Photo of the Day: Man on a Bench

I was wandering around one of the parks in Mendoza, Argentina, and saw this gentleman sitting on a bench watching the world go by. I approached politely and he had no problem me taking his portrait. A lovely guy, from Chile originally but he had left there just over 40 years ago. We didn’t talk politics, so I don’t know why, but my maths is good enough to work out that it would have coincided with the assassination of Allende and the long rule of Pinochet. He talked fondly about the beautiful coastline near Valparaiso and suggested I check out the homes of the great Chilean poet and national hero, Pablo Neruda. A softly spoken man on a bench. I’m not sure if it comes across in the portrait or if it’s just my memory, but he really was a gentle bear of a man. Respect!