A Miracle in Viña - Viña del Mar, Chile

A Miracle in Viña
Viña del Mar, Chile

I had arrived at Viña del Mar, Chile’s famous beach resort in October 2001 to have a few days rest after an extended visit to Argentina. It was spring with its usual changeable weather but warm enough to walk on the beach promenade. This town on the Pacific Ocean was made for relaxation and being off-season was still very quiet except for weekend visitors from the capital Santiago and nightly casino players.

I was told that the sunsets were worth watching so I decided on the first evening to take a long walk, observe the locals and wait for the sunset. In front of a restaurant called Gerald’s (small world!), I came across a young photographer named Ricardo selling his own photos of Valparaiso (his hometown and Chile’s main port around the bay) and Viña. There were about a dozen or more different ones set in a thin cardboard frame. Neither he nor his two friends who kept him company spoke English but we managed in my not-so-fluent Spanish and had an interesting conversation. I admired not only his photographic skills and creativity, but also his joie de vivre and his passion for people. I observed that Ricardo did not approach any passersby to purchase.

As they could easily become wrecked while travelling, I still bought two photos, thinking that I would give them to the staff at my small bed and breakfast as a small gift.

The next evening after a beautifully warm spring day, I returned to walk along the seaside promenade and there again was Ricardo and his two friends in the same spot. We talked further and I realized that he was a person not into material goods or a “9-5 existence” as he enjoyed his freedom and nature so much. This time I had my camera with me and took a photo of “the three musketeers” and before I left Ricardo took one of me with his professional-looking camera as a souvenir of this encounter. I knew then that I couldn’t give these away. I went to about a half-dozen stores in Viña’s only modern multi-level mall until I found the right backing for the photos so they would not bend en-route home. Trying to describe what I wanted in broken Spanish was a chore but I did succeed at a bookstore with some clean pieces of carton-paper from the back and a kind and patient clerk.

Now, to the miracle of Viña. No it wasn’t a religious sighting nor an out-of-body experience. It was the miracle of the Chilean postal service. About a month after returning home, I thought it would be cool to send a copy of the ‘3 friends’ shot to Ricardo. I had neither family name nor address. Well, I thought for the cost of a postage stamp, who knows? I addressed the envelope in Spanish:

Ricardo, Photographer
the Beachfront opposite Gerald’s,
Viña del Mar, Chile.

I enclosed a short note in Spanish with my contact information. Well, it was sort of like throwing a bottle in the ocean. A few months passed and I forgot completely about this, though not about the encounter. I really never expected a reply. In Canada, a missing postal code will often make a letter ‘undeliverable’. The expression ‘going postal’ for being compulsive about details has perhaps been invented here. In the meanwhile I framed my favourite photo by Ricardo of two fishermen in a small boat bringing in their catch in Valparaiso and hung it on its own small wall at home.

Just recently in mid-February, a large folded white envelope arrived in my mailbox. Lo and behold, ‘The Miracle of Viña’ had indeed come to pass. Ricardo had received my photo and wrote a touching brief note with all of his contact info, including an e-mail address. Also in the envelope were three new photos of his, including two of those magnificent sunsets.

We have since corresponded by e-mail and though we may never again meet in person,
a bond has been formed at opposite ends of The Americas and made this planet a smaller place. These travel memories are more precious than any famous landmark.

Bravo to the postal service of Chile and the postal person in Viña del Mar for proving that ‘the mail must go through’!

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