The latest from field correspondent Lorraine Caputo, on assignment in Chile:

“With the latest eruption of Volcán Chaitén, the Chilean government has chosen a new home for the village. It will be Nuevo Fandango, near Santa Bárbara, approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of Chaitén village’s present site. Within two to three months, the new town will have the basic infrastructure, including carabineros, the municipal government, potable water, electricity and cellular phone. Urban designer Pablo Allard has submitted a proposal that the new Chaitén be an example of sustainable develpment, using renewable energy sources like geothermal power and an economic focus on eco-tourism. Some Chaiteninos, however, still declare their opposition to any abandonment of Chaitén and vow to resist to the end.”

Road traffic through parts of southern Chile has been slowed due to intense rains. Our field correspondent Lorraine Caputo reports:

“We have been having quite incessant rains for the past week & more. Last night a family arrived here in Coyhaique from Cochrane. They had left at 8 a.m. yesterday & did not arrive until about 11 p.m. — or 14 hours for what is normally an 8 hour trip.
This morning I heard on the radio while running out to Puerto Aysén (& Chacabuco) that the roads have been washed out or flooded in 3 places around Cochrane — & into Caleta Tortel & O’Higgins. In these last 2 towns, travellers & transport are stranded with no way to get out.
Bicyclists coming north have been complaining about the condition of the road. & every day I meet more who are heading south, as well as those wanting to do the border crossing at Villa O’Higgins.”

Five US tourists wisiting San Agustin, Huila in Colombia last week got a little more than they bargained for. The five, who were sightseeing at some of San Agustin’s best-known tourist sites, were approached by two men who offered to take them to see a genuine cocaine laboratory. The tourists took them up on it, only to be arrested along with both of their “guides.” Police had been observing the two men for some time, as producing cocaine and taking tourists to see it are both illegal, as it turns out. The tourists were questioned and released. So if you’re heading to San Agustin, it might be best, just this once, to stay ON the beaten path.

Massuve mudslides caused by sustained rains have caused mudslides that blocked both major roads leading from Quito to the coast, disrupting commerce and traffic. Yesterday, creews had scraped out a narrow lane in the the Aloag-Santo Domingo road, allowing a trickle of traffic to go through, but it was of little help to the hundreds of trucks and cars waiting to get through. If you’re in Ecuador, plan on staying put or flying!

Yesterday, Venezuelans approved a referendum which removes term limits from elected officials, including President. This removed the last obstacle standing in the way of Hugo Chavez’ efforts to seek re-election in 2012, when his current term ends. Supporters say that Chavez needs more time to make his socialist policies work, while opponents fear a dictatorship.

Scientists have unearthed the fossilized remains of a snake as large as a bus in the Cerrojon coal mine in Northern Colombia. The snake, which may have eaten crocodiles and giant turtles, already has a name: Titanoboa cerrejonensis, which means “Titanic-sized boa constrictor thing found in the Cerrejon coal mine.” One scientist was quoted as saying the snake “was totally like ginormous and bigger than an elephant and a whale put together and it could probably even win a fight with Godzilla or Tyrannosaurus Rex.” Okay, no scientist really said that. But they were THINKING it. As of yet, there seem to be no plans to clone some from the bones and unleash them on an unsuspecting city somewhere, but we’ll keep you posted.

In the remote Tacarcuna region of the Colombian Darien, a team of scientists from Conservation International recently spent three weeks cataloging new species. They found the region to be populated by many animal species, including ones previously thought to be only in Central America. Most interesting of all is the fact that they found and identified ten frog species previously unknown to science, including three species of glass frog, called that because their transparent skin allows you to see thier internal organs. One of the researchers called the area a real “Noah’s Ark.” Hopefully, Colombia will take steps to protect this priceless area.

Over the weekend, Colombia’s Marxist insurgent group FARC voluntarily released four hostages to the Red Cross. The move is considered a goodwill gesture, although many are also seeing it as a sign of desperation, as the FARC has suffered serious setbacks in recent months. Hopefully it’s a sign that the insurgency is in its final throes.