In 1970, Gabriel Salas had just finished his university studies in Chile and thought he’d try and hitchhike around South America. But what was meant to be your average graduate road trip turned into an adventure across the sea…
Take a listen to ‘Sea Hitchhiker’ recorded live at our Melbourne listening party, Oceans Apart:
This version of the story was narrated live by Zacha Rosen (pictured above, while Michael Brydon fixes the microphone). The story was produced by Zacha Rosen, and mixed for Oceans Apart by Bec Fary (pictured below, staring at waveforms on her laptop). Music credits: ‘Opening Doors’ by Jamie Evans, ‘El barzón’ by Los Amparito and ‘Spring Rain’ by Aaron Ximm.
‘Sea Hitchhiker’ was originally broadcast as part of #1221 Coast to Coast, and you can read more about Gabriel Salas and his expeditions in this blog post.
The week we performed Oceans Apart, we found out that Gabriel Salas has died. If you liked his story, there are a few things you can do in his memory. You could donate to the Red Cross, where Gabriel worked. He also helped organisations like it find water sources for vulnerable people all around the world. You could also visit the Ballina Maritime Museum, which has the sole surviving raft from the Las Balsas expedition on display.
And, as a one-time anarchist, he’d probably have liked you to visit your local anarchist bookshop for a browse.
