Here’s some quick updates from the shadow of Volcan Chaiten, which has been erupting since May 2:

• People have been hearing strange rumblings from the majestic Cerro Lopez, a massive mountain that is Bariloche’s back curtain. For the past few days, there’ve been a few trembles felt. Things got messy yesterday afternoon when a massive slide tumbled down the northeast face of Lopez. Families living near Lopez Creek were evacuated, puzzled and concerned. This science is pretty hard to grasp.
• Another quake that measured 5.4 on the Richter scale hit just north of Chaiten late last night. Specialists are saying it’s not volcanic activity but tectonic.
• Ashes are back in the air in Bariloche. This just one day after the airport was finally opened following 20 days. Today, it’s closed again. While this has garnered little attention from gringos thinking of coming down for a ski holidays, it’s been bigtime news in Brazil, the source of Bariloche’s most important winter tourism market. This has got people really worried about the season ahead.
• The Llao Llao Resort, I’ve been told, has given its staff an unexpected vacation. Not sure if it’s a paid vacation or not (doubtful), but like any highend hotel that relies on air transport to fill beds, the place has been an absolute ghost town latey. Apparently, the option of coming in via van from another airport four hours away hasn’t appealed. Bigger, highend hotels have definitely been the hardest hit by the volcanic ash issue so far.