Le Vert Hotel - work in progress

Just a sneak preview of what's coming. Le Vert Hotel. Chamonix.
Back to the old Autocad days. 

The hotel right now. (well not exactly, its night now) The house behind is also part of it, and might end up being my home. Who knows. 

Last Night. Cantina's Creatures of the Night party.

We took it to the next level last night, and went as The Ghostbusters to the Cantina, one of the best venues in Chamonix. Check the packs! 

Chamonix Valley

Looking down from Le Tour, the Chamonix valley lays peacefully surrounded by the Alps.
Here's where Im staying, where I found what I was looking for. 

Mont Blanc

There it is, the highest mountain in the Alps. Mont Blanc.
View from my room at 715
( to see the whole chalet, check winter chamonix at www.freshtraxxx.com) 

Chilean Cazuela recently seen in Chamonix

One of the most legendary dishes of Chilean Culture. The Chicken Cazuela.
I treated myself with 3 plates of pleasure remembering my home cuisine. 

Wookie and Dax enjoying the Cazuela. 

Montesa

2 days ago i took Todd Mason's Montesa for a little ride.
This Trial model, the "Cota" was the first motorcycle i ever jumped on, when I was only 6 months old and my old man used to take me for rides up to the mountain where I grew up. I flapped my arms and he went faster, thinking that i was "happy". Later on, he discovered I was actually choking with too much air in my face! 

Les Drus

Les Drus remind me of Cerro Torre in Patagonia, rising straight up towards the sky. If you look close to the main peak, you'll see a section of light grey. That whole chunk fell off a few weeks ago.

Aiguille Du Midi

The view from my room, looking up to Aiguille Du Midi, the castle high up where the princess sleeps... 

Sziget Festival - Budapest, Hungary.

Me and Pete, on the bridge that connects the island with Buda. 

Thousands of tents on the Obudai-Sziget island. Our "Swiss" camp is back there.

Budapest has amazing thermal baths. This is one of them. Early morning healing sessions. 

The main stage, where Basement Jaxx, Roots Manuva, Nick Cave, Korn and many more played over the week. Thousands of people dancing.

The Hungarian Parliament. Massive. 

Distancia-Perspectiva

How can i describe what ive lived in the last few weeks...
Maybe the grey morning in Munich can help. Here we go.

With rhythm and sound, and good sensi, the journalist on this journal has managed to slip away.

A professor in school told me, "very special things happen when you push the limit, when you work too hard for days for a project for example, or when you dont sleep for a few nights... you become more receptible. for short glimpses you are aware..."
I didnt sleep much in Budapest.
It was last week, and it was transformational. We managed to get to the Obudai-Sziget Island, in the middle of the Danube. The water was dark and the air of summer concrete and grey buildings was different. Eastern Europe. Finally here... Summer has been strange in Europe. Now its raining, and in Bayern there are floods. My friends in Switzerland are getting water too, and the rivers are being visited by strange plastic people with paddles.

The last time i posted something was in Amsterdam.
the route was the following:

Amsterdam-Berlin by train. 5 hours on the ICE. (inter city express) 4 days in Berlin with Sophie.
Berlin-London. Plane. Security... the abstract feeling of being in places where a bomb could have gone off a couple of weeks ago. Then the second bomb thread. Me and James were 5 minutes away by train to the place this happened. But the bombs didnt go off.

Jonny and Ivana got married in a really old litle church, surrounded by a sense of ageless beauty. and by Love.

On our way there James and I had probably the hardest time in history to get to Heathrow Airport. Twice. Sergio´s plane got delayed 24 hours, So the next day we rented a car to get there quick without spending 5 hours in buses like the day before (due the bombing crazyness). The M25 is the ring around London. Worst accident ever. like 8 miles ahead of us. The M25 got so jammed it gridlocked all the exits. 5 hours in the car. and then,to Oxford.

JB and Annelaure were waiting at the Baldon House. To stay at that mansion-house was surreal. So big and yet warm and cozy, with inspiration foating in the air wherever you walked.

We had to escape London in a few days. Sergio and me. EasyJet to Amsterdam, and then the journey by land to thte south begun.

Amsterdam - Munich, overnight. Long train ride,then a quick drive to Switzerland with Pete and Maertl, and then with them to Buda Buda, to see the sounds of the Roots Manuva. (among Basement Jaxx, Paul van Dyke, Ltj Bukem and MC Conrad, even Juliette Lewis and the licks... so many good bands and djs, not to mention the eastern european girls... unreal.

gotta jet now, much more later. ive filmed a lot and im beginning to edit.
chao!

Amsterdam

If there's a place to be lost in translation, it's the dam.

Bikes and Fast blondes. Life doesnt get much better than that...

The Leidseplein.

U2 concert at the Amsterdam Arena, the home of the Ajax.

Check the video HERE!

The Front Left Coalition. Jose, Roddy, Justin and Andy (DA)

The Killers, opening for U2. (and this other band called The Kaiser Chiefs...)

getting close.

Dark Angel getting amongst it.

U2 vertigo tour 2005. amsterdam!

Getting ready to rawkus.

Yeah Darkie!

The Tulip Inn, our hotel and headquarter.

Getting there...

Dark Angel resting his weary bones at the Geneva Airport, 6AM. What a mission and a half! In a few hours, AMSTERDAM!

Dax taking it easy after a "strange" morning in Zurich.

Chris and Pete, relaxing in the sun.

hello boyz!

Montreux Jazz Festival

What can I say about Laurent Garnier. Legendary DJ, Producer and Director of Radio Nova, Paris. His performance was seamless. Him, plus my favourite piano player and composer, Bugge Wesseltoft from Norway, played a 4 hour live set like I've never seen before. In one word: KWALITY!

check the video I made inside the venue HERE

Mr. Wesseltoft taking a breather.

Montreux at dawn.

Dax watch out behind you!

blinding

i think they were italians... late montreux spreading the loooove

some casualties on the way out

my man chris after his doors were blown off.

the english character right there

Its getting Hot in herrre. Swimming pool time.

piscineando en lausanne.

piscina publica. hasta gente con laptops trabajando a la sombra. Nice.

amigas en la peninsula

jovencillo mirando sospechoso mis piernas blancas.

piscina publica de Lausanne.

Lover of Life. Singer of Songs. Homenaje de Montreux a Freddy.

Freddy Mercury y un fan haciendole un homenaje.

Le trampolin.

La peninsula con trampolin.

Vevey. Muy tranquila.

france in the background

35 grados. perro peludo refrescandose

Vevey

Lausanne. Lago Leman.

en bicicleta por la orilla del lago, gente nadando y tomando sol. yates zarpando de la bahia, pelusas de arbol volando y nubes de bichos chicos verdes.

grande. snoop en zurich.

lo que coyhaique pide! franco suizas. gentileza de www.tilllate.ch

Muy buena suerte. Droog Design esta haciendo una muestra de diseno Holandes en Lausanne. Aqui el trabajo de alquien que admiro. Jurgen Bey.

Mad Discoteque. Fete de la musique. 30 conciertos por toda la ciudad.

camino a saint sulpice.

Lord Vader de espalda, una vez que poso para una serie de desnudos para el Imperio. Bronce. circa 2005

perdon es que me gusta el detalle

nice

Universidad de Lausanne. Mejor lugar para encontrar donde vivir.
Mucho arriendo de piezas, en casas que parecen castillos de 6 o 7 piezas.

sorry no smoking inside the building. fumadores tienen un bello patio bien lejos.

computer impresora combo combine for free. nice.

deptos baratos y curso de frances por 800 francos.

Fete de la Musique.

listen reggae musique...

Lausanne. Tres bien!

Aca estoy ahora. Parlez vous francais?
Saturday night, and we like to boogie down. Wish me luck.

Mi vista hacia el frente. El lago esta pal otro lado.

Mirando para abajo. Ojo con la pareja tomando te.

Aqui estoy. Hace un minuto. Depto de mi primo Eduardo Luchsinger en Lausanne. Hace calor. Se escucha musica y el viento es tibio.

Bern & Lea. Drifting in mellow blue waters.

Thanks to Lea, I lived a bit of Bern, the Aare and the cool shade of her terrace. Walks by the river, floating belly up looking at the sky, laughing at the chanchos of the zoo. Beautiful days that wont be easy to forget. Im in summer, I can feel it now. Its all happening.

Thanks everybody at the house!!! Steve, Katja, Othmar and everybody else!, I will see you all in the future, the day we run the Bear rapid in the Aare, by the Munster, or maybe back south in Patagonia. Merci!

Ayer en la tarde... me fui de Bern. Leaving Bern with my friends, the bags. The journey leads to Lausanne, for French Speaking Action. Tres bien!

SalsAare.

unglaublich. i got caught dancing salsa by the Aare.
thanks Othmar for bringing me!
check out
www.salsapictures.ch
for more on swiss salsa. highly recommended.

The guardian of the terrace. Leas house. Bern.

The view from the house. Bern train station. Right in the center and so peaceful.

Die flaschepostch! Happy birthday! While we walked to swim in the Aare, Lea saw a floating message... from Claudia, who was turning 40. Her and her friends sent this message ina bottle, and I was the lucky chilean that jumped into the river to get it. We drew a big b'day cake in the back with 40 candles, famous people like Elvis and David Hasselhof singing, plus a burning forest, and mailed it back to her. Lets see if she emails!

Cool Hund. Hairy Hund. Climbing Hund.

the birthday route. my shoulder couldnt take it. next time.

Wie heist das auf Deutsch? Klettern!

heute soll es schones Wetter geben...

Wilhelm Tell? or maybe just a hunter fixed in time (and space)

Munster Devils.

mein gott. high in bern.

Good wave to kayak in Bern.The turquoise Aare river. At night, Wednesday Salsa club down there. Paddle and dance with Swiss ladies? Sign me up.

Lea belaying me. Good climbing in Interlaken. Beautiful granite.

das Murmeltier mit seil und Lea. was Gibts Neues?

Hola Pato!

Chamonix. The Alps at last.

Chamonix! HERMOSO. You can feel the summer now, is contagious. I saw it totally infected a Base Jumper that launched off a tandem paraglider right over the center of town. Jammin with Gary Bigham and The CrevassHoles at the Chamonix Micro Brasserie was unreal. I got to play the congas for a little while. Sweet. Such a good time. Meeting the TGR Boys was a highlight (and hearing for the first time the classic line: ITll BLOW YOUR FUCKIN DOORS OFF! ) Well, Chamonix did. It blew my fuckin doors off, and im looking forward to go back, and maybe finding a place to call home in the near future.

http://www.mbchx.com/

Gary Bigham and the Crevassholes are the most legendary band in the Alps. After playing music in the Alps for 20 years, they have had articles written about them in all the major ski magazines. The Crevassholes play Après-Ski at the MBC every Tuesday and Friday during the ski season. Come get loaded and sing with the band, heck the drummer does it.

video soon.

El Tren... cruzando el paso de vuelta a Suiza.

Train over the pass. From Chamonix to Bern... the journey continues.

Hola mama! classic shot.

charcoal nights

Andy with his checkered face. What do you mean officer...I havent been drinking! It was a 14 year old birthday...honest!

Good fire, good barbie, good friends and good cold beers in a bucket.

Dalila MC, rocking the chrome microphone later that night.

The Artist.

Todd and the gromits. This little guy is a tiger. Watch out.

la Gare.

Mer de Glas. La salida de Valle Blanche.

Me & my friend Andy Hay, with a friendly rock that came over to stop the wind for us.

Chamonix. Tranquile... Desde el traverse de Aiguille du Midi al tren. 2 horas caminando.

La mejor cerveza dulce que he probado. Aromatica... A 3.800m... placer....

The man. Made it with a stick and stalkings.What a style.

Aiguille du Midi : ouvert
(D�part : 2 317 m - Arriv�e : 3 842 m)

Mont Blanc. High in the Alps!

Manejando desde Zurich a Chamonix. Driving for 6 hours. Getting lost in the swiss precision.

Switzerland :::

Flughafen Zurich. Tomorrow at noon.



Back to the source. For the second time in this lifetime, exploring Switzerland to trace back the ancient links of my family. I might even find a clue about why I am like I am. Taller than the average chilean...
Im being picked up at the airport by Steep Snowboarding Veteran Andy Hay, and after a night in Zurich, we re driving to Chamonix for a few days on Andys new ride. Lets get amongst it!

Cornwall Stag Weekend.

After driving from London for 5 hours, the boys managed to get to Sunnyside, the caravan complex that was meant to be home for the weekend. Surfing in Fistral Beach, then enjoying the pleasure of a good beer and good company in Redruth's best venue, The Draper's Arm. Amazing pool sessions, together with the best Kiwi Burgers ever. Big props to Dave, the surfer chef.
What a story this weekend. We even managed to run into a girl being strangled by her boyfriend in a roundabout. What the boyfriend did't expect, was 2 cars and 11 big boys to step in her defense. After seeing 2 cars and a number of blokes getting out of the cars, he seemed to forget about the strangling and everything ended with a lovely group hug. Spreading the Love. Then, the boys carried on their stag duty and explored the nightlife in Newquay. Some dancing maneuvers, and later on the sunrise greeted a new day at the caravan, talking about the misteries of life. Very good weekend boys. Let's all give thanks.

Hack that shoulder! Gwithian Beach  

The wind was strong, the kites were up. Massive jumps seen from the beach. 

Cornish Buccaneer. Such a quality Ale. The best beer I've tried in Europe so far. 

The Draper's Arm, Tom's bar in Redruth. One of the finest bars I've been in my life. 

some of the stag party crew, after a good session of surf (or sleep, for those who went rather large the night before) 

Plenty of action. 

The neighborhood. Mellow Mellow. 

Just arrived, went for a Wakeboarding session in Thorpe Lakes. This sweet cable system pulls you around a little lake. No boat, no noise, no smell of gas (just missed the wake to jump around) check the place at www.jbwaterski.com 

This is where I am right now. Leeching some neighbours wifi connection. Thank god for electromagnetic waves! 

thanks to my sponsors, this is my mobile office.  

London. The Adventure Begins.

London. Clapham Junction. Remember that bar in Star Wars, I think it was in Tatooine, where the band was playing some funky windpipes and there were creatures from all over the universe? London feels like that bar... So many people! and from so many different places!
Overwhelming... and it's only the beginning.