I was born in Caracas, capital of Venezuela. My parents, back in the early 90's, lived in that tumultuous, crazy, stressful and full of life city. I guess it was the repetition and chaos of such a city that made both my father and mother decide to buy a house. According to what they tell me, they had always lived in rented accommodation. They wanted a new beginning, in a calmer and quieter place. That is how they decided to move to the state of Carabobo, to Guacara; my host city and the place where I put down my roots as a child, teenager and woman...
Why am I telling this? To give a little bit of context to those people who do not understand the title well, and mainly for those who are not from Venezuela... Now, my municipality is in turn divided by sectors. In fact, the correct thing would be to call it, "Districts". These are: Ciudad Alianza, Guacara (where I am from) and Yagua.... This last one is the protagonist of the running section I decided to do. You see, only next Monday (January 15) I start again to reintegrate to my normal work routine. For this reason, I have made the most of my last days of peace, relaxation and vacation.
So I decided to visit my parents' house for a few days. Besides, my daughter misses her grandparents, and I didn't see it as a bad idea to have a more familiar-traditional environment. As the days went by, I began to take short walks. In the evening, I walked about 5 or 7 kilometers of walking. The next day, I left my daughter with my dad; they went to eat ice cream without me, I might add, haha; and I left with my cell phone and a latent curiosity: "to do my tour of that district (Yagua) that I know so little...". And so it was. I arrived at the place, I started jogging, and immediately the unmistakable: the most absolute and uncomfortable solitude...
And no, I didn't go running at 6 in the morning. On the contrary, I started very "late". I went at 11:00 a.m. and I swear I had never remembered such a difficult to describe feeling in a place as when I was there. Silence, deserted streets, very few cars. Lots of motorcycles everywhere, and above all it is a town with few children? I am not lying when I tell you that if I saw 5, they were too many. I would swear that there were less than 3... I continue the story. I decide to go along the sidewalks of the town of Yagua. Since from the very entrance to Yagua, the streets begin to narrow.
That's the first thing you notice when you are there. Well, you come from wide streets and avenues (the rest of the municipality Guacara) where there are lanes for walking, bicycles, etc.. In this place, which I clarify, I had already visited several times. But one thing is to visit and another is to detail and take pictures. I tell you that it was not so terrible. Although the loneliness is something striking, I honestly do not explain why but I will return to take this section .... Although there is an excess of silence, and few human beings to greet or ask questions about the place, it is no less true that it feels peaceful. The air quality is ideal for trekking, running or any cardio exercise.
Also, the lighting in the small town. You see, being a place with lots of vegetation, little urban pollution and a close connection with nature, the photographable spaces are really wide. The shadows are flat and aesthetic. In addition, there is plenty of time to play with the shutter and make "Breaking Bad" frames; that is, full of symmetry. And that, in part, is what I wanted to capture for you through my photography. Common places... Streets, avenues, sidewalks, parks, neighborhood corners, you name it... All with the same atmosphere and vibe: solitude, quietness, peace, calmness...
Going back to what I said before, I don't quite understand the loneliness (not even now that I am writing this post). Yagua is a lonely place, really sparsely populated. But not because it is built or thought from its genesis to be so. When I was there, I saw that there were infinite houses, apartments, indistinguishable from any urbanism or small town that comes to mind. The point is that they seemed deserted. I'll use an analogy... I felt like a tourist touring the film sets of a western movie,,,, Where, a priori, everything seems alive, but upon closer inspection; you immediately realize that something is going on; something inexplicable.
And boy, I tried to ask someone while I was resting from doing my miles, but seriously I tell you, it is not something exaggerated; I saw very few human beings. I have my theories... Maybe it's because there are still many people on vacation in Venezuela and the town was virtually empty; or maybe people appreciate being at home and going out at the end of the afternoon. Maybe it is because it is a place for senior citizens. Older adults, who live placid, quiet and friendly days. I do not know. But the curiosity of this little Wednesday trip is something that has captivated me. I plan to go back and document why so much stillness. Running, photos and mystery.
