Thanks. I'm coming from the south (Ushuaia, Ruta 40, Carraterra Austral, etc.) and heading slowly homeward, and I've already passed through much of the north on my way down a few months ago, so it's not as if I'm sacrificing much.
Chilenos, in my experience, are bearing up well and acting constructively. They are better at dealing with adversity than, for example, Americans....but then I could easily make this point about almost anyone in the world. Coming through Chaiten (wiped by a volcano a couple of years ago and just beginning to be re-settled against government policy) and heading into the current earthquake zone points up a few crucial points both about human resiliency and our vulnerability to natural forces. Since my own home is near the foot of a large, active volcano and along a similar subduction fault, the lessons are not merely academic.
Safe journeys!
Mark
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