Manolo says, many of the Manolo’s internet friends have been writing to him saying, “Manolo, why have you forsaken us? Are you well? Why have you not been posting more often on your shoe blog these past few months?”

To which the Manolo must reply that since the week before Christmas, the Manolo has been travelling hither and yon, into all of the most extreme parts of southern South America.

First, during Christmas it was the beach house on the wild coast of Uruguay. And then, at the beginning of this new year, the Manolo took the cruise around the Hornish parts of South America, with the stops in the Islas Malvinas, and the Ushuaia, and the Punta Arenas and elsewheres. After disembarkating the ship, in the Valparaiso, Chile, the Manolo spent three days in Viña del Mar, and then took up residence for the week in the artistically artsy, Barrio Lastarria part of Santiago.

And now, for the past several days, the Manolo has again taken to the road, into northern Chile, where internet access once again promises to be limited.

However, in the meantime, allow the Manolo to expound the bit on one of his most favorite discoveries in Chile, that the poet Pablo Neruda was the fancier of unusual shoes.

Look, here is the picture of Pablo Neruda’s gigantically outsized wingtips, which are on display in La Chascona, Neruda’s home in Santiago.

Ayyyyy! Neruda loved the shoes!

Such joy, for the Manolo to learn that this august person of poetic disposition also loved the shoes! Indeed, Neruda, like the humble Manolo the Shoeblogger, had the small collection of unusually large shoes.

Speaking of the shoes, the Manolo also made the lengthy visit to the fabulously beyond fabulous Museo de la Moda, which is perhaps the greatest museum in all of South America, and is certainly the greatest museum devoted to fashion anywhere.

But, the Manolo will save that story for tomorrow or the next day, for now, the Manolo is off to Coquimbo for the afternoon.