SOUTH AMERICA JOURNAL - 2011

LEG 1 - CHILE

I arrived in Santiago, Chile on Thursday, February 10. After three years working on my film and hustling to promote it, I decided it was time to leave the states for a bit. I had some extra miles saved, enough for a free one-way flight. So, I picked Santiago as I had never been to Chile and had heard good things about this up-and-coming city. A one way flight to South America with a bit of savings and no plan. I got in to the Santiago airport and immediately had to pay a $140 entry fee. After getting through Customs, I picked up my baggage and looked for a bus in to the city. I arrived at La Casa Roja. This is a huge old estate of a building in the Barrio Brasil, a neighborhood bordering on dangerous but charmingly dingy at the same time. Its a large hostel. I stayed in the large dorm room. A lot of partying here. I wont go in to the details, but the highlight was a fat man from Savannah, Georgia flying off the bunk above me in a drunken stupor, and then getting up seemingly unaffected and humbly returning to his bed. I met several interesting characters in Santiago, and spent a lot of money as well. Chile is not cheap, by any means. Something about Santiago rubbed me the wrong way. I also had a screening of my film set up in Bolivia in about 3 weeks (March 1), so I decided to leave Santiago and make my way to Valparaiso, a seaside Chilean port, famous for its funky architecture and ascensores (outdoor elevators that carry people up hills, think Angels Flight in Los Angeles). Also, some great, artistic graffiti. I stayed here for about a week, meeting people from around the world and cooking my own meals in the hostel kitchen. Also visited Pablo Neruda’s house (one of three). Valparaiso has its San Francisco style charm, but the wanderlust was strong and Bolivia was waiting, so I decided to continue North. A seven hour bus journey to La Serena, a mid size town on the Pacific coast. It was described as "A thinking mans beach resort" in the Lonely Planet book. I’m in. So I was in La Serena for four nights. Spent a couple days as a beach bum, soaking up sun on the beautiful Chilean coast. Also took a day trip to Vicuña, birthplace of famous Chilean poet, Gabriela Mistral. After La Serena, a 24 hour bus ride to Arica, Chile, the northernmost Chilean city. I spent a night in Arica at "Hostal Sunny Days." It could not have been more aptly named, as I left Arica with a nice tan and a couple of burns where I forgot to apply sun block. Next, an eight hour bus to La Paz. When we reached the border, a hefty $135 entry visa fee awaited. The joys of being from the good ole USA. Arrived in La Paz and the altitude definitely was present. Drank a couple coca teas and got my first taste of Bolivian food. Or rather, my first re-taste of Bolivian food. The last time I was in the country was in 2007, when I shot my film. It felt good to be back, altitude sickness and all. I got on the next bus to Cochabamba, where I was scheduled to screen the film in a matter of days. LEG 2 - BOLIVIA

When I arrived in Cochabamba, I went straight to the phone booth and called my original home stay family, the one I stayed with in 2007. They thought I was calling from the US. "Its good to hear your voice, Jonas." "No, I’m IN Cochabamba." "OH, come over right away!" Hopped in a cab and made my way. My three weeks there went very fast. The first screening went very well. About 100 people showed up, including many of the community members. It was as if I was watching the film for the first time. Very emotional, indeed. I had three more screenings at a Cinema Cafe there, Cine Cafe 35 mm. These were very intimate screenings, and it was interesting to screen the film to a primarily non-Jewish audience. After my return to Cochabamba, I went to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I had never been to Santa Cruz, just for a day back in 2007. So, I was excited. Also, one of the members of the community in Cochabamba who is featured in the film now lived in Santa Cruz. So I stayed with him and his wife. I was reminded of staying with my grandparents in Palm Springs, in the best of ways. From Santa Cruz city, I took a bit of a touristy journey in to the heart of Che Guevara country, aka the place where Che made his last stand before being executed by CIA-trained Bolivian military. Two nights in Samaipata, including an 8 hour solo hike through mountainous terrain where I got to see many indigenous farming communities, come face to face with a lot of cows, and see many varieties of wild birds and butterflies. After Samaipata, I wanted to visit Valle Grande and La Higuera, the village where Che was killed. At breakfast, I told a Swiss traveler of my plans, and he was game to join. Off we went, Valle Grande bound – a three-hour micro bus ride. One of the passengers who we chatted up was from Valle Grande, and remembered seeing Che’s body layed out at the hospital when he was a boy, on a field trip with his elementary school class. Phillip and I arrived in Valle Grande. We dropped our things off and went to the main plaza, where a cabby approached us, claiming he could take us to La Higuera and be back at night. I needed to be back in Santa Cruz the next day to show my film there. So, we ate lunch and then took him up on his offer - 200 Bolivianos, approx 25 bucks for the both of us. A five hour journey through the unpaved, treacherous mountain roads of "La Ruta del Che." We arrived in La Higuera, where they have a small museum set up in the school house he was executed in. His bloodied uniform is hung on the wall. We saw, we conquered, we left. Another five hours, this time at night. The screening in Santa Cruz went well, there are many ex-Cochabambinos living there. They all received the film well and appreciated it very much. The next day, a forty-hour bus ride to Buenos Aires. I arrived here two weeks ago today. I’ve been staying with an old friend and am now in a hostel, reaching the end of my wanderlust and the end of my money.

LEG 3 - ARGENTINA Writing this time from a coffee shop in my Buenos Aires neighborhood, Montserrat. A beautiful, historic and kinda gritty neighborhood in the city's center. Since I last wrote, a lot has gone down. I'm pretty excited... when all is said and done, I'm living my dream. Of course, it's not always easy, but I persevere. I've got two screenings coming up for NO WAY TO SAY GOODBYE, one on August 6, as part of the 15th Sau Paulo Jewish Film Festival in Sau Paulo, Brazil. The other on August 10 at AMIA - the Argentina Israelite Mutual Association, here in Buenos Aires. I'm currently scraping by as a dishwasher at a swanky but affordable Polish-themed Cafe/Bar called KRAKOW. In the San Telmo neighborhood. I work two nights a week. As for accommodation, I'm working 3 nights a week at Hostel Kilca, a hippy hostel that attracts motorbikers, lost Bohemian souls and the occasional French family. I work in exchange for a roof over my head. Getting by on about two hundred pesos a week - the equivalent of $50. I am digging Buenos Aires and I think I would like to stay for a little while longer. With making my film and touring with it and managing screenings myself in South America, plus my fluency in Spanish and my unconventional, life-experience-based path, I think I would be an asset to the Latin American division of a film production company based in Buenos Aires or LA. Something along the lines of film distribution working in Latin America or with Latin American films. I'm a big believer in bridging gaps between the USA and Latin America, in general, and with my film background, it’s a perfect fit.