the conference as we agreed. The coordinator read it and told me it was very interesting-and dedicate myself to distribute the invitations and also alert the press Migueles Louis sneezed a lot and used his handkerchief to blow his nose that was heard throughout the office, calling attention to the visitors. After a pause he said, well, I'll wait at four in the afternoon on Thursday to point out a few things before you start your conference-rose somewhat embarrassed, apologizing that he had a meeting and gave me a handshake, I retired from office while he also greeted the secretary who was laughing on the phone and filing her nails while she just greeted me. I went downstairs because the library was on the second floor and I stumble with Cardinal Jaime Ortega, he stops me and asks me: Have you seen the historian here -and said, 'No, because I do not work in the Museum- .

25

I arrived at four in the afternoon and began preparations for my lecture, I wore a stripe shirt and blue jacket. We had to organize well the chairs in the conference room, check the audio and check other details. Later they began arriving visitors with faces of shyness with your invitations. There were about 60 participants at the conference were many teachers, journalists, researchers, etc.

The cultural coordinator introduces briefly presentation of the event as it happens and accommodating the podium microphone, since he was taller than me and I thank you.

Somewhat nervous start to deliver my lecture entitled "Return of the initiatory love" which explained that it was, he spoke to the public in a calm voice that this kind of love is a form of initiation to love but with a higher consciousness. The word initiatory means profound transformation of the interior, with the initiatory love is a fulfilling way to achieve emotional and profound maturity of the person creating a more mature relationship with the couple, there is a moral doctrine but in the capacity learn the experience of knowing, is not living in the moment but in the ability to stop time or time in ages that would achieve the understanding of self in communion with one's surroundings.

The initiatory love begins in contemplation of the beloved without physical contact, just enjoying the love at first sight. The second rule is that we idealize it does not matter who the person is but transform it into an ideal creature. The third rule is the nostalgia, melancholy and pain of desire for your loved one and especially when combined beauty, pain and love take us out of our pit and leads to a higher level of experience. The pain, the crisis is a necessary internal growth, to educate the mind and soul make step. The fourth rule is initiatory techniques to achieve the metaphysics of love. The techniques are displayed to the beloved, often repeating his name as a mantra for a long time in isolation in a secluded place, use the fast, very similar to retreat. In this way we enter into its essence, in its soul and its archetype when we enter the self, in the transcendental, of what does not change with time and fashions. When you reach a state of ecstasy, rapture when we create a fusion of souls.

We played the eternal archetype can be male or female and we begin to provide collective unconscious from a wealth of hidden information that guide us towards wisdom and even 26

phenomena beyond reality, events such as telepathy, meaningful coincidences or synchronistic events that transmit messages by symbols, signs, repeating patterns in everyday life as if the universe trying to contact us.

Only chance can appear before us as a message. Which necessarily happens expected, which is repeated every day. Only chance we communicate. We try to read it like to know decipher the symbols that recur to our senses. An event is all the more significant and privileged few more coincidences occur.

There is the need, but chance, is full of charms. If love should be everlasting, the chances must be to us from the start. The man or woman driven by her sense of beauty, a seemingly casual event becomes a reason happens because part of the composition of their lives.

Many times people are blind in their daily lives with regard to such coincidences and let your life so miss the dimension of beauty and existential sense.

This fully mature way our inner self or what he calls the famous psychologist Carl Jung built into the process of individuation and not towards individualism that is another concept. With this gives us a sense to life and a new orientation towards the kind of love in the modern and ephemeral world we live in today. I am not opposed to full sexual freedom and to the self-determination of both sexes, because I believe that the expression of sex is healthy whenever natural and transparent, but sex is a means and not an end it is something physiological and should not conceptualize the physiological. The important thing about love is the great initiatory ability to know ourselves, to where we're going and enjoy inner maturity as a human being that helps us overcome the failures and unite us as human beings.

After the conference ended, there were discussions between the group, asked me questions and then favorable and unfavorable comments also because some did not understand the transcendental subject. The audience was removing participants, almost all congratulated me because I was unaware of this concept and casually known Cuban filmmaker Fernando Perez. we approached and started talking, she told Fernando that I was a fan of the movie "Madagascar," he told me that the idea came when he went to see his parents in the 27

neighborhood of Guanabacoa and passed through the tunnel Bay Havana bike and crossing that tunnel was born a metaphorical image of the situation, the crowd through a tunnel without seeing the light output, but intuyĂŠndola, all that then was the end of the movie, I saw him in a moment with his own experience.

Fernando told me that the dream of "Madagascar" more than a trip to other latitudes, it was rather a journey inside, it was a journey toward freedom and toward oneself and the tunnel that represents the film symbolizes the inner journey, the transit and new future ahead Cubans yearn dream. I said that the character of Laurita and other youth were placed on the roofs. When symbolically they open their arms are opening in some way to the world, life and says, 'I like heights, because I feel that one rises above reality, go beyond one fleet that gives you a sense of dimension open. In these images there are references to the Christos, the Christ of Rio de Janeiro is open to the world, but the Christ of Havana has closed arms and needs abrirse-. I note that when the characters in "Madagascar" are in contact with the antennas always roofs of their TVs, is a symbolic way of being in constant communication with the world, with the outside while towards life. I really could understand much more the film and asked for an autograph as a memento and appreciation he had of my lecture.

Fernando said goodbye to me and told me to always locate at the Institute of Cinema.

I was then a woman came and said, 'That reminded me of the Giraldilla cubana-, although I did not agree at all because initiatory love is more of a philosophy, a way of thinking, but she told me Giraldilla history that is a bronze sculpture dressed in the style of the Spanish Renaissance representing the Spanish Isabel de Bobadilla, who until our days, is the symbol of marital fidelity. She watched from her husband, Hernando de Soto towards the peninsula of Florida, seeking the eternal fountain of youth, where ships departed expedition never return alive. She suffered before the absence of the conqueror. Years and years habaneros saw her alone in her home that was the royal castle of force, as if the rain and wind, the monitors did not prevent him and longed expected later became legend and symbol of the city. Woman excited after I told the story, hugged me and said goodbye.

Everyone left except the cultural coordinator, Luis Migueles collecting chairs and a man in his late forties, of robust and high complexion. Mr. gets up and turns to me and greets me 28

congratulating my lecture, named Roberto Nunez and invited me to his house to talk about a cultural project. I of course agreed with the recommendation of Luis Michaels who knew him as a neighbor.

His house was simple, modern park near the Almendares considered the lungs of the city of Havana by its very lush vegetation filled with tropical trees and plants as Flamboyanes JagĂźey, the Majagua, the Ocuje, Ficus, etc. And it is a metropolitan center of recreation, but its river is highly contaminated by government oversight. There is a large and architecturally very interesting bridge spanning the river, under the bridge there is a huge space for recreation and games for children, I remember going to play with my mother but something I felt very young to the Almendares Park was the feeling of being anywhere, I felt I was in Amsterdam or in Havana at a time, so from very small nature mother taught me that the country was everywhere and not a fixed point.

In the house of Roberto Nunez had great artistic quality photographs hanging on the wall, out of curiosity I asked him who he was, Roberto told me that his wife was working as a freelance photographer. He pointed a finger at me, photo two children's faces looked and said, 'These are my children who are in school I was told it was a physical education teacher and gave private lessons and then told me he knew very well initiatory techniques and has come into contact with the archetypes, a Japanese ascetic practicing technique in the high mountains, exercises for nature contemplation, fasting, mantras, walking barefoot on the stones. It is an ancient practice known as Shugendo. I asked: 'In the mountains, where the Turquino peak east of the island is -. Robert laughed and said: No, it was in the New Zealand-Mount Cook. How far I was answered. Roberto told me that he practiced sport of rock climbing with another group in the Valley of ViĂąales, in the province of Pinar del RĂ­o in western Cuba National Park. In the park are huge hummocks of limestone rock overhanging mostly very hard, ideal for climbing with its vertical walls where the frills and stalactites abound.

He was a member of the Speleological Society of Cuba and was fortunate to meet Alberto Morales president of the Colombian Mountaineering Federation who taught course on 29

climbing and left opened the first climbing route in the Valley of Viñales. Hence, Roberto began to feel passion as a climber. Mountain equipment were donated with the help of efforts through a mountain instructor Cuban friend who now lives in Alberta, Canada. I asked: How could meet Shugendo techniques, I think it does not exist in Cuba - he replies: 'I was living for a while in the province of Pinar del Río who worked as a teacher and got to meet the child Kenji Takeuchi Japanese horticulturist who immigrated to Cuba many years ago. Kenji was known for his creation of Soroa orchid garden, where he cultivated more than 700 species of flowers in Pinar de Rio. Kenji son taught me the knowledge of techniques Shugendo when we retreated to the rocks of Viñales. I said: What luck had to have known this Japanese tradition in Cuba -.

Roberto tells me: I have a sister who lives in Auckland and it was very hard to visit my sister and to travel, I used to work at the National Institute of Sports, asked permission to travel to New Zealand and officials denied me my departure. So I had to quit my job and wait a couple of years for the government to give me permission to travel, whereas the visa consulate in New Zealand lasted a week and was treated very kindly. Roberto shows me some masks that were hanging on the wall and said: 'These masks brought them there and it cost me tremendous job that I did not remove the Cuban customs. The masks are of Maori origin, eg which is the capital Auckland stated in Maori language "Ta-Maki Makau Rau".

For Maori claim that their ancestors arrived in canoes. Believe their ancestor Paikea did on the back of a whale that had rescued after overturning his boat and bay which is further north have for Maori symbolic role of being the end of the country, because in Maori mythology This place is where the souls of the dead begin their journey to the afterlife.

Roberto took an object on a shelf and gave me a key chain craft carved in the shape of very ornate spiral and said: 'It's a Maori symbol of great cultural significance and is used in all decorations. The "Koru" is a shape and vision inspired by the foliage of a rising and a new spiral of the fern, which is deve lla to be a fern leaf. However, it is considered that the "Koru" stretches to reach the light, striving to be perfect, and encouraging new growth.

This symbol represents the development of a new life, with hope for the future. The "Koru" reaches the light, do seek new positive beginning that represents the evolution of a new

30

life, everything is reborn and continues. Symbolizes the renewal and progress of a styled future -.

He paused to serve coffee and cookies with guava and cheese. He kept telling: 'About Auckland has many volcanoes, there is a large museum of culture and Maori artefacts and of course many fruits Kiwis-. Although there is no fruit Kiwi in Cuba, I remember trying it for the first time in Belgium. Roberto told me that her sister is a teacher of English and is married to her husband who is of Maori origin called Witi and is an instructor NOLS, I asked: What is the NOLS - the answer me with the NOLS means? the acronym, the National Leadership School, Outdoor.

Witi and I became great friends invited me to visit and climb Mt Cook National Park, where we were flown to Christchurch, the second city, and from there took a through Lake Tekapo road and stayed two weeks at the summit Mt. Cook with Witi, but he was amazed when my rock climber experience combined with the ancient Japanese practice of Yamabushis Shungendo. With this I could reach a state of bliss and mystical entering a full merger and communing with Mother Nature at this summit, an experience you can not forget nor repeat what I felt at this time.

With NOLS friends in New Zealand and my friendship with Witi I led me to have a deeper experience with nature. I learned to appreciate the environment, ecology and discovered that the man was divorced from their natural environment. For ecology and flora, all this gave me a deep sense in my life.

I asked -多Roberto, I want you to tell me more about the NOLS? The answers: - The NOLS is a school of hiking, mountain expeditions carried out in isolated, remote or wild places but with the purpose of learning to cause minimal environmental impact and strengthen the spirit accepts the risk as an integral part of process learning, has courses like "Leave No Trace" that emphasizes the importance of education in the techniques of camping and travel with minimal impact and an ethic that conserve the environment of protected areas, other courses such as mountaineering, during the first aid in remote and wild places and teaches leadership techniques in a group, such as taking 31

responsibility and lead the group to its goals, support in making group decisions giving ideas and seeking clarity on the team works together and every member You see what you need to do and does it. Each person takes care of itself to be able to care for the group and everyone must show initiative personally.

I said, I see it's very interesting, because that's what we need the Cuban popular camping where many people go and mess around environment-. Robert laughed and said: Well, I tell you that my sister wanted me to stay and live in New Zealand, because I get a work permit, but after living this experience changed my attitude and told her she had to make Cuba a more important task. After a pause and without fear continued: Then I returned to Havana and founded the Green Party of Cuba with the abbreviation PVC or Green Party of Cuba.

Suddenly felt my skin crawl, I was stiff and speechless, actually I was talking with a political dissident and looked around the windows to see if anyone was watching me, because as it is known in Cuba there is only one ruling party which is the government.

Something pale asked: 'And you had a problem with the government The answers me: 'If we had problems, but went ahead, eg the government recently banned the event we were going to make the Mountain Film Festival in Banff in Havana, with the support of the town of Banff in Canada The festival documentaries going to get great climbers in the world who have been up to the summits of Everett, Chimborazo, Antarcticain. I asked the reason for the prohibition and Roberto answer me: Because it was an independent initiative and not relevant government.

-The Cuban or PVC Green Party there a year ago and has offices in all provinces of the island, we unite the society and the independent ecologist ecologist movement peaceful and Cuba, we also have the support of other parties related green world . We are now trying to organize an association of ecological culture, why have you wanted, if possible as artist. I asked somewhat calmer: And what is the purpose of the ecological culture Roberto answered me: Disseminate through culture and craft environmental education and the use of recyclable and natural materials to create artistic- . I said, well, in any case you can count on me when you need to work is an artistic illustrations, classes, staging everything about the ecology-theme. He tells me: Thank you, Peter, tomorrow we have a meeting with the 32

steering committee of the party and are guest. He took a pencil and pointed the direction where the meeting was going to take. I see that the address was located near the Almendares river but near the neighborhood of La Ceiba, on a street where there is little known isolated houses surrounded by lush vegetation street called Baire. Roberto left me the address and told me: 'I hope tomorrow up from his chair and asked me where I lived, I replied that in Old Havana. He told me: 'I will l levo car, vamos-. Roberto took the keys and I spent a newsletter published Cuban Green Party.

Roberto while driving his car, an old Russian Lada model white along the avenue "La Rampa" I commented about the study and the ancient wisdom of rock art in Cuba, inheritance bequeathed to the Siboney ethnicity in caves in Punta East, where drawings are linear, abstract, geometric concentric and loaded with a strong symbolism that theoretically coincides with the vision of cosmogony and Maya calendar of the 13 Moons. He also mentioned about the Taino ethnicity that inhabited the island thousands years ago and created the stellar wisdom based on the mechanics of the stars, an astronomical calendar that coincides with the lunar phases similar to Siboneyes. The Tainos knew regions of the universe, and therefore knew the universal laws, the order of other evolved communities, and life revolved around what went up, because Aboriginal life on earth is harmony with the life of the above. And therefore, the Taino knew about the existence of extraterrestrial neighbors. If they have lived attentive to their calendar, the days of eclipses and the arrival of tornadoes, the emergence of the shining spheres, the passage of comets, the colors of the rainbow.

They discovered in the mountains, caves and caverns and the rivers in the footsteps of the Milky Way on earth, and proceeded through the ceremonial plazas to create those constellations that were not made in the natural relief through the hands of the Mother Earth, through pictographs and petroglyphs scattered around the 4 corners of the Caribbean islands, leaving it as proof that stellar wisdom. And originally they worshiped in those places, in those natural figures of constellations because they knew that they came from such different star, and evolving inhabited worlds. They recognized the spiritual hierarchies that govern the evolution of our world, and have a seat and authority in these suns of the universe.

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I was mindful of what Roberto spoke and I was very new to me your comments. He told me that is one of the highlights of the Green Party program is to disseminate the study of the ancient wisdom of ethnic groups and the rock art of the island and the world.

CHAPTER 3 When I got home, I put to boil water to make a tea infusion of dried fruit that brought me a Belgian friend and anxiety I read the newsletter to know that it was On the cover bore a painted sunflower and a large photo of young collecting waste in a natural park. On the first page is an introductory letter from the president or PVC Green Party and was the same Roberto Nunez, then the second and third news caught my attention where it was written the program of the Cuban Green Party. Reading it I found very innovative, uncommon unlike the mentality and social patterns of the island, because his thinking is inspired by the teaching of the shamans, but also care to respect the balance between technology and ecology as economic liberalization. Shamanic use breathing as a discipline in education. Open valuing learning and cultural assimilation of other countries and places. Islander and engaged in Cuban idiosyncrasy, born a cosmopolitan and adsorbent with Cuban culture in the world.

I reproduce verbatim the program had read the newsletter Roberto happened to me. I imagined what would happen really so different from the current reality and our future where many unknown inner independence.

The name is Green Party of Cuba known as PVC and reflects the philosophy of the institution and its purposes Symbol: The symbol of the Green Party of Cuba is the sunflower in black and yellow on a green background with a labyrinth-style Minoan Crete of seven roads in the center, the labyrinth represents the journey to the center where it is reached any personal or company after a long journey towards inner freedom and to the center of ourselves and the number

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seven represents the fullness of life cycles realization. Porta around the party's name in letters Frankfurter type.

His purposes: -Recover Clarity and cleanliness of water in surrounding seas, lakes and rivers making minimal contamination Reduce the environmental dust in the dirtiest cities in Cuba Develop an environmental education for all -Treatments Waste separation systems, treatment, control and recycling to have a clean life both organic waste and inorganic waste utilization Develop alternative sustainable energy projects Develop environmentally friendly public transport Create and support research and development for ecological purposes.

-To Promote ecological balance population.

-to Extend and spread awareness of cultural diversity in the world to develop a greater social, cultural and openness to the world with the goal of opening the Cuban horizon beyond the exchange environment.

-Masificaci贸n Free Internet use for the benefit of citizens in all community centers in small towns and cities throughout the island powered by renewable energies.

-Subsidies for the promotion of digital TV, Satellite and Cable for access to the entire population with greater benefits to cultural, educational and scientific programs.

Creation of Integral University education to adopt the Comprehensive Approach and learning in the world.

-Subsidy And modernization of all public libraries on the island that may have all the updated bible iograf铆as world.

-Reform And introduction of the 13 Moon calendar, replacing the Gregorian Calendar.

-To Promote the study and research of rock art around the world and learn their language and ancestral wisdom in education.

-Implementation Integral transformation workshops and environmental development of the neighborhoods in which the following means as recycling of solid waste, housing 35

reconstruction recycled materials, rescue the history of the neighborhood promoting local culture and its folk roots, created to develop and facilitate small industries and functional crafts from recycled materials, promote community service among neighbors.

-Assembly Local workshops to produce non-polluting materials.

Just to boost the country's development, environmental compliance with economic -Desregulaci贸n.

-Concessions and tax incentives to all non-polluting industry.

Develop a sustainable cultural policy.

Implement social justice programs.

-Development And advice to encourage local industries (SME).

-Use Of alternative energy such as solar, wind, etc. in every neighborhood.

-Provide Advice and tax incentives to small creative and innovative industries.

Strengthen green areas, parks, recreation and greenhouses for plants and hydroponic vegetables in every neighborhood.

Strengthen personal growth workshops, creating a center of personal and social development in every neighborhood.

Health -in applying psychedelic and entheogenic medicine for serious and terminally ill patients will develop.

-Create Schools outdoor trails throughout the country.

-recreation Eco-cultural and outdoor learning in the national parks of Cuba.

Strengthen and develop ecotourism in the national parks of the island -Rescatar The ancient wisdom of indigenous cultures and mythologies and ancient shamanism and disseminate education.

-To Promote the global culture and appreciate the philosophy of Gregory Bat eson such as promoting contact with young elders instead of being sent to nursing homes and their wisdom and experience will be harnessed and integrated as part of cultural life.

-Increased Tolerance for the strange, development of multifaceted personalities with kaleidoscopic traits.

-To Promote education in higher consciousness through ancient techniques to create altered states of consciousness, such as meditation, shamanic use of drums, mantras, fasting, mental focus, strong and deep breathing has a powerful effect of emotional release and It 36

enables the individual to dissolve his self-centeredness and have more wisdom focused on the quality of life and personal and social ingrowth.

-To Promote tolerance and respect for ideas and opinions of all individuals in society.

-Apply In education sublime philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Edmund Burke, Friedrich Schiller, Joseph Addison, Edgar Morin and Abraham Maslow as an ideological party platform to transmit the values of human importance.

Develop peace and cosmopolitan spirit without distinction of race, creed, ideology and care for the earth as our home.

-Fundar A Center for Studies and Development Thought for Cosmopolitan.

-Be Pioneer and take part in future project in the development of clean Maglev trains, ocean liners and supersonic, which connect with the world in transcontinental submarine tunnels.

With the creation of a research and development center of international maglev transportation.

I was very interested written by Teodoro Pérez coordinator of the Green Party and vicepresident after Roberto Nuñez article mentions on the implementation in education theory integrated approach so necessary to the world that Cuba has lived through decades of isolation with a very ethnocentric view stagnant and the creation of the Comprehensive University in the future.

"During the s recent years we have experienced something new in history: all the world's cultures are now accessible. In the past, if your you were born, for example, in the city of Camagüey, probably permanecerías your whole life in a local culture, often in one province, sometimes alone in a house, living, loving and dying alone in a small plot of land.

But today is not only the much more geographically mobile people but also prune we study each and every known culture on the planet. In the twenty-first century, all are exposed to cultur as other thanks to the global access to information.

Knowledge in itself is inclusive. This means that, for the first time, the sum total of human knowledge is available to us-the knowledge, experience, wisdom and reflection of human civilizations t odes (premo-modern, modern and postmodern) are ab ertain study by any individual who is interested, with the necessary skills and technologies.

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What would happen if we took literally everything that different cultures have to tell us about the human-potential on the spiritual, psychological and social growth and what we had in mind? What would happen if we tried, based on many intercultural studies, using all the great traditions of the world to create a complex map, a comprehensive map that included the best elements of all of us?

Sound complex? In a sense, it is. But in another sense, the results are effective endentemente Surprise Arizona for human evolution. During the last decades it has indeed been an extensive search of a map that covers all human potential.

The comprehensive map uses all the known systems and models of human growth since shamans, ancient sages, transmission of intangible current discoveries in the cognitivescience cultures and summarizes its most important components in 5 simple factors, factors that are l os s essential elements or method to open or facilitate human evolution by applying the model or comprehensive map.

What is the reason to use a map or comprehensive model? First, whether you are working in a business, medicine, engineering, ecology, or simply living and daily learning with the method of comprehensive map helps you to ensure that you are considering all possible aspects in life. A a simple familiarity with the 5 learning methods na Integral Model will help you get your bearings more easily and fully in this exciting journey of discovery and awakening.

In short, the Integral Approach helps you see yourself and the orld of a more inclusive and understandable way. But it is important to realize one thing from the beginning. The Integral Map is just a map. It is not the territory. We must not confuse the map with the ritorio ter. The Integral Map is the most complete and accurate method we have at this time for more comprehensive development of human nature on our planet. "

Chapter 4 I could not sleep thinking about that green newsletter, as he turned to my room, I saw the pictures of my trip and my baptism in the Church of Santa Maria de Viella, Asturias, Spain 38

with the priest José Luis Fernández, I was baptized in April one month before the arrival of Pope John Paul II to Cuba n, while it was still forbidden to go to the Catholic church.

Looking at the pictures were beautiful memories and that I had sedated me a little, but that thought with fixing go or not go to the meeting invited me Roberto Nunez, I was pondering all morning until the day began to dawn.

I went to the very tired and in certain circles kitchen, I drank two cups of coffee concentrated and very sweet morning light bothered me. But the dream was over and I fell asleep until two late. When I wake up, I think the meeting with anxiety and cry -¡la reunioón! -. I had to calm me and I steeled myself not caring anything that would happen to me, I dressed quickly, took the bicycle and went to the Princess Diana Memorial Garden near the port of Havana Bay. In this garden in honor of Princess it is decorated with plants and sculptures of several Cuban artists. I sat on a bench to meditate and I sedated the intimate space and lonely place, half an hour after pondering, I decided i ra definitely the meeting. I was moving toward the pedals effort toward Almendares area taking Baire way to the street. I find something solitary and surrounded by lots of foliage, but cheerful and simple house with modern style and is well-pruned garden roses. Knocked on the door, I receive an old woman with a scarf on her head and I stammered: -b ... ta ... good afternoon, is Roberto. The old lady laughed and said: 'If, through my son -. The old woman leads me to a room where members of the management committee and a large group were present.

He came to meet Roberto and hugged me warmly, seeing that committee members were cheerful and confident, I calmed down. Roberto present me or in front of the group and said, 'It's Peter, a young man known painter who was about to expose to the house of culture in Greenland, is it true - I said with a gesture?. The members laughed and said: "Go a Cuban exposing her paintings at the North Pole."

Roberto introduces me to the audience one by one, were present Teodoro Pérez national coordinator and vice president of the party. Teodoro was national champion scuba diving and professor of philosophy at the University of Havana.

Luis Alberto Alarcon, his father was ambassador of Angola. Alarcon's secretary for international relations of the party. Eduardo Roque finance secretary. Charity Paron, round 39

woman fifties years and was director of the National Botanic Garden of Cuba and is currently president of the national organization of women or green environmentalists.

Ramon Santana, intelligence and remarkable young graduate in computer engineering from the University of Camaguey province of Cuba and close to Havana. He is president of the national organization of the green or environmentalist youth and others present directors occupying functions of the committees of the party.

On one wall of the room he hung a poster party emblem, ie the sunflower maze. The old lady gave me Mango juice. At heart he felt a surround sound music and sounds of whales, birds and rain is slightly audible. That music sedated me.

Roberto invites me to sit at the big table made of rustic pine wood in the center of the table was pirograbo figure Atabey, the mother goddess of nature and fertility in the aboriginal Taino mythology that lived before the arrival of Columbus. Roberto said: Well, we started the meeting, dear friends-. After a pause I ask Roberto: I'd like you to tell me which means sunflower for you and also caught my attention MAGLEV- trains Roberto answered me: 'The sunflower is a used by many Green Parties of the world symbol . In fact it is the emblem of the Greens and in terms of transportation Maglev is a distant, long-term for their advantage to travel very quickly from one continent to another project, say the maglev transportation would be in Europe in about an hour, besides being inexpensive, accessible and clean.

Transportation is magnetic levitation, it is a rail transport system in which the train levitates on a track supported by magnetic fields. This state of suspension limits the convoy friction allowing high speeds. The first commercial maglev system existing at the moment is developed by a German company and a Japanese. The project is to create a research and development with our scientists to long term can build an underwater tunnel across the Atlantic Ocean in those trains would travel at a speed of thousands of kilometers. / Hrs. The tunnels would go to a depth of 100 meters, because at that depth would have no problem with marine traffic and underwater pressure. The tunnel would be anchored with steel cables and would be tightened to prevent the tunnel moved. At the speed of thousands of kilometers. / Hr is possible that you only need to remove air and create for the friction ring 40

would hinder transport fast- empty. I was amazed at what he told me Roberto with this technology, imagine what it would be in an hour in Europe, ie in the morning could go shopping at a market in Brussels and at night we would be back in Havana. I said: 'That means that in the future Havana would have a liner tube connecting to the world.

Roberto said: 'In fact, well Pedro wanted to talk to you in relation to the cultural project and director of the commission of inquiry for human impact in remote and distant areas that will explain the project-is. The director named Manuel Hart, an anthropologist at the University of Havana, had long hair and round glasses that resembled singer John Lennon.

Manuel tells me: -The "Theta" project as it is called is sent to an artist in a remote and very isolated with harsh conditions as cold place, including practices to expand awareness and reflect art through this medium , The "Theta" project has the support of the Dutch Moebius Foundation. After the final result, the work done will be displayed in a place of great prestige in Amsterdam-. I was pensive and asked: With what objective pursued by the project -Manuel answered me: 'The reason is to investigate the influence of human behavior in altered states of consciousness in remote places from the point of view of cultural anthropology and serve as a basis for teaching methodology for education publicly.

I asked: 'And because I choose me - Manuel continued: Look, the truth is I have been several, but some for fear of political withdrew, others said they did not like being away and others simply did not understand or They not value the project-. I ran my hand over his head several times, took a deep breath, looked at the ceiling and floor, after biting his lips said, 'Well, I accept the project-. Everyone smiled and applauded. Roberto enthusiastically embraced me and said: 'The project will take place in the Chilean Patagonia in a national park where glaciers, so be ready soon, but I need a medical certificate for testing whether you are healthy for the project. In Patagonia we have a Cuban friend who lives for years will guide you every step there-do.

I asked: 'And when I start with the project -. Manuel Hart tells me: 'In one month, I need your data to make the letter of invitation so you can leave the country and obtain a visa, come within fifteen days have ready a letter of invitation and so tramitas by the Ministry of culture is a fast track, if you want to return to Cuba or stay there, it does not matter, what 41

interests us is that you comply with the project. Also in this time I need a medical certificate for testing whether you are physically and mentally fit for this company, so you get in touch with Dr. Acevedo and he encargarรก-. Manuel gave me some papers for me to sign commitment papers for project financing.

Roberto invited us to eat Tamarindo in the backyard of the house. We started to get anxious Tamarind tree and ate with the bittersweet taste of the fruit pulp and talked of routine matters. I asked again as he chewed the tasty fruit: Roberto not understand anything about what the psychedelic medicine mentioned in the program of the Green Party you explain something to me? He laughed and said: 'The psychedelic drug was studied by many researchers and the results have been very encouraging about l use of entheogenic substances, whose former mystical and blissful experiences, helps to lose the fear of death, soften the physical and emotional pain in critically ill patients and terminals-conditions. I was with some astonishment and said,

'That seems fantastic and human -. I asked which

means "hallucinogen". Roberto tells me: 'A hallucinogen is a vegetable or artificial substance that when ingested causes a state of altered consciousness. The word entheogen is a proposed s by Wasson, Ott botanists and others like Dr. Albert Hoffman neologism. The term derives from the Greek language meaning "God that is within us."

After a pleasant time I left my data to Manuel Hart, said goodbye to the people present and I went home. My heart beat with joy, going out again, would travel, but this time to a distant and exotic place, again out of the routine and boredom of life lived every day in Cuba and perhaps leave the past behind.

I got my bike home very wet from the torrential rain that had fallen and I find neighboring Josefa, the reporting of the block, with a waterproof umbrella in hand sitting in the rickety chair, he looked at me with wide open eyes, He tells me -ยกPedro, see you very happy, I think you've conquered your love, eh -. I say: Yes, Josefa, I'm so in love-and continued.

I called my parents and told them that soon would travel, but did not say anything about my meeting with the Green Party that will not be upset.

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A few weeks passed, I did my medical certificate and a letter of invitation arrived in the mail and then the paperwork to the Ministry of Culture.

Manuel Hart calls me and tells me: 'Well, now we have to realize Pedro about your trip, meet me at eight in the evening I live very close to the National Theatre and indicated the direction.

I arrived at the home of Manuel and he invites me to sit down sound volume of the TV room and opened the shutters to circulate some air because it was hot. Suddenly he comes to meet a nice girl with a pacifier in his mouth and stared at me curiously. He tells me: Oh !, that's my small one, the girl runs away into another room.

Manuel goes into the other room and appears with a portfolio in hand and sits in his chair taking a series of papers with a map and says, 'Look here is your airline ticket, depending on the date should be Tuesday at the airport an hour earlier in the morning, then took some notes and I said: 'Here are 300 Euros, when you arrive to Chile the change in Chilean pesos to pay for your stay, transportation, food. But also the other part of money has our Cuban friend Mario, who lives in the Chilean Patagonia that will handle advise, looking for accommodation, buy the necessary equipment and materials. Mario lives in the city of Punta Arenas and PE teacher in a Catholic school, I taught her picture and opened the map of Chile and said that when it came to Santiago could stay a few days and explore the city.

Then he had to leave for the bus station and there take the passage to go to the city of Puerto Montt and told me pointing where the city was. Then he should go to the port and take a ferry sailing for three days reaches a small, faraway city of Puerto Natales Patagonia call and is very close to the capital of the Chilean Patagonia, Punta Arenas city. I said that Mario is an expert on ecology, national parks and shamanic wisdom of that region. Our president Roberto Nunez and Mario were childhood friends and always share their knowledge. I said -GO interesting are those physical education teachers, for what I know here, most have little interest in culture, are good athletes but nothing more.

Manuel answers: Well, they've been lucky enough to be restless, to see other experiences, have traveled and have managed very well know, life is full of surprise and sometimes we tend to generalize people and society. Feel the footsteps of the little girl who was running towards his father, he takes her by the arms and the load to the shoulder.

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As I watched the paternal affection of Manuel to his small whispering sweet nothings in his ear. In a moment of doubt I ask Manuel You know that the agenda of the Green Party, mentioned something woke me curious, is on the foundation of a Centre for Studies and Development Thought Cosmopolitan, do not quite understand what the future role of this institution? Manuel watches me carefully and I said: 'Look creating this future Study Centre is to overcome the Monoculturalism, the narrowness of a culture and mentality very local, insular as a vicious circle that Cuba suffers. The goal is t reat to strengthen the development of diversity and integration Intercult Ural values serve for greater understanding, social and global understanding. Interculturalism poses s recognition of the diversity of the world is recognizing socio-cultural similarities, despite differences and promote reciprocity between the cultures of other countries and undifferentiated or exclusive ethnicities. It also helps us to reevaluate other cultural identities, rediscover and reformulate our Cuban idiosyncrasy from an intercultural perspective abriend oy expanding their vision to the world.

Study their characteristics learning to value, assimilate contrasts within and without. In this way we apply it as a contribution to education in the country with the help of information technology. The Center for the Study highlights the Thought ent philosophers about the importance of the cosmopolitan education. We must eradicate the cultural egocentrism looking for a more tolerant and intercultural identity. Culture is not something unchangeable and ahistorical and part of a permanent essence of community life. Culture is always under construction, of dynamism is the constant interactions of people, a group, a community or other cultures. In short, the culture will always be transformative and evolutionary over time.

Manuel started coughing heavily and said hoarsely: Excuse me Peter am something catarrhal or rained a lot today-.After a pause he continued explaining: Includes prom ote multidirectional education proposed by the leading contemporary philosopher Edgar Morin is educating to complex thinking that can break with the old mindsets that guide our limited and egocentric worldview. Morin promotes the vision of global citizenship that such is present in all humanitarian movements like Greenpeace environmentalists. Survival 44

International argues that all indigenous peoples, doctors without borders or the world, educators without borders, helping children. That is all these organizations working with the same idea: We are all citizens, we are human beings of planet Earth, in the same country and home. To this end an open library will also be created to investigate the most prominent contemporary thinkers of the current cosmopolitan who have written valuable books and essays as Anthony Appiah, Edgar Morin, Ulrich Beck, Norbert Bilbeny, Zygmunt Bauman, Peter Sloterdijk, etc. Again I was fascinated how advanced they were in their ideas.

Manuel Hart says to me, Peter, so you have an idea of the landscape of Patagonia and its surroundings, I invite you to stay so you see a film called "Land of Fire" What do you think - I accepted with pleasure?. Manuel took the girl to the room, went to the kitchen and made coffee concentrate, Mango bread with jam and cheese brought from the field. He took the film and what was on the shelf, put him into a somewhat outdated video that was noisy but it worked and invited me for coffee.

The film "Land of Fire" by Chilean director Miguel Litlin reveals the time when foreign immigrants began arriving in the Chilean Patagonia in search of gold. The images are acclimated to the late 19th century and includes n the arid landscapes of Patagonia.

Coincidentally, the film works the famous Cuban actor Jorge PerugorrĂ­a ("Pichi"), playing one of the characters in this faraway place. It is mainly the Romanian explorer Julio Popper who came to Patagonia during the gold rush. Popper was so ambitious that pit ext large quantities of gold, made their coins minted and printed their own stamps but their greed accompanied with a group of adventurous men led to the brutal killing and cutting off the ears as a trophy to the Ona natives of the Earth region del Fuego in Patagonia. The end was tragic ambitious Julio Popper ended up fleeing to northern Argentina and soon was infarcted.

It was almost 11 pm, said goodbye to Manuel Hart and hugged me wishing me success.

I could take the bus or as they say in Cuba "I caught the bus", the bus number 198, was curiously empty as it is almost always full of people and you have to stand in line waiting patiently stamina, time to take the shuttle. 198 opened the back door, feeling the sound of compressed air and let me near my home in Old Havana, I walk and see the old lanterns 45

illuminated yellow light. Suddenly I feel the famous cannon nine, some strolling tourists were scared because this unknown Havana tradition.

The history of the cannon dates from the time of the Spanish colony who governor of the captaincy general decided to use the gun to prevent the inhabitants were surprised by pirates and bandits who roamed the area and come in time before they closed the wall of the city. At that time, the cannon is fired twice a day: at 04: 30 local time, and after 20: 00 local time. Thus the placement and removal of the chain, between the castles of Punta Morro and closed the entrance to the port was announced. The wall of Havana was destroyed in the 19th century, it was only a piece of wall near the port.

I started last morning and had to prepare many things, leave the house in order, finish some orders of paintings was working until dawn.

I was tired and looked to the balcony with its ornate colonial style iron for fresh air. There was silence and the night was quiet but I felt the smell of something polluted bay sea near my house and felt the buzz sound of the waves and the chirping of crickets, I felt very relaxed, happy and somewhat nostalgic. Suddenly I see a lighted window open and a woman stripping out some sweaty, was Maritza neighboring front and that her husband continues his erection and make love in a split second, so something like wild sex and early as if nothing had happened she gets her nightgown and turn off the light. I was stunned and then mentally I associated with stray dogs when they copulate, we laugh at the canines when they do this, but do not forget that we are also part of the animal instinct.

Reflected on some of the proposals in the Green Party, was the reform of the calendar of the 13 Moons to replace the Gregorian calendar, from my point of view was somewhat challenging, yet innovative time for help to recover the lost time caused by isolation current and stunted Cuba's political system. E mplear balance of technology, economics, ecological and human environment and habitat. I already knew about this schedule, I had read in a book. Actually the 13 Moon Calendar is born into the world of the Maya and humanity was deprived of the gift of knowledge of the time. In the Catholic Church a単o1583 he installed his "reform" of time known as the Gregorian calendar. Simultaneously with the proclamation of the Gregorian calendar was the development of machining hard time and 46

the basis of all machine technology, which we yield to them. It coincided with the creation of the clock, the first machine and based on all machines, occurred same year that Pope Gregory XIII did his r EFORM Julian Calendar and the mechanization of time began.

Instead of a frequency of galactic time 13:20, the planet was bequeathed to the frequency 12:60 (12 months a year and 60 minutes time) engine technology, human loneliness and destruction to the environment, besides overpopulation.

12:60 frequency of machine technology is a substitute time, which actually is based on measurement of space standards. In the scientific and industrial revolutions that followed, the dominant materialistic and acquisitive divided mind that enveloped the entire planet.

The calendar

from Thirteen Moon Maya understands these concepts, details and seeks to

integrate man, raise their awareness and bring to a life in harmony, balance with all beings, with technological advancement but healthily and in keeping with its environment. An example of this is the massive use of Internet with free access for all Cubans.

The frequency of 12:60, 12 months and 60 minutes for the artificial time is causing the distortion of the mental body of the human being and his materialistic vision, which cause divisions and selfishness that has led him to lose sight of its psychological integrity. The shortcomings of the Gregorian calendar was responsible for a certain level of disorder in human society. The G regoriano calendar makes calculations very difficult days and dates for the months are of unequal measures so is that the days and dates of the week vary from one month to another month and year to year.

The frequency of the Mayan Calendar 13: 20, 13 and 28 days Lunas is the harmony between human beings and the universe and the improvement of their relations. Also known as Lunar calendar that is based on the cycle of female menstruation and Mother Earth fertility. It is a natural and not artificial as the Gregorian calendar. There is currently a Peace Movement Thirteen Moon proposed replacing the current promoted by noted historian Jose Arguelles and current president of the Foundation for the Law of Time calendar. In fact there is an ethnological whim, take into account the known philosopher Frenchman Auguste Comte, the father of positivism and modern sociology also devised the Fixed international calendar of thirteen months to resolve the remaining days, balancing the polarities of time as the Sun and Moon valuing natural cycles of time for human development.

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S eGUI painting commissioned until dawn as the hours passed in the cool dawn, listening to the music of Pink Floyd, which translated into Spanish means "Flying Pink" created by the legendary group member Syd Barrett. By penetrating sounds in my ears s ENTIA losing matter that my physical strength was declining and I dissolved into harmony and indoor climbing melodies. A fuzzy feeling, an indescribable feeling, a mystical ecstasy that reduced me to a union of vibra n it is, of intimate feelings and haunting sounds. The members of this musical Rock with electronic and psychedelic trend developed a cosmic, magical and unique sound. Really how you could describe in words how melodies are deployed, and the way my body is vibrating, integrated universal vibration, evolving in exciting windings whose ethereal subconscious carrying me?

I remember the first time I heard Pink Floyd was in the house of my painting teacher in the district of Marianao. Waldo Saavedra was a short man and a hyperrealist painter successfully years later emigrated to Mexico and worked as an artist for the popular musical group Mana and famous for painting naked Princess of Asturias when Leticia worked as a journalist in Mexico. I asked Waldo to record me Pink Floyd. He tells me that fu ea house of his friend the famous Cuban musician Alejandro sio Ede and mixed different albums in his recording equipment in one cassett e. Waldo decorated with acrylic paint the tape with pink colors and made me the gift with great affection. The combination was to perfection, select No do the pure electronic sounds that vibrated and connect the soul with the universe. Since then to hear many times Pink Floyd recreated by Ede sio almost daily became my inner spiritual guidance, developing training in connection with the universe, with deep existence, with the Self, a secret musical language that I opened my mind to the depths of the collective unconscious and access to an infinite melancholy. Hence foment or knowledge to a transcendental love. Later I learned without realizing that Pink Floyd influenced my training and my perso ality as my superior teacher. I felt part of their worldview that penetrated me during my adolescence and youth.

At noon Roberto Nunez visit me and looks at my paintings for a while they were in my workshop and said: Well, Peter come to wish you a good trip and if you can do me a favor 48

and leave this package to my friend Mario who lives in Punta Arenas-.I said there were no problems and told me wonder: I like your paintings costumbristas- I spent one congratulating him for his work for a different world open to Cuba. He was thrilled, he hugged me and thanked me.

After the farewell I'm thinking about "Theta" project How will the remote site that will touch me go, I will endure extreme cold over there - but averted my concern and I started making noodles Neapolitan tomato sauce and oregano. I said, "Nothing ventured, not triumph." I feel the sound of the horn and the sound of a motorcycle and I hear a cry from below -ยกPedroo - I go out to the balcony and it was my friend Javier. He put his motorcycle a thick chain with a padlock to prevent it from being stolen. I was greeted with joy as always, sat back and crossed her legs showing her huge leather sandals well made. I said, Hey, Javier, just went to your house, because tomorrow I'm going to Chile He looked at me with nostalgia for a friend who goes and asks me: Are you going to exhibit there - I said I'm going to participate in a project in the end of the world.

Javier was amazed, after telling about the "Theta" project and the people who had known the Green Party of Cuba.

He tells me not away from his astonishment: 'What interesting !, not know there was an environmental organization here, clear as most live in cities do not have an ecological conscience, see for example the beach, palm trees and the campsite as places of enjoyment for fun, light the campfire, drink rum and dance with women but do not know whether or not we experience contact with nature from the point of view contemplative or mystical I say: Exactly, it is the purpose of the Green Party people entering into communion with nature through experiential education programs with methods with the environment and thus expand their consciousness, transcending his personal ego.

After a silence Javier tells me: You know I read some of the latest literary works of the writer Alejo Carpentier entitled "The right of asylum" - and asks me what you read - I answer no and Javier tells me: -for , I will comment on his work and is extremely interesting, the novel is set in an archetypal Latin American republic. With its deployment of -escudo patriotic symbols, flag, military uniforms.

49

The protagonist is Secretary of the Presidency and Council of Ministers. When the president was overthrown in a coup, the secretary runs and manages to take refuge in the embassy of the neighboring country with which there is a territorial dispute and the new dictator causes the neighboring country in an attempt to exalt nationalism your own to divert attention from internal repression. The secretary remains in the neighboring country for so long, requesting citizenship, since the embassy is part of the national territory, though located, naturally, on foreign soil. Moreover, as the Secretary-now it is the asilado-, to kill time has been devoted to fulfill most of the functions of the ambassador, even make love to the wife, to become a citizen of the neighboring country is appointed ambassador to their home country, whose territory has never left.

The story works with the clarity of a grand situation: it is an ambiguity. The story ends when the former secretary presented his credentials to General Mabillรกn, the dictator, and they joke quietly in the mocking tone of old cronies. Javier paused and continued: 'I realized several things, for the irony in the novel "The right of asylum" is that the Secretary manages, in order to account for return: that is, that if he " reborn "to other than himself, though not completely. Once you accomplish this, however, lurks the surprise that on the other side, things are essentially the same; hence the slang he shares with the dictator at the end of the story.

Interestingly, the recent revelation that Alejo Carpentier was not born in Cuba, but in Lausanne, Switzerland, and therefore lied all his life on the issue, a special interest credited to "The right of asylum." The story is largely on the issue of nationality, suggesting that it is artificially created based on an eloquence and a given image. The national character changes without leaving their country, and acquires another without even visiting. The stronghold of the embassy is a small country surrounded by another equally artificial. The writer Alejo Carpentier lampoons Latin American nationalism, in a playful tone, now we know that Carpentier was not born in Cuba, but said so and he was investigating a question that affected him personally. But beyond the private level more importantly putting on a play nationalism, the question of identity and nation.

50

I said, 'Well, my dear friend Javier did not know you had such a good literary rhetoric, is really very interesting what you raise me, now that I started thinking about this subject because I learned that the Spanish government is modifying its code Civil to grant citizenship to grandchildren of Spanish and Cuba migrants is estimated that there are probably about hundreds of thousands of Cubans who are grandchildren of Spanish What will really happen ?, imagine that part of the Cuban population acquire European citizenship with all its rights, here's the irony of the country who wrote Alejo Carpentier.

His vision was fulfilled and the writer was ahead of his time, which in some ways the country is not a material thing, but a cultural and historical question temporarily. I think what is more sacred in life and human beings on this planet.

Javier said, in effect, Peter, times change, and also hope that one day the Green Party is recognized as vital to the country-institution. Javier got up from the chair and took from his backpack a music CD of Ibrahim Ferrer and put it on the stereo I had in the room and said, 'You're going on a trip, but I guess you will not return this time-. Javier was sentimental and smiled with tears in his eyes. While the pure and gentle voice of the king of the Cuban Son of Ibrahim Ferrer was heard with his solo album "Buenos Hermanos" is an ode to the romantic song, life in the neighborhood, nostalgia, calm and rhythmic sensations. The effect of music squeezed my heart and I felt a lump in the throat, also had tears in his eyes, knowing that this time there again. Javier said: When a friend goes, an empty space that can not be filled ... the arrival of another friend. I gave them slaps his shoulder, told him that everything would be fine that the world is a handkerchief and distances do not exist.

After a long silence Javier tells me that Hector's brother has a car that can take me to the airport and said: 'Well, I guess we're not going bike to the airport, we will llevaremos-. I laughed and I remembered a neighbor who won the Lottery emigration to the United States, popularly known in Cuba as the "hype" and the neighbor went by bicycle to the airport, just carrying luggage a backpack and was dressed in a short sports, bad made up sandals and a light shirt and go to a beach instead of emigrating because of Havana to Miami are only 40 minutes by plane. The neighbor never returned.

Chapter 5 51

It was 6 am, it was already dressed and my luggage ready, just at this point time, Javier and Hector knock on the door and helped me get my luggage with silence so that the neighbors did not find out I was going traveling or else made me many questions, especially the old Josefa.

Hector helps me put the luggage in the trunk of the car and introduces me to his brother who was driving. We left taking the avenue Rancho Boyeros direction that leads to the international airport. Boyeros Avenue has an enviable microclimate, never hot and the air is fresh, is very exuberant nature and royal palms abound. I looked at the view while my friends were sleeping in the back seat. We were near the airport and saw from afar several airlines, some of it came from Chile with its flashing red lights on its wings, had just landed.

Hector's brother parked his car in the airport car park, we took the luggage and made the line to board the baggage and luckily there was overweight, but I received very expensive.

Then we went to the cafe which was on the second floor of the airport. I invited for coffee with milk and cakes, while from below saw happen very elegant hostesses who seduced us with its beauty. A delicious smell emanating cups of coffee with hot milk in the very early morning smelled.

I went to a pay phone and called my parents to say goodbye to them. Javier I handed her the keys to my house so he could stay and live, because I really have mattered little house in Cuba, I was rather bohemian and Cuban law if it were more than a year abroad, military stayed with the house and the sad thing is that goods can not be sold or bought because it is a government law. Things of material value my family, my parents sent him to Trinidad and the house was almost empty, leaving some stuff and furniture.

I bought a pack of cigarettes with filters, for many Cubans sell cigarettes without filters and bite strongly throat.

In the table all were starting to smoke because we were nervous and started talking about cigars everyday topics. Hector was concerned sales of ceramics and then with Javier talked about the memories when we studied at the Academy of Fine Arts. Suddenly a light music 52

and a female voice warned boarding to passengers bound for Chile is heard. I was overexcited unlike the travel I did before, I knew that this time was going to a distant place and was going to be different because there would return.

I went down to the first floor and I went to do the row where there are several booths closed, it is where the outputs of the passengers are stamped. I said goodbye to my friends quickly and entering the cabin was an official of dark complexion and very thick mustache that looked at me seriously and listless and asked the passport, my mind went much concern, he was sweating because I was traveling with a cultural project Cuban Green Party, not recognized by the government. The officer looked at my passport for a long time and called his private phone booth giving all my personal data, I got as white as the wall was unheard of that behavior. He hung up the phone while another officer came in uniform range greater olive green color, checked my passport and asked me where I lived, suddenly a strong intuition replied else: I'm deaf, I do not hear welfare. The officers looked and there was a long silence. The senior officer said a few words under another officer could barely hear voice. The other junior officer, and quickly shifted checking his watch, slammed me out without saying a word and I heard the doorbell cabin. I went pale sweating and sat on a table asking the bartender for a glass of cold orange juice. After a few minutes I took the strength to walk and address as I entered the plane of dark blue color. The two hostesses told me: Welcome aboard-and offered me a diary of Chile.

I sat in the seat of economy class while staring out the window and felt the wing engine noise. About 15 minutes the plane begins to move to accelerate to full speed and taking off quickly see a strong current aerodynamic touched the wing and the movement of the ailerons, going through clouds and shook a little, at this time there was a stewardess I was going with his arms in the abdomen running into the bathroom and stumbling over the seats. It was unheard of in the takeoff. He saw the city from afar and felt a strong melancholy.

Once the belts unfastened, the stewardess came out of the bathroom but with slightly damp skirt, her expression was sweating but still upright and arranging her dark hair.

53

Beside me I sat a bald, thin man. He was reading a book entitled "Ningunismo, tribute to Roy Khalidbahn" and attracted interest me so I could overcome shyness and said: Very interesting title-. The bald gentleman smiled and introduced himself speaking Spanish with a Dutch accent: 'My name is Jacques, I'm from Belgium Hasselt- city. I just presented.

Jacques asked me: 'What place in Chile are visiting - I said I was going to distant Patagonia, he was amazed and told me it was a very exotic place?. Jacques chewing mints earache overcome by height. He told me I'm going to visit the desert of San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile, I like deserts and collect photographs of these places-. Jacques took a picture and the image of a reddish desert landscape of an area in Australia looked.

After drinking pink wine Jacques asked the hostess and invited me for a drink. He begins to tell me about the book. Roy was actually Khalidbahn Argentine, his real name was Martin Rodrigo Serra, a graduate in Public Relations in Buenos Aires. He dedicated himself to the study of universal thought and was a tireless seeker of truth, philosopher considered the most important contemporary and creator of the new philosophical school known as Ningunismo. Rodrigo M. Serra had the curiosity to undertake urban exploration through the sewers of the city along with several young men. He died suddenly drowned in the storm when a temporary tunnels broke.

The summary Ningunismo philosophy is to recover our autarchic interpretation of social reality, implies avoiding the social norm, rather than on the mental copies that take us "the desire to be like everyone." Search insurrection in everyday life. The road to Ningunismo involves learning to question the environment to a search for a total independence of any ISM or line of thought related to static concepts and patterns of behavior. The Ningunista suggests that we are not equal, but even-handed. Looking philosophy and psychic ogy.

Khalidbahn Roy wrote a manifesto known as the Thesis 222, which sets out its thinking.

The Ningunismo criticizes the illusion of totality, the delusion that "what everyone does" implies a truth, leading people to define themselves as illusions of self questioning according to social norms. The ningunista thought usca b recover the autarkic perception of reality, from the outside, not to be influenced by goal posts emerged the so-called "social consensus". Internally, go for the "raison d'ĂŞtre" and abandon the goal of the "obligation to 54

appear". The thesis proposes 222 autarky, that is an independent government, where nobody says what to think, do, feel and can be monarchs of our own kingdom: the inner realm. Roy Khalidbahn, "the mental state ningunista" requires Auto ctica checkmate and i nsurrecci贸n against everyday life to deconstruct the messages provinentes "compulsory soc ial consensus" pr谩 mental deprogramming This destination is a path rediscover the authentic of each individual.

Auto checkmate, is to "do what they want to win." Based on that desires are not as authentic as influenced from the outside, it leads to mental discipline to not be swayed by them. The illusion of totality ("everyone does it") is a way to limit the consciousness of individual development. Furthermore, the same technique can transcend limitations, searching for dormant powers. "Overcome himself" in things where the flow stops personality.

It seeks to impose social consensus and seeks to match consciences nullifying personally and make collective masses. That social hallucination, imposed by the "totality" would produce an effect on the thinking undesirable identity.

The Ningunismo looking urge an individual process without chair, but also gives back to man the ability to discern, differentiate, discriminate and thus regain freedom: their own autarkic content. The man becomes a rebel with a cause: combating social hallucination.

The ideal future of Roy Khalidbahn was to create an archetype in each person, destined to help others find their own way, and together, form a diverse society and a content-ric. Born a real being with its own identity and NOT an individualist be with hedonistic interests.

Our collective psyche is infected with the trends, ISMS, habits, ways of seeing life and even an illusion of "Totality" that destroys everything different coming a time and imagination can not be yours. The ningunista philosophy states that freedom is a state of consciousness, which can only be reached by expanding the horizons. Spiritual and mental.

The media used the senses, especially the image, sounds, words, suggestions, to induce a dream within the dream, a massively manufactured, created to condition and not to release the shackles of routine. The daily and constant bombardment of media images reinforces 55

constraints and prevent sleep wake up everyday ester iotipados creating new archetypes that guide the flock with the conditioned minds. False "Totality" er tries absorb all creative energies, innovative energies or leaving the standards imposed.

Any ideology is associated with rigidity, coldness, static concepts and patterns of behavior to justify any act to achieve goals and impose a way of decoding the world, an equally subjective. So the thinking of Ningunismo is formulated in the form of constant thesis, giving way to the awakening of the doubt and continual review. Due to its constant mutation or change s of theoretical and practical content may not want and must not be associated with any identifying mass or group.

Ningunista work of man is to be insurgent everyday life, it is to disrupt the concept of consensus, or contaminated social imaginary.

Jacques had taken much wine, after nearly three hours telling me about the interesting ningunista philosophy of Martin Rodrigo Serra (Roy Khalidbahn). I felt very good and enthusiastic turn of this school, was something very new for me and even for many. After a pause, Jacques went to the bathroom, he came back, took a seat pad and fell into a deep sleep leaving his mouth open.

The flight was quiet and less quickly than thought coming to the Chilean territory after seven hours, I begin to see pure ranges from the window and some had snow on top. The plane begins to descend and a closely through the mountains and roads could see looked train. I feel a very strong noise in the aircraft engine begins to accelerate as more to touch down suddenly with head and looked at both sides of the pockets of blue giving a futuristic feel.

He arrived at the international airport of Santiago Merino Benitez. Once I left with the baggage I had Exchange and cold in Santiago. Ask a taxi and the driver put my luggage in the trunk and asks me with his typical Chilean accent: 'Where vai' I asked: 'Is there a hostel close to where I can stay -The driver smiles and says: Here no, poh, but if I can take you to a hostel it is in the center of Santiago.

56

It was night in Santiago and along the way there was nothing but a few nightclubs with neon lights until we reached the center of the city of Santiago and had a very modern look.

I got an old two-storey hostel saying "DoĂąa Alicia." I attended and greater fat lady. She limped with his cane and invited me to his room to take a hot tea with biscuits and introduced me to his son but was so fat he suffered from obesity and could not get up from his chair to greet me, I looked at every turn as itching hams, breads, chocolate and used the remote control to change television channels. The Lady and he made me that as was typical Havana as people lived there, I had to make an effort to keep me friendly I was very tired because state product of nervous tension in which I found myself questions. Then at midnight and Mrs. Alicia shows me the room to sleep and in my luggage that were in the hallway and I lay in bed falling asleep in his clothes.

The next day it was already noon and felt cold. I went to wash up and got dressed. I find Dona Alicia who was washing clothes and asked where they sold coats at a nearby store and said: -A few blocks from here there is a shop American clothes second-hand clothes sell very baratas-. I tell him that he would get to know the city and she tells me with his typical accent -ĂĄndate no longer my son, you have good its advantage.

Buy a wool coat in a nearby shop and a few blocks take the metro to the historic center. I got to know the p principal laza where was the C atedral Maharashtra with an interesting mix of neoclassical and part German baroque style. There were street vendors, artisans, musicians, and I was struck by sales of posters and crafts pictures of hills of the old city of Valparaiso, Easter Island with its huge monoliths carved by the natives, sphinx of the poet Pablo Neruda, the famous rock group "Los Jaivas" printed "Che" Guevara, etc.

Street painters and then saw that there was something in the streets of Havana, I mean painters who painted a picture of landscape in ten minutes with Spray using templates as concern to many people. I kept walking and met the majestic Palacio de la Moneda, the seat of government and is the only building with existing pure Italian neoclassical style in Latin and walls of thick bricks of more than 1 meter thick, they were built for the building endure 57

earthquakes in the city of Santiago. A front l saw a group of young people protesting and insulting the President of Chile but the interesting thing is that the police did nothing, only they kept the things normally order and continued their routine.

From there I walked and near the University of Chile see a movie where there was a large sign attached announcing the film exhibited entitled "Powaqqatsi", that sounded very familiar to me and to see that it was the same director Godfrey Reggio who performed the film "Koyaanisqatsi" I had borrowed Yolyanko in Havana, I realized that I was the second part or version of the film. I was curious to see her and entered the cinema. I sit in a chair comfortably, but next was a woman talking, flirting with her cell phone and eating popcorn, she laughed, blushed, turn off the phone and rang back with music that annoyed and kept talking while twirling towards the foot of his shoe, but suddenly look like the woman shudders and becomes red. She stops abruptly throwing popcorn container on the ground and begins to cough and coughed, had stuck as he pressed his cell phone with one hand, but I try to help her in a panic rushes down the hall to that finally gets out of his suffocation, but put down the popcorn, without returning to see the film.

Started the movie "Powaqqatsi" in Hopi language, means life in transformation, the film focuses on the Third World where human sacrifice is the work that has to survive. While the music plays out images that a human anthill extracting underground resources are. The depletion of life so that others have a life and so the important physical effort for survival is necessary is displayed. The life of these human beings is the manual labor to start the land of the fruits that will feed. Human labor is no exception to this cycle.

A primary, agricultural, livestock and mining and land by the world where the human being is nothing more than the spirit of the community. Film director enhances physical work showing handicrafts, now abandoned and only in the Third World cultures "Powaqqatsi" is also a tribute to the celebration of the rites that make us humans, including death, religion, barter of goods. The film shows the importance of faith, of religion in all its forms and in all corners of the planet. Unlike the first part of "Koyaanisqatsi" surprised the public by the accelerated use of images. Instead "Powaqqatsi" shows his wealth to show your pictures 58

where the pain, the joy, the celebration is accentuated with the slow movement of the camera that starts all the expressiveness of the characters accompanied by the masterful music of Philip Glass, the end of the film director Godfrey Reggio interview where he says that "Powaqqatsi" is not a film about what it should be or should not be, but an impression, an examination of how life is changing. That is all. There is good and bad. What it is our unanimous capture pursue global culture. Most of us tend to forget this, trapped as we are in our separate paths.

I left the cinema somewhat mesmerized by the musical effect, really I loved. I continued walking through the city, I got to know the bohemian Bellavista neighborhood where art galleries and workshops, club Salsa, Merengue and restaurants all over the world as reflecting a colorful watercolor. In this neighborhood there was a house with two floors and blue called "La Moneda" where he lived Pablo Neruda. Then I kept walking for about an hour to reach the neighborhood of Las Condes, where I drew an attractive Pub. Irish double-decker called Flannery's coincidentally had an activity of the first Inter-Celtic Festival, I took the opportunity of the event and could hear Celtic music from various musicians were the "Viento Celta" Chilean group that played traditional Irish music, a Uruguayan group Body of dances and Scottish bagpipes band called "Riverside pipe band" I was dazzled with his show and also played the "Lir" Argentine group where much listened to the Asturian bagpipes.

Then I was walked and took on a hill slope to get to San Cristobal, a high vantage point where the panoramic view of the city is. I noticed some smog in the air and see submerged in a pit surrounded by mountain ranges in the absence of the sea.

I returned to the hostel tired and decided to leave tomorrow. Early I took the taxi and said goodbye to Dona Alicia and son. I went to the bus station and bought a ticket to Puerto Montt. The trip was long and uncomfortable in a long, straight road heading south, they were like twelve hour trip and it hurt me ass. I arrived in Puerto Montt, had a terrible rain and cold weather which changed! I thought, then I got near the bus station and I could relax accommodation until the next day.

59

The city was still raining so it was very normal for this season. He was relaxed and happy, whistling and I was shaving despite the unpleasant smell emanating from the old gas stove.

I entertained me well and I went out for coffee near the port. Then I went for a walk and did not mind the driving rain, I got to know the beautiful Cathedral of Puerto Montt, the market for varieties of seafood that seduced the palate by their offers and abundance, but next door was a sign of public health said Beware of the red tide! "and discouraged me to buy seafood. Then in another place is the fall shows local landscape paintings, but no artistic vanguard, paintings served a decorative function. But then I was told that there is an island called Chiloe that has a museum of modern art.

I visited the municipal museum where objects from the Mapuche ethnic Huilliche and settlers from Chiloe is. I see reproductions and drawings of figures and mythological beings of Chiloe Island as well known for its legends that confuse reality with fantasy here.

I tempted to visit the Chiloé archipelago crossing through a ferry, could contemplate docking maneuvers and unloading cars and then browse the Chacao channel, while on the ferry was reading a book about Chiloé, what interested me were mythology, figures like Pincoya which has been the little mermaid, whose mission is to impregnate all sea creatures. E l Caleuche represents the ghost ship, the Trauko, a mischievous elf like a tree trunk, no feet, and her legs end in stumps. His wife is the "Fiura" a small, grotesque ugliness and extraordinary woman and swarms n through the forests of Chiloé. This archipelago was colonized by Dutch pirates and then by creating an interesting Spanish miscegenation with the natives.

In the capital of Chiloe area known as Castro impressed me the most is seeing the typical rustic wooden houses on stilts on the water toward the coast, known as the stilt houses.

Also home to strong northern European influence, they are all tables and a tendency to break the volume with balconies and bay projecting from the facades of coatings shingles and are worked as a watermark that transforms them into subtle lace grace manifests and chapels built with pieces of wood connected by pegs rather than nails influence of German rural architecture, for at that time missioned the Bavarian Jesuits. I visited the craft fair and found that Chiloé is a haven of crafts and mythology, where objects necessary for everyday 60

life is manually produced, there wickerwork, woven handspun wool, large carpets, blankets, socks, hats, jackets with bright colors and some with ocher using natural dyes, basketry is made of plant fibers. É truck all day. Back in Puerto Montt while sailing on a gray day and heavy rain, he watched westward two huge pylons carrying power to the island by a long cable.

The next day I could tour the city with more patience and see that there were collections of German settlers who settled the area. Then I took a little anachronistic bus and I got to know a town called "Frutillar" pure colonized by Germans, in this small town typical wooden architecture, mills, houses where they sell chocolate and beer remains intact. The restaurants have German names such as Black Forest where the famous German kuchen and cakes are sold I also meet traveling craftsmen who were in the square of Puerto Montt, selling Chicha of apple that is a variety of fermented cider and sweet, also carpets, hats, vests scarves, gloves handmade wool from sheep Chiloe the woolen garments along very pure and bright colors and decorations were indigenous motifs in the area. I discovered an interesting symbol, GuĂąelve Mapuche iconography, which can be described as a form of eight-pointed star and foliated, ie whose ends are divided to form two new tips. E l GuĂąelve represents the image of the star, the planet Venus that served as a reference point and the evolution cycle of this distant planet to agricultural crops and fertility. I could see this symbol on a percussion instrument known as Kultrun used by them, where it appears drawn as opposed to the sun and the moon.

The next day I packed my bags and went to the office of the port of embarkation, I attended a sales agent of the shipping company and indeed my name was registered and got the ticket very kindly. I sat in the waiting room boarding where there were many young backpackers expression of apathy and indifference to the environment, I tried to establish communication with them, but showed no smile and everyone was on his own.

So I went to buy a magazine and started reading. He felt very humid and the sky was cloudy and there was fog. After two hours I could board the ferry which was a big red boat.

I stayed in a cabin that had four bunk beds. I had to sleep upstairs and down an Australian 61

redhead with blue eyes and next to an English couple both blond and introverted was staying.

The ferry began sailing away from the port city. The noise of boat motors and shock waves of gray tones are heard. He felt the temperature dropped as the ferry pulled away from the port.

So I looked away and walked into the living room where there was a tour guide explaining the routes.

The ship began to sail through the Patagonian Channels and attention I had plenty of rainbows, waterfalls of pure water that flowed from the big rocks full of vegetation and birds flying around the typical fjord in southern Chile. Placidly I ate the first day and was relaxed despite the drizzle and strong wind there was. Tourists watched in the living room some read books, others talked in groups, some joked, others walked alone wandering around the ship. But there was a tourist who had his face full of anguish, he walked with anxiety, smoking several packs of cigarettes and he went to the bow. I took a pencil and paper by drawing what he saw around very focused on technique, I suddenly feel the cry of several people and I hear that Mr. distressed almost jump into the sea, was caught and arrested by officers crew. While Mr. screaming and crying, the officer tried to calm him.

Then I was told it was a German man who was suffering from terminal cancer, which surely came from afar to commit suicide and unaware reason.

Then I went to the cabin and saw through the window the rain and gray sea. I discovered a sin decal attached to the door. It was the flag of the region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica, the place where I am going. I n the top of the flag is blue and wears the white stars symbolizing the Southern Cross constellation. Interestingly, it is not observable in the Caribbean in Cuba that has never been heard much of this constellation as well not exist, unlike the inhabitants of the island tends to idealize na constellation Ursa minor in brilliant star known as Polaris. Perhaps it is because many Cubans look and migrate north busc ansiadamente'm the illusion of a materialistic paradise.

62

The Southern Cross constellation is visible in the middle latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere l to circumpolar location. I go to bed and pillow arrangement. I take my bag the book "Divine C Omedia" of Dante Alighieri, a very personal memory where he had written notes in pencil and underlined words of my uncle, the famous Cuban poet Raul Ferrer. When you open a road unconsciously where the page "Purgatorio, Canto 1: 22- 4" appears. Dante writes: "willing to spy / this strange pole, remember four star / the same who saw the first men, and since then no live seen" is concerned When reconfiguring or in purgatory through the entrance that opens to Southern Hemisphere mentioning the southern constellation. I felt worried and I felt a sense of uncertainty with this "message" written immediately I closed the book and began to sleep listening to the sound of ocean waves.

When I woke up I was fascinated by the seductive magic of the untouched nature of the fjords of Patagonia I saw from the window.

At noon the strong waves whipped roughly the boat with a strong wind and we are advised by the loudspeaker that the ship is now sailing course very close view of a glacier where the ice is bluish and suddenly we see from afar as is apparent surprise a large piece of bluish ice to fall into the sea. Sighted some as some marine life around dolphins and small sea lions on the rocks sticking out. It could be seen from afar an abandoned rusty boat that was nearly a hundred years.

When food as eight in the evening, the ship began to swing from one extreme to another, several tourists lost their balance and trays of food fell to the ground, while the cleaning staff came to clean the ground and I heard cries of panic. The vessel entered a dangerous gulf has sunk several boats, so it is known as the Gulf of Penas where sea waves move aggressively and momentum. They began dizziness, vomiting stench in public restrooms and the fun is over each to their cabins. In my case I ingested little luck and had taken stomach sedative to avoid nausea.

The next day at breakfast woke pale tourists, some with bad breath, other did not leave the cabin. From afar a town called Puerto Eden, a set of small colorful houses grouped in Island Bay on Wellington and surrounded by many fishing boats off the coast looked. The boat 63

will stop and turn off the engine with a slight tremor. The ferry lay quiet without noises like a floating island, a powerful noise you hear chains, was the anchor maneuver. The heavy boat ramp is opened while the small boats coming of the inhabitants of Puerto Eden, most KawĂŠsqar ethnicity were formerly a village of hunters, gatherers and maritime nomads who move with their rudimentary canoes. They ate a lot of seafood and for collection almost naked women swam to the bottom of the frozen sea to gather shellfish with their bark containers made of reed.

They arrived inhabitants of the population and the living room had pregnant women, sick stretcher with serum in the arm, dirty and smelly men, some shouting from the effect of alcohol. Tourists are shrinking. By boat ramp unloading goods and the boats they were in charge of transport. After a few hours the boat continued its journey through the Patagonian channels. As I watched enchanted environment, see the stunning fjords, silence, cold peaceful, varieties of vegetation untouched by man. It was announced over the loudspeaker we approached the Pius Glacier 11 many tourists with their cameras were running towards the bow to see the iceberg blue and purple floating in the sea, as the boat bumped placidly with small pieces Ice was something mesmerizing, but I feel high voices, there were two tourists fighting for the French inadvertently gave a boost to other tourist shooting photos and dropped the camera to the ground. The tourist gave him a few blows with his fist and the French began to rip the coat. I immediately had to intervene a tour guide and calm the situation.

The next day there was a long line at the breakfast room. I had breakfast enjoying the silence of nature and the sound of waves. I hear the captain's voice on the loudspeaker announcing to passengers who wanted to observe browsing the narrowest part of the route, the White step with not more than 80 meters wide. White is treacherous step that requires all the expertise and experience of the ship's crew to avoid an accident, could get through but left a flap of the second motor propeller boat and felt a jolt when the ship got stuck crossing the noise of the engines at full power and the piece of the propeller blade shot out mortally wounding a dolphin species like sailing near the boat, a dolphin as they say in

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Patagonia. Tourists and I were dismayed to see that the dolphin as he struggled to live and sank to not enlarge it.

I visited the bridge and spoke to the captain, a nice man gray and short, but this was seriously concerned about the time and event of breakage of the propeller on the left. Most of the crew members who were on the bridge were reserved and attentive to their duties, they bore much responsibility for transporting tourists in a relatively old ferry.

The sky was evening and a dance party was held in the living room. Tourists danced and chanted. I drank beer and talked with employees of the crew on the experiences of many trips to one place to another.

At midnight I walked enjoying seeing the clear sky artificial satellites in orbit that blended with shooting stars could be seen.

I see on the bow and on the upper deck where a large pub. By the effect of electronic music DJ and alcohol were tourists who had excited and were making love in the dark. The ship's captain forced headlights off some lights so they could enjoy the sudden crazy affair and pure nature. I get bored and go to my cabin, when I open the door I see the Australian tourist in my room making love with another big tourist while she supported all feet on the top bunk where I sleep. I apologize and walk away. I go to the bathroom and there were couples of Scandinavian origin with its red and sweaty faces making love, did not care about me. This reminded me of a scientific documentary he had seen years ago when a health inspection agents made with ultraviolet rays to an ocean liner and surprise discovered traces of dried semen on the sofas, rugs, silverware, walkways and even doors.

In the morning it could be seen from far away a village with houses of many colors, it was Puerto Natales and the ship docked with difficulty because it was very windy. I spent my job loading luggage, while tourists were in a hurry to know the small town. From a nearby hotel I called a taxi to drop me off at the bus station. I came to the station and the driver helps me lose my luggage and I see a tall mulatto and waiting, it was definitely the Cuban friend Mario Roberto Nunez. He steps forward and greets me with a hug and ask me: How 65

was your journey - I answered that well but tiring at the same time?. Mario laughs and says, well, we go to Punta Arenas now, the bus Wait- us. I came to the city of Punta Arenas which lies further south and three hours from the city of Puerto Natales, I remember there was one very narrow road to get to the south and gave me the impression that I would never reach their destination, around steppe vegetation had very ocher with very dry brush.

Arriving at the station in blue and yellow note Mario tired me and helps me get by putting luggage in the trunk of his parked car, started the engine and said, 'I see hungry, Peter, let's eat something. We went to a cafe-restaurant was located on a hill known as "Cerro de la Cruz" which made viewpoint where the view of the city of Punta Arenas are contemplated.

The cafĂŠ-restaurant at the entrance bore a heavy wooden pole with arrows also made of wood where indicated so intense color ornamental and distances in kilometers of the world's countries, including Havana, Cuba.

I had a dish that almost burst my stomach, known as the curanto, a typical dish cooked meats, seafood and potato pancakes. I began to have a strong hiccup power because the difference was in Havana and in Patagonia was remarkable. In Havana, food is scarce and the abundant Patagona Chile being the region with more obesity food.

I ask Mario how he got to Punta Arenas. He tells me that he studied in Moscow to 14 years ago to graduate professor of physical education, but political changes occur and democracy in Russia arise with Yesltin. The Cuban embassy longer afford the exercise studies and forced to return to his country. But Mario refuses and stays in Russia to survive and fund their education missing to finish, everything works, waiter, janitor, cleanliness in public toilets, charger port and was able to finish his career as a teacher of physical education and sport, until one day walk in Finland fell in love with a Chilean of origin Mapuche and to this day live in Punta Arenas and has two children, a greater than is studying accounting in college scholarship north of the country and a child . As he mastered Russian well worked well in Antarctica around a bit, in Russian, Chilean and Argentine bases. Immediately I remembered that Argentine she had met in Havana who worked at the Argentine Antarctic Institute, I asked if he knew a certain Zuniga, He replies that if, as in the Antarctic almost everyone knows and years of Christmas is a big meeting between the inhabitants of this 66

white continent and the Argentine is known for his habit of covering their skin, a type of moss that protects against ultraviolet rays, so has his face greenish color.

I happen to Mario the package and a letter sent to him by Roberto Nunez and said goodwhat, I have heard from my friend - he opened the envelope and began to read the letter!.

Then he invited me to the city, but the road to the west, the streets were closed by police and firefighters were evacuating residents, the sea had flooded this area of Punta Arenas, Mario tells me: Lately there have been hot in the Winter and snow has fallen slightly, it is not normal for this city as grandparents tell me that in Punta Arenas had always lots of snow and now little, this is due to the greenhouse effect and the average increase in temperature. Antarctic iceberg melt more quickly and is not the first time that the west has flooding is a concern, if not environmental measures taken within 50 years the city and would inundada-.

Driving while talking on the phone with his wife, arguing loudly and in an abrupt gesture switched off the phone and threw it into the backseat and said: Excuse me, Peter, are everyday problems of house.

I pointed the finger the most important places of Punta Arenas as the palace Sara Braun designed by a French architect with materials imported from Europe with neoclassical style of the "Belle Epoque" continue along Columbus Avenue reaching Magallanes University and taught me the Institute of Patagonia where a botanical garden and a museum souvenir collections of machinery and carriages of the period of pioneer settlers.

Stopped his car near the square which is shaded by beautiful cypress trees in the center there is a sculpture in marble and bronze with the inscription of "Ferdinand Magellan" was opened to commemorate the fourth centenary of the discovery of the Strait of Magellan. It represents the navigator being the first to pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean making the first route of circumnavigation of the Earth in the year 1522. The statue of Magellan was on a high pedestal and base are the Fuegian natives of the region Tierra del Fuego lying. Tradition has it that if you kiss the feet dedicated to native Ona will return to

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the city, I have seen many tourists smooch foot and still others suck your thumb. Foot Ona native shines unlike your body creating a contrast.

Before the opening of the Panama Canal, the city of Punta Arenas was the main free port on the navigation between the Pacific and Atlantic ocean that became a very commercial place in the coveted routes of the Straits of Magellan and the Cape Horn discovered by Dutch navigator William Schouten in 1616.

In the main square we saw around itinerant craftsmen and what caught my attention is that sold vertebrates whales, sales of silverware with Lapilapzuli, prehistoric fossils such as ammonites of different sizes that are sold as decorative elements being one of the elements most representative of Patagonia, also had reproductions of rock art of Patagonia as the famous painted hands, penguins plush toys, music of famous singers and popular Chilean folklorists like Victor Jara and Violeta Parra.

We continue walking through the city and I noticed the abundance of houses in the style "Art Deco" style and ship architecture influence American, that made me recoder when I was in Miami Beach where there was also a lot of style "Art Deco" unlike these homes are on the other end, the end of the world.

CHAPTER 6 It was ten o'clock at night and still had sunshine, we were in summer. Almost always the day in the south was long and bothered by the low sun, Mario told me that in winter the nights were long and depressing. Rarely she had stable day with blue sky and gentle sunset.

I got an old wooden house where Mario lived, was small but cozy, at the entrance there was a picture of penguins in Antarctica and a map of Cuba.

They had many books on a shelf and abundant CD music of all kinds as Rock, Jazz, Salsa, etc. Mario introduces me to his wife short, somewhat obese, huge buttocks and something 68

brown skin. She recently left his room with his dressing gown with slippers of stuffed rabbit shaped. She smiles at me reluctantly and go straight to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and drinking orange juice popping a few pills and says softly: Mario, I have to talk to you. She went to her room with indifference. Mario asks me something timid apology and going into the room and close the door. Sorry noises of objects thrown against the wall and loud arguments. His Chilean lady screamed with such fury and I was unsure what to do and looked at the pictures that were in the room. Mario leaves the room, closing the door and panted heavily something with his left black eye looked where several scratches. He looked at me and said, 'Nothing important, domestic problems, see Peter teach you the room where you go to sleep-. He took me to the attic where there was a nice bed and a table with a lamp and helped me load the luggage, taught me the bathroom and towels to use and says affectionately: You're at home, you have books you can read, listen to music or watch television.

I could not sleep because of the exhausting journey and the unpleasant treatment by Mario's wife. I looked suddenly on a shelf, a thick book and "The Third Wave" Alvin Toffler known thinker was called. The book was so interesting that I read almost until dawn. The summary of the book is the description of the history of mankind. In the "first wave", the only capital that mattered was the work. In the industrial era, that of the "second wave" was synonymous capital property, production, tangible or material goods. Instead today's economy is based on knowledge, a resource available to all. "If we are creative enough we can generate more knowledge." Unlike production in a factory, an assembly line of a plant, knowledge and knowledge it is inevitable. The real value of the companies that generate economy of a country depends more on the innovative, creative ideas of information technology, organizational culture and patents. Capital is now based on intangible assets, in property l knowledge and have more information available to everyone.

An example as such small countries like Denmark and the Netherlands with such poor possess high levels of welfare and quality of life, one of the leading exporters in electronics, digital technology and maintains a strong leadership in renewable energy, one of its main industr ias are producing generators and 贸licos. There is little awareness in relation to environmental protection. The icleta bic is your main means of transport that 69

everyone can afford, with this transport help them reduce stress, maintain a healthy physical and at the same time does not pollute the environment.

The next day about nine o'clock sun was blinding strong vision for its intense white light very common in the far south of the planet. I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth and shave. Mario was preparing breakfast and apparently only thanks to God, his wife was not.

When I go to the kitchen she tells me: 'Hello, Pedrito, as amaneciste -. He continued: Sit down and make yourself comfortable at the table, no coffee, jams, bread, fruits, whatever you want to trade. Mario watched the news on Chilean television, turned off the television and began to breakfast, I see a picture where there was a picture of a huge lighthouse, I asked curiously where was this lighthouse so lonely, he replies: They're one of the headlights of difficult access, called Evangelists Islands lighthouse I worked there a couple of months.

Mario Tell me: What do you do and where you work - he tells me: -Doy physical education classes at school for half a day, then I teach private lessons in gymnastics, dance lessons like salsa and merengue lessons, drums and percussion bongo. On weekends I teach Karate he learned while studying at Moscow Go Mario, I see you have many activities and Where did you learn to play percussion? -. Mario says he was lucky to have her music teacher known percussion to Tata Guines when teaching at the house of culture in Old Havana.

Mario tells me: 'By the way, Robert told me you're a good painter and known in Cuba, you brought some pictures of your paintings to see' I said I had brought a photo album and went to look at some of my luggage? . Mario began to carefully look at photographs of my paintings. He saw a picture where he had painted the Queen Street of Old Havana, apparently brought him a memory and his countenance changed. He said, 'In this street lived a cousin who left Cuba on a raft across the Straits of Florida and never heard from again, the situation was quite dramatic, because after his wife committed suicide by not bear the absence of my cousin-. After a pause I said: Well, Peter, I'd take you to the Blue House of Art is a small house of culture of Punta Arenas, so you can know something locally.

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I went to the Blue House of Art, a former premises of two floors, I could see exhibitions of paintings with regional motifs, such as landscapes of Patagonia, art indigenous to the region, bronze sculptures depicting Indian mythology as the ones which They are best known for their flashy masks and black painted their bodies with red, white and representing their deities. Most were of enormous stature and big feet. I could talk to some art teachers, exchanging experiences on cultural issues.

Then we went to a cafe, a place where all types of coffees are served in the world, including Colombia, Cuba, Central America, Arabia, Philippines, etc. He is enjoying the scents and sound of the coffee machine and watch as e legantes cups. Mario and I tried coffee from several places and was an exquisite experience. We talked a long time, but I was interested when Mario said: We live in a posthuman period where cyberculture influences our brain, is a new stage of human evolution. Quantum physics, systems thinking, the Internet, information technology and COMMUNICATION are modifying our genes. We are no longer human nineteenth and early twentieth century they were governed by absolute truths and rigid concepts. With the T eorĂ­a of Relativity he has taught us that life is a process and temporales- concerning spaces.

Then we continued to eat in an underground restaurant inside is covered with red bricks illuminated with halogen lamps known as "Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia" that their entry holds a huge Union Jack with horizontal bands of blue, white and green. A huge black and white photo of the monarch called OrĂŠlie Antonie I. The Kingdom of Araucania and Patagonia was founded in 1860 in southern Chile, but its existence was very short-lived as it is not recognized by any state and remained as a legend.

The monarch was buried mad.

After eating pizza with ham, we started talking of the "Theta" and the steps that had to be done.

Mario took me to his office, a separate room that read a wooden plate "Center studies of remote and isolated areas" The place was small. There were two computers, an archivist, books and maps on the wall.

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He turned on the computer and checked his e-mail tells me: 'I received a message from Roberto Nunez, sends you greetings and successes in the project-.

I asked who was the center, if an institution owned by the government and he smiles at me and says: 'The center is mine and I founded a couple of years ago, in addition to studying, researching with a few colleagues about the nature unexplored and its environmental influence, help and collaborate with the Green Party Cubano, in counseling, training and money I collect bonuses cooperation with the Central. Mario began to explain in detail the "Theta" project and Data used his show to give a talk about the project.

The goal is that the artist expresses his art in a state of trance in contact with the remote nature and see in his art the profound changes experienced in an altered state of consciousness or so in Theta brainwaves, how they react before different points changes the mind that form evolves or develops. All this will be expressed in painting.

All this research will contribute to develop a new educational methodology and the ability to achieve impact and profound changes in the human being and quality of life.

Mario told me: Now you explain that is the state of trance and it serves-for.

After a break and drink a glass of water, continues: -First of all there are many ways to get into the same trance or enter Theta brainwaves where imagination becomes very active and almost real. Shamans eat mushrooms, cacti like Peyote, San Pedro, Ayahuasca and thus acquire inner wisdom and to enter the world of the subconscious freedom but there are other methods of acquiring altered states of consciousness such as the monotonous drumbeat by a long time, fasts, repeating a prayer, mantras for a long time, deprivation of senses such as sight and hearing for a long time, hyperventilation accompanied by guttural singing s known as "Kata jjaq" which is a technique of abdominal breathing very quick and mouth very practiced by shamans I nu it the North Pole and the Chukchi of Siberia, as the oxygenate much clean toxins from the body and emotional catharsis helps expand awareness beyond what ordinari or discovering a state Interior- travel and peace.

In the states of trance dive in our unconscious and we agree to perceptions we see nothing in our ordinary consciousness. When one enters an altered state of consciousness can release information that allows the person to see herself, discover who you really are and 72

what you can do with access to the original program of every being. It is a method of acquiring knowledge through the unconscious, after a period of internal crisis, dissolution of the ego and a state of spiritual fulfillment, "insight" and then higher consciousness occurs.

It is also a ritual when you enter this state of expansion, as one reborn, to clear his conscience after making the trip. In other words it has a cathartic effect. So the ritual involves changes, inner transformation, changing values, patterns of behavior and helps us to rethink about the vital sense Why do I live ?, What am I doing here? Where I come from? To where I'm going?

Mario showed me pictures from the Data Show shamans of Yamanas ethnicity were the southernmost natives of the planet, lived on the islands of Cape Horn, close to Antarctica.

The Yamanas shamans known as them Yekamush to practice their trance are isolated in a lonely place, they squatted and motionless long time supporting calambr is, fasted, slept very little singing very monotonous sounds for a long time had no texts but expressions nonsense. Hence comes the ethnic term "Yewin" which means singing to enter trance. In this way they reached a state of enlightenment, after a long inner journey very similar to the Buddhist nirvana without drug use.

I combined several techniques to induce trance without affecting your health in harsh conditions as the summit of the Balmaceda Glacier is where you're going in this case up to around 1200m, is not good to fast, nor practice breathing exercise intense cold that prevails.

The other alternative is to alter the dream, ie sleep few hours per day no more than 3 to 4 hours durantes 15 days are going to be on top and drumming monotonously to fatigue the body and even where you can get a Once you're relaxed and in a trance, you paint what you see in your unconscious.

What if I fall asleep? We will place electrodes to record your dreams waves you will awaken, it is a computerized system that not only allows you to sleep more than three hours a day and at the same time record all your brain waves, alpha and theta states. The computer will record how long you

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were in a state of deep relaxation or trance as long were painting, so your paintings will be very valuable and unique works. ? I asked 'Where the Balmaceda glacier is: Near Puerto Natales and two experts in mountaineering will take you to the summit with maximum protection necessary. We start tomorrow and prepare all the necessary equipment to have safe conditions.

Mario taught me the drum was 60 cm. in diameter, the soundboard was in the form of an empty inside and covered with very resistant leather and fastened with steel rings pressure hemisphere. The drum was so powerful that you could hear long distance and his voice was grave and almost enviable quality that any listener mesmerized just by touching it. Mario taught me to play the drum as the monotonous shamanic touch and develop it as exercise some influence accelerated pace Kuminas used by a single group in Jamaica existing descendants of freed African slaves.

Mario told me: 'It's important to remember that the drumbeat must be fast, about 150 beats per minute or more to induce Theta brainwaves when you get tired, stop and come back to continue until straining your body. It will be a unique experience, unforgettable ecstasy, although in the early days will be annoying, always when we go through a ritual.

Are you ready? - Yes I said.

CHAPTER 7 The next day in the same school prepare everything necessary mountaineering equipment such as backpacks, mountain tent very wind resistant, thermal socks, hiking boots, sleeping bag, first aid kit, thermal underwear with Goretex, windproof, waterproof jackets, gloves with reinforcements kelvar, thermal bags, crampons for walking on ice, harnesses, ropes, shovels, mountain eyeglasses sunscreen etc. including canvas and acrylic paint tubes and energy foods.

The whole team took him by car to the house of Mario to collect my luggage and go by bus to Puerto Natales, the city where I'll be a while.

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We went to the bus station, we put all luggage including mountain equipment. On the way Mario taught me a document and told me: 'When you get to the Mount Balmaceda, you must carry the permit of the National Forestry Corporation and must teach the rangers in the area, you are going to be allowed 15 days in -summit.

We arrived at 11pm to Puerto Natales, the city is small and isolated against the foothills of the Patagonian Andes and slept in a guest house painted purple. We got up at 6 am and head towards the pier of the port where a boat that sails to Mount Balmaceda and there await me two mountaineers. They accompany me to the summit but then would turn up just leaving me there for fifteen days. Mario handed me a radio and said, 'With this we will all days-.

The boat set sail at 7 in the morning and told me "I'm heading for the unknown that must be real and wonderful." We were contemplating the view as we sailed, we saw the first former chambers for the Se単oret channel where the first point of livestock settlement is for the year 1887 were German colonists who settled there. We saw on the wall of a huge rock cormorant colonies, hundreds of birds like penguins where strong cries were heard, then spotted a sea lion colonies where the maternity of the wolves that remain in place almost two months is the summer until their young learn to swim. For a channel cliff condors can be seen from the boat glides its flight is.

The boat was old and noisy engine to heating of the metal plate on the cover you could barely walk on it and white smoke emanated around the cabin and to the effort to walk against the wind and waves. The boat was moving too when it hit the sea causing dizziness visitors.

In the engine room he had a mechanical fixing some oil flow defects. The mechanic looked greasy and black with oil, but sang with joy because for him it was a routine job.

Tourists walked with dizziness, restless something to sail an old and very used boat.

Because besides the captain it was half deaf and almost completely gone 80 years old, was the owner of the boat is called "The navigator Attila Rego," but the captain had a high degree of experience in navigation.

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After four hours of travel we arrived at the mountain and glacier Balmaceda. The boat docked on a wooden pier. The park ranger was holding the boat with a thick rope placing on the trunk.

I showed my permission to ascend to the summit Balmaceda. The park ranger looked at me in astonishment -ยก15 days up there on top of ice - and called other rangers who were in the house and told them that Cuba would be 15 days at the top with ice, They looked at me with a face of fear and admiration at the sight of a Caribbean freeze on top in the far south.

They hugged me and wished me luck.

I hoped the two climbers who presents me Mario. Ascencio Viveros who has a small agency of mountain guides and one of the first to promote tourism in the area and Lorenzo Echeverria one of the first to take pictures of mountains in the high peaks of the southern ice fields of Patagonia which are now highly sold in tourist postcards. Cook was also the first Chilean expedition to the South Pole.

Mario wish me luck and withdrew driving a Zodiac dinghy, fast boat that was docked at the pier. He was going to see some friends who lived in a nearby sheep ranch.

Ascencio, Lorenzo and I started to walk down a long path and told me about the vegetation that was around and I was struck to see the deformed and bent by the action of strong wind that is common in summer seasons trees. There were typical colored flowers and bellshaped called Coycopihue, abundant trees Lenga, called red oak and Coihue, evergreen throughout the season. Calafate abundant shrubs like their thin trunks have many thorns and summer produce tasty black berries jam there for tourists are made. Also the road was much Mosses and Lichens with phosphorescent green surrounding trees also present and had abundant peat soil. Finally we came to a lake where there were big chunks of ice blue and violet. We watched the breathtaking view of Mount Balmaceda of 2.035m. high with its hanging glacier that is located on the western slope of the hill and deposited directly icebergs in the fjord called Ultima Esperanza. The glacier is declining as time passes.

Mount Balmaceda is part of the Andes mountain range.

It reminded me of an environmentalist saying "Every tree is a prayer that goes from earth to heaven and from each of them that dies, a star goes out in the sky" 76

Chapter 8 Nurseries Ascencio was climbing on, I was in the middle mountain by ropes attached to very firm and Lorenzo Echeverria was back harnesses, climbing some steep rocks accounts until we step on the ice surface, the bottom of the glacier. We put our crampons, we put waterproof warm clothes and thick woolen hats that covered our mouths and ears.

Continue to advance, the ground in some parts were very cracked and had cavernous cracks or crevices deep blue and the light was blinding by the reflection of the ice. Come up slightly on crusted snow. Ascencio Nurseries walks forward. He must be checking and making steps in the snow hard, compact and with a slope of 45 째 to 50 째. He sought a few steep slopes and insurance. Ascencio Nurseries up by steps and handholds with the ax of steel. We continued but with more difficulty by insurance pending. Ascencio hits the ax fixing nails buries security and well on the ice by checking the safety of ropes and tells me to pay close attention not to fall down the slopes or down the slopes of ice, as there are slippery parts. The heavy backpack is great for such a steep climb as that sometimes takes me off balance hindrance. I stop for a while to continue.

Nurseries and Echeverria are doing with the sharp point of the steps so you can ice ax to walk safely. The cold began to intensify in the glacier begins to see and feel the mist from sudden flashes of light and swirling snow pushed by strong wind gusts. We jumped the deep cracks and were covered with a thin layer of snow that hampered us rise.

The slopes of rock and ice above us were long and very steep, but with a number of fixed lines and skillfully placed by mountaineers. So we move forward with greater speed and safety, yet spent much difficulty, we could not breathe and we climbed some steep slopes of ice polished effort. The clouds had descended and were snow covered, it costs us breathe and my nose was completely frozen. Lorenzo insisted me to set foot hard crampons he was wearing, did not pay much attention because I had a headache and cursed shitting in the time I was born, I slip and I fall sunglasses snow that fall off a cliff ice pure. Lorenzo tried to search but found very soft snow almost vertical slopes and decided to try a different 77

route but while crossing a relatively flat part, a formidable roar of snow and suddenly heard all the snow that came above collapsed very near we. It was decided to abandon the search for sunglasses.

For me the hours seemed endless, saw nothing and walked with his eyes half closed. Before us as we approached the summit towering ice walls stood and watched from afar the condors flying birds.

Until finally arrived almost to the summit knife blades were not ice but fortunately a wide plateau heading for a narrow crack and the right side by side a huge ice ledge looked.

Nurseries Ascencio checked the security field, but before he entered the urge to urinate and was urinated for a long time, the yellow jet fell into the vacuum inside a deep crevasse.

Ascencio and Lorenzo were commissioned with all the expertise to settle the mountain tent with maximum security and on safe ground. Then they took a minicomputer lined with thermal plastic cover and solar powered batteries. They put me the electrodes, sensors in the head and chest and installed near the tent a web cam and was told that the computer was communicating by satellite Internet and many would see me live and direct.

Lorenzo Echeverria gave me his sunglasses that were special and expensive, after finishing the mission wished me luck and down quickly with the ability to experienced climbers.

I was lonely at this point looking around when the fog cleared, could be seen from afar the town of Natales and surrounding mountains chains. I started using radio to broadcast and communicate with Mario.

"Ready ... ready ... Peter calls Mario. If you are listening step answers ... answers ... "I heard a long silence while I began to see the birds flying around some clouds. You hear something. "Here ... here Mario Mario ... hear very well ... speak ... step ... step" I said, "soon ... soon ... alright ... alright ... step ... step" Another silence and heard: "ready ... ready ... I heard very good Live !, Bravo .. step ... step!"

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Chapter 9 The first night was wild, strong winds and snow. The wind did not calm down and dragging fine particles of dry snow that stung my face as if they were grains of sand. The snow continued through the night without interruption and then a violent wind shook the tent, to the point of giving the impression that he would fly broke. I was unable to sleep more than a few minutes at a time while stirring in me sleeping bag. I felt uncomfortable with headache and back. The tent is inflated, crunched and shook.

At dawn I could hardly open and exit, with the shovel managed to open a hole and got out.

The tent was covered with snow almost a meter thick. I had to remove all the snow with the shovel and took me over an hour of work.

Then I squatted and began to carefully contemplate what had about as the sky was clear with a faint blue that might be touched with a finger. From high walls and cornices saw ice on the northern slope of Balmaceda, a few meters from the tent many ice crystals and saw a wall of mountains that reflected many shades of blue, violet and further cracks could be seen and caves which I would not dare explore without knowing the terms of mountaineering.

Further north a striking bumps and ice sculptures seem to change color according to the light of the sun was visible. The ice at the edges of the slits that looked from a distance, has a deep blue color that changes gradually deepens into a fantastic cold violet. I started playing the drum followed and I was impressed by the sound of echoes that height had feared that a rematch of snow. This exercise in touch lasted nearly two hours until her arms were tired, ringing in the ears and visual dullness. I relax a while and paint something with acrylic tubes. The painting was abstract and many blue, white and violet tones.

The next day I wake Quartz electrodes at 3 am, signals sent by the laptop. I wake up half asleep and I hope to pass the state of heaviness and drowsiness. At 6 in the morning sun as the day it was dawning over the Patagonian summer. Start again drumming, after a while I had no expansion of consciousness, but discomfort, heaviness, loneliness and a certain anguish and hours seemed long and uncomfortable. I could not read books or listen to the 79

radio to avoid distractions had to just wait patiently. Lying on gray, with little wind, cold and dark so it was like a funeral sadness, as the period between life and death.

At midnight I fell asleep after enduring sleep all day. At three-thirty in the morning, a small intermittent electric shock wakes me again Quartz electrodes placed on my head. Was beginning to irritate me, I left the tent luckily night was beautiful and spacious where countless stars that filled the sky was. I had never seen so many stars and before a monstrous red moon was changing to orange as the day dawned. The stars were everywhere the Southern Cross constellation Orion Hydra and looked. The triangle was moving so slowly and I felt that all this was mine. At the moment I forgot irritability, I felt an inner peace and boundless joy.

Drumming start again but this state disappeared around 8 am, experienced to feel a confusing mix of emotions of anxiety, anguish and joy at the same time. I had to fight against the monotonous sound of the drum, against boredom, loneliness, mental exhaustion and the cold that reigned up sometimes under zero degree gave me cramps and body aches.

But I began to worry when the lungs were on fire when he breathed the scent of pure ice but at this point no germs, ice, cold isolated civilization full of germs and rarely rise above freezing point reducing microorganisms surviving a short existence. Germs are the only humans who carry it.

In the afternoon I could not breathe and my chest hurt and back. He felt burning in the throat and coughed. I had no choice but to take a few not very powerful to not abuse the antibiotic treatment and so the day passed and I wondered several times-What am I doing here? - but I liked at once.

Again I wake up in the morning the electrodes but this time I felt light without pain. I did a few stretching exercises to get rid of any muscular contraction. In the exercise I stopped to make a number of steps, I bend my knees and waist. I started to walk around around the perimeter. I felt a strong drowsiness yet heaviness and peace with myself. He was completely gone and thoughts about life and the nature of things flowed like a stream. I started to paint something, but this time with gray and green tones.

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At dawn the ice crystals that were accumulating in the tent glowed like blue lively candelabras although the tent was always freezing in the mornings and sometimes frost covered the sleeping bag where my breath had condensed overnight.

At noon with much effort I started drumming. Echoes felt, heard voices, ringing. He is fighting sleep fatigue, monotony and the long silence or the roar of the wind.

At night, I began to see a curious phenomenon. At first it seemed to be a fireball, which was smaller than the moon, dark color changed to silver and occasionally vanished, approached and walked away. Something surprised me thought it was a UFO, but then pondered the phenomenon, could be a reflection refracted by ice crystals, although it is one of my conclusion.

On the fifth day of the first week I started to feel headaches, eyes with a large and nausea tiredness, excitement, trembling limbs, hearing voices, sounds and screams, that scared me.

He began to have unpleasant visions and felt a strong chest tightness. I started painting with effort very absurd forms and gray, black to purple and red tones.

Something I was severe panic and try to locate Mario on the radio and yelled unable to hold above the freezing cold, physical and mental exhaustion. Mario told me to be quiet it was only a process and sobrepusiera me or else the project would be a failure and the failed nothing is written.

On the tenth day it was the most terrible. Beat the drum with great force and a strong attack of panic shot the instrument against a wall of ice that almost tore it apart, beginning to pant and run but stumbled I fall and lying face down as a child starts having visions as a huge mouth of fire that ate me, I saw children who were devoured by mad doctors, nursing emaciated asking me aid and cries of despair to feel the slightest breath of his agony, dark circles that made sink and disappear eyes, images of rituals my organs were eaten and others gave food to monsters like men without arms and feet and mouth pure. I began to scream and shout. I make an effort to paint these real and hallucinatory nightmares. My legs were shaking, I recovered the drum with fear and I lean on a rime ice and was not moving and shivering.

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Despite being out of place I could see the day on after this situation I started to calm down and feel intoxicated with the desire to paint my monsters that were in my mind. I felt so weak like I had been injected with morphine. Gradually he saw the sun sinking below the horizon until only one glow bright red. The overall effect was something like what an eclipse, a supernatural glow that spread over the glacier and lit by flames that seemed to spring from a huge cauldron of fire is seen, it seemed that the snow flared.

I thought my anxiety was growing but paradoxically after feeling fatigued in a state of emotional meltdown, exhausted by visions and felt I had an experience of total annihilation.

I immediately had a vision of a powerful white and golden light of supernatural beauty and brightness. The dying day and night born. I felt a great peace that was part of perfection and first felt oneness with the universe. It was a feeling beyond reason, in this almost mystical painting peace difuminosos almost hypnotized pictures with bright colors and yellow mixed with pink, soft green and pale blue.

In the second week I mastered my will regain balance and achieving inner peace in communion with the glacier. In the following days in the morning I start with an effort to practice exercises sprains lying on the sleeping bag, this time dominated over the unconscious mind and the conscious state had merged into one. I am listening to my inner voice fluently and with great intuition. He continued drumming seeing the infinite horizon.

The evening was an incredible mirage, was so clear that I did not dare make a noise for fear of falling and not lose my vision. There were ice crystals falling from the sun, like a golden rain. Seeing that reflection, I could see two suns in miniature green and yellow, they are undoubtedly "sundogs" which was a very sublime phenomenon of refraction.

The sun fell below the horizon and a purplish blue is perceived in such a beautiful as seen elsewhere tone. Looking that almost night sky, the planet Venus as a pearl and blue and still looked sparkled. It looked like the walls of ice took on shades of colors and a paint palette that inspired me to paint upon.

While he rattled a unique vibration felt in harmony, self and the universe. I began to have the illusion that what I was seeing was also what I was hearing so perfectly that seemed 82

confused drum sound with what I was seeing and going in heaven and my paintings. The drumbeat and Sky One is made only by the shades that varied according to the sound and movement of clouds passing through the wind.

The day continued with my routine work and some drumming. This day the wind was blowing very little. I've never met a perfect and absolute peace of mind hypnotized. It was a curious thing I felt like I had been thrown into another dimension of what man had no memories or knowledge, ecstatic feeling of identification and unity with the outside world.

I felt my body was all feeling ready to open my arms and love the world. I felt more alive than at any other time in my life. Everyday materials released from all distraction. On this day I saw a lunar halo as a system of luminous circles that formed around it gracefully, much like the rainbow surrounding sensual moon concentric bands of color. This reflection of ice crystals in the air had to be.

That was what I learned at the summit of the glacier. Achieving contemplate the sky and enjoy a beauty that was beyond human reach. Achieving let go, surrender to the illusion of total liberation of the mind and feeling that started traveling through space. The mind was free of everything, simply floating. You could have the feeling of traveling the universe through space and time as experience in one experience the past, present and future all at once. I thought at this moment moments of absolute serenity, that man full of nervous tension in society that does not find silence and peace. These experiences through my paintings could maybe put a bit to the inner peace of man.

Solitude and contact with the millennial glacier were changing my sense of values. Many who previously had doubts in my mind that would crystallize in a single point as a sphere, like an atom in perfect harmony with its parts. I began to have an aesthetic appreciation, sublime in everything around me and I felt a deep fatal love.

Drumming hard, he felt that backed the happiest days of my childhood, remembering when I reveled stroking a rock in a garden, walking in a source where I was intoxicated see carved marble muses with their buckets of water gushing, see my grandfather an oil painting. I had a vision beyond the regression of my childhood and my orange-pink 83

remember when I was in the womb and suddenly from a powerful blinding light bluish and see and I identify with a non-dimensional form. I see "the Tribar Penrose" the famous triangle impossible that reflected the idea of what has always been not to be born and does not die. Infinity. The unchanging symbol of all time. I heard a melodious voice saying a message to the world. "... E l symbol Tribar dominate the world and is where the man will find his existential sense ... it's time" I discovered that eternity existed and was always in us that is nothing and everything at once, I discovered the meaning of life was within every human being, I discovered that time rather than linear, cyclic, fractal, mythical and poetic, it is the eternal return to go and return.

I discovered that the rites helped to unload the human emotions that are trapped under the unconscious pressure to stay afloat and could return to "reborn", leave refreshed with a deep sense and a purpose in life to discover himself I sensed the eternal as something unspeakable, but also discovered as something that has always been what does not change with time and fashion, is the archetypal essence of yesterday, today and always.

Now I understand what he was saying Mario that when we enter into a trance, suddenly there are no limits, no time or space, love and recognize the nature of the other and recognize each in itself is the only really important and is when consciousness dialogue with itself instead of being in full internal civil war and against the emotions, memories, intellect. I forgot myself, I had cast me with the environment, the huge light passed through inside. Suddenly I feel a loud noise and wake up from the trance.

It was the radio that made the noise "Ready ... ready ... Mario calls Peter. Please answer ... answer ... step " With effort I take the radio and tune in a weak voice speaking "Here ... here ... Peter ... I hear well ... step ... step" Mario says: "At last answer ... Pedro ... because I was worried ... I have communicated several times and did not answer ... How do you feel ...?

I replied: "Well ... step ... step" 84

Mario speaks: "Ready ... ready ... you will find today Pedro ... step ... step" I say, "Ready ... ready ... on a stretcher ... I'm so exhausted ... I can only step ... step ..."

After a while I fell asleep to stop working quartz electrodes computer. Ascencio Nurseries, Lorenzo Echeverria and a known woman in the world of climbing and mountaineering Chilean doctor also called Carla Prieto, check my health. It was good but very weak and fatigued. They charged me and put me in a very similar bed a sleeping bag and convenient to carry. I fell asleep deeply and felt the bliss of nowhere.

Chapter 10 A few rays of sunlight from the window, I looked in the face and wake up the next day.

From the bed I stretch and yawn, I get up heavily and go to the bathroom. I realize I'm in the same hostel in Puerto Natales which had leased in the first day with Mario.

I see Mario talking to the owner of the hostel in the dining room. Mario with a smile tells me: Hey sleepyhead've slept more than 14 hours-The owner of the hostel takes the trouble to serve some food. She was with astonishment face that had remained 15 days on the summit of Mount Balmaceda only repeated: -¡Mucho cold -.

After talking things routine in the dining room. Mario goes to the room and brings a picture he had painted and asks me -¿Pedro which means this table filled with this geometric form of light -I answer: It's a Mario Tribar- me as very curious question: -¿ ? But that means' I tell him: I had a vision with this three-dimensional geometric shape of triangular shape not only live in the fourth dimension or the second and heard a voice saying: "... the symbol of Tribar dominate the world and when men find their existential sense ... it is time ... -.

"Mario looked at me doubtfully and the owner of the hostel had eyes upward, did not understand the meaning. I explained: I think that the Tribar represents or represent the symbol of higher consciousness, intellectual abstraction that will leave behind the superstitions, false beliefs and mental blindness. We will probe deeply the same mind which houses the eternal, immutable archetype and that's when the man find the meaning of their existence.

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Mario got it right: -that the Tribar is an intellectual, deep abstraction and universal He continued: 'I marvel that in a short time have acquired a liberation, an inner wisdom. In the states of trance hiding a lot of information on universal unconscious.

Mario laptop shows me wearing at the summit. They were recorded my brain waves throughout the process and the images recorded with the Web Cam and even check weather conditions prevailing at the glacier. Mario tells me: We knew everything that was happening up there and feel a great concern when you were disoriented. He showed me the pictures when I had experienced the period of anguish, a brief death of the human ego.

Mario tells me-all the data recorded with your paintings will be sent tomorrow to Amsterdam, the Moebius Foundation and partly to Havana to commission research to human impact in remote and isolated areas of Cuba and promote your Green Party jobs, although it takes certain time. The owner of the hostel served us coffee before leaving and Mario tells me: 'I also called the Southern press and Eva Radio, want an interview with you about your experiences at the time you were at the summit and by the way, Pedro let to eat something because I want to celebrate by your willpower and success in the projectMario took me to a place called Diana who was far plains about 30 km from the city of Puerto Natales. He told me that formerly the plain of Diana was a totally marshland until created a garden full of trees and laboriously worked oasis that gives the impression of being in a park in Europe, for its abundant pines, firs, lakes and beech in the middle the arid steppe of Patagonia.

We ate roast beef and potatoes with vegetable salads with plenty of cilantro and red wine reserve. He is enjoying the view around the restaurant with its huge glass windows. Mario suddenly became sober and sunken corners of the lower lip by his thick black complexion noticed me and said I'm leaving tomorrow for Day after Costa Rica, will work on research at national wildlife refuge called Gandoca-Manzanillo where houses Toucans, turtles and there will be about two years. After a pause, she is breathing heavily and said in a trembling voice: 'I parted from Lorraine, my wife, for having romances esporรกdicos- Chat and encounters with men. Mario took off his glasses he was wearing and put it on the table and putting his hand on his chin, leaving him in tears. I do not know what to say before this 86

delicate situation and he said, 'My children were very affected. Mario watched from the window wide newly planted young pine trees moving gently in the breeze, after a long silence, he said: - The romantic poetry of Pablo Neruda fit nicely in theory but in social and real life things They are totally different, rather it is a very harsh reality and we live Zante deshumani daily, but still there are cultures and groups that due to their depth ideals still prevail as a quest towards the development of human consciousness -.

I started to think what Mario said 'Was I right? -or Simply going through a difficult situation. Mario got up and went to the bathroom, after a while returned smiling and said: Come take you to meet other sites-.

In a rented car we went to Puerto Natales road while driving Mario put his cassette Cuban pianist Ruben Gonzalez member of the legendary group "Buena Vista Social Club".

Then we go down a path full of dust and wind like Western movies. We came to a large cave where he lived an animal like a bear huge but with a long tail and head of camel, a species extinct 10,000 years ago called Milod贸n ago. It was found by the first German colonist Eberhard to settle in this area in the late 19th century Found pieces of skin, bones.

The Milod贸n represents the tourist symbol of Puerto Natales where restaurants, nightclubs, hotels with this name. The Milod贸n is a lucrative business in this city where in addition to using your name, selling stamps, stickers, books, handmade reproductions.

The archaeological find Milodon was found inside the cave, where in addition to finding remains of bones and an abundance of dried excrement, apparently the cave was an ideal and safe place before his hunters to their needs. Then we walked around the cave full of shrubs and bushes such as caulk and notro. El Calafate in Patagonia in the summer gives sweet fruit jams and liqueurs are sold handmade in Patagonia are made We take the car and started down the road again where you could see from afar the bluish gray calm water and Ultima Esperanza fjord with surrounding hills. The fjord was discovered by Spanish explorer Juan Ladrilleros brave who sailed the brig "San Luis" along the canals and through the interior territory and sees abundant Huemules a type of deer in Patagonia. It was the first European to appreciate the beautiful and tourist Paine mountain 87

range. With many hardships in the wind, the cold and spend Ladrilleros difficulties Juan manages to take possession the Strait of Magellan in 1558. What caught my attention around the breast last hope was a hill called Mocho for their characteristics have a huge hole in her like a crater interior, giving the feeling of being on another planet.

We turn to a road near the airport of Puerto Natales and see an industrial complex known as the Bories fridge that belonged to the Operating Society Tierra del Fuego in Patagonia, surrounded by a beautiful well taken care of ocher-brown grass and at this point I I felt transported into the world of musical catalog design Pink Floyd album entitled "Animals" where the image of a red brick factory is tall chimneys.

We got off the car and walked into the facility, whose buildings were constructed much like the post Victorian England style red bricks. Formerly an industrial complex that was dedicated to produce mutton that were frozen in large halls and exported directly to Europe and Australia and also produced wool of sheep. They are currently enabling the local and museum for tourism. For the municipality regrets having wasted time and not taking measures. Once it stopped working nearly two decades and does not restore or maintain the premises. The losses were great, as people who passed through there many pieces of equipment and machinery of great value and led many of the people of Natales used it as an ornament to their homes, others sold to antique shops and others simply used the iron to melt and make home plumbing jobs like home We tried to enter the museum, but the entrance was a booth where a man sleeping on the table with the TV and there was a sign saying "Closed" looked.

So we decided to go to the city center. We were tired and went to the hostel. After drinking coffee in the dining room. Mario gives me the card of the press and radio, where indicated directions and reminds me: 'Your return ticket to Cuba which expires next week-I interrupted Mario:' I quedo- me. Mario looks at me for a long time and said: Well, Peter, I'm going to spend some money so you can keep working until you can get here, I wish you the best luck in the world. Mario got up and said I'm leaving, because tomorrow I go to Santiago to go towards Costa Rica, gather your artwork and I'll take care of the promotion

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of the project. He held me tightly and gave me encouragement to make this difficultInmigrar- step.

From the dining room window, she looked very bad weather, windy and rain. He seemed to spend a hurricane. I was afraid that seemed poles, trees, houses would take, but nothing happened.

The lady told me it was quite normal for these storms occur in the summer season, but in winter the night is long and very raw cold. She said: -Here experience all four seasons in one day and now you will see that soon will be calorcito- sun.

Indeed later the sun came out so I could leave, then I took visiting journalists from the press. I arrived at the office of the Southern press and I met a very fat man who could not fit in the seat and wore mostly black. He greeted me politely and quickly taking his portable recorder asked me questions about my experiences in the Balmaceda glacier and took some pictures with your digital camera. Although it showed that the journalist did it for pure duty and routine than interest. I was shortly to answer questions in a more practical sense and once the interview ended gives me a strong handshake and retreats to his office.

Then I walked toward Eva Radio, was a blue house, old wood and two massive antennas in the backyard and had a hand-painted saying Eva FM Radio 97.1 cartel. I walk through a narrow door, while a dog breed German shepherd barked loudly from the fenced yard. I get a lady and asks me to wait because they were interviewing a very important person who was passing and holidays in the Chilean Patagonia, it was the well-known sociologist and cosmopolitan thinker Costa Rican Lucio Villegas, who released his latest book entitled "cosmopolitan Analysis ". Who interviewed him was a professor of philosophy at the University of Magallanes and I listened carefully to interviews they did to this tall man, in his 60s, with gray hair, wearing black long-sleeved shirt color. I reproduce verbatim the interesting interview that was done.

- You often use the concepts of economic globalization and cosmopolitan politics. ? How are both associated -Villegas responds:

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-The Globalization in the economic and cultural sense concept differs in the cosmopolitan view since there is no dichotomies of the interior and exterior, the national and the international, you and the other, but in the acceptance of cultural realities as probes.

- Would you say that the cosmopolitan vision which includes the other - Asked the interviewer.

'It's not a complete look to the world, but to recognize the multiple identities that coexist in each of us. The cosmopolitan vision seeks a global dialogue regarding the cultural contradictions.

- The cosmopolitan outlook can not remain a pipe dream, as ineffective as Esperanto to abolish linguistic differences? There is a total misunderstanding. I wrote in my book that the cosmopolitan analysis is not the general fraternization of peoples, and create a universal republic. The cosmopolitalismo that I promote is realistic. I do not advocate a new universalism as well in Esperanto at the time. On the contrary I believe in multilingualism, exchange and confluence of multiple cultures without borders. It is to know different cultures, a bridge and rich openly and spontaneously -.

- Do all major disasters - "natural" or "social" - manifested in this "society of uncertainty" due to global causes and have global effects - ask the interviewer.

-Obvio, Not all disasters have an impact globally but in many situations can create a psychological effect in humans worldwide as the danger of avian flu, terrorism, global economy, democracy, etc. We must recognize that today we live interconnected to each other. Since we live in a global world in which borders are erased and patriotism within a more- decades.

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Mr. Lucio Villegas had finished his interview out of the radio booth together with the college professor and greets all those present including me in a very friendly and infused a very charismatic character. A provincial government car waiting outside.

Then I go to radio shack, while standing by for advertisements and weather reports and a man starts asking me questions. The interview was aired. I bombarded with many questions for Mr. curious but did not quite understand about altered states of consciousness. He wondered why trying to understand until I just give the most important information. I finished my interview and said goodbye. When I went for a walk suddenly he began a strong gale and a piece of board flying in the air I hit the forehead and fell to the sidewalk.

Half walked dizzy try to get up fighting against the wind, dust of dried sludge that stung my face and my eyes. The wind pushed me against a wall that had not knew who to ask for help, no cars or people passed until huddled on the wall decided to wait over an hour. I finally managed to get to the hostel tired but it was near my walk took about an hour battling gale that, instead of fifteen minutes is what separates me from the hostel.

The next day was a seemingly nice day so I decided to take a walk. I got to know the town square where the center was a small monument steam train that was used as transportation from the refrigerator to Puerto Natales.

There was a cafe called "green time" where I went to visit and I attended an Englishman named Jeremy who spoke Spanish with difficulty and said: 'This is where we offer the charm of Hada Verde.

I did not understand and asked him to explain me better, he said, speaking slowly to me: We offered a special drink Absinthe and Absinthe, a mythical drink was considered the muse of great artists like Van Gogh, Hemingway, Rimbaud, Oscar Wilde, only allow customers to try a drink and snack wish me to try - I nodded her head and told me -Immediately -why not put a glass on the table which liquid was green and the label said Absinthe and there was a large drawing of a green eye with a pupil, English with a smile said: -Take taste and sip drinks to sip. After drinking green drink I felt a little dizzy, but with a different feeling when I felt lucid, my ideas flow increased and invaded me wanting to talk now understand why the coffee was called "green hour" because there were many 91

tourists who would not stop talking under the affection of Absinthe. English explained to me between the chatter of the people that Absinthe was a mixture of alcohol 70 and variety of stimulating herbs as wormwood.

I saw that around the place had many old posters which advertised drink including a Van Gogh face drinking Absinthe and Absinthe sign said refinery. At this time I thought of my Cuban friends, my parents and wanted to talk to them so I immediately went to a phone booth and hard from long distance, not to mention the terrible service communication Cuba. I could call my friends and my parents, because the call to Cuba is extremely expensive, almost impossible.

He had spent a few days routine walk through the small town, one of the things I discovered in Puerto Natales were dogs. There are many stray dogs on the streets but well fed, people care a lot and even the cars avoid overwhelm even the dog is in the middle of the street. Once the mayor said he had to take the dogs to the pound for health matter, but could do nothing, for there were hundreds of demonstrators who protested in the streets opposing the municipal initiative. So it is normal to see packs of dogs on the streets.

Another thing I discovered was the backpacking tourist who walked the streets of Natales with a map in hand or were in pairs. Unlike tourism in Havana or perhaps elsewhere.

Backpackers walking through the small town of Patagonia as if people did not exist, apathy, indifference Total breathed, there was no smile, no greeting, no eye contact and marked distances. Tourists frequent in cybercafes and write as Zombies versus computer screens. In Havana perhaps for cultural tourism and music make tourists come into the warmth, he remembered that there were smiling, talking on the street and I had a good impression of them. Puerto Natales was the first time I was repulsed by tourists.

He had decided to rent a house, it was tiny and coated aluminum sheet metal in the e xterior. In this area there are many houses are coating metal plates and nailed around the edges. Inside it is with cardboard sheets. A building that caught my attention, rather an er

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manufactured by pure practice. Only very few were decorative and European influence houses belonging to the former colonists business owners and stays.

Visit the Public Library of Puerto Natales which was spacious and modern with free Internet service to the public. I start to browse the books and choose one particularly keen entitled "Mythology and legends regions of Chile" was incredible that each region has its own legends, but I was curious was the legend of the Chilean Antarctic, I did not know for example that some people still on the continent of ice had been a virgin. There are many scientists who go to Antarctica and venerate the Virgin of ice that is the patron of this white continent. The other legend is the Holy Grail that is believed to have been hidden by the German army during the Second World War in a secret underground called Neuschwabenland country located in the Queen Maud Land of the frozen continent.

I also discovered the history of the planet's southernmost cemetery which is located on Deception Island in the Antarctic Peninsula. Deception Island came to populate 300 inhabitants, most were of Nordic origin. There were several whaling stations were abandoned then leaving remnants, such as furniture, wooden houses destroyed, iron cots, toys, rusted iron objects between vertebrae huge whale skeletons and ruins.

On a hill behind the dead north of the old whaling plant people, there is a place surrounded by wires and with a rotten core pyramid column, a neat little cemetery is located, the southernmost and south of the underworld almost eternal snow, where the bodies of captains, sailors will reside forever in tombs decorated with artificial flowers. The first recipient is George Odegaard burial, a child born in Norway who died at age 16 on Deception Island in 1910.

The Norwegian captain Adolfo Andresen who was the owner of the whaling company at the end of his life he snapped, fell almost penniless and ended only in a small house avecindada in the city of Punta Arenas.

I know something interesting in the story was that the Spanish admiral and explorer born in Palencia, Gabriel de Castilla, is credited with the discovery in 1603 Antarctica with his ship 93

"Good News" who warned about icy barren islands Snow on the peninsula of the white continent. This navigator gave me the idea of making a sculpture or a monument and to convince the Spanish consulate in Patagonia, to sponsor the project in honor of this marine explorer who managed to discover the mysterious terra australis incognita.

I hear a voice while reading the book that says, 'Sorry it interrumpa- I raise my head and I see a very thin, old old lady wearing very thick glasses. She was the director of the library and told me: There was read an article about you in the press and I congratulate him on his bold project, I would say that there is a proposal for a course funded by the Arts Fund and wanted to know if you You agree to teach painting at the library p or five months with my daughter Silvia who is a historian - I asked about the hours and frequency of school fees and accepted because the offer was good, her daughter Silvia would impart course on customs of Patagonia and I impart art classes to deepen the local culture.

The direct ra of the library and her daughter who cared because she lived alone because he was suffering from severe pain in bones and myopia. Silvia seemed to know very nice and somewhat introverted. Ada graduated in History from the Universidad Austral in Valdivia.

It is one of the most beautiful cities in Chile by strong colonization of industrial, intellectual of German origin ĂĄn creating a rich syncretic culture with ethnic Mapuche and Spanish. I and Silvia t enĂ­amos to work together for the course project.

He began to teach painting. Carefully he watched the paintings of students of adulthood that they had saved in previous years and I realize that copies were reduced to mere scenery. Actually he had very little creativity.

So I introduced a creative program that included art history from antiquity to the present day. The classes were to start very slowly assimilated by parts of the students were not used to the history of art. I remember there was a student who told me: 'I know nothing about abstract painting, for me it is an idiocy. But at the end of the course and he finished convinced painted abstract pictures.

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Winter raged in Puerto Natales. The nights were long dead and dumb, that shocked me and began to influence my mood. There was no life in the streets, the houses closed and some liked peeking behind a curtain from its windows. Homes looked like lonely islands and separated in the same city. I was amazed to see in full snow like making love young trees in the public square, I was amused to see the trees move while doing sex, that always happened in the winter and in broad daylight.

In a place I was surprised to see a small monument with a bronze bust full of traces of graffiti in red, white and green, probably caused by a group of young revelers. The bust was the captain of HMS Beagle, Robert Fitzroy. The ship on which Charles Darwin made his famous voyage to the end of the world, when aba began to outline the famous theory of evolution. Captain Fitz Roy explored much s islands near Cape Horn and is also considered the father of meteorology inventing a kind of barometer. Fitz Roy went mad and killed himself with a razor.

I decided to invite my students to a single cafe open in the winter, which was owned by an Argentine, as the other cafes and restaurants closed for the season. In the cafe we did "the ritual of friendship with yerba mate" is a very typical infusion in South America among us "cebĂĄbamos" the yerba mate within a vessel hermosamen wood you carved called pocilla and a metal pipe serving as sorbet and strainer at the same time. We missed the hot water in the infusion container and drinking. Each student will be served in the Pocillas mate beautifully carved wood and other hard leather pyrography, while the sorbet adsorbĂ­amo s slowly we gave us the bitter taste of mate tea and talked with my students. They were nervous because not accustomed to social life or meet at a local and even several shrugged and left, others stayed out of respect, only a minority felt comfortable.

Snow fell in the city, when classes ended he was in my house, she walked the dark streets and saw my shoes had mud littered the roads as there were many unpaved roads.

I was curious that such a small town, the neighbors did not know, nor visited, only you sa ludaban and everyone lived enclosed in their own world.

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It had been more than several months. The direct ra of the library and his daughter Silvia often invited me to his house because they came from the north of Chile, obviously it felt that the customs were different, ie it was more sociability. I remember always afforded a craft beer from the area of Valdivia with a local ingredient that gave a very typical flavor, the pinion shaft Araucaria typical for this region.

Silvia showed the image of a serious and mature young man dedicated to his mother, for all her Family to live in the city of Valdivia. But over time the image faded, changed its character of good colleague and friend to be a spicy and sexual woman. I began to fall in love with it for its qualities but then I was surprised to discover that led a double life. An image before the public in a mature young, quiet, responsible and professional woman and the other side a completely provocative, erotic and hot woman. At night she disappeared many vec is telling his mother that he had many social projects that work, that reminded me of the story of the case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Eventually I discovered that night wearing a promiscuous life in hiding. So I was surprised to see her always talking to his cell for a long time away, laughed, blushed and stood provocative, as I watched this sudden change. As a painter I was very observant human gestures. Silvia's attitude disappointed believe me find a mate or a good partner. In solitude and as an immigrant made me feel very vulnerable. I decided to get away from her, because sometimes their provocations reached the morbid.

In the street I picked up a kitten meowing and nicknamed with the name "Picasso". The kitten turned out to be a faithful companion who slept and woke me happily licking my face. "Picasso" went outside, but always returned me company. The presence of "Picasso" gave me courage as part of the family.

The days passed and nobody visited my house, made invitations, preparing meals and left me with a promise to go home. I wondered how it was possible to live with as much insulation as if the world around did not exist. Profited read a lot of books from the library borrowed. But solitude and silence to the long walk giving turns me around this city of "ghostly" appearance when promptly disappeared the sun even worse when there was fog in the winter.

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One of the things that affected me was the ugliness of my rented house, had a bedroom, living room, kitchenette and a dirty bathroom. The floor was covered with gray linoleum and had broken holes. The walls full of moisture, mold painted with garish colors like purple and green. I spoke with the owner of the house to dump the junk had as broken chairs, an old, smelly bed. The owner did not care and authorized me do what I want.

Actually I was never interested homemade items like furniture, tables, shelves. My mind was more in the style of Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese concept inspired by the rustic simplicity in the minimalist composition or pure simplicity to inspire contemplation and objects from nature.

The wisdom of Wabi-Sabi is based on the transience and impermanence of life acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is complete and nothing is perfect. So I decided to remove the filthy linoleum covering the floor using a loaf d handkerchief to protect mold and dust. I had to use parrot c and make a good general cleaning. I painted the entire interior of pure white and I polished wooden floor leaving it in its natural state. I bought a simple mattress resting on a table. I acquired Lenga rustic logs out of the c uidad to serve as chairs and table. There was a good space to put my books telling a halogen lamp dim light to read and paint removing the bad taste of light bulbs hanging from the ceiling to air and without lamps, which gave me the impression of living in the home of a drunk been abandoned. On the sides of the room I placed large rocks, which also served rustic me to lie down, contemplate eternity and beauty. In this way I could feel better, and exuded hosted peace amid the ontrastes c.

Accidentally stumbling with Argentina, the owner of the cafe where they used to serve "the mating ritual tea". Argentina speaks to me with his typical accent and tells me that the cultural coordinator of the University of the nearby city of Rio Turbio, is interested in Cuban I expose my paintings. I gladly accepted.

I struck up contact with the cultural coordinator via email and agreed to expose in the next week.

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I went to the small town Rio Turbio Argentina with my paintings and was an hour away from the Chilean city of Puerto Natales. It was the first time I crossed the border and entered Argentina. Traveling in a bus with steel chains placed on wheels to navigate the road full of snow and ice.

Rio Turbio city is small and lives of its coal mining industry, but in contrast to the city where I lived it showed. People were happy and good for conversation. Street life breathed despite the snow and cold and had two cultural centers, the municipality and the University also boasts a beautiful park of sculptures by artists from Patagonia.

I arrive at the small station and me under careful not to slip with my paintings and I stopped a woman with a pamphlet and I shout: Maradona -隆ap贸rtenos money for the church I do not understand and she taught me the pamphlet!. I was amazed that the Argentine soccer star Diego Armando Maradona was considered a god in this church. The Bible Maradona was merely autobiographical book entitled "I am the Diego" and his commandments are "love football above all things." "Declare your unconditional love for Diego and good football", "Bring Diego as a middle name and put it to his son." I said I'm sorry ma'am but I am not a devotee of Maradona-way I looked away as she followed behind me and pressed me to give some money but I ran away until she got tired to follow as several blocks.

I came to the University of cerulean blue and the cultural coordinator was called Francisco.

Immediately served me very kindly, he served me tea Mate and his assistants hung my artistic works in the gallery of the university. He had good halogen lighting. They began arriving gay people, were toasts and I gave a short talk, many visitors commented that I had visited Cuba and liked the island culture. Then they invited me to a coffee concert was a cultural event combining food, music and theater. The event was lively until the next day.

I came to Puerto Natales at dawn and very tired, but I could not miss classes taught paintings in the library. Later I started walking around town though I dirtied by mud pants that were in the streets.

I walked to the library and found Silvia something grim about the distance I had taken. I had to teach about Cubist painting and historical importance it had. He told Picasso 98

revolutionized the culture and mindset of the people in Europe and opened its vision toward universal culture when he was inspired by some African masks to make your great work known as "Ladies of Avignon".

One of my students tell me that there are amateur painter who ran an inn he wanted to know. After school I go to visit the painter who lives in the hostel, a local attraction for its traditional style and rustic wood covered on the outside, ornate shingles thin, narrow and long larch mounted on one another on the surface. I served the young painter, very tall with long hair and chin. He dressed in handmade clothes, like necklaces of many colors with a long poncho handmade with colorful fabric. He invited me in, I served red wine and continued to paint a large canvas. Inside the hostel was decorated with rustic wooden candlesticks metal had forms of rock art figures of America, on the tables there were elements of rock painting pyrography, vessels of mud on the windows decorated the island Easter, paper lamps Japanese-style decorations fossil stones inside bar, macrame hanging pots with pretty green plants. Everything was pure tone color and nature. Suddenly I feel a pungent smell and see white smoke floating in the air, I realize that burned more incense and myrrh herbal cannabis imported from India.

The painter gave me a few words because he had an air of being very busy. He tried to talk but I just attended so I started to drink wine and watch from the big window that had the hostel view of the waterfront that had the front surrounded by snowy mountain ranges.

I realize that a red couch was a sleeping young woman who wakes up and stretching his arms and made a long, long yawn. And I greets me with a hello.

He stopped painting and invited us to sit at the table to eat peanuts and almonds had a clay pot with a bottle of Chilean red wine quality. That young woman in white and pink complexion, with his reddish brown hair at ractive and very piercing blue eyes.

She asked me my name and I noticed immediately that the pupils of his blue eyes widened and flashed like sparks. I had liked as an arrow and Cupid was in good spirits. Young woman named Carla Genta and worked in a travel agency adventure. After this f lamb at first sight, she asks me the address of my house and that his course of psychology in the

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city of Concepcion which is north of Chile. I had him for a long time but only Carla laughed and barely spoke.

The amateur painter just kept the conversation, apparently did not want to socialize. So I left somewhat disappointed painter who hoped to find a friend, but glad to have known at once her friend.

The next day at night Carla visit to my house, I pledge coffee but she wanted beer, then I'm a small business that just stayed in front of my house, the interesting thing about Puerto Natales was the obsession of consuming sweets, food, so in each corner was a small store that sold food, chocolates and drinks of all types.

Carla begins to drink beer, while she smiled showing white teeth. I show them my drawings and paintings and ell to merely say: What a cute - I asked about the city of Concepcion where she lived, as was its people, its culture and she only answer: -Concepci贸n It is a bigcity and kept nre铆r so. I ask Carla where she lived and ice d me: I'm looking for a house because I live alone, I recently separated from my boyfriend permanently and feel sad. She looked at me with his deep blue eyes and a onrisa s pure innocence. Carla begins to stroke the arms and shoulders but I stood still and she saw that I was not reacting or taking any initiative, because he did not know and my decisions were never premature, though she liked me a lot and was in love, I rather tended to spiritualize beauty, maybe it was the gift I had as an artist to channel erotic energies into a higher consciousness where time is stopped to enjoy a real attraction, one must be metaphysical. The wisdom to enjoy the eternal present.

Then he realized she was lost by its Belle to, I was mesmerized. Carla stop touching me, pointing me your phone number from his work and leaves it tells me I have many things to do and winking with the eye: I hope your call-.

But after a few days later. I went for a walk and enjoy the medium-ch and quiet. Carla thought Genta every minute and I was in love. He planned to go see it and regarle pintu an RA and a music CD entitled "E internally Neruda" where his poems full of romance, composed by Chilean Patricio musician Cold s were. But I happened to see her walking away from a wool cap light blue on his head together with two men of stature that touched 100

their buttocks, their breast sy his face licked them. Carla laughing delighted with nothing naive and totally provocative look. At this moment I felt a deep pang in my heart, I felt very vulnerable and totally lost. I got home and served food to my cat, because Picasso had grown and sat slumped in the chair. I was overcome loneliness.

The disappointment I had was great as Carla later learned that she loved to foreigners who came to southern Chile and frequented with them in night clubs and bars. Indeed days later she saw frequent in cybercafes where he obsession chat for a long time, I always remember how delighted writing in front of the computer screen.

I went into a depression that meant another step in the initiatory rite of love, the crossing of the crisis is considered to be part of spiritual growth rather than stagnation or destruction.

The rite was very similar to shamanic journey, curiously after crossing my abyss, my feelings were transformed into an interior of converting the image of Carla in an archetypal image, on a trip like all alchemists seeking to convert the mercury into gold alchemical process and the elixir of eternal youth. Adsorb all his energy repeating his name on a mantra to reach its essence which was the power source of universal unconscious.

Carla Genta repeatedly followed me everywhere and not leave me alone. In an email I wrote to take a decision and was desperate. But I ignored him because she was looking for a sexual adventure around. I was looking at the distant and lonely Patagonia a friend, a stable partner with whom to share. But my apathy IA became moody and never greet more.

In the days passed I used to walk a lot to avoid monotony and discover that almost every corner was a nightclub for a small town like Puerto Natales but also in other nearby locations in the cold region.

Already knew the Chilean Patagonia, had also visited Punta Arenas and other very small town called Porvenir founded by Croatian immigrants in search of gold and travels through a small ferry across the strait. And lle vaba more than a year of stay, so I could get to know the human characteristics of this southern part of the planet and came to the following 101

conclusion of their nature. A feeling of remoteness and distance can breathe with each other. For example the city of Punta Arenas, where capital and largest trade Patagonia, I noticed that human relationships, whether between neighbors, new acquaintances, to migos almost nonexistent, can suffer the most terrible loneliness and deprivation your own flesh.

Often they spend days, months, years and nobody knocks on the door of the house except the postman. We live in a kind of "autistic" social and human isolation abysmal like a nightmare that never changes. A poet friend of the area Juan Pablo told me, "This place is made for lonely people."

I got suspicious if the locals of the region of Magellan in Chile, were not mutants and humans, because his behavior was very similar to a role where it acts icula the famous actor Donald Shuterland. When an alien spore invades humans while they sleep and they go without turning into human beings, selfish, autistic reality and pursuing expressions to which they were humans, they felt, cried and wanted to have friends.

Indeed the very famous poet Gabriela Mistral when she lived in this desolate and distant world, suffered terribly and wrote his great book of poems entitled "Desolation". She asked to resign in the school where he worked to leave for another place. Another factor that helps to depress the life of this place is the press area. Newspapers are very sensational and fatalistic expl ota nothing but human misery so common tragic events such as accidents, alcoholism, fights, suicide, stabbing so prevalent in the early hours but instead devotes little space to culture and human development.

Grandparents told me about the tradition of the small town of Puerto Natales. They went to work in the coal mines of the nearby city of Rio Turbio Argentina and most returned with a lot of money but because of their conformity, squandered money on drunkenness , excessive and frequent meals in brothels. Today the grandparents lament much waste, see his deteriorating city and state of neglect. Today it is becoming a very tur Ă­stica city due to its enigmatic beauty of unspoiled nature and national parks as attractive to many visitors from across the globe.

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I was curious to know how was brothel at the end of the world. There was one located at Balmaceda and I remember it was called "Honey," I see that the place was almost dark lit light bulbs painted with red and green colors, with sofas and unhygienic tables, the walls were painted black and had a strong smell of stale humidity. Prostitutes were not naked but dressed and notched the old with many stains to using leather boots. M ost tended toward obesity. Popular music played at full volume as "Wagons", "Cumbias" etc. I sat at the table, I ordered a beer and taking a paper from his pocket I started drawing the premises.

Prostitutes come and ask me questions about the picture and of course they wanted me to pay him the drink of Pisco and bed. But I told them I had no money to these local called n as "quilombos."

When I leave the premises and close the huge steel gate that only wearing a dark glass peephole. I quickly attacks a man with bloodshot eyes dress rural aspect. He wore a red scarf on the neck, a black beret, black leather jacket and white shirt, baggy pants tight with black polished leather boots and the tip had metal plates. He pulls his knife pressuring the neck and asks me for money. I had no choice but to pull out my wallet and revise angry man screaming with a sharp almost guttural sound: 'It's very little money - takes the wallet to the floor and move your arm to nail me the knife, I immediately turned aside the fist Karate was a technique that my father had taught me when I was little, knowing deflect blows and knife nailed wooden wall of the brothel. In self-defense I attest a blow to the side of the abdomen and I'm running nonstop.

I got home with a nervous tension I collapsed and I was wondering all the time in that place had gotten myself into. I did relaxation exercises and put the deep music "Enigma" the famous composer Michael Cretu on the computer up to the maximum audio volume regardless of whether it was late because he was tired of so much silence. I affected human loneliness and isolation of this world. Hearing the music I begin to remember my adolescence when I studied at the Academy of Fine s Arts, thinking her that I had fallen in love, only to hear his name I transported to a magical world, remembered his languid look of autumn and the beginning of spring. She walked with unhurried charm. Meditate deeply on it and go around her childhood, adolescence, youth. I begin to feel full communion in 103

your skin, your pores in your face, eyebrows, pink lips and timid. The past, present and future are fused into one. He had touched the secret of the eternal.

I had requested a meeting with the mayor and tried to persuade the idea of a cultural center to improve the quality of life, creativity and healthy recreation among the inhabitants of the small town of Puerto Natales instead of having so many local nightspots.

The cultural center could be created to finance public projects, with the help of the embassies of other countries and develop artistic exchange with other parts of the world to diminish the cultural isolation faced by the Chilean Patagonia, but the mayor was limited with a just smile and say: Yes, we will do, we will notify the next week-. Time passed and nothing happened. I felt disillusioned with the promise of the mayor. It was the proposal of a dreamer artist who still looked good everyday reality at the time of this remote place on the map.

One of my students who attended my classes in painting, used to visit me and we had a great friendship. She was short and somewhat obese. His name was Daniela and she frequented in cafes, he offered to take me to the field outside the city to enjoy nature in Patagonia, as already entered the summer season in blooming tulips of all colors in the gardens of houses. Daniela was proud of being great granddaughter as she told me, Florence Dixie who was one of the first adventurous women born in Scotland in the 19th century, who came to Patagonia and undertook pioneering feat in the m ost remote expeditions at that time. She and several men walked part of the northeast slope in the area reaching the current wild "Torres del Paine" National Park. As the story goes, was an unprecedented trip they had to hunt for food and survive at low temperatures to sleep each night in the open.

Once when I was sick with bronchitis and sinusitis strong sudden changes in weather that was in the south of Chile. She took care to buy medicine and take care. I was in bed.

Daniela helped me to cook, take care of my cat and occasionally brought me a gift of wine giant red crabs, crabs rich extracted by artisanal fishermen near the Strait of Magellan.

Crabs when combined with cilantro, lemon and mayonnaise was a very pleasant taste. But 104

take some time to believe in their friendship and affection happens that good day in my house, Daniela starts caressing hands, arms and kisses me hard on the mouth. I stop and ask, 'What ?, Daniela I am your friend. She stares at me doing a picturesque grimace that distorted his face and leaves without saying anything. She does not attend over the course of painting. I tried to call to see what happened, to go home but did not receive me. Then they told me that Daniela offered friendship as a means to obtain sexual love and took advantage of the situation of young people who were in situations of weakness.

I was very disappointed in the attitude of Daniela, decided to forget a little walk along the waterfront of the city, see the calm, quiet and imposing mountain ranges surrounding sea area. He saw the black necked swans swimming against the current and to the amazement had pink flamingos, he always believed that flamingos were the Caribbean and the Florida Strait and wondered as immigrating to such a distant place and they really wanted. Also felt the melancholy croaking of gulls.

During the course, a student invited me to his house is called Patrick. In his two-storey house goes to meet his mom, his face emanated all sweetness. He invited me to lunch and then over time this nice family invited me to eat a variety of foods and seafood overlooking the palatability as a great gift. Patrick's mother, an obese woman, with dark hair that almost round 60, was working in a fishing near the waterfront of Puerto Natales. She was engaged to remove the smooth, hard shells of HuEpo, a type of mollusk elongated shape and exquisite palate aka "Razor sea" that abounds in this area and live buried in coarse sand.

She told me that the work was very hard from early on had to wash, load the boxes very quickly, remove the shells of which were thousands Huepos to finish late at night.

At lunch I could try a Huepos patties with melted cheese and red wine that Patrick and his mother prepared. After eating the delicious empanadas, he invited me to his room on the second floor and was surprised to see musical instruments, amplifiers, equalizers and synthesizers, the place seemed a study of electronic music with so much technology in such a remote and small place where I He lays. Patrick actually was a musician and liked to compose electronic music, also had music collections like Vangelis, Kitaro, Jean-Michel Jarre, Isao Tomita, all of them were international figures of electronic trend.

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It was lucky to have met this friend who was friendly, open and educated, who encouraged me to get ahead, he invited me to walk with her car that was a model of the early sixties a lagoon known as Figueroa and lakes which they are of such great depth that many believe are endless. It is a place full of mysticism and some prehistory, surrounded by mountains, typical of the Patagonian steppe vegetation. There were abundant volcanic, rocks and fossils again felt a sense of being there forever and melt into this place. Patrick taught me to see nature in a different way unlike the adventurous tourist camping, make hiking, horseback riding, finally an ecological adventure. The difference was in deep contemplation of these landscapes that make vibrate the soul, a similar experience to the one I had in the glacier. Patrick believed that the tourists "backpackers" who came were clumsy, lacking depth, little reverence with nature and saw the environment as a shallow affair.

Eventually I often visited the house of Patrick who helped me a lot better to spend time talking about all subjects, film. Music, books, local legends like the famous witch stone mysteriously changed place, a huge rock with traces of witch. Patrick told me he directs the Center for Research of UFOs Natales, where he and group of scholars have spent years researching information about UFO sightings and encounters that took place in this area, I was amazed at the number of reports and testimonies that had collected notes, photographs , videotapes, some were public and others were under investigation secrets containing symbols and graphics very unfamiliar to me drawings. Patrick told me that Puerto Natales by their remoteness, isolation was ideal that made contact with humans UFOs, which caught my attention, because this place some atmosphere full of mysteries, symbols in human behavior unfamiliar breathe. He also told me that they are investigating an incident that recently occurred in the early morning where many felt a rumble and saw a glow orange and pink color, moving in spiral form. As much as the aviation weather center and discarded it was a meteorite or a plane. It later emerged that landed in the countryside away from the city, leaving a trail in the form of triangle and pasture burning everything around what was seen by several shepherds peasants who live nearby.

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Yo also got to meet a poet Sergio Paredes who participated in my art studio. He called me one day to his home where he had a meeting about 25 people. They drank tea and talked quietly. At the bottom of the wall of the room was a painted sky blue with six-star flag, below saying "Republic of Beatriz" I did not understand anything of what was happening.

Sergio brings me to the kitchen where his two sisters were cooking and says Pedro Sit so you can drink hot chocolate, so much cold- ago. After a long silence, Sergio Paredes tells me: There's a small island located south of the island near the Bay Wellington Salvation I had not owned domain name, because years ago my brother who worked in an institution of National Assets He discovered this geographical detail accidentally making a register of real estate, so we decided to go to the notary and signed to the little island as our property.

Most recently decided to start with as poet and other artists from Chile in the island as "The Republic of Beatriz" He asked me: 'Would you like to be a citizen' I see it as something unlikely ed but accepted?. Sergio Paredes goes to a small room and prints a certificate, rings and signs. I granted the certificate of nationality. He was the president of the republic and said, seem to merge you will be warmly welcomed, because in the Beatriz Republic, poets and artists are very privil egiados-. I asked -ÂżAllĂĄ there is any city, houses, streets or something -. He laughed: -J and, heh, good for now only have a dock and a small wooden house, but are collecting funds-.

Is rgio rose from his chair and went to an adjoining room, brought a piece of rectangular fabric. It was the flag of the Republic of Beatriz and said: 'The light blue represents the i nmensidad and the union, the four white stars, an orange and a red color, both are giant stars representing the Southern constellation Fly which it is visible in the Patagonia and in the month of May. E s a small constellation located to the south of the Southern Cross constellation.

I was astonished, I believed there was only the Southern Cross constellation. Sergio tells me that Mosca Southern constellation was discovered and created by Dutch astronomer Petrus Plancius who asked the Dutch navigator Pieter Keyser travel in the expedition to south and conduct astronomical observations, with the purpose of creating multiple constellations that fill the spaces hitherto gaps in the area of the hemisphere and south 107

celestial pole in the late sixteenth century. Years later she was baptized in Latin as Musca Australis, for the location of stars resembles a small fly beneath the Southern Cross constellation. I asked: - What will the people of this flag - The poet cried! -隆Nosotros Have a much more deep-rooted spirit of our south that all of them are true - so much so that the shield of the Republic Beatriz held the Southern constellation Fly inside a heart drawn in medieval style. This seemed to be in a Patagonian legend ins Pir贸 I write letters to my friends telling this picturesque and unique experience.

Successfully completes the course with an exhibition of works by students and the change of style was freer, more open and creative you could tell they did not know before the freedom to create and be carried away by the imagination. Many years later I learned that my former students managed to establish the Cultural Center of the city formerly occupied by the municipality. A big old house restored in the English style.

He was out of work and with encouragement started to seek employment or art projects in schools in the municipality, in some foundations and other institutions. Also he tried to teach as a tutor, but nothing happened because there was no interest in my proposals that had some innovation. Time passed and I ran out of money and was desperate. Then I started looking for work in supermarkets, hardware stores, but neither B was happening. They were small family businesses and very closed to hire someone who came from elsewhere. I closed the doors and luck too. Well my cat "Picasso" who accompanied me in my joys and my sorrows had an accident and came limping home, did not want to eat anything, just meowed. He had no money to pay a veterinarian and died on the second day with his sunken eyes. I left many in tears, I had been my best friend.

For the first time I was in the street with my bags. One of my students makes contact with the director of a host institution called "Hogar de Cristo". In the following months where he lived as homeless to live with alcoholics and abandoned elderly. I lied to my parents on the phone and told him that everything was fine and had work for them not to worry. Mario tried to locate, sent letters to Roberto Nunez, the Cuban Green Party for help but there was no answer, but my desire to stay still standing and not step back to return to the island.

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In the hot summer months I started painting small postcards for tourists and well sold something, because there were several paintings on canvas mine some craft shops but no tourists only buy artworks crafted reproductions. His interest was to visit the national park that was near the city.

The sister who was director of the institution "Hogar de Cristo" puts me in touch with the director of the Salesian College is a Catholic school. Nelson's father, to give a workshop for children scenery but only lasted two weeks. I met a French girl named Juliet who worked as a language teacher at the Salesian College. She was a devout Catholic and glistened on his chest a gold crucifix. Juliet I could strike up a friendship, because he saw in it a calm attitude and was fluent in the Spanish also was very communicative. To spend several weeks she begins to write e-mail frequently, having already finished my workshop at school. Julieta always wrote me signing "all yours" that made me feel I was not alone and had someone.

Once walking in a nice night, casually he passed by a foundation for orphans. I'm surprised to see Juliet in the backyard of the institution making love in the dark with a young priest of the city who people called them "the little father Luis." Juliet looks at me sideways and smiles mischievously enjoying sex leaning on the wall with her legs spread. They made love with such a frenzy that seemed premature explosion. It was the first time I felt great distress as feeling like an insect Aplas state. S enti dizziness and ringing in the heard both.

The director of the Salesian school knew my seriousness as a teacher at the workshop had taught. I asked for an interview to see the possibility that hired me as an art teacher, as there were no art classes in school. The school principal, Father Nelson tells me: Yes, yes, you have your work, come in a fortnight that contrataremos-.

My heart beat with joy was soon to have a stable job. Nelson's father patted me on the shoulder smiling.

Last fortnight I go to the Salesian College prepared to teach, but the director did not want to assist me and I get his secretary. She asks me searching and I answer that came to teach art.

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Secretary look at me puzzled and said: 'We've got a professor of art I say,' But I do not understand, I was told that there was an art teacher at the College-. She answered me: 'The art teacher newly arrived from Santiago de Chile, as the contract-father Nelson. I began to feel helpless, angry but I had to restrain myself as secretary smiled loftily. I left school very emotionally shattered. The director had not kept his word.

Again he is trying to locate Mario, Roberto Nunez but no news and went through my head that I had been deceived promote my artwork.

I spent several days without leaving the host institution, but I used to read as much sleep in the room. Until I recovered my strength and decided to found a cultural association but this time worked with the support of another young man named Joaquin. It was sculptor and came from a town called Valparaiso where the poet Neruda and several important artists long lived. Joaquin came to live in Puerto Natales since fallen in love and married a girl he met in the small town.

Joaquín invited me to dinner at his house and talked art as two Bohemian artists, was a rich feeling to be again connected with art. In a cafe Joaquin told me an interesting story about two seamen. This is Juan Sebastian Elcano native of Guipuzcoa and Rodrigo de Triana who was the first European to sight America from its lookout in the caravel La Pinta during the first voyage of Christopher Columbus -¡tierra screaming! -. In 1526 the ship sailed Santi Spiritu, who manned Juan Sebastian and Rodrigo de Triana, across the Strait of Magellan but the strong wind and tides dragged the ship to run aground on the coast and the ship broke up on the rocks. The shipwrecked crew were feeling as the scourge of hunger, cold and wind. Luckily they were rescued in the issuance of Garcia Jofre de Loaiza that by the journey to conquer the islands of the Pacific. It is not known if the famous Rodrigo de Triana marine died on the expedition during the crossing of the Strait of Magellan and ended his days in North Africa.

Joaquin looked a little wistfully toward the window glass Café, where we saw very warm people spend under the effect of rain and wind that swirled in small yellow and orange autumn leaves. He took a cigarette from his pack and began to smoke. He kept telling me: 110

'You know, Peter, two centuries ago it was believed that there was a supposed city of gold and silver mobilized sailors and explorers. The origins of this legend dates back to the expedition of Juan Solis south of Chile. In the Strait of Magellan, Juan Solis and other crew members they were missing for the natives and the rest of the crew fled to the coast of Brazil. At that time the sailors spread stories about a city rich in gold and silver, surrounded by fortified walls that existed in Patagonia. The buildings were covered with solid silver.

The furniture of the houses were made of pure gold and from these versions took shape the mysterious "City of the Caesars" as they called them.

The legend of the Spanish lost in Patagonia luxurious living in the "City of the Caesars" was so attractive that numerous expeditions were organized. One of the most expensive crew was commanded by Jeronimo Cabrera and expenses were borne by the Spanish crown. Finally after a long journey and search. The mission failed, they found nothing and were forced to return, it has had a strong depression in the crew became ill and many hypochondriacs.

Joaquin had interesting books, collections of classical, electronic music and DVD movies, to see some of it I was very familiar and strikes me the title of the DVD cover "Naqoyqatsi" I ask Joaquin and I was I realized it was the very Director Godfrey Reggio who made the movie I had seen in Havana and Santiago de Chile. JoaquĂ­n invites me to see it. The great director completes his trilogy inspired by the three prophecies of the Hopi Indians. In "Naqoyqatsi" which means life in war, proposes, as in the two previous films, "Koyaanisqatsi" meaning in life unbalanced and Hopi language "Powaqqatsi 's eans that life transformation. O ne film experience beyond words, where image and music take us into "Naqoyqatsi" a world war. A world in which technology is changing all the media, art, feelings, sports, politics, medicine, war, ethics, nature and the same face of the human future. The computer makes the world in its image and likeness, irrefutable, sacred and overwhelming. Human feelings are perpetuated the fiction of science and most come to understand.

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The war that narrates the film goes beyond pumps conflicts. Violence is the breath of religion. A war that is not only architectural and landscape destruction but a war to destroy the culture, language and life. The music of Philip Glass and cello known musician Yo-Yo Ma wakes us in our ears accustomed to not listen to not have to think in our comfortable everyday. Certainly the film "Naqoyqatsi" is a work of art, a pixel processing technique by computer. The film was made with pure digital.

Joachim and I convened a meeting of all those who were interested in culture and so we register and found the Association Friends of Art of Patagonia and started making efforts to create a cultural center but the efforts were futile and there was very little support institutions and even the people of the city. We started making cultural events such as exhibitions of paintings, painting a long cloth of 17 meters long in the town square where participated almost every amateur painters of Puerto Natales, passing tourists threw photographs and the square was filled with people and the event began to be lively. So we showed that culture attracted tourism.

Paint the surface of a sculpture that mimicked a human hand was built cement located on the waterfront at the entrance to Puerto Natales. The idea came to paint a young man named Darius who was Yoga teacher who taught workshops in their local and belonged to our association. Dario was born in the city of Chillรกn where Parra born, the most important artists of Chile.

The hand had a height over three meters, but his tone was gray and cold. Was a replica of her hand desert near the city of Antofagasta, in the north of Chile. The piece was created by sculptor Mario Irarrรกzabal. Fingers painted with acrylic paint colorful lot, but work was interrupted by the opposition councilors of the municipality considering it a deci sion to them was "stupid" by the artists. Paradoxically hand painted with over three meters tall though incomplete, it proved to be a tourist attraction which is then transformed into tourist postcards. But by order of the mayor he was repainted gray hand.

Time passed and still lacked support. Joaquin was disappointed and went on to develop hand with his father greaves and sell bread at home, but the breads Joaquin had a lot of fat 112

and people who ate they went in diarrhea. Its sales declined and went to work in tourism, caring and distributed in a warehouse the mountains and camping equipment but not stopped creating good ceramic sculptures and bronze. Joaquin had given me a piece of pottery made by him decorated with red and green; It was an ouroboros, an ancient symbol showing a serpent swallowing its own tail, constantly devouring itself. Actually, as I explained JoaquĂ­n, expresses the unity of all things, material and spiritual that never go away but change perpetually in an eternal cycle of destruction and new creation, it also reflects the cyclical nature of things and unites opposites: the conscious and the unconscious, being just a symbol of purification, the representation of the universe, the perfect and eternal circle of what is done, of infinity and the eternal cycles of transformation; birth and death of life. I actually thought it as "a f irma" of the universe.

The Ouroboros is the conception of Cartoon to humanity and existence.

For my part I was still homeless and wandering the streets with my worn boots with holes in the soles still looking for work and I closed the door.

One day being so despondent as many negative emotions burst and began to mourn for a long time this happened not only as a child.

I sat on a bench seat. My position was very steep and the contorted face. A man of very dark skin approaches, sits next to me and tells me with joy: Hi am Mota Africa-I just greeted him smiling a sad smile mechanics. Mota encourages me to talk about the place and spread joy. I noticed the Ubuntu philosophy whose word has its origin in the Zulu and Xhosa languages.

Ed the Ubuntu philosophy comes from southern Africa focuses on the loyalty of the people and the relationships between them. Its principles are: humanity toward others. I am because we o ther are. A person becomes human through others. A person is a person because of other people. The Ubuntu thinking is the belief as a universal bond of sharing the connection with all humanity ng. A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others and support others.

There is a popular saying Zulu in South Africa as I had Mota "Umuntu, nigumuntu, nagamuntu" which means "A person is a person because of others".

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Mota thanked him greatly thought this cute message Ubuntu. Mota insisted hugged me and move on. Let me as a souvenir keychain Zulu crafts.

I meditated and said quietly: Here where I dominated the philosophy of isolation, the philosophy of human isolation, which still costs me understand.

It was night and was eating a bowl of hot soup with bread in the dining room of the shelter in a collective table, where there were elderly, homeless and hopeless alcoholics. The cook was so fat but exuded a huge maternal affection to all who entered the shelter. There was a color TV on the wall and put a movie that gave me strength, as if the universe or God would speak with me about human loneliness at the end of the world. Others went to sleep and allowed me to see the film, of Norwegian production is titled "Brysomme Mannen Den" which means "misfit". The thing is more or less like this: Andreas arrives in a strange city with no memory of how. There, he is greeted with a comfortable apartment and office work "stress free" where does friends. You will meet Anne, a beautiful designer viv and will move to go with her, but her life seems to be dominated by the blankness of the environment and even your partner. Soon, Andreas begins to notice that something is wrong and does not feel able to support life without emotions. Try to escape the city, but he discovers there's no way to do it. He falls for another person to verify that there are not too many emotions there and to invite human when he confesses that he feels love for her, she received a cold response he likes almost all its neighbors. Then Hug knows or who lives in a basement and found a hole in the wall from where a've rmosa (angelic ?, hell?) Where music is by all means to open a tunnel and find out that light where family music. Maybe that hole could lead to "the other side", it seems the only place that late where no color, no life, but who knows.

But things happen in your work ?: Andreas is co rta finger then, days later, he realizes that he has returned to crec er. A surreal scene is when you try to commit suicide several times in the nean subway to see a couple kissing and entering with force reaching their curiosity without transmitting feelings of human sensitivity languages. Andrea s repulsed by aberrant chill kiss perceiving the deeper human isolation and decides to launch to the rails of the subway, though he gets hit, dragged and almost destroyed and dies v RESOLVES the world, always born and raised by two mysterious men in a gray car, who reinserted as life 114

itself. ÂżAndreas is who he thinks or equal to others?

The director Jens Lien strip tracks, although it is responsible to make clear that this city can be neither heaven nor hell is; free interpretation then; as it should be.

"This movie is for me a portrait of a society that has lost something. A place where everything works, but the emotions are absent, completely forgotten. Andreas arrives in this new world. Everything seems perfect but he does not fit. Dreams, falls in love, has desires, but this strange and annoying to others. " "What is special about The Misfit is the way it expresses the idea of a society devoid of emotion. The absence of an opposing force creates an uncomfortable feeling that gradually builds in intensity. Andreas has no one to blame but himself, since all are friendly to him.

This need for resistance ends up gradually remove him. He is alive in a dead world, "concludes the director during the interview after the movie.

Mystery, drama and humor. 'The Misfit' or a surreal fable; the emptiness of modern life in a parable of consumerism and obsession with appearances. That gap: can be filled?

And again she began the long winter, the huge solitude, long nights silenced souls and lives in brothels began to be lively with fluorescent lights Neon.

I dedicated myself to reflect and meditate calmly on the Tribar deeply, and did several paintings about Tribar Penrose and thought forms and its archetypal force. I was transported to another dimension. Paint the Tribar gave me great peace and feel almost inexplicable faith.

At night I could not sleep well, I felt the sudden change of typical temperature in the area, when I started ĂŠ to dream a nightmare, it was the futuristic vision of Patagonia in 2100 and saw the images where there was obsessed with figure , physical perfection, rejuvenation, the commodification of the body as consumption. He began to trivialize human existence with genetic manipulation of bio technology in an attempt to overcome the limitations as to age, mortality, limitations and imperfections Ă­sicas f, the obsession of improvement CSR and substantially change the physical image led to convert society as a nightmare, barriers and human existence as such, left to make sense to make way for a ambigu or artificial 115

world without suffering, dehumanizing and became slaves of appearances was removed. An image of a desolate dream that threatened the survival of the natural man as a species not care where human relationships, but immediate pleasure.

In the morning I called by phone to the post office because he had to go search for a card. I got dressed and went to the post reluctantly and enduring the cold mist that penetrated my body with intensity. Surprisingly it was a letter from Mario, I eagerly open. Inside was an official letter from the Moebius Foundation of Holland where I was conceived a scholarship for two years with all expenses paid including travel, also it contained a check for thousands of Euro from the sale of my paintings that were painted on the glacier Balmaceda and the works were exhibited in a major art gallery in Amsterdam where I could see a beautiful catalog. It included a letter from Mario and Roberto Nunez saying, 'Do not fail dear Peter, had to only have a little patience, "Theta" project was a novelty. We wish you all the luck in the world with your art in Europe and success in your undertakings there.

Mario hugs always, Roberto Nunez and all friends of the Cuban Green Party who we wish you well.

Coincidentally in the afternoon I go to a cybercafe and open my email to find out any news from my friend Javier or my parents. But I write someone from France and was not a familiar email address. To the astonishment I wrote it, I fell in love beautiful girl in my teens when I studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and say,

"I have not gone, I only expected the fullness of time There is continuity in our souls that is not broken Why should you be out of your mind just because I'm out of your sight?

I wait in a nearby location, just around the corner ".

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The following week I gathered my things and ordered in a suitcase that had given me the director of "Hogar de Cristo" and went to a small bus station. Where I buy a ticket to Santiago and then take the route to Amsterdam International Airport.

On the way to the Patagonian pampas in the bus that ran north meditate calmly about the experiences in the far south. He transformed into an inner spiritual beauty and profound wisdom of life. The Tribar taught me the meaning of life is inside each of us.

From the window watching the strong ocher of the desert pampa when the bus began to be swung with force wind gusts, the driver tried to keep maximum control. It is normal that the winds are hu racanados and suddenly appear. He sat next to an obese gentleman, abundant and long hair. Mr. read a book called "The code PHI" I looked at the cover of the book and could not contain his curiosity and said the title- Very interesting. The Lord looked at me and continued reading. It spent a few minutes off his glasses he was wearing and said, 'My name is Pauli Bambini come from Italy, from the city of Padua, laughed and showed me a medal on the chest of San Antonio de Padua and said: -The saint of lost items, the matchmaker saint or looking boyfriend, there is a beautiful Basilica-beyond. I introduced myself and we struck up a nice conversation. Mr. Pauli worked sa c baker in your city where I realized that sells the best breads made with sesame. Despite being Italian spoke very fluent Spanish and her grandmother was Chilean. He was nervous about the constant oscillation on of the bus and uncomfortable by the strong wind rui do, starts telling me about the book that ed him - "The code PHI" is very interesting because it reveals some secrets of the universe. The PHI code is 1,618, an algebraic number considered as the preferred living things in the universe pattern and proportion. So it is also a universal code for the order of things. This proportion ON is located in the spiral of DNA molecules, snails, leaves, in crystals, such as pine trees, in the ovaries, seeds and galaxies. It is also considered the perfect number in the aesthetic world or beauty, is human, natural or artistic that you are curiously associated in antiquity with the divine feminine, the Goddess, the Great Mother of fertility as adored formerly in Crete Minoan, in Katal -Huy uk in Turkey, Greece Gaia, the goddess Isis in Egypt, Venus figurines, etc..

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Pauli much gesticulating with his hands as he explained: - Currently our planet is ravaged by unbridled industrialism, by technological seduction, ecological disaster and the suppression of women's values needed to heal our break with the environment and with coexistence. Our current culture is unbalanced which favors rational knowledge over intuitive wisdom, the conquest of nature on the consciousness of ecology and human coexistence, competition over cooperation. Male values about feminine values. The left hemisphere of the human brain reason prevails over the right hemisphere which is housed values, intuition, imagination, so it is always generating Bet to state, a state that always keeps the brain in primitive conditions, generating hormones very Active motivating impulses. However when you are in alpha state, the brain relaxes, it raises awareness and generates a type known as e ndorfinas giving a sense of personal well-being and into contact with the right hemisphere where the protein feminine values -.

Mien after Pauli explained, there was a sudden movement of the bus and the glasses fell down immediately picked it up and put it after a scare smile Ueno peq happened. Pauli was still talking about the interesting topic: - Today we must reinstate in our lives the values s female exiles and develop internal ideas rather than live as copies of existence. Many contemporary women have imitated the male hero's journey, to suit male patterns of behavior and have sacrificed their health, dreams, intuition and deep relationship with their feminine nature, so there is confusion as to the heroic quest is not the of power or domination over the other, but the role of women today heroine is closer to the wisdom of cooperation, towards the interconnection of all species, to teach us to live in community recovers nd emotional and intuitive qualities. So now there is a crisis of identity of both sexes, a human loneliness channeled towards technological escape. Today's woman is confused, yet they do not have Podi rescue the wisdom of iosa D to help guide men to integrate community values s and emotional balance -. There was a pause and Pauli looked thoughtful looking at the infinite horizon ...

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EPILOGUE I recently got a bulletin for the Cuban Greens mail and read the news of the inauguration of the first congress of the Cuban ecologists held in the neighborhood of the town of Wajay which is seven kilometers from the city of Havana, in a wide home-built hut with tables and guano royal palm tree Caribbean. The delegates defined the philosophical foundations of the Cuban Green Party.

Among the currents of ecological thought Cuban education highlights the sublime to the Cuban philosophy, a way of transcending his vision towards a more universal and more sensitive mind. The term designates sublime lofty, eminent or high elevation comes from the Latin sublimis, which designates what is in the air, on high, located in height, great. The voice sublimis about finally also a moral sense becomes equivalent of the "noble" expression. They explored the romantic sublime in the 19th century and his works are represented in our eyes, the feeling of expression, ecstasy and human insignificance in the vastness, grandeur and sublimity of nature. You have to know the transcendental beauty of national parks in the world and huge rocks like Fitz Roy and Torres del Paine Patagonia or the high rocks of southern Greenland Ulamertossuaq, pale giant North American Yosemite rocks or mountains Norway Lofoten distant. The steep rocks of Triglav central Europe.

Irregular and seductive granite mountains surrounded by polar ice Auyuittuq National Park Nunavut.

The philosopher Kant writes that the sublime is founded on reason and beyond any appeal to the understanding and imagination; points to the absolute, to the whole, to the indeterminate, to the ineffable, not material to produce awe and fear; It implies a deep and unusual excitement stops momentarily and then trigger a whole life force.

The romantic philosopher Friedrich Schiller says "We call an object sublime in whose behalf our sensitive nature feels his own limits; our rational nature, however, its superiority, its exemption limit; object, which can not resist thus physically, but on which we rise morally, ie through ideas ". Schiller's thinking about the sublime is extremely crucial in the 119

thinking of the Cuban ecologists, that the question of how to achieve it, how to raise oneself from the bestial level, low stocks, to the level of royalty. He describes in his writings on the sublime, that man must learn not to find its existence in his physical being, but must learn to almost throw away your physical being. Schiller says people must learn to treat your physical existence as a foreign element, as something that is not theirs, and locate his identity in those universal ideas that connect to human civilization as a human species.

Schiller said that only then, if one reaches the level of the sublime, is the truly free man, but that freedom can only be a moral, not physical freedom, and that is the crucial difference.

According to Schiller one has to educate their human emotions until the level of reason.

Most people believe that the reason may be educated, but somehow neglects his emotions.

Longino, Greek philosopher writes about the sublime and says: "Nature has inspired our souls, an insatiable love for everything that is larger and more divine than ourselves.

Therefore, the world is not enough for thought and contemplation; Imagination often surpasses the limits of space ... and the grandeur and beauty that surrounds us makes us immediately perceive the purpose for which we were created. " The sublime philosophy education in Cuban is rather to raise and educate their emotional intelligence. Of listening, to transcend your ego and take the place of others, to respect each other's ideas and love different people. To assimilate, learn and share cultures of other places like human learning.

Learn to accept the reality itself and the world, learn to expand beyond their horizons. Feel peace with oneself and with others.

Among other thinkers stressed Gregory Bateson known biologist and anthropologist.

Bateson wrote two very important works of his "Steps to an Ecology of Mind," "Spirit and Nature". He developed a totalizing or holistic view of human sciences and ecological philosophy of man. Bateson defines "Being an individual not only for his physical body, but through the information that an individual receives from his environment through it and is made up of man and environment, according to conscience, change the boundaries of the individual A new concept of spirit is derived: Thus we get an image according to which it has the same function as a cybernetic system is, it acts as a total unit assimilating relevant information through the phases of trial and error. And we know that in the spirit, in the 120

broadest sense, a hierarchy of subsystems is, each of whom could individually define and spirit ... something I describe as "spirit" in the frame within a large ecological system, the ecosystem or when the system boundaries shifted to another level, the spirit of all evolutionary structure is immanent. " Bateson calls for the overcoming of egocentric thinking and identifying with the environment in which we live. Requires a path in thinking, to be identified with the environment or to integrate the environment in one's consciousness, that consciousness is referred to as the ecological one.

They also highlighted another contemporary thinker. The French philosopher Edgar Morin and his famous work "The seven knowledge for tomorrow's education" Morin developed the theory of complex thought, in which he argues that we are still in a prehistoric level with respect to the human spirit and the complexity only can civilize knowledge. In this you can delve into the development of multidimensional human nature, the generative logic, dialectics and arborescent, of which when the universe is a mixture of chaos and order.

From the concept and practice of self-eco-organization, the subject and object are inseparable from the autorganizador-ecosystem relationship.

Morin developed the new paradigm of transdisciplinarity. Concerned, as indicated by the prefix "trans" to what is simultaneously across disciplines across the disciplines and beyond all discipline. Its purpose is to understand the present world, one of whose goals is imperative unity of knowledge. Edgar Morin in his book "The seven knowledge for tomorrow's education" states: "it is necessary to civilize the Earth-country and home, and common humanity. Advance the notion Earth-country and develop the anthropological, ecological, civic, earthly and spiritual consciousness. States must abandon its sovereignty and integrate polycentric and acentric world, not only in political and economic spheres, but above all culturally. East and west, north and south should religar disjunction for the wisdom to live together.

It imposes save human unity and save human diversity, and show solidarity civilize the Earth, learn a planetary ethics of understanding. Morin highlights the multicultural city where pluralism is a principle which not only embraces diversity and cultural richness, but 121

also equality in law and cultural value. That is not only assumed an attitude of respect and tolerance towards the other, which is different from me, but accept that this one can be right.

During the congress of the Cuban environmentalists. Delegates appreciated the creation of transpersonal development centers in each district of the city and provinces, to educate transcend the ego of people and stressed the importance of thinking of Abraham Maslow, transpersonal psychology father, who developed the concept of "self" and linked it directly to another of its objects of study of "peak experiences" explaining: "They are experiences that feel and maybe we know when we reach a real share as human beings.

A peak experience is like an infinite expanse of subjectivity, individuality is free insulation.

An experience that is based on transcendence. Maslow says: On the summits experience, knowledge of the Self can be called also no comparative knowledge or non-judgmental awareness. People are more likely to see the world as something independent, not only of themselves but of human beings in general. In peak experiences relatively perception can transcend the ego, ignore their own interests and be altruistic. It may be unmotivated, impersonal, devoid of desires, prejudices and not based on independent need.

The traditional trilogy of the true, the good, the beautiful is merged into these experiences of rapture, so that in practice can be said to form a unity and that the "is" and "should be" confused, is meaning that knowledge of being is also being perceived values.

Those experiences-summits are more integrated and unified, a comprehensive all in one piece or one point. Are freer of obstacles, inhibitions, fears, fears, doubts, checks, stocks, self-critical. The emotional reaction at the peak experience of admiration has a special flavor, awe, reverence, humility and performance to something great and sublime.

The Spanish poet Juan Ramon Jimenez who has written many poems describing wonderful experiences of unity. As we see the poem "Eternity" "I am not I am this One 122

He'll see me without me, Sometimes I'll see And sometimes I forget.

Silence is serene when I talk Forgiving sweet when hatred Who walks where I am not Which can endure when I die "

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