Higher up, closer to the treetops, the air smells of rum, of bergamot and of vague hints of grapes. We advance, overcoming one liana after the other with strokes of machete, and approach the inner landscape of desire by walking through scents of lily, cedar, dried fruits, cloves, cumin.

The animals plod on with their legs half submerged in water, while the sun barely filtering through the thick growth of the forest brings out even more strongly the scent of their hide. Here the yearning after lost civilizations is felt most acutely.

Your closed eyes, overwhelmed by the solid base of sandalwood, amber, ladanum, incense, myrrh and castoreum, testify to a frantic search for the mythical city of gold that is much more than an obsession. For once, it is enough to breathe in and drift away.

Cruz del Sur I is available from September 2017 in 50ml Eau de Parfum flacons.