Although a lot has happened here in Chile over the last 9,000 years:

There is one thing that has never happened.


Pic from National Geographic (who else would have it)

Until this last week. On May 2 a Volcano in the far south -Chaitén- blew its lid. After a couple days or so of puffing smoke ash it has started to spew fire and ash, as in the photo above, mixed with lightening. Yesterday saw some of the biggest explosions yet.

The event is nothing minor, ash has reached as far as Buenos Aires and forced the evacuation of the entire area. Luckily there aren’t any major urban centers nearby. But on the news I saw a dog left behind, lying at the front door of his house with a sad face.

I was lucky enough to see a different Volcano, Llaima, erupt in January, near Temuco. But this is something much bigger, and notable, since it has been dormant so long. It makes you wonder about those four or five dormant monsters on the edge of the capital.