Day 5: On the road again

Today was the ultimate test of patience and perseverance. Last night we found a perfect solution- an overnight bus to Arica and from there we would catch a 40 minute flight to La Paz that would put us there only 5 hours later than we had originally planned (a miracle, considering we were getting so desperate we started looking up flights back to Santiago...)

Sounds perfect, right?

Problem #1: We couldn’t book the tickets for the bus online because our cards are foreign. Imagine that, foreigners in Chile wanting to travel and book a bus from a hostel computer? The audacity! Nevertheless, we ran into similar problems in Santiago, and always resorted to going to the Tur Bus office to pay in person. Luckily we knew there was a Tur Bus office in San Pedro, so we were able to go right there to pay. Okay, fine, problem solved.

Problem #2: SKY (a South American airline based in Chile) ALSO wasn't accepting our cards BUT we used this airline to book our Buenos Aires trip that was less than a month ago. Some people in the hostel lamented that they had similar problems, but we couldn't figure out why! Calling them via the hostel phone wasn't an option because, apparently, they can only call in the San Pedro region. The girl working at the front desk overheard us though, and was nice enough to let us use her personal net-book to Skype call SKY. From this we learned that after 72 hours prior to the departure date- you cannot pay for a flight with a foreign credit card online. So, basically, if you are a foreign traveller like we are, and have to make a quick plan B (SKY has by far the cheapest rates!) you are screwed unless you can get to an actual SKY office. Thankfully, we were able to get to one by bus....two hours away in a town called Calama.

Problem #3: We made it to Calama fairly painlessly and with sufficient time to return back to San Pedro and pack before we had to catch the overnight bus. But when we went to pay for a return ticket to San Pedro,there was only one left. You have got to be kidding me. Deirdre bought it anyway as we knew the overnight bus stopped in Calama on the way to Arica. We figured I could wait here and she could somehow find a way to lug both her stuff and mine on the bus (a difficult feat- I was relatively packed but my bag is HEAVY...I'm still practising this whole "packing light" thing.) Seeing our panic stricken faces as we approached the bus, a worker approached us. We explained the situation- hoping we could plead our way to convince him to let me on the bus, even if it meant standing. He told us not to worry and relax (an increasingly common response from South Americans to us stressed out gringa's). He assured us that it wouldn't but a problem because the buses never fill up and that when the ticket collector comes around I can just pay in cash. I was still a little hesitant, but boarded anyway, and sat in an empty seat. Twice I had to move because I was in someones actual seat, and I held my breath as I moved in to my third seat which also happened to be the last empty seat on the bus. I breathed a sigh of relief once we exited the town- I assumed we wouldn't be picking anyone up in the middle of the desert.

And that has kind of been the theme of this entire trip, and in general, how I try to cope with stress in my life: just get to the next step. One step at a time.

Thankfully when the ticket collector came around he was more than happy to take cold hard pesos, but motioned that he would be right back, as he continued collecting tickets from the back of the bus....but he never did. When I exited the bus upon arrival he was nowhere to be found. I guess my luck was starting to turn around!

We made it in time to catch the overnight bus and we smoothly transitioned to the airport, which is where I sit now, scribbling in my notebook because reading when I am tired (whether it is early morning or late at night) puts me right to sleep. We should be in La Paz in a matter of hours, and I hope this city will bring us luck for the rest of our trip!

Day 4: Back to San Pedro

Unfortunately, Deirdre was still in no condition to roam through the desert, so we pleaded with the guides to bring us back, and after some confusion/reorganization, they very kindly obliged.

Such is life though- you can have everything planned to a tee and things can always come up. You have to roll with the punches, but also be your own advocate for your health, especially when you are travelling, and especially when you are, quite literally, in the middle of no where, miles and miles away from any sort of medical facilities.

I don`t know if this was the culprit for D, but keep in mind elevation when travelling. It is also essential to always have bottled water, tissues, medicine, and plastic bags, just in case!

We are working on Plan B tomorrow that will hopefully put us back on course to La Paz!

Day 3: On the road, er, desert, to Uyuni

So far no peanut butter in Uyuni but then again, we havent exactly been in civilization. Essentially, I`m writing this from the desert  where it is FREEZING cold right now.

Yes, I`m under several blankets, but of course, like always, my feet, despite the two pairs of socks I`m wearing, feel like icicles. I`m starting to think they have a personal vendetta against me. Yes, I get it, my entire body weight is on you all day, but you were covered in two pairs of socks and rain boots! (And yes, the irony that I was wearing rain boots in the desert was not lost on me, but it was easier than shoving them in my duffel). If anything my hands should be cold- they were exposed all day- but they`re nice and toasty.

I got so desperate I pulled out the hand-warmers (see feet, they`re not even for you!!!) that are at least five years old, as that is the last time I went skiing, which is a whole other kind of depressing...

Also, I`m not 100 percent sure if this IS the desert, because all we have seen so far.... is lakes. But maybe that is why they are special...they are oases? I think I read that somewhere...I really should know more about my current location...

...whatever, I`m blaming my memory loss on the altitude.

ANYWAY, we have seen many beautiful lakes and mountains but the real attraction will come at day 3 of the tour- the salt flats in Uyuni. Which means wifi and hot water! It also means the lovely 135 USD reciprocity fee we have to pay, as Americans, to enter Bolivia. If you ever plan on travelling to South America, be sure to check out how much it will cost you to enter each country. It is killer if you are American, but travellers from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have to fork over some cash, too. Here is how/why/how much: http://travel.state.gov/visa/fees/fees_3272.html

Deirdre isn`t feeling well at the moment, but I am praying it is just altitude sickness and she will be better tomorrow!!!

....and then this happened:





(photo coming soon!)

Day 2: San Pedro de Atacama

As I scribbled away in my notebook writing this post, I had the following saying in my head as I wrote "desert": only one "s" in desert, because you only want to go there once. two "s"`s in dessert, because you always want seconds! While I`m always up for dessert, it`s funny, I would certainly love to go back to this particular dessert.

We drove through this beautiful desert on the bus the way to San Pedro and to my surprise, promptly pulled into a bus station. We`re here!? It looked like a site for a tour, much less a town. Seeing no taxi`s, we lugged our gigantic duffel to our hostel- San Pedro Backpackers. It was hard to believe any type of establishment could exist in these small adobe-like buildings, but we found our hostel with no problem.

Check in was not until 12:30, so we locked up our stuff (travel tip: invest in bike locks to secure the duffel/backpack/suitcase to a larger nearby object, such as a bed, and use a gym lock for the zippers to close the bag. Look for ones with codes to memorize so you don’t have to worry about keeping track of keys).

We then walked into town to change money. Can you believe we spent nearly two hours trying to find Bolivianos (Bolivias currency, which we would need for our next step of our journey) in Santiago with no luck but nearly every place in teeny tiny San Pedro sold them.

We walked around an artisan market which never fails to suck me in. The colors! The wool! The ALPACAS!!! It is incredibly difficult not to buy every gorgeous hand made product you lay eyes on. Some of you though will reap the benefits of my shopping spree!

We got settled in our rooms and had a delicious salmon lunch followed by ice cream. I chose a flavor called chañar, mainly because it was the closet thing that resembled chocolate. However, I later learned at a museum that it was a very useful fruit for the indigenous people of the Atacama region.

We booked our three day tour to the salt flats of Uyuni that would commence the following day. We purchased the necessary supplies: toilet paper and three 10 galleon jugs of water (that`s right, we`re not in Santiago anymore- no drinking the tap water here!) and to my outrage what do I see but PEANUT BUTTER. Are you kidding me?!?! Do you know how hard we tried finding it in Santiago?! We eventually found it and stocked up before the trip, but I never imaged in a million years to see several giant sized Great Value brand peanut butter here.

If I see it in Bolivia I`ll just die.

Day 1: Bus to San Pedro

Annnnnnnd.....we`re off! After weeks of late night planning, our backpacking adventures through South America finally arrived!

First step: 24 hour bus ride.

Last time I did one of these I was a young and sprightly sophomore in college, on my way to do Katrina relief in Biloxi, Mississippi (ironically, the connections from that trip is what got me here). I was ready to be social the whole time, getting to know my fellow volunteers. This time, I had a different "s" word in mind: sleep.

And oh did I sleep!

It was like the past four months of running after buses and exerting energy not to explode while on crowded subways finally caught up to me. We were off on an amazing adventure and I knew lack of sleep would soon be in my future again, so I caught as many z`s as I could.

I partially saw the following movies: Jack Reacher, The Hobbit, and two others that I don`t remember. Definitely no the most exciting day, but it was a much needed break.

Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES

I’ve heard its been said that Buenos Aires is “the Paris of South America.” I can’t fairly judge that statement because I’ve never been to Paris but I can say that it was both a gorgeous and amazing city. My first impression upon arriving was that it reminded me a lot of Santiago: typical urban metropolitan with lots of traffic, tall building, and small parks amidst the roads. However, this view was also at about 5 a.m when we were on our way to our hostel, so my observational skills at the time were minimal at best. When we awoke from our “nap” around 8:00 a.m, we had the beautiful view of the Capitol building nearby to remind us, we certainly weren’t in Santiago anymore!

However, exploring the city had to wait until that afternoon- as we had a very important adventure to attend to. Nearly 3 months ago, Deirdre’s sister Erin sent her a link on Facebook about this absurd zoo that lets you pet, yes pet, lions and tigers. It seemed like such a long shot at the time, yet here we were: tickets in hand, on our way to Lujan Zoo. To pet tigers. And lions. And feed bears. Have I mentioned that I used to be afraid of dogs? And that I leave the room when my house cat looks at me weirdly?

Needless to say, my heart was pounding when we were in line to pet the tiger. But then I remembered that animals can sense your fear, and that inspired a whole new wave of panic. My internal conflict sure made time fly though, because before I knew it there we were. Petting the tiger, and posing with it for pictures like it was the Easter Bunny.

With adrenaline pumping through me, we headed to the next line- this time snow tigers. It wasn’t as scary because they were asleep, but that also required kneeling down, and the images I had in my head of accidentally tripping, falling on them, and the subsequent sounds of teeth sinking, flesh ripping and screaming weren’t pretty (I have dreams, no, nightmares about these things as it is!!). Thankfully my feet didn’t betray me and I left the cage alive and well.

Next up was the lions, where we strolled with Mufasa and posed with Sarabi. The wait for this one was super long, and the crazy thing was, that by the time we did such strolling and posing, the novelty that I was touching these animals, let alone in an enclosed space with them, began to ware off. It felt pretty routine at this point. Okay Deirdre you go first, then switch cameras, Amy your up. It stopped feeling like we were doing anything remotely dangerous, but I guess to everyone else, the pictures speak for themselves.

We had a bit of a reality check with the baby lion cubs however. They were much less willing to cooperate, and thus many of our pictures included a worker coaxing the lion to sit still by offering it a piece of chicken. One of them actually tried to take a little nip at Amy, but other than some snot on her sweatshirt, she was completely fine. Gross- but how many people can respond to the question “What’s that stain?” with “oh, just some baby lion boogers.”

Baby tigers were next, and they were every bit as cute and slightly more cooperative. We also were able to feed a BEAR and elephant, and ride a camel. Llamas frequently strutted their stuff past us, and the geese serenaded us with song (aka screeched constantly).

We had some time to rest and explore a little before the next event: a tango show! Our original show had to be canceled but the company we booked with got us tickets with an even nicer (and would have been more expensive!) venue and we were charged nothing extra. We also received dinner before the show, which consisted of an appetizer of our choice, delicious steak and steak fries, dessert, and complimentary wine! I wish I could have taken pictures of the show, because everything, the dancers, the music, and the singers was beautiful.

With music still playing in our head, we set out to find a “Milonga”- essentially a tango club where everyday people come to dance the tango. Unfortunately the leads we had from the hostel weren’t open that evening, and though we found a 40+ club, we settled for a typical dance club (that we were oh so generously allowed to enter in for free, #gringaprivilege) that was OPENING at 1 a.m as we were passing by. We took advantage of a few two for one specials and danced the night away.

The next day we slept in a little and did a walking tour of the city at 11 a.m. We saw some great historical sites including the Capitol and Casa Rosada (the “pink house”- the equivalent of our white house).

 Our tour guide was great- if you ever travel abroad definitely look into whether there are free tours. These guys operate solely on tips and are always great; I’ve only done a few but I’ve yet to be disappointed! It was interesting in particular how proud yet humble our tour guide was about Argentinian’s. For example, she talked about Avenida 9 de Julio- supposedly the widest avenue in the world. However, she told us with a smile the Brazil has the actual widest road, but added jokingly, that it’s a highway so it doesn’t count!

After the tour I stopped for a bite to eat, and then went to the Museo de Bellas Artes (fine arts museum). It was much smaller than I though it would be, but had some great pieces (no photos allowed though, sorry guys).

We ended the day with an evening night tour. This one went to a few more sites in the city, but focused heavily on quirky cultural facts.  Some interesting facts include:

-The people of Buenos Aires are called “porteños”, because it is a “port city”

-Their health care system offers the option for private and public health care (hmmm, imagine that!). Interestingly though, the private companies offer a host of benefits – among them, one free plastic surgery a year. I’m sorry, what?! On a more practical note, they also offer free psychological services, so the stigma about going to shrink is nonexistent, since everyone goes to the psychologist. Interesting. I’d love to research the effects/benefits of this. No wonder people seemed so happy there!

-The story about Evita’s body….is too gruesome to post here. It’s a pretty twisted story, but I’ll gladly tell you when I’m home!

-Going out for coffee is a social event- not something to take to go. Our guide guaranteed us that if we saw someone with a coffee in one hand on the street, he or she would either have a map or camera in the other. And this is exactly what Amy and I had done the previous day. No wonder all the vendors kept approaching us offering tours!

-If you want a hot chocolate, ask for a “submarino”. You receive a glass of warm milk and a little chocolate bar shaped like a submarine that you dunk in the milk. So much cooler than Swiss Miss and their fake little marshmallows.
-There is a clock tower in Argentina nicknamed by some “little Big Ben”, because it resembles, though to a much smaller degree, Big Ben, and was given to Argentina as a gift from the British

 -If you drink from a fountain that was given to Argentina from Spain, you will supposedly return to Argentina

-This one I found out the previously night, but wine is ridiculously cheap- even cheaper than Santiago! I purchased a bottle for around  the equivalent of a dollar.

Before we called it a night, Deirdre and I couldn’t help it- we wanted to see a gosh darn Milonga….even if it meant watching 50 year olds dance. But man, they were good! No one missed a beat- they started together, stopped together, and watching both the men and women subtly and silently communicate their desire to dance with each other was like watching an animalistic mating ritual. And every single woman was wearing heels. They certainly put me to shame, sitting there in my flat boots with visions in my head of curling up into bed. But I couldn’t take my eyes off them. It is certainly something you seldom see in America, but I think that’s quite unfortunate because it was beautiful to see such culture incarnate. Plus they all just looked so happy.

Our last day in B.A we were up bright and early, ready to explore El Tigre, a tourist town located on the Paraná Delta. We had signed up for a tour that included a boat tour, an asado, and two “adventure activities” of our choice (for us- horseback riding and rowing). There were some complications throughout the day in the form of misinformation/scheduling (the boat “tour” was actually just a boat “taxi” [which on another note, is kind of cool. It picks people up along a river and takes them to whatever dock or port they need to get off at] to get to the site, and left hours later than we thought it would), but we made it there and back in one piece. As cheesy as it sounds, it was so nice to get away from the city for a day and just enjoy nature. Having grown up in a suburban/rural area, I’ve been dying to live in a big city. And while I’ve enjoyed Santiago immensely, it was nice to have a touch of home.

We took another little “nap” when we got back, got ourselves up and to the airport by 4, and made it back to Santiago by 8:30 or so, and still made it to our classes on Monday. What can I say, we’re pros.

Having said that…check in with me after 28 days straight  of traveling that commences in ONE WEEK…and then I’ll reevaluate that statement again!

PUCÓN

PUCON

Weekend trip #3: April 11^th to April 14^th. Deidre and I kept our trend of taking a weekend trip every other weekend (though this trip also concluded that trend, when our bank accounts told us to calm down on the spontaneity and adventure- for another month or so at least). One day at the office, we heard a group of girls talk about their amazing trip to a place south of Santiago called Pucón. I hung on to every word as they recalled how they took amazing hikes, soaked in natural hot springs, and climbed a VOLCANO.

This volcano, in fact.

I looked at my friend Amy- and we were sold. We were originally going to plan the trip for the weekend of April 4-7, but as we literally just got back from Valparaiso, we figured we should spend a little more time in Santiago before we traipse off again. That is the great thing about living in this city though- it is fairly easy to do just that- buy a round trip bus ticket, book a cheap hostel online, and take off for the weekend. The bus tickets round trip came to about only $50 USD, and the hostel was super cheap as well. It was fairly small, but cabin like and cozy and the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. If anyone goes there, I highly recommend it: http://www.hostalelrefugio.cl/en. They had two options for sleeping: either in the dorms or double rooms (which were a little pricier) or tents outside (the cheaper option). Feeling adventurous, Deirdre and I opted to stay in the tent. We consulted with the girls who went before us and they recommended it. In addition, one of the girls from our company actually WORKED at that hostel before finding a job with TLC (the lang. co) and she assured us that we would be warm enough and our belongings would be safe there. They had lockers in the tent and there were multiple down comforters on the bed, and they gave us a hot water bottle to use! For someone who is ALWAYS cold at night I was worried, but it was actually really comfortable!

To get there, we took an overnight bus with the company Tur Bus. So on Thursday night around 10, Deidre, Amy, Amy’s boyfriend John (who was visiting from Canada) and I took the metro about 8 stops or so. The bus “station” was literally connected to the subcentro, so we waited right there for a little while until our bus rolled in at 11. This was also quite a comfortable experience- they had “semicamas” (cama=bed), which meant the seats reclined a great deal. The bus also had T.Vs that aired a movie, and breakfast snacks in the morning. They even had someone come around and place a pillow behind our head and a blanket on us, stopping just short of tucking us in. South America- I’m impressed!

We rolled into our hostel around 9 but unfortunately couldn’t check in our rooms- er, um, tent- until the afternoon. However this gave us time to talk with the staff and plan our weekend. We originally wanted to hike the park Herquehue Friday, climb the Volcano Saturday, and relax and soak in the hot springs on Sunday. This didn’t quite go as planned. We were unable to make the bus that left for Herquehue in time, so we had to push that to a later date. Also, the hostel runs the tours for the Volcano, and they only do it when the weather cooperates. Unfortunately this meant we had to do the Volcano on Sunday, our last day in town. We decided to do Herquehue on Saturday and check out the hot springs that night. We hopped to go horseback riding too, but alas, that tour was already full.

So we explored the town a little and took in the fresh air our lungs so craved after being smoggy Santiago for so long. The town is so quaint- it reminds me a lot of the Adirondacks in upstate New York. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant that was recommended to us by the staff, and ordered Cazuela- a typical Chilean soup. It’s made with a light chicken broth, beef, lots of veggies (a quarter of a corn on the cob, carrots, potatoes, and others). Oh, and cilantro. Lot’s of cilantro. A little much for my liking, but other than that the soup was good. Not my favorite dish ever, but in that moment it hit the spot. We also had sopapilla- fried delicious bread- then, which sparked a subsequent (though unfortunate in regards to how my jeans have been fitting!!!) obsession.
 

Our journey to the hot springs was interesting. The bus driver didn’t quite know where we were going, despite our attempts to explain. We certainly ended up at a beautiful location with hot pools of water- but the fact that it was more expensive than we were told it would be and the presence of lockers and showers pretty much indicated that it was a spa. But hey- who’s a girl to turn down a hot tub?! And MAN was it HOT! It was almost a little unsettling at first, but once I adjusted I absolutely loved it. There was a nearby pool that was a little cooler, so when it did become a little much with the sun beating down too, we would switch back and forth.

After we arrived back at the hostel, Deirdre and I began our quest for one of our favorite things- finding somewhere to go out to dinner. We asked several people where we could find good salmon- yet we were so hungry we literally stopped at the first Italian restaurant we saw. Hey- it’d been a long time since we had good pasta- ya know, higher quality than the cheapest brand of spaghetti Lider (aka Chile’s walmart) has to offer. It was a really cute place- clearly a family run business as two teenagers brought us to the table and picked up their pace when their adult family members returned. They even had Friends on the TV! Dinner itself was a little strange though. We were literally the only ones there, on a Friday night at 8 p.m. Thus, we could hear the microwave ding. Yes, you heard that correctly, they heated up our food in the microwave, and unfortunately, you could tell. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no chef, but when you go out to eat you just don’t expect that. Then after they served us, the entire large family proceeded to sit down and have something like a family dinner of their own. It led us to wonder if they were really open, and we felt a little bit like intruders.

When we returned to the hostel we played some cards with Amy and John, which I recommend that no one ever do if you want to retain any ounce of dignity you have, because, as everyone in our program knows, Amy is a hardcore CARD SHARK! It’s always the quiet ones…. But seriously, when I stopped her from “shooting the moon” or doing something dangerous and complicated sounding when playing Hearts I though this seemingly sweet little French Canadian girl was going to cut me!!!

Copihue- Chile's national flower

We were up bright and early to catch a bus Saturday morning for Parque Herquehue. It is a rather large park and consequently long hike, but with beautiful forests and views of lakes. We didn’t do nearly all of it as we wanted to conserve some energy for the Volcano the following day, but we still had a great time. We saw lots of animals along the way too, and had to exert great strength not to take these three little kittens home with us. Luckily John was there to be the heartless soul who scarred the cats enough so they would eventually give up following us and return home.

We had a meeting at the hostel in the evening for everyone who planned to climb the Volcano the following day. It was a little nerve wracking, as we essentially had to sign our life away in case anything happened, but the instructors seemed very friendly and gave us detailed instructions about what would happen the following day.

Basically we had to get up at the crack of dawn and meet in the hostel lobby to wait for the tour guides to arrive. Then they handed out gear, and we tried our shoes and backpacks on to make sure everything was a good fit. We loaded up our snacks and water in our bags, and hit the road. Nearly everyone slept on the way there, but when we finally arrived, the majestic sunrise over the mountains woke me up, and a rush of adrenaline replaced the butterflies that were previously fluttering away inside me. Here we are, let’s do this.

We made our way to the base of the Volcano, and here came the first fork in the road: take the chairlift for 7,000 CLP ($14 USD) or an additional couple of hours up the steepest part of the mountain. Several people we talked to about the Volcano advised us to just take the chair lift as the energy we would save would be well worth it. So while a few of the fitter members of the group opted to climb their way up to meet us, Deirdre, John, Amy, and I enjoyed a nice smooth ride up a significant part of the mountain and the beautiful views it allowed. Okay, perhaps that was a little generous. We basically sat as still as statues with our gear on our laps, because unlike normal ski lifts, this one did not have a safety bar, so one wrong move, splat, you’re a volcano pancake.

The view from this point was even more beautiful, but we had little time to enjoy it as our guides were eager to begin the hike. After resituating a little, we began our ascent. For the first hour or so we made a couple stops periodically, and I thought to myself, okay, so far so good, this isn’t bad at all. However, we later learned this was definitely not the precedent for the rest of the hike, it was more of an opportunity to adjust clothing as the weather conditions changed rapidly.

The last leg of the hike was by far the hardest. We hiked for what felt like hours, though in reality it was probably little more than an hour straight. The wind made it especially difficult- people were literally blowing over and falling down (my knees were scarified many times because of this). Several songs were running through my head at time, among them “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming” and “put one foot in front of the other”. It’s amazing how a task like this focuses you. While the wind was blowing at my face, my nose was incessantly running, and my stomach was starting to rumble, the entirety of my mental capacities was focused on doing exactly what those songs said. Keep going. Left foot, right foot. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally stopped for a lunch break. Everyone huddled around some large rocks to sit while they ate- but frankly, the ten extra feet to get to said rock was out of the question for me. I literally plopped down and sat on my backpack in the middle of the snow. No Amy I don’t want to come over and sit with you to eat. I love you, I’m sorry, but I’m NOT moving!!! No tour guide I don’t care that my snow pants are getting wet!!!!

Once I had some peanut butter in me, my mood improved, and after readjusting my gear I took and posed for some great pictures. I’m sure you’re tired of hearing me say how beautiful the view was, so rather than try to consult a thesaurus in vain, I’ll just show you:

Everyone stopping for a much deserved break.

Some random commercial or marketing company also tried to interview me, once in English then again in Spanish, both of which we equally interesting, seeing as how I still had difficulty walking and breathing.

However, after I was fed and rehydrated my adrenaline perked back up a litte. This was it, I thought, the last part until we get to the crater! To see actual lava! Okay then, why aren’t we going? Why are all the tour guides just standing there talking. When I asked why we weren’t going, he sighed exasperatedly to indicate his frustration at my apparent lack of listening (okay- did he not realize the necessities of wallowing in my exhaustion/eating/drinking/posing for pictures? Those were very time consuming activities.) He pointed to a man at the top of the mountain who literally was billowing in the wind.

This pretty much said it all- no ascent to the crater today. The weather conditions were such that it wouldn’t be safe to do so. Not only was it extremely windy, but apparently it was also very icy at the top. Seeing my disappointed face, he said with annoyance that it is a serious matter and that people have died before when the conditions weren’t safe. Clearly I had the utmost respect for their abilities and knowledge, and I had no interest in falling in a crater, but I couldn’t deny my disappointment. Those who have reached the top described the views and experience as unbelievable. And we just climbed up for hours up this mountain, only to turn around now. But, such is life. I reveled in the view and the amount we had already accomplished that day and resolved I would find another mountain to climb, start to finish, that may or may not include a crater at the top.

When we got back into the shuttles to take us back to the hostel, I couldn’t believe it was only 1 pm. Are you kidding me?!? We were only hiking for a couple of hours!? While it was a huge slice of humble pie to learn this, it was nice to know we had the rest of the day to relax and enjoy the town before our overnight bus took off. Our tour guides asked if we would like some adult beverages on the way back, but I thought they were kidding as no one really responded. However, they certainly came through. After we returned our gear at the hostel we saw several one liter bottles of Escudo, a popular Chilean beer, on the picnic table. Well don’t mind if I do! It was pretty cool of them to provide this for free, and after the hike we had we certainly deserved it!

Some of our awesome guides!

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, and watched the sunset on the lake. If anyone reading this ever goes to Chile, I can’t recommend Pucón enough! It reminds me so much of the Adirondacks, and after spending so much time living and working in a big city, it was great to get away.

Just be ware of eruptions….

….just kidding!

Viña and Valpo

Valparaíso y Viña del Mar: March 28-31

Day 1: Adiós Santiago, Hola Valpo.

The day we left for our trip was quite a whirlwind. We knew when we came back we wouldn’t be living in our hostel anymore (Deirdre [her blog is here. Check out her entry “Easter weekend family vacation” for what is most likely a much more detailed entry than this, she is much more timely with her blog than me!!] was moving into Nelly’s and I would be staying with friends until the second bedroom in Nelly’s house would be free two weeks later). So not only did we have to pack for the long weekend, we had to pack up ALL our belongings, lock them up, and pray they stayed safely bike locked to the hostel bunk beds while we were gone (don’t worry- they were).

Once we were all set to go, we shoved our duffels over our shoulders, and made our way down Vicuña Mackenna (the street the hostel was on) to metro Baqedano. From there we were faced with our first challenge- switching lines to get to the stop Sandra agreed to meet us at. It seemed fairly simple, get off at Los Heroes, and switch to the yellow line until we arrived at Cementerios. Only we blew right past that stop and arrived at the following one- Einstein. Dazed and confused, we kept trying to ask people how it was we missed the stop- but they only were kept making references to “green line” and “red line”. But we were on the yellow line!!!! I found out later as someone tried to explain to me that during rush hour, certain lines only stop at certain points to make commuting faster. Apparently it depends on what specific train you get on in regards to whether it will stop at “green” stops, “red” stops, or estación communes (stops where all trains stop- basically red/green). It’s very confusing because there is also the green LINE and red LINE- totally different from this system. I still don’t think I fully understand it…

Anyway, Sandra’s husband (well, former husband. We found out later they are separated) Juan Eduardo found us despite our navigation troubles and drove us to their house. We packed up the car, picked up the older daughter Lia from a friend’s house and we were off. It was nearly midnight when we finally arrived. The family has their own apartment there- so moving in for the weekend went very smoothly. Once we finished though we were all tired and hungry and, just in time, Juan Eduardo introduced us to “picoteo”- it’s basically a little mini meal- similar in nature to appetizers. Much to our delight we found out later this prelude would be a common feature in our meals.

Day 2: Exploring Valpo

Friday we slept in late and had a late breakfast of coffee and toast. Juan Eduardo was not feeling well, so Sandra took her daughters (Lia and Valeria) and Deirdre and myself out to show us some key sights in Valpo. It is a very interesting city. It is undeniably beautiful in many regards- the houses are all different colors and is a photographers dream come true. However, it is also a bit rundown and dirty in parts.

Even much of the graffiti, though, is quite beautifully done. We took a little trolley car up a hill to get a better view, which led to a whole host of artisan markets  or “ferías”.

Because our breakfast was so light Sandra suggested we stop for a “tentenpie”- a quick meal when you’re out to keep you on the go, or literally, on your feet. It was simple but delicious- coffee or tea and cookies- one of my favorite combinations! Sandra and Juan Eduardo had already been quite financially generous- so I resisted the urge to order a latte and opted for a more affordable- “Americano”- which I later found out was a euphemism for “weak coffee”. I take offense to that, Chile!! It was quite funny to see little Valeria drink down a latte though!

We stopped back to the house for a delicious lunch of fish, rice, vegetables, and white wine. After we went back out and shopped at some more affordable souvenir stands (you’ll all just have to wait and see what you get!). We met up with some family members of Sandra, had a pre-dinner cocktail at a very quaint restaurant that overlooked the city, and had dinner back at the apartment with them. Much of the conversation was lost on me- but Juan Eduardo, who was feeling better by this point, always made a point to keep me included by switching into English occasionally and encouraging me to use my Spanish, and for that I was very grateful. Everyone in that family is incredibly kind. It melted my heart watching little Vale salsa dance with Juan Eduardo. It made me miss my family but I was so grateful to be in such loving company.

Day 3: Valpo Continued and Viña del Mar

We were happy to learn that Juan Eduardo was feeling much better and would therefore be accompanying us on our adventures this morning!

We explored one of Pablo Neruda's houses.

And learned about the Congreso Nacional de Chile.

We weren’t sure what the plans were for the rest of the day, as Sandra had mentioned we would go to Viña del Mar today. The older daughter Lia ended up taking us there (a short bus ride) and gave us a little tour. The weather wasn’t exactly ideal for this beach town- much too cold for swimming and uncharacteristically cloudy (at least compared to the way Santiago had been thus far), but we still managed to take lots of pictures (Lia was so patient with us!) and had a great time. I managed to stick my feet in the Pacific ocean for the first time, and nearly lost my shoes from the tide in the process! The sunset was beyond gorgeous, and we found some DELICIOUS churros! Reunited at last! We also shopped at another fería and I bought some more great gifts and souvenirs.

We went out for a late dinner once we returned from Viña, which was a fun way to spend out last night here. It was called El Cinzano and was a really cool place. The decorations were great and there was live music- always a plus. We had to wait awhile, which was funny because it was nearly 11 pm! The food was more than worth it though. I had a delicious salmon dish and tried some of the clams Sandra and Juan Eduardro recommended, “machas a la parmesana”. Delicious!

Day 4:

Happy Easter! We awoke bright and early (okay- 10 am) for an Easter Egg hunt! We were warned the night before this would be happening- and Vale in particular warned she would bring her a-game! However, we were all a little lackadaisical as we hunted for our “huevitos” (little chocolate eggs- basically the main source of Easter candy here. I don’t believe the Easter Basket tradition that is common in the United States is as common here) especially since there were so many!! However- a girl’s gotta have her chocolate- so like the other’s I loaded up! I indulged in a few with breakfast- man were they good! I couldn’t help but think back to Easter 2006 when I was also away from family. It was over the week I went to Spain on my high school trip, and where this whole traveling bug was sparked. While I missed my family a lot, I managed to talk to my parents briefly given the grace of the app Viber, and I thought about how grateful I was to have this opportunity and how lucky I was to spend Easter with such a kind family.

After breakfast we packed up the car and headed back to Santiago. We briefly stopped at a relatives house, and then stopped at a well known restaurant for lunch. We had to wait a little while- but man was it worth it! Juan Eduardo ordered a delicious steak dish for us, and we shared French fries, ensalada chilena, pebre, and warm soft delicious bread. Definitely different from my usual Easter dinner, but wonderful nonetheless.

I can’t stress again how lucky I was to spend this weekend in such good company. As it is my first time on a long term trip abroad, I underestimated how lonely it can be on holidays when you miss your family, and Sandra, Juan Eduardo, Lia and Vale took Deirdre and me in with open arms. Hopefully we will get to see them again before the end of our trip to attempt to repay their kindness!

Livin' on a Prayer...We're Half Way There

¡Hola a todos!

Yes I am still alive and well here in Santiago, Chile. I know it has been a very long time since I have written, but the past month here has been a whirlwind! It’s hard to believe the half way point in my time in Chile is just days away (May 15^th). On one hand I can’t believe how fast the time is going, on the other hand, the past month, at times, has felt like years!

As many of you know, Deirdre and I have had our fair share of housing troubles here. The goal when we came here was to live together with a host family, or at least other Chileans to get the full cultural experience. Little did we know that when we arrived in the beginning of March (roughly the equivalent of the beginning of September for us season-wise, back to school and all) EVERYONE would be looking to rent apartments. We quickly realized the host family situation would likely not work out, as there were very few options available and we needed to be near la línea roja (the red line on the metro) to get to work everyday, which made looking for an apartment a better option. We consulted countless CompartoDepto, Craiglist and newspaper ads and sent message upon messages with no luck. Either there would only be one room available, the pictures wouldn’t match the actual place, or, surprise, it’s no longer available (take your darn ad down then!!!!).

Eventually we moved in with a Chilean woman and her daughter who were renting two rooms, and May 15 will mark me staying here for one month. However, this day will also mark the day we move into a different apartment. Many of you know the silly story about why, so I won’t go into detail. Let’s just say we have a lot of recipes planned for next week!

I’ve also had a bit of personal bad luck within the last month as well. I got my debit card “eaten” by an ATM here. Ironically, I was trying to take out a large sum of money for my security deposit for the first apartment when this happened. Apparently I had gone over my allotted limit that I could withdraw for the day, and thus when the transaction was completed no pretty pesos came popping out. I was familiar with the concept of the withdraw limit, having an ATM in Patagonia tell me very clearly on the screen that I reached the limit. However, I saw no such message this time, so I kept double checking to make sure the money wasn’t in the little box (they warned us that sometimes people manipulate the ATMS to make it “hide” the money) all while the screen keep telling me to take my card. No I won’t take my card!!! I had thought the transaction was processed and that my money should still be on its way and that if I took my card, the transaction would end and leave me without money. Well, that was the worst possible thing I could do, because, as a security measure, if you don’t take your card quickly enough, the machine will take it so someone else can’t come by and swipe it. I knew nothing about this at the time, so there went my card. I had a slight glimmer of hope as the screen told me to go to the nearest Santander Bank (I was using a Santander ATM in a gas station) to get it back. As it was Sunday night, I knew it would have to wait until tomorrow. I enlisted the help of the Teaching Chile program coordinator, and she called first to see if it would even be there, but was doubtful as she has only heard of cards being destroyed immediately when this happens, and sadly she was right.

But, after some panic, I realized it’s the 21^st century and I’m living in a big urban center- clearly these things happen and thus there are solutions. I called my bank to make sure money I attempted to take out wasn’t actually charged on my account, and thankfully it was not. In hindsight, I don’t remember the ATM asking if it could apply the $3 CLP fee to process the transaction, so that was a sign that it didn’t go through, even though I never got the message that the limit was reached- I guess all ATMs are different. I had them place a hold on the account just in case, and they sent my parents a new card which they in turn express mailed here, and within a week and a half I had a new card! However- I still needed money for rent! Like- right then! So after talking with some friends I realized Western Union was my best bet. It allows you to wire money internationally. The only slightly annoying part was that I had to write and sign a letter to my Dad giving him permission to take the money out of my checking account so he could wire it to me. Thankfully I was still at the hostel at the time, and they were extremely helpful with allowing me to use their scanner and fax machine for this, and had a service to make international calls free via a Skype application on the landline phone. Within the next day or two, I went to a Western Union location called Chileexpress and had the money safely in my hands.

I had about a month grace period until, of all nights, the night of my birthday. I had a great night with some friends eating a taste of home for dinner from Applebee’s (boneless wings and cheesy chicken penne pasta) with CHURROS for desert (how funny to see that on the menu at Applebee’s!). Then we went dancing at one of my favorite clubs: Club Urban. On the way back though near the crowded Baquedano metro area, a very clever thief ran by and literally cut my wristlet OFF my wrist. Thank God he didn’t cut ME by accident and that my house key was attached to the part that remained on my wrist. It’s my own fault for not having a better hold on it, but Chile also had one of the highest rates of petty crime in South America. Nothing violent at all- in terms of actual violence it is by far the safest country on the continent, but pickpockets and thieves thrive here- several people from our program have had similar experiences. So that clearly put a damper on my birthday- I had to cancel my card AGAIN, replace my Chilean phone, and when I go home I will have to get a new license. But there was nothing of real value thank goodness- no electronics and no money other than a few 100 peso coins (worth twenty cents in USD).

But still- all I can do is chalk it up to experience. I have a much tighter hold on my purses and bags now- who knows, if this didn’t happen I could still be as lax as I was and someone could have made off with my entire purse at any time. I learned that my bank is literally available 24/7 and that if you call via Skype it’s free! (And this is true for calling any 800 number with Skype, fyi.) I had the experience of finding and purchasing a new Chilean phone, which was a little awkward with my still developing Spanish but great practice and a confidence booster once I left with it in my hand. And I never really liked my license picture anyway.

There are definitely days here when I think why. I could be in my nice air conditioned car right now cruising along to work with steady hours and a much fatter paycheck instead of sweating while speedwalking to class and praying the buses cooperate. I could be coming home, relaxing with my family and not having to worry about budgeting enough money for food/rent/my metro card (which I also had to replace, but it cost the equivalent of $2 USD). I could be using my trusty GPS to guide me to new places instead of the precarious google maps and transantiago bus guides.

But at home I can’t practice Spanish everyday with actual Spanish speakers. I don’t have that feeling of excitement when I’m rushing through crowds of people to get to the metro or bus. I can’t casually go off to Viña del Mar, Valparaíso or Pucón for the weekened (that blogpost is coming soon too, I promise) and I certainly can’t take in the breath-taking cites of the Andes every morning or see the beautiful view of the city lit up in lights every night.

I know even while I am still here that this trip has had and will continue to have a profound effect on me. I don’t necessarily “feel” different now, but I think I’m starting to see things with a greater sense of clarity. I used to stress so much about every. little. thing. I felt like I had to do and see and be everything all at once right now, and if there is anything I’ve learned from Chilean lifestyle, is that it’s okay to SLOW DOWN. You can’t see the good things right in front of you if you’re always racing towards the finish line.

 I have about a month and a half like in Santiago, and then Deirdre and I and possibly our friend Amy are planning on spending our last three weeks traveling. I’m compiling a “bucket list” about the things I want to do here that is still in the works…but here are some things I’ve done so far that quite Chilean:

-Experienced a “terremoto”! This means “earthquake” in Spanish, and is also the name of a rather strong adult beverage. I quite enjoyed the latter, but as for the actual earthquake…I slept through it! There has only been one so far since March so I’m hoping to at least feel another small one (I know- what a thing to wish for). Though I was aware of it on some level. I woke up because I felt like someone jumped on my bed but assumed it was just a dream. I went back to sleep and then proceeded to have two dreams about earthquakes: one where I experienced one and one where I was back home and lamenting the fact that I didn’t feel one at all here. How weird is that!

-Went to an “asado”. It essentially is a BBQ here and most commonly happens on Saturday nights. Deirdre and I met a woman on our Patagonia trip who invited us to her house the following weekend. We had delicious carne and chorizo (steak and sausage), ensalada chilena (tomato and onion- don’t even get me started on how obsessed I am with onion now), pebre (a salsa like spread), rice, a typical green salad, and, of course, pisco sour to drink (a VERY Chilean drink which is made from a type of pisco- a type of liquor that is technically a brandy and similar to wine and made form grapes-  lemon juice and sugar. Some people also use a raw egg to make it “frothy” but thankfully our generous hosts did not- no salmonella please!) After dinner we enjoyed a typical Chilean dessert called Mote con Huesillo. It’s an interesting drink consisting of a sweet nectar-like liquid from a peach with the remain of a dried peach in it and husked wheat at the bottom. We then had dulce de leche ice cream (very similar to caramel, but made from condensed sweetened milk, hence the name, though it is also known as “manjar”). This was much more extravagant than a typical “asado” but it was absolutely amazing.

-Climbed Cerro San Cristóbol! At the top is a statue of the Virgin Mary that can be seen from pretty much anywhere in Providence as she is lit up at night. Consequentially, you can see all of Providence from the top, and the view is breathtaking.

-Experienced a variety of nights out in Bellavista, Santiago’s bohemian “barrio” (neighborhood) that has lots of great nightlife including restaurants, cafes, bars and “discotecas” if you’re like me and love to dance!

-gone out for Miércoles po’. It’s essentially designed for foreigners to go out on a Wednesday night at different semi-elaborate locations that changes every week. Entrance is free up until a certain point, but extranerjas generally can always get in for free. The last one I went to was literally on Cerro San Cristóbal. The view was unbelievable!

-Bought an enormous amount of produce for dirt cheap at La Vega- a giant market just north of Providencia. Produce markets are one of the things I will miss most about Chile. The selection is so vast, everything is cheap, and the quality is amazing. I’ve noticed in particular the grapes are amazing, but then again, it’s a huge wine capital!

-Eaten lots and lots and lots of empanadas. I’ll do a longer entry on food soon, but they’re basically similar in nature to a crepe, but with much thicker bread folded over, and have generally specific fillings (cheese, ham and cheese, pino [shredded beef with onion, part of a hardboiled egg, and an olive]). They’re super cheap and great for a quick meal or for comfort food.

Now that life has calmed down a little, I really do want to try to post more, so be on the look out! Until then-

¡Ciao!

PATAGONIA: The 3 Day Tour!

¡Hola!

So I apologize for the ridicuously long delay. This is now the third time in the past few weeks I have tried uploading this post. The reason's why I've been unsuccessful thus far include both unreliable wifi and the plethora of pictures I am ATTEMPTING to share from our amazing trip to Patagonia but it seems to wreck havoc on the already precarious internet connection.  So let's hope this works, third try is a charm, ya?

Deirdre and I arrived in Punta Arenas just after midnight, and thankfully were able to take a shuttle from the airport that took us straight to our hostel. Deirdre did an AMAZING job planning everything literally in one day while I was in class. We tiptoed in our room that was supposed to be a 5 person room, but much to our delight, it was empty! A whole room to ourselves?! With a clean bathroom?! We were in heaven, but resisted the urge to jump up and down on the beds and went right to sleep.

We woke up around 9 to get breakfast and see if the hostel had any tours going. The hostel was very homey but small, so they didn’t have anything specific arranged. However, they helped us book our taxi for the trip we had later to Isla Magdalena to see the penguins. Breakfast was simple but very welcomed after all our travels yesterday. Basically just bread and an assortment of butter, jam, and cheese. We explored the town on our own, taking pictures by the water and enjoying the cooler weather. We had a delicious lunch at La Marmita of salmon and stuffed zucchini.

 After a diet mainly of bread, fruit, and pasta, it was heaven. Our good mood quickly deflated though, when we tried to find an ATM to take out money for the night’s excursion and the following days trip to Torres del Paine. Apparently every bank that day decided to have a breakdown. Finally I found one, and took out as much as I could for the day. The tension rose further though, when our taxi was a half hour late! The other ladies in our hostel were perfectly relaxed while they waited, but we were far more agitated- we only had 3 days in Patagonia-  every minute had to count!

Finally the hostel owner came down and confirmed where our taxi was, and we made it on the boat in plenty of time.  

It was slightly bad timing, as I was reading Life of Pi, which, if you didn’t already know, centers around a ship sinking. It was a long ride, but very beautiful and relaxing. We even saw dolphins swimming literally beside the boat!

It was incredible to see all the penguins inhabited on the island. It was also mating season, so there was some interesting noises as well! My camera unfortunately died within about 10 minutes of being there, but we only had an hour there anyway. Deirdre got some great pictures though, and we were able to get pretty up close and personal with the penguins. 

We went to bed early that night and dragged ourselves out of bed at the ungodly hour of 4:30 am the next day for our Torres del Paine tour. We managed to get dressed and eat breakfast by 5:15 or so, but once again our ride, a tour bus this time, was nearly an hour later than they said they’d be. We were a little surprised to see it was a small van instead of an actual tour or “coach” bus, but at least we were on our way. In between cat naps I caught a beautiful picture of the sunrise. 

We stopped for gas and coffee before we headed to the actual park. When we arrived at the outskirts you could see the mountains in the distance, and we knew all the travel was forth it. The views were incredible, and we knew as we got closer it’d only get better.

 

We spent the remainder of the day driving through the park, stopping several times at various lakes to take pictures of the mountains up close

 

and catching some great shots of native animals. We had a few more surprises in store as the day was winding down. We saw a gorgeous waterfall near the end of the park

and glaciers!

and even a cave!

We also stumbled upon a museum we didn’t notice when we arrived, and when the guy working the front desk wasn’t able to break the $10,000 peso bill I had tucked away (the equivalent of $20 USD) as I had used up my smaller bills and change on souvenirs, he let us in for the only change I had- $300 pesos, the equivalent of about 60 cents! So nice! They had some really cool artifacts and we read a little about some ceremonies and rituals that took place in the local area long ago. And of course took more silly pictures!

We arrived back to our home away from home in Santiago at about 3 am, but thankfully we had no classes to teach Monday (our admin team is still working on finishing our schedules) so we were able to finally sleep in! It was nice to have a weekend trip, but I found myself actually missing Santiago quite a lot- the warm weather here and the friends we’ve made at the hostel. It was good to be back.

Lots more pictures are on Facebook so check them out!

Since Patagonia, I have taken another weekend trip to Valparaíso and nearby Viña del Mar, and I am planning a trip to Púcon next weekend. Also, I will be officially and finally moved in to my apartment on April 15 and wifi will no longer be an issue! So get ready for blog posts and skype dates galore!!

¡Hasta Luego!