A Country in Search of the Sea
Mark K January 18th, 2008
A friend of mine grew up in Bolivia and told me about the ancient feud between Bolivia and Chile, stemming from a dispute over some coastal territory. In the 1800’s, after the two countries earned their independence from Spain, Bolivia claimed land along the Pacific Ocean and had a seaport there. There was a war involving Bolivia, Peru and Chile and eventually Chile ended up with all of Bolivia’s beachfront property. Relations between the two countries have been cool ever since.
My friend explained that children are taught this lesson in school at an early age and that her grandmother, who was born in Chile, is always quick to add “accidentally” - her Bolivian parents were only visiting Chile at the time.
My friend went on to explain that she believes that the fact that Bolivia is a land-locked country has affected the personal make-up of Bolivians - they are more shy and less worldly because they don’t have that connection with the sea and the greater world beyond. Each year they celebrate a Dia Del Mar - Day of the Sea - on which they ask once again that Chile return their coast to them. I read that they even maintain a Bolivian navy, using the ships to patrol rivers and lakes, waiting, I imagine, for the day when they might have a coastline to protect.
It made me wonder about someone living in the interior mountainous Andes region of Bolivia, far from the sea. If Bolivia had a narrow corridor of land, connecting to a seaport, would this make a subconscious difference in the way this person would perceive himself and the world, just knowing that he could travel to the sea, if he wanted to?
I have always lived in California, within a few hours, at most, from the ocean. I don’t actually go the beach very often and in fact, can go for months without seeing the ocean. I find it hard, though, to envision living in a land-locked part of the country. Just feeling the breeze from the ocean, knowing that the weather patterns almost always form over the sea and then pass over my home on their way inland, seeing the fog and smelling the nautical air - all of these things give me the feeling that I have a place to visit nearby that is open, expansive, connected to the world - if I should choose to go there.
I feel the same way about living close to San Francisco - it’s not like I’m constantly venturing into the city for the opera, museums, restaurants, or a baseball game. It’s just knowing that they are there and benefiting from the cultural sea breezes that waft north to my suburban home, remind me of the possibilities.
