Week 22

It’s been so nice to see my family again and be able to spend time with them in my new home-away-from-home. I pick up my story with Easter Island. On Monday, we took a tour of Rapa Nui with one of the decedents of the Polynesian natives. Needless to say, we saw a whole heck of a lot of Moai (the large stone heads all over the island) as well as ruins from where the people had lived before their island was taken over and their culture diminished. While interesting, it was a bit slow, but a nice relaxing way to start off the week in a new place.

 

Monday brought us a new adventure with horseback riding to the highest peak on the island. I can still feel the aches from where I discovered new muscles I didn’t previously know I had! Nevertheless it was a lot of fun and a great way to explore more of the culture and scenery in a non-harmful way, environmentally speaking. The views were definitely worth any left over pain as well, as you could see in almost every direction, where there was just water and more water, stretching into infinity.

A nice hike up to the top of another of the island’s three main volcanoes was the activity of choice on Tuesday. It was nice and gently sloping for the most part, but as soon as you reached the crater the winds started blowing like crazy! This volcano blocks much of the strongest wind that hits the island, but the damage this element has done is quite extensive. The side of the crater that faces the ocean lacks a huge chunk due to constant wind and water erosion. However, while it is almost impossible to stand while on the rim, the inside of this same crater is home to many different plants and animals.


Humans were not so smart, and built a community on the hillside which we visited. The people living there had been spiritual leaders, and as such there are many intricate petro glyphs carved into the rock, available to views by the public. While they must have been crazy to want to live up in such a high, windy spot, the sentiment is carried even further when you learn about their “birdman” competition. Every year the chiefs of each tribe or their representatives would swim through shark-infested waters to camp out in caves for a few weeks, waiting for a specific species of bird to lay eggs. The man who brought back the first egg successfully was honored as a powerful figure, and his tribe earned power in otherwise tumultuous times. Looking down at those islands, it was easy to see that the people of the time were either very desperate for a leader, or just plain crazy.

Tuesday we also went to a super cool performance of traditional Polynesian/Rapa Nui dancing and music. I don’t know how the men were able to move their feet so quickly, nor how the women could possibly move their hips the way they did, but it was really cool to watch and observe another aspect of the culture. (Plus the male dancers were really good-looking!)

Thursday we went up to Valle Nevado, near Santiago, to go skiing in the Andes! While I can’t say I’m really a fan of down-hill skiing, it was really cool and the conditions were far superior to those in the North-East of the US. There was actually powdered snow (not just ice) and a lot smaller crowds. The slopes also lacked trees, a nice change as you could see for miles around and enjoy the scenery when not negotiating a tricky run. All in all it was beautiful, and a real treat to behold.

My 2-week solo trip to Argentina began on Friday! Walking through security was an interesting experience, as there was not just one line for international departures, but two: one for those going to the United States, and one for everyone else. Needless to say, the “everyone else” line was significantly quicker and more relaxed. Customs was also a lot faster and lax, which was nice.

Friday and Saturday I spent in Cordoba, Argentina, accustoming myself to a new country, and more difficult, a new accent. When I first tried talking to an Argentine I had the hardest time understanding about half their speech. While I’m now pretty sure in what they’re saying, it still presents a difficulty at times, especially with the tendency to make “shhhh” sounds where I don’t expect them to be! On the visual spectrum, the first pass I made through the plaza principal gave a sight of what I’d consider the most stereotypical Friday afternoon in a plaza to be. There were people sitting and talking, drinking mate, and even some elderly people dancing traditional dances. (Turns out that it was a “talent show” put on by the elders of the community, but at the time I didn’t know that.) The city is really friendly, and not even too hard to navigate, so I went walking around seeing what there was to see.

 

Saturday I got up early(ish) to go on a tour in the area around Cordoba. The tour took us on a scenic route past lakes and mountain passes, to a small city called La Paz. There we visited the giant cu-cu clock in the middle of the square as well as an alfahor factory (alfahores are traditional cookies.) The free samples were quite tasty! We also took a cable-car thingy up a surrounding hill, where you got a view of the entire city and lake: a gorgeous area that is famous for tourism.

I’m posting a day early because tomorrow I travel to Buenos Aires all day, so there won’t be much to say and I probably won’t have internet. However, keep reading because I’m going to try to post every Sunday, if possible, even while traveling. 

Week 21

I spent 2/3 of the past week in the driest desert on earth: the Atacama desert in Northern Chile is unlike any landscape I’ve ever seen before, as it has multi-colored mountains, saline lakes, and nights so cold you have to wrap up in a winter jacket even though you wore shorts during the day.

Sunday afternoon we arrived in San Pedro de Atacama, a tiny town in the Salar (salt flat) de Atacama. Since we only had a half day, we went walking around the town, stepping into the ancient adobe church and going to the one museum in the area, about the indigenous people and Spanish overthrow of the area. The next day proved to be more exciting, when we rented bicycles and braved the incredibly bumpy roads leading to a series of ruins built into a hillside. The remaining stone walls were built into a steep slope next to the local river, a military strongpoint from every angle, as well as a convenient (though tiring) place to reside in general. Equally interesting was another excursion to Valle de la Muerte, where there were giant sand dunes and other rock formations. To enjoy an early sunset we headed over to the Valle de la Luna, where the view from the top of a sand dune was breathtaking.

Tuesday we got up and rented some snowboards to try our way at Sandboarding, a sport that involves walking up dunes in the Valle de la Muerte to slide down on the snowboards. If you have ever walked along a sandy beach you’ll know how tiring it is, so this activity was truly exhausting, but a whole lot of fun. While I never really mastered the techniques of steering, I did enjoy my time completing part 1 of what my host brother called “Chile Extreamo”! For a relaxing afternoon we went driving out to local

pools in the desert, filled with very salty water. They were a beautiful contrast to the salt flat surrounding area, although we decided not to go swimming. One was even home to flamingos, and was encircled by an area filled with salt rocks, a phenomena I’ve never experienced before. The evening was equally exciting, as we participated in an astronomical tour of the Southern night sky. The desert hardly has clouds, so we could see the entire curve of the sky for miles, and the stars were extremely bright. Our guide was very entertaining, so I did learn a lot about astronomy, while also looking through high-powered microscopes at some beautiful astronomical body that I didn’t know at all!

Wednesday I went as high in altitude as I have been in my life (on land)! We embarked an on extremely bumpy drive up to the altiplanos of Chile to see the local hot springs and geysers. On the way up we were privileged to views of the local wildlife, especially the vicuñas (Mandy’s favorite). After having seen Yellowstone the geysers were nothing special but being at a new altitude gave breathtaking (literally) views. Due to a lot of head-jostling we spent the evening relaxing, enjoying the heat of day and bundling up a lot for the cold night.

Thursday we headed back to Santiago, and spent the afternoon exploring the downtown area, including the Teatro Municipal, Museo de Bellas Artes, and others. I also enjoyed my first chorrillana, which was simply delicious!

Friday presented a trip to Cajon de Maipu for some hiking in the gorgeous Andes. It was very snowy and slippery on the way up, but the views were definitely worth the work. Due to the fact that we were in the Andes mountains, we celebrated by snacking on some Andes mint-chocolate candies! 

 Saturday we traveled to Easter Island, a flight with the fabulous LAN Airlines. Getting there fairly late in the evening we only had daylight to explore briefly, but we managed to see some of the famous Moai along the coast. Sunday provided us with a better opportunity to see even more Moai, including some that were still in the process of being carved out of the side of the volcano when the peoples decided to stop creating these giant statues. While I’m still convinced that the original settlers of Easter Island needed a hobby really bad, the figures were cool to look at and explore in more depth. 

Weeks 19+20

Wow. First of all, 20 weeks! That seems like sooooo much, and yet it all just flew by. I now have officially less than a month left in South America, and I know it's going to be gone in the blink of an eye. However, like the rest of the semester, I plan to enjoy it to the fullest and see and experience as much as possible.

The middle of week 19 was a sad time, as it was the end of my time with all the amazing people and friends I met through IES. We had our good-bye dinner on July 4th, which meant going to an American restaurant with red, white, and blue decorations, and singing the National Anthem in the most gringo way possible! While dinner was average, the dessert was phenomenal, as were the toasts thanking everyone who made our (the students) time in Chile unforgettable and life-changing. For those of you who are reading my blog, I miss you! Chile just isn't the same without you-thank you for making my time here so truly extraordinary.

 

Wednesday was also the day my friend Eric (from the United States) arrived in Chile. We had a trip to Patagonia (Southern Chile) planned together, and we left the next morning bright and early for Punta Arenas. There we were rewarded with wonderful seaside views of the small town and walks along a clear blue ocean. The town is the farthest South in Chile you can fly to, and is along the Magellan Strait, incorporating a lot of that history into the tourism available in the area. While there wasn't too much to do, we enjoyed the fresh (cold) air and the beautiful sights. A strange thing about being that far South is that the sun never seemed to fully rise: it was more like the sun rose to a certain point and then sank in the same point-weird, but definitely a cool thing to see. 

On Friday night a friend we met in Punta Arenas invited us to a traditional Chilean asado (BBQ) with him and some friends. It was super rico, with more than three different types of meat, all grilled over charcoal even as it was snowing outside! To assure that we'd return to these new friends again, the next morning we kissed the toe of a statue in the plaza principal of Punta Arenas, the legend being that those who do so will one day return. 

After worrying about my lips accidentally freezing to a statue in the middle of Punta Arenas, we traveled onto Puerto Natales, about three hours north and a portal to visit the Torres del Paine National Park. Our first day there we missed out on tours and, being Sunday, nothing was open, so we had a relaxing day exploring the town and seeing the local sights. The next day we embarked on a tour that brought us first to the Cueva de Milodon, followed by the park. The aforementioned cave is famous because a while back an explorer found the remains of a giant prehistoric creature there-a dinosaur called the Milodon-as well as other ancient creatures and humans. It was pretty cool to explore deep into the cave, and the difference in temperature between the inside of the sheltered cave and the world at large was stark. 

Following the cave, we piled into our van and headed toward the Torres del Paine National Park. Along the way we saw many beautiful landscapes, and even some condors, rabbits, foxes, and guanacos! (Similar to the llama, but they jump!) We were rewarded by views of the towers themselves over both a cristal blue lake as well as one that had an extremely high Ph and was a turquoise green/blue. Unfortunately we were unable to enter the park itself due to poor road conditions (much of the park and surrounding area shuts down during winter months) but it was still gorgeous and an unforgettable sight.

Upon returning to Santiago, I showed Eric around cerro Santa Lucia and to the center of the city, hitting sights like La Moneda. We also took a trip to the zoo on cerro San Cristobal before he left to go back to the US, which was a lot of fun!

Friday morning my family made it safely to Santiago, to start our 2 weeks of traveling together! So far we've shared many empanadas and stories, both about home and about my new home here. To give them a general idea of what Santiago is all about, we went on a "Free Tour" walking tour, with a spunky guide and a lot of good information. (For those who are going to travel to another country/city, this group is excellent, and I highly recommend them.) We also went to Pablo Neruda's house in Bellavista (my 3rd and final Neruda house!), to Campus Oriente, to visit my host family, and out to dinner with two of my tandem partners. After dinner I took my little sister Mandy on her first night-life experience, where we chatted at a bar for an hour before heading over to the infamous Galpon 9 for dancing! It was a ton of fun :) Today we headed out to San Pedro de Atacama for the next few days, and I can't wait to see what's in store!!!

For my regular readers, I just wanted to give you the heads-up that I'm traveling, and thus my blog posts may not be as consistent as they were during the semester. However, I plan to keep posting until I return to the US, so keep reading! 

Week 18

This week I found out just how blessed I am to have made the friends I have in Chile, and to be surrounded by such a loving host family. Monday, my birthday, I had made plans to meet with two Chilean friends, my tandem partners, for lunch. However, I was pleasantly surprised when they brought me a home-made manjar cake! If that wasn't enough, they also gave me some delicious wine and a framed picture of the three of us. (See top right picture of previous post.) It was an amazing way to start the day, and a wonderful surprise.

That evening, my host mom prepared a delicious meal, with a cheese and cracker spread beforehand. Jokingly she told me that I am now and adult, although I'm not sure if she was confused, as I was already of adult age in Chile, but still am not in the US...Either way it was really sweet, and my family gave me a necklace as a gift. It was a wonderful birthday :)

Tuesday night I set out for a trip that would take me through Valdivia and Concepcion. (My first solo trip!) Both are in Southern Chile, and thus have a lot of rain during the winter. Valdivia was my first stop, and when I got there in the morning, a beautiful river was my reward. In the morning I stopped first at the tourist information center, to get some ideas of places to visit. While being helped by the agent, a giant sea lion waddled past the window! There are a lot of sea lions in Valdivia, especially next to the fish market. While they are somewhat of a pest problem for locals, it was cool to see them. I then headed over to Isla Teja to check out a museum with a bunch of Mapuche artifacts and such.

As per the suggestion of a Chilean friend, for lunch I headed over to the semi-famous cafe Haussman to eat crudos. (There is a huge German influence in Valdivia, and the largest beer company, Kuntsman, has it's brewery in Valdivia.) Now crudos is an...interesting...food. As I found out, it is a slice of white wonder bread with a thin slab of raw meat (safe to eat, but really weird texture) and chopped, slightly sautéed onions on top. You can flavor it with anything from lemon to mayonaise to one of the many toppings the cafe provides, but I chose to eat it as quickly as possible and find some more familiar empanadas to fill up. (I was not a fan, to say the least.)

That afternoon I went on a boat tour of the rivers that surround the city, which included a tasting of artesian alcohols. After tasting it, I got a bottle of a raspberry concoction, to share. Thursday I was invited on a field trip with several friends I met the day before. (They are other university exchange students, studying tourism in Valdivia.) The trip included going to the Siete Lagos region and visiting three different tourist-y hotels and learning about the difficulties with running hotels in those areas. It was really interesting, as I've never stopped to consider these factors. Additionally, one of the hotels was super-bakan: it was called the "Montana Magica": see picture. The excursion also included some walks to waterfalls and similar natural wonders.

Friday I got to Concepcion, and decided to take a trip to the nearby town of Lota. The lifeblood and reason for existence of this town was the coal mine. While the mine is now open for tourism, there is little else in this coastal town that's worth seeing, so it is quickly falling into disrepair. I went on a tour of the mine, however, which was really, really neat. Unfortunately I couldn't understand everything the tour guide was saying (Southern Chile accents are really different and the people mumble a lot) there was a lot of interesting information about the mine and it's effect on the people of Lota, who were exploited horrendously by one of the richest (and thus most famous) families in Chile.

Following the mine I went to the park where the rich family had their mansion. Filled with exotic trees and complete with gorgeous views of the harbor, it was probably the most clean, natural, and relaxed area in all of Lota. A friend I met while on the tour invited me to go to a karaoke bar that night, so I had a nice carrete. Somehow I got the courage to go up on stage and sing a Shania Twain song for the crowd, which resulted in my winning a "prize"!



 Saturday I visited some of the areas of Concepcion, such as the Plaza Principal, a local lake, and a shopping district that has a beautiful lights display in the canopy. (See picture.) At the lake I was lucky enough to see and get pictures of a black-necked swan. These creatures are gorgeous, and almost always found in pairs, as they are monogynous and loyal to their mates their whole lives. (At least I'm pretty sure that's what the boat tour guide said...) It was a very relaxing trip, but fairly inconsequential.