Hi Everyone!
So I know you all have been dripping in anticipation for my photos of Peru. Well, wait no longer! They have arrived! (*Applause*)
There are three albums, starting with Cusco, then Machu Picchu, and then Lake Titicaca. I also want to forewarn you that I believe the photos are out of order (or the order is completely backwards). Something is weird with photobucket.com (the site that I use to upload). Sooo it may be a little hard to follow but you'll get the gist.
It was an amazing trip, of course. But I am definitely glad to be home in Santiago... Home Sweet Home. We are gearing up for Christmas, so please stay tuned for updates about the festivities (especially the cooking baking) as well as photos!
¡Ciao!
Monday, December 19, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Lake Titicaca: Yes Please!!
Well, hello again!
I can officially announce that Caroline and I survived Peru, the crazy overnight bus rides, the seat-less toilets, and the crazy-high altitudes. We are officially, as of 8AM this morning, in CHILE. Home Sweet Home. Although we LOVED Peru (the food, the people, the landscape, the culture), I, for one, am very excited (and relieved) to be home. Right now, we are spending our last day of vacation lying on the beach in Arica, Chile (just over the border from Peru). It is hot and we are lovin´ it.
But how did the rest of Peru go, you ask? Well, it was a success. Last time we talked, Caroline and I were struggling to digest guinea pig in the countryside. Afterwards, we relaxed in Cusco for a day or two more and actually got to meet up with the Emilys again, who had just finished their four day adventure trek through the Andean jungle up to Machu Picchu. After swapping stories, we said our official last goodbye as the Emilys were flying out of Peru to the States while Caroline and I were taking off for Lake Titicaca, which is where this blog post begins...
Lake Titicaca, located on the border between Peru and Bolivia, has its claim to fame in that it is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world (reference: Wikipedia, por supuesto). To get to Puno, on the coast of Lake Titicaca, is an eight hour journey, more or less, from Cusco. We had heard the scenery on the way was unbelievable, so we elected to take a tour bus, which stops in about five different places along the route. For example, we stopped in a tiny town, which is (supposedly) home to the ¨Sistine Chapel¨ of the Americas. It was impressive but not comparable to the real thing. We also took a pit-stop on the side of the road when we were at over 4000 meters to take pictures. (This was the only point in the trip when I had a headache from the altitude... rough stuff.) Eventually, we arrived in Puno, where we were caught in a terrential downpour of rain. As we were walking to dinner, our shoes were literally filled with water but luckily we found a cute little restaurant with a fire where we took off our shoes. (I`m not sure how they felt about gringas taking off their shoes in their restaurant, but I figured they had seen weirder things, right?) After an amazing bowl of soup, we took shelter in our cheap-as-could-be hotel with a private bathroom and everything. It even had a TV! So, of course, after a hot shower, we watched some House (in English) before going to bed at 9PM. (Don´t judge.)
Yup, 9PM because we were up before 5AM to get ready for our boat tour of Lake Titicaca. Our first stop on our tour? Uros Islands, which are actually man-made floating islands (yes, they float). On these islands live the pre-Inca Uru people. We stopped on one of the islands to walk around, meet some of the natives, and get a little 101-course on the history and culture of the Uru people as well as a How-To in terms of making floating islands. Pretty impressive, I´d say. A little sobering as well... Although these people hunt and farm etc. on their islands, they are almost entirely dependent on tourism. They live and eat by tourists coming to their islands to buy their tapestries, take rides on their reed boats etc. Not to mention many of the tour companies exploit them and don´t give them a fair percentage of what they themselves make. As we traveled through Peru, Caroline and I had numerous conversations about the inequity right before our eyes. Everywhere we went, Peruvians just trying to make their next sell to get by. Of course not all Peruvians are poor and dependent on tourism but so many are. After climbing Machu Picchu, Caroline and I wondered how many Peruvians had ever been to Machu Picchu... Not very many, that´s for sure. Yet they see thousands of tourists come through their country every year, paying the big bucks to see one of the seven wonders of the world while some of them (Peruvians) are barely making ends meet on a few soles each day. Very sobering. It definitely makes you think twice about buying a $4 Starbucks latte, right?
But I´ll digress... after the Uros Islands, we traveled about three hours on the boat to the largest island on Lake Titicaca - Taquile Island. Highest point on the lake at 4050 meters with absolutely breathtaking views of the lake. In 2005, the people of Taquile Island were honored by UNESCO for its textile work and art. Beautiful handwoven alpaca. On the island, we were treated to a wonderful lunch of trout from Lake Titicaca on the patio of Taquileño family. (Again, this family makes most of its living off the tourists who come through every day.) Afterwards, our guide gave us the run down of the island and its people. Very interesting. For instance, the men and women wear specific clothing (such as hats, shawls, and skirts) as a declaration of their marital status. The men wear specific hats to show if they are single or married. And if they are single, wearing their hat to one side or the other declares whether or not they are looking for a woman seriously or just trying to have some fun. (Don´t you think we should export this system to the US? I think it would eliminate a lot of confusion... Haha)
All in all, the tour of Lake Titicaca was a massive success. Once back in Puno on dry land, we packed up our things, ate a quick bite for dinner, and jumped on another overnight bus back to Tacna, while crossing our fingers that it would not be like the first one. Gracias a Dios, it wasn´t. There was at least a bathroom on this bus!!! Major improvement. Eight hours later, we were in Tacna and then a mere two hours later, we were home. After a wonderful Peruvian adventure, we are now headed for the beach for some R&R. I hope you all are enjoying the holidays and spending lots of time with family and friends. I miss you all so much. Please stay tuned for TONS of photos on Monday or Tuesday. :)
Besitos,
Sarita
I can officially announce that Caroline and I survived Peru, the crazy overnight bus rides, the seat-less toilets, and the crazy-high altitudes. We are officially, as of 8AM this morning, in CHILE. Home Sweet Home. Although we LOVED Peru (the food, the people, the landscape, the culture), I, for one, am very excited (and relieved) to be home. Right now, we are spending our last day of vacation lying on the beach in Arica, Chile (just over the border from Peru). It is hot and we are lovin´ it.
But how did the rest of Peru go, you ask? Well, it was a success. Last time we talked, Caroline and I were struggling to digest guinea pig in the countryside. Afterwards, we relaxed in Cusco for a day or two more and actually got to meet up with the Emilys again, who had just finished their four day adventure trek through the Andean jungle up to Machu Picchu. After swapping stories, we said our official last goodbye as the Emilys were flying out of Peru to the States while Caroline and I were taking off for Lake Titicaca, which is where this blog post begins...
Lake Titicaca, located on the border between Peru and Bolivia, has its claim to fame in that it is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world (reference: Wikipedia, por supuesto). To get to Puno, on the coast of Lake Titicaca, is an eight hour journey, more or less, from Cusco. We had heard the scenery on the way was unbelievable, so we elected to take a tour bus, which stops in about five different places along the route. For example, we stopped in a tiny town, which is (supposedly) home to the ¨Sistine Chapel¨ of the Americas. It was impressive but not comparable to the real thing. We also took a pit-stop on the side of the road when we were at over 4000 meters to take pictures. (This was the only point in the trip when I had a headache from the altitude... rough stuff.) Eventually, we arrived in Puno, where we were caught in a terrential downpour of rain. As we were walking to dinner, our shoes were literally filled with water but luckily we found a cute little restaurant with a fire where we took off our shoes. (I`m not sure how they felt about gringas taking off their shoes in their restaurant, but I figured they had seen weirder things, right?) After an amazing bowl of soup, we took shelter in our cheap-as-could-be hotel with a private bathroom and everything. It even had a TV! So, of course, after a hot shower, we watched some House (in English) before going to bed at 9PM. (Don´t judge.)
Yup, 9PM because we were up before 5AM to get ready for our boat tour of Lake Titicaca. Our first stop on our tour? Uros Islands, which are actually man-made floating islands (yes, they float). On these islands live the pre-Inca Uru people. We stopped on one of the islands to walk around, meet some of the natives, and get a little 101-course on the history and culture of the Uru people as well as a How-To in terms of making floating islands. Pretty impressive, I´d say. A little sobering as well... Although these people hunt and farm etc. on their islands, they are almost entirely dependent on tourism. They live and eat by tourists coming to their islands to buy their tapestries, take rides on their reed boats etc. Not to mention many of the tour companies exploit them and don´t give them a fair percentage of what they themselves make. As we traveled through Peru, Caroline and I had numerous conversations about the inequity right before our eyes. Everywhere we went, Peruvians just trying to make their next sell to get by. Of course not all Peruvians are poor and dependent on tourism but so many are. After climbing Machu Picchu, Caroline and I wondered how many Peruvians had ever been to Machu Picchu... Not very many, that´s for sure. Yet they see thousands of tourists come through their country every year, paying the big bucks to see one of the seven wonders of the world while some of them (Peruvians) are barely making ends meet on a few soles each day. Very sobering. It definitely makes you think twice about buying a $4 Starbucks latte, right?
But I´ll digress... after the Uros Islands, we traveled about three hours on the boat to the largest island on Lake Titicaca - Taquile Island. Highest point on the lake at 4050 meters with absolutely breathtaking views of the lake. In 2005, the people of Taquile Island were honored by UNESCO for its textile work and art. Beautiful handwoven alpaca. On the island, we were treated to a wonderful lunch of trout from Lake Titicaca on the patio of Taquileño family. (Again, this family makes most of its living off the tourists who come through every day.) Afterwards, our guide gave us the run down of the island and its people. Very interesting. For instance, the men and women wear specific clothing (such as hats, shawls, and skirts) as a declaration of their marital status. The men wear specific hats to show if they are single or married. And if they are single, wearing their hat to one side or the other declares whether or not they are looking for a woman seriously or just trying to have some fun. (Don´t you think we should export this system to the US? I think it would eliminate a lot of confusion... Haha)
All in all, the tour of Lake Titicaca was a massive success. Once back in Puno on dry land, we packed up our things, ate a quick bite for dinner, and jumped on another overnight bus back to Tacna, while crossing our fingers that it would not be like the first one. Gracias a Dios, it wasn´t. There was at least a bathroom on this bus!!! Major improvement. Eight hours later, we were in Tacna and then a mere two hours later, we were home. After a wonderful Peruvian adventure, we are now headed for the beach for some R&R. I hope you all are enjoying the holidays and spending lots of time with family and friends. I miss you all so much. Please stay tuned for TONS of photos on Monday or Tuesday. :)
Besitos,
Sarita
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
What WON'T Two Gringas Do For Cuy?
Catchy title, eh? Well, you probably don't think so if you, like the majority of the people reading this blog, don't know what "cuy" is. I didn't either when I first ventured to Peru. However, I soon discovered that cuy is the Spanish word for guinea pig, which is quite the delicacy in Peruvian culture. As it turns out, they don't just slice it up and put it on the grill. Oh no, they pop the whole dang thing in the oven and go to work. Thus, when one orders cuy for dinner, they get the entire guinea pig, head and all.
So, of course, like any other crazy, food-aventurer gringa, I had to try it. However, since Cusco is so touristy, most restuarants around the area demand upwards of twenty dollars to try it. Caroline and I weren't willing to take that risk. We wanted cheap and traditional. And that desire led us on a crazy adventure...
We had heard that there were a few tiny towns just outside of Cusco that specialized in certain foods, like bread or cuy for instance. So we busted out our map, got some directions, and hopped on a colectivo. Okay, so what's a colectivo? Well, it's more or less like a bus but crazier. For one, there are way more people, think sardines in a can. Also, there is almost like a doorman, who allows people to get on and off while the driver maneuvers the crazy streets. There is yelling and shouting constantly. Makes for an interesting ride. Our colectivo was cramped, loud, hot, and incredibly cheap - about fifty cents. Anyways, so we get on this colectivo thinking the town we were headed towards, Tipon, with the guinea pig would be just down the road, perhaps twenty minutes. But ohhhh no... we were on that colectivo for at least an hour while constantly asking the other Peruvian passengers how much further until Tipon.
Before we know it, we are out in the middle of the countryside, hoping to find Tipon/guinea pig and not get stranded all at the same time. Eventually we made it. We get off the colectivo and before we can even look around, a typical Peruvian lady starts asking us if we want cuy and how much we were willing to pay. She must have seen us coming... We assume that they don't have gringas coming to town just for fun. They come for one thing and one thing only - guinea pig, of course. Thus, Caroline and I looked at each other and thought what the heck, let's do this. So we followed this little Peruvian woman up the hill to her "restaurant" where we chose to split the ten dollar guinea pig. And split it we did. Not more than fifteen minutes later our guinea pig split right down the middle arrives at our table. (Just wait for the pictures!)
Well, here goes nothing... And we went to work, at first unsure about how to approach the situation... I guess I can probably describe it as eating your freshmen biology (cooked) fetal pig, or at least that's what it kinda looked like with the insides, claws, and head all there on the plate. The texture is comparable to pork I would say. However, the taste... indescribable... interesting... strange... I'm not sure there is a word to describe the flavor. To be quite honest, it really was not an enjoyable experience, more like a fascinating one. Unique, absolutely unique. Do I regret eating guinea pig? No, although it made me think of my pet guinea pig, Cinnamon, I had while we lived in Florida. Would I eat it again? Absolutely not. Unless it was cooked in an entirely different manner and I wasn't able to see the head etc. Maybe guinea pig stew... but "cuy al horno," as it is called, never again.
Although Caroline and I will never eat guinea pig again in that fashion, we did not regret our little Peruvian guinea pig adventure. Now we can say that we ate cuy in Peru. It all adds up to just another Peruvian experience, just another notch in our belts. I will say, however, that Peruvian food on the whole is absolutely delicious. While we have been in Cusco, we have had some AMAZING dishes, like aji de gallina and other specialties. In comparison to Chilean cuisine, Peruvian takes the cake. Flavorful, delicious, and varied. However, cuy does not make it on the list of "Best Of's"...
Never again...
So, of course, like any other crazy, food-aventurer gringa, I had to try it. However, since Cusco is so touristy, most restuarants around the area demand upwards of twenty dollars to try it. Caroline and I weren't willing to take that risk. We wanted cheap and traditional. And that desire led us on a crazy adventure...
We had heard that there were a few tiny towns just outside of Cusco that specialized in certain foods, like bread or cuy for instance. So we busted out our map, got some directions, and hopped on a colectivo. Okay, so what's a colectivo? Well, it's more or less like a bus but crazier. For one, there are way more people, think sardines in a can. Also, there is almost like a doorman, who allows people to get on and off while the driver maneuvers the crazy streets. There is yelling and shouting constantly. Makes for an interesting ride. Our colectivo was cramped, loud, hot, and incredibly cheap - about fifty cents. Anyways, so we get on this colectivo thinking the town we were headed towards, Tipon, with the guinea pig would be just down the road, perhaps twenty minutes. But ohhhh no... we were on that colectivo for at least an hour while constantly asking the other Peruvian passengers how much further until Tipon.
Before we know it, we are out in the middle of the countryside, hoping to find Tipon/guinea pig and not get stranded all at the same time. Eventually we made it. We get off the colectivo and before we can even look around, a typical Peruvian lady starts asking us if we want cuy and how much we were willing to pay. She must have seen us coming... We assume that they don't have gringas coming to town just for fun. They come for one thing and one thing only - guinea pig, of course. Thus, Caroline and I looked at each other and thought what the heck, let's do this. So we followed this little Peruvian woman up the hill to her "restaurant" where we chose to split the ten dollar guinea pig. And split it we did. Not more than fifteen minutes later our guinea pig split right down the middle arrives at our table. (Just wait for the pictures!)
Well, here goes nothing... And we went to work, at first unsure about how to approach the situation... I guess I can probably describe it as eating your freshmen biology (cooked) fetal pig, or at least that's what it kinda looked like with the insides, claws, and head all there on the plate. The texture is comparable to pork I would say. However, the taste... indescribable... interesting... strange... I'm not sure there is a word to describe the flavor. To be quite honest, it really was not an enjoyable experience, more like a fascinating one. Unique, absolutely unique. Do I regret eating guinea pig? No, although it made me think of my pet guinea pig, Cinnamon, I had while we lived in Florida. Would I eat it again? Absolutely not. Unless it was cooked in an entirely different manner and I wasn't able to see the head etc. Maybe guinea pig stew... but "cuy al horno," as it is called, never again.
Although Caroline and I will never eat guinea pig again in that fashion, we did not regret our little Peruvian guinea pig adventure. Now we can say that we ate cuy in Peru. It all adds up to just another Peruvian experience, just another notch in our belts. I will say, however, that Peruvian food on the whole is absolutely delicious. While we have been in Cusco, we have had some AMAZING dishes, like aji de gallina and other specialties. In comparison to Chilean cuisine, Peruvian takes the cake. Flavorful, delicious, and varied. However, cuy does not make it on the list of "Best Of's"...
Never again...
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Machu Picchu: Can We Talk About It?!
Machu Picchu: One of the seven wonders of the world, the ¨Lost City of the Incas,¨ built in the 1400s approximately 2400 meters above sea level, and absolutely mindblowingly spectacular. Period. End of Story.
Okay, so let´s talk about it...
On Sunday, Caroline and I boarded a bus in order to tour around the Sacred Valley. We visited Pisac as well as Ollantaytambo, which are both small towns in the Valle Sagrado. This little tour was kinda like a stepping stone to Machu Picchu. Not only did we get to visit a really cool Sunday market in Pisac but we also visited multiple Inca ruins in both Pisac and Ollantaytambo. As far as ruins go, let´s just say they were spectacular and with our tour guide, we were able to learn about the history etc. The Incas were incredibly brilliant in the way they constructed their cities, religious temples, etc. Brilliant is probably an understatement, especially after seeing Machu Picchu. The way they carried HUGE rocks up 1000s of meters is incredible. It makes modern day humans with all our machinery look like wimps. Haha. Anyways, super impressive. The Incas were also quite brilliant with the way they utilized terraces to plant their crops on the sides of these mountains. Furthermore, due to the use of terraces which produce microclimates, the number of species of potatoes and corn for example is insane. Peru, nowadays, has 3000 species of potatoes and over 500 types of corn. Wow. (PS I think those numbers are correct.)
Okay, but I won´t bore you all with random fun facts that I learned on my tour, let´s get to the point: Machu Picchu. We arrived in Aguas Calientes on Sunday night and immediately crashed at our hostel. We did, afterall, have to get up at 5AM to catch one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu. However, waking up at 5AM was NOT a problem. Both Caroline and I were pumped to conquer (haha) Machu Picchu and conquer it we did. Even the bus ride up was spectacular. I have never seen mountains so beautiful in my life, especially with the Andean jungle stretching as far as the eye can see. Anyways, we get up there and meet our tour guide at 630AM and off we went. The first view of the ¨Lost City of the Incas¨ was breathtaking. It was kinda cloudy and rainy but with the clouds and the mist hovering above the mountains, Machu Picchu looked mystical and enchanting. Honestly, I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful Machu Picchu is and I know that my photos (when I upload them) will never do it justice. This place was amazing. Caroline and I couldn´t help but snap photos every five seconds. At one point, we hiked up to a high point overlooking the site just to sit on a rock and marvel over the 15th century Inca city.
Other than tour around the site, learning about the techniques and history of the Inca, Caroline and I also set out to tackle Huayna Picchu (meaning ¨young mountain¨ whereas Machu Picchu means ¨old mountain¨ in Quechua). Machu Picchu is about 2400 meters above sea level and Huayna Picchu is a little over 2700 meters and is almost a straight vertical climb. That vertical climb took us about 45 minutes to an hour and was grueling at times. Needless to say, our calves and thighs as well as our poor knees are definitely feeling the climb this morning. However, it was well worth it. The view of Machu Picchu from Huayna Picchu was spectacular. Yes, at moments we thought that our legs might give out or that we might fall off the mountain, but when we got to the top... none of that mattered. We were on top of the world, overlooking one of the most amazing place in the world. I cannot even begin to explain how I felt. I just couldn´t believe I was actually there. Machu Picchu definitely exceeded my expectations and left me feeling humbled. Humbled? Yeah, humbled. To think that I am so blessed to be able to travel to South America and then go climb one of the seven wonders of the world... I don´t deserve it at all. Saying thank you or acknowledging how much God has blessed me doesn´t seem to do it, ya know? I think seeing something as amazing and stunning as Machu Picchu makes me a little pensive and reflective... about life and all. But I don´t want to bore you with all my ¨deep thoughts¨ and all... Just wanted to say that being at Machu Picchu was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, just like my entire time in Chile and South America has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life as well.
I don´t really know where to go from here... anything I write seems so... inadequate... So I´ll digress...
It´s Tuesday morning and we are back in Cusco, safe and sound. We are still floating on our Machu Picchu high. Today, however, we are just going to take it easy. Give our poor legs and knees a break for once. We´ll spend another day in Cusco then head for Puno, located on Lake Titicaca, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. Lake Titicaca 3800 meters above sea level and serves as a border for both Peru and Bolivia. Should be a good time.
Sorry if this blog post was lame... Maybe I need a few days to process Machu Picchu and then I´ll come back and write a bit more. Overall, it was incredible, which is also the understatement of the year. If you´ve ever been, then you know what I´m talking about. And if you haven´t, GO. Definitely well worth your time and money. Put it on your bucket list. You won´t regret it.
Anyways, hope you all are doing well and getting into the Christmas spirit. I love and miss you all.
Besitos,
Sarah
Okay, so let´s talk about it...
On Sunday, Caroline and I boarded a bus in order to tour around the Sacred Valley. We visited Pisac as well as Ollantaytambo, which are both small towns in the Valle Sagrado. This little tour was kinda like a stepping stone to Machu Picchu. Not only did we get to visit a really cool Sunday market in Pisac but we also visited multiple Inca ruins in both Pisac and Ollantaytambo. As far as ruins go, let´s just say they were spectacular and with our tour guide, we were able to learn about the history etc. The Incas were incredibly brilliant in the way they constructed their cities, religious temples, etc. Brilliant is probably an understatement, especially after seeing Machu Picchu. The way they carried HUGE rocks up 1000s of meters is incredible. It makes modern day humans with all our machinery look like wimps. Haha. Anyways, super impressive. The Incas were also quite brilliant with the way they utilized terraces to plant their crops on the sides of these mountains. Furthermore, due to the use of terraces which produce microclimates, the number of species of potatoes and corn for example is insane. Peru, nowadays, has 3000 species of potatoes and over 500 types of corn. Wow. (PS I think those numbers are correct.)
Okay, but I won´t bore you all with random fun facts that I learned on my tour, let´s get to the point: Machu Picchu. We arrived in Aguas Calientes on Sunday night and immediately crashed at our hostel. We did, afterall, have to get up at 5AM to catch one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu. However, waking up at 5AM was NOT a problem. Both Caroline and I were pumped to conquer (haha) Machu Picchu and conquer it we did. Even the bus ride up was spectacular. I have never seen mountains so beautiful in my life, especially with the Andean jungle stretching as far as the eye can see. Anyways, we get up there and meet our tour guide at 630AM and off we went. The first view of the ¨Lost City of the Incas¨ was breathtaking. It was kinda cloudy and rainy but with the clouds and the mist hovering above the mountains, Machu Picchu looked mystical and enchanting. Honestly, I cannot even begin to describe how beautiful Machu Picchu is and I know that my photos (when I upload them) will never do it justice. This place was amazing. Caroline and I couldn´t help but snap photos every five seconds. At one point, we hiked up to a high point overlooking the site just to sit on a rock and marvel over the 15th century Inca city.
Other than tour around the site, learning about the techniques and history of the Inca, Caroline and I also set out to tackle Huayna Picchu (meaning ¨young mountain¨ whereas Machu Picchu means ¨old mountain¨ in Quechua). Machu Picchu is about 2400 meters above sea level and Huayna Picchu is a little over 2700 meters and is almost a straight vertical climb. That vertical climb took us about 45 minutes to an hour and was grueling at times. Needless to say, our calves and thighs as well as our poor knees are definitely feeling the climb this morning. However, it was well worth it. The view of Machu Picchu from Huayna Picchu was spectacular. Yes, at moments we thought that our legs might give out or that we might fall off the mountain, but when we got to the top... none of that mattered. We were on top of the world, overlooking one of the most amazing place in the world. I cannot even begin to explain how I felt. I just couldn´t believe I was actually there. Machu Picchu definitely exceeded my expectations and left me feeling humbled. Humbled? Yeah, humbled. To think that I am so blessed to be able to travel to South America and then go climb one of the seven wonders of the world... I don´t deserve it at all. Saying thank you or acknowledging how much God has blessed me doesn´t seem to do it, ya know? I think seeing something as amazing and stunning as Machu Picchu makes me a little pensive and reflective... about life and all. But I don´t want to bore you with all my ¨deep thoughts¨ and all... Just wanted to say that being at Machu Picchu was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, just like my entire time in Chile and South America has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life as well.
I don´t really know where to go from here... anything I write seems so... inadequate... So I´ll digress...
It´s Tuesday morning and we are back in Cusco, safe and sound. We are still floating on our Machu Picchu high. Today, however, we are just going to take it easy. Give our poor legs and knees a break for once. We´ll spend another day in Cusco then head for Puno, located on Lake Titicaca, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. Lake Titicaca 3800 meters above sea level and serves as a border for both Peru and Bolivia. Should be a good time.
Sorry if this blog post was lame... Maybe I need a few days to process Machu Picchu and then I´ll come back and write a bit more. Overall, it was incredible, which is also the understatement of the year. If you´ve ever been, then you know what I´m talking about. And if you haven´t, GO. Definitely well worth your time and money. Put it on your bucket list. You won´t regret it.
Anyways, hope you all are doing well and getting into the Christmas spirit. I love and miss you all.
Besitos,
Sarah
Friday, December 9, 2011
¡Peru No Es Chile!
¡Hola everyone!
Perhaps ya´ll are shocked that I´m writing you already. Don´t worry, I didn´t intend to but it just so happens that it´s pouring rain right now in Cusco so I thought I would take this opportunity to sit here in the hostel, drinking tea with cocoa leaves and write you all about our adventure thus far. And believe me, it has been an adventure.
Caroline (my travel buddy) and I were up at the crack of dawn on Thursday morning in order to board our flight to Arica, Chile, which is the northern most part of the country. After taking three planes (more or less) to get there, we arrived safe and sound... and a little tired, needless to say. Once in Arica, we had to take a taxi, yes a taxi, across the border into Peru. We got to the bus station in Arica and serveral taxi drivers were eager to take us. So we went with our gut and chose one. In the beginning we were a little sketched out because he asked for our passports. And rule #1 of safe travel is never give your passport to a strange man, or anyone at all. However, we were warned by our friends that this is how is went so we said a little prayer, held our breath, and trusted the guy. It ended up being just fine, in fact, taking a taxi made the border crossing super simple. An hour later, we were in Peru!!
And Peru it was. We were in Tacna, the small town right across the border. Believe it or not, I think we were the only gringas in town, which made us a little uneasy. In fact, the town of Tacna on the whole made us quite frightened. Our first realization that Peru is definitely NOT Chile. However, we bought a bus ticket through a company that ended up being in our Lonely Planet Travel Guide. Gracias a Dios. It was supposedly a straight-shot to Cusco on an overnight bus. Haha. Definitely not. After having a little snack at a pizza joint that also ended up being in our Travel Guide, we ventured to the bus station, where we were surrounded by traditional Peruvians. What do I mean by traditional Peruvians? Well, I am mainly referring to the women, who were wearing twin braids all the way down their backs, colorful skirts and sweaters, with blanket packs on their backs that looked as if they weight fifty pounds. Oh, and to top it all off, they had those flat-brimmed hats that are super stereotypical. By this point we weren´t surprised that we were the only gringas on the bus that didn´t end up being a straight shot at all. In fact, it was about fifteen-sixteen hours. First shock, this bus did not have a bathroom, which led us to ask ourselves, what type of overnight bus doesn´t have bathrooms... uh oh... we were in for an adventure. The bathroom breaks we took every hour to two hours were less than sanitary. I won´t go into details, really, you´ll thank me later. Let´s just say my thighs got a work out for squatting while holding my breath to lessen the stench of urine. Haha. Yes, we were not in Chile anymore. (Of course, no toilet seats, that´s a given.) On the bus, well, that´s another story. Cramped. Loud Peruvian music playing throughout the entire night, which made me thankful for my neon orange ear plugs. As we went higher and higher into the mountains, I felt it becoming more difficult to breath. With altitude sickness, it is essential to stay hydrated, which was near impossible seeing as the bus didn´t have a restroom and the pit stops were less than glorious. So hungry, tired, dehydrated, and freezing cold, we swallowed our pride and stuck it out.
I cannot even begin to describe the joy deep down in my heart when we arrived into Cusco. We were there. Finally. We had arrived. AND none of our stuff got stolen!!! Day 1-2 have to be rated a complete success. An adventure it was. Once in Cusco, we taxied to our hostel, which is in a great location, close to Plaza de Armas and in an old colonial home, making the atmosphere well worth our while. Plus, our friends, Emily and Emily, from our study abroad program are staying here as well! What a relief it was to see familiar faces. After long, long hot showers, Caroline and I headed to a coffee shop near Plaza de Armas where we were able to fulfill our caffeine craving while looking out at the Plaza from a second story balcony. Perfect scenery. Then, we walked around a bit, found a Cocoa shop that sells everything cocoa. I bought chocolates with cocoa in them, not sure if I can bring those back to the States... They might think I´m trying to traffic drugs. This place even had cocoa brownies, which made me think of my mom. (Sorry, Mom, I had to mention you here. Haha. Kidding... Kinda) Anyways, I also paid to pet a three day old llama and take a picture of the llama with three traditional Peruvian women. Well worth the 10 soles I paid. Oh! We also stopped and saw the Inca stone wall with the twelve-sided stone. Famous and super old, of course.
Then it started to thunderstorm so we headed back to the hostel, where I sit now blogging while waiting for the Emilys to wake up from their nap so we can go for dinner together.
All in all, the beginning of our Peruvian adventure started out a little rocky, however now we are completely confident we are going to LOVE Peru. Tomorrow we will be touring around Cusco with the Emilys. Sunday we are going to tour the Sacred Valley and head to Agua Caliente where we will spend the night on Sunday night in order to get up before the sun to head up the mountain to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu will take up our entire day on Monday. We have plans to climb Huayna Picchu if it´s not raining. Wow. It all seems so surreal. I´ll keep ya´ll updated as much as possible. Of course, pictures will be coming at the end of the trip once we make it back to Santiago safe and sound. Please continue to pray for our safety, good weather, and not to get sick from the altitude or food/water.
Hope you are all doing well in the States, getting ready for Christmas and all.
Besitos,
Sarah
Perhaps ya´ll are shocked that I´m writing you already. Don´t worry, I didn´t intend to but it just so happens that it´s pouring rain right now in Cusco so I thought I would take this opportunity to sit here in the hostel, drinking tea with cocoa leaves and write you all about our adventure thus far. And believe me, it has been an adventure.
Caroline (my travel buddy) and I were up at the crack of dawn on Thursday morning in order to board our flight to Arica, Chile, which is the northern most part of the country. After taking three planes (more or less) to get there, we arrived safe and sound... and a little tired, needless to say. Once in Arica, we had to take a taxi, yes a taxi, across the border into Peru. We got to the bus station in Arica and serveral taxi drivers were eager to take us. So we went with our gut and chose one. In the beginning we were a little sketched out because he asked for our passports. And rule #1 of safe travel is never give your passport to a strange man, or anyone at all. However, we were warned by our friends that this is how is went so we said a little prayer, held our breath, and trusted the guy. It ended up being just fine, in fact, taking a taxi made the border crossing super simple. An hour later, we were in Peru!!
And Peru it was. We were in Tacna, the small town right across the border. Believe it or not, I think we were the only gringas in town, which made us a little uneasy. In fact, the town of Tacna on the whole made us quite frightened. Our first realization that Peru is definitely NOT Chile. However, we bought a bus ticket through a company that ended up being in our Lonely Planet Travel Guide. Gracias a Dios. It was supposedly a straight-shot to Cusco on an overnight bus. Haha. Definitely not. After having a little snack at a pizza joint that also ended up being in our Travel Guide, we ventured to the bus station, where we were surrounded by traditional Peruvians. What do I mean by traditional Peruvians? Well, I am mainly referring to the women, who were wearing twin braids all the way down their backs, colorful skirts and sweaters, with blanket packs on their backs that looked as if they weight fifty pounds. Oh, and to top it all off, they had those flat-brimmed hats that are super stereotypical. By this point we weren´t surprised that we were the only gringas on the bus that didn´t end up being a straight shot at all. In fact, it was about fifteen-sixteen hours. First shock, this bus did not have a bathroom, which led us to ask ourselves, what type of overnight bus doesn´t have bathrooms... uh oh... we were in for an adventure. The bathroom breaks we took every hour to two hours were less than sanitary. I won´t go into details, really, you´ll thank me later. Let´s just say my thighs got a work out for squatting while holding my breath to lessen the stench of urine. Haha. Yes, we were not in Chile anymore. (Of course, no toilet seats, that´s a given.) On the bus, well, that´s another story. Cramped. Loud Peruvian music playing throughout the entire night, which made me thankful for my neon orange ear plugs. As we went higher and higher into the mountains, I felt it becoming more difficult to breath. With altitude sickness, it is essential to stay hydrated, which was near impossible seeing as the bus didn´t have a restroom and the pit stops were less than glorious. So hungry, tired, dehydrated, and freezing cold, we swallowed our pride and stuck it out.
I cannot even begin to describe the joy deep down in my heart when we arrived into Cusco. We were there. Finally. We had arrived. AND none of our stuff got stolen!!! Day 1-2 have to be rated a complete success. An adventure it was. Once in Cusco, we taxied to our hostel, which is in a great location, close to Plaza de Armas and in an old colonial home, making the atmosphere well worth our while. Plus, our friends, Emily and Emily, from our study abroad program are staying here as well! What a relief it was to see familiar faces. After long, long hot showers, Caroline and I headed to a coffee shop near Plaza de Armas where we were able to fulfill our caffeine craving while looking out at the Plaza from a second story balcony. Perfect scenery. Then, we walked around a bit, found a Cocoa shop that sells everything cocoa. I bought chocolates with cocoa in them, not sure if I can bring those back to the States... They might think I´m trying to traffic drugs. This place even had cocoa brownies, which made me think of my mom. (Sorry, Mom, I had to mention you here. Haha. Kidding... Kinda) Anyways, I also paid to pet a three day old llama and take a picture of the llama with three traditional Peruvian women. Well worth the 10 soles I paid. Oh! We also stopped and saw the Inca stone wall with the twelve-sided stone. Famous and super old, of course.
Then it started to thunderstorm so we headed back to the hostel, where I sit now blogging while waiting for the Emilys to wake up from their nap so we can go for dinner together.
All in all, the beginning of our Peruvian adventure started out a little rocky, however now we are completely confident we are going to LOVE Peru. Tomorrow we will be touring around Cusco with the Emilys. Sunday we are going to tour the Sacred Valley and head to Agua Caliente where we will spend the night on Sunday night in order to get up before the sun to head up the mountain to Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu will take up our entire day on Monday. We have plans to climb Huayna Picchu if it´s not raining. Wow. It all seems so surreal. I´ll keep ya´ll updated as much as possible. Of course, pictures will be coming at the end of the trip once we make it back to Santiago safe and sound. Please continue to pray for our safety, good weather, and not to get sick from the altitude or food/water.
Hope you are all doing well in the States, getting ready for Christmas and all.
Besitos,
Sarah
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Chuta: You're Leaving Already?
Well hello there everyone!
I bet you all are wondering what the heck this little world traveler has been up to lately, especially since the last time I wrote you all I was just getting back from vacationing in the desert and in Buenos Aires. Lovely time, might I add. Well, to put your minds at ease, I haven't been up to much. Okay, that's not true. I just haven't traveled anywhere (yet). The reason being? With the end of the semester drawing near, I have been extremely busy doing all those papers, presentations, and projects. Haha. No, but really, I have been busier than usual with school. It is my last semester of college you know so I must go out strong. On the flip side, I've been pretty busy trying to get in as much "face-time" as possible with my "gringa" friends in my program. Although I will be hanging around in South America a while longer, the students in my program will be returning to the States for Christmas. Lucky ducks. Actually, the past few weeks have been quite bittersweet. On the one hand, we have had a blast doing fun things in the city and just having a blast with each other. You know, livin' it up in Santiago, Chile. On the other hand, I know what it's like to leave your study abroad experience behind (friends, a host family you adore, the way of life you have become accustomed to etc). It's absolutely unbearable and heartbreakingly painful. So my heart goes out to everyone going home soon. Then, there's me, watching everyone leave and feeling quite homesick to be brutally honest.
Homesick? You, Sarah? No way! No te creo!
Yup, believe it or not, I'm homesick. Don't get me wrong I love Santiago and I love being here. Definitely don't want to leave, yet. However, knowing that everyone is going home for Christmas and that the friends I became so close to this semester are leaving (me) is hard. Saying goodbye is never fun. It never gets any easier. In fact, I think it gets harder, especially as I become more sentimental in my "old age." Then, there's the subject of Christmas making me homesick. I thought Thanksgiving was hard. It doesn't really seem like Christmas down here. Sure there are Christmas decorations pretty much everywhere but it's 80/90 degrees outside. Weird, right? (I know ya'll in the cold Midwest are thinking, "Tough life, Sarah" but believe me, you'd miss your white Christmas.) I've been trying to get into the Christmas cheer by helping my Chilean family put up their Christmas tree, listening to Mariah Carey and *NYSYC Christmas albums as well as working on my grocery list for the Christmas cookies. I have a lot to look forward to (like going to the beach for Christmas and baking with my host family) and many new cultural experiences to embrace. I keep telling myself it's just one Christmas I'll be "missing" but some days I just want it to snow. Thus, my host sister and I will be making paper snowflakes to take with us to the beach so I can have a "white" Christmas. Cute, right? I am so blessed to be with a Chilean family who loves me. (It's mutual.) And we are going to have a blast. I think my host family is especially stoked to have a "gringa" spending the holidays with them. Or perhaps they are just using me for my insanely great baking abilities. :) What's on the menu so far? Snickerdoodles, gingerbread cookies (at the request of mi mamá), Oreo balls, chocolate Christmas pretzels, and Rolo cookies. Then, I am preparing my Nana's egg casserole and coffee cake for Christmas morning, a tradition of my family back in the States.
Anyways, the past couple weeks have been entertaining to say the least. A few weekends ago my host sisters had a concert for their university that I went to with my host family. My oldest sister studies music and it was her first time directing on her own. Thus, it was a really special event that I was able to share with the family. I'm posting some pictures of the past few weeks as well, included is the concert etc. Similarly, you will find pictures of Cerro San Cristóbal, which is the highest point in Santiago. One morning, my friend Amanda and I were feeling ambitious and ran, yes ran, up the hill. We were definitely feeling it the following day. Oh yes, also you will find pictures of Santiago's cemetery. Cemeteries in Latin America are huge as you will see. They are absolutely gorgeous as well and very interesting to walk through. We mainly ventured to the cemetery in order to see the grave of Salvador Allende, the Chilean president who was overthrown by a military coup on September 11, 1973. Related to that topic was the visit to the Human Rights Museum that just opened two years ago in Santiago. It was definitely sobering but also very informative and interesting. Honestly, I have just been doing the last minute things that I have forgotten to do or haven't had time to do yet in Santiago. Lots of time with the family and friends. Like tonight, when my good friend Emily and I decorated her mamá's Christmas tree, swapped Christmas music, and watched Elf.
Wow, I cannot believe this semester (and my college career) are almost over. Two finals remain. Only three days left in Santiago before everyone leaves and I leave for Peru, which I suppose brings me to my next noteworthy news. I'll be trekking up to Peru, mainly to visit Machu Picchu and tour around the Sacred Valley. Kinda surreal, right? Machu Picchu is the infamous Inca site in Peru that was voted as one of the seven wonders of the world in 2007. It will be absolutely incredible if it doesn't rain the entire time. So we'll be crossing our fingers. Anyways, it is going to be a little bit of an adventure since we really don't have much planned. To our defense, it is kinda hard to plan out the when's and the where's since things like public transportation are a little more "relaxed" than in the US. We are flying up to Arica, Chile near the border and then busing up to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. It's definitely not a quick trip, which is why we are giving ourselves ten days. Oh I might want to mention who we are - my friend Caroline and I, although there will be a bunch of other people we know up there around the same time so we might run into some of our friends.
Well, to be honest I'm about to fall asleep so I better get going but I just wanted to give you all a little update so you knew I was still alive down here in South America. So I'm alive and kicking. Do not worry! And stay tuned for some beautiful pictures of Peru and entertaining blog posts about our little adventure. Then, get excited for some Chilean Christmas action. I hope you all are doing well and getting into the Christmas spirit! I love and miss you all!
Un besito,
¡Ciao!
I bet you all are wondering what the heck this little world traveler has been up to lately, especially since the last time I wrote you all I was just getting back from vacationing in the desert and in Buenos Aires. Lovely time, might I add. Well, to put your minds at ease, I haven't been up to much. Okay, that's not true. I just haven't traveled anywhere (yet). The reason being? With the end of the semester drawing near, I have been extremely busy doing all those papers, presentations, and projects. Haha. No, but really, I have been busier than usual with school. It is my last semester of college you know so I must go out strong. On the flip side, I've been pretty busy trying to get in as much "face-time" as possible with my "gringa" friends in my program. Although I will be hanging around in South America a while longer, the students in my program will be returning to the States for Christmas. Lucky ducks. Actually, the past few weeks have been quite bittersweet. On the one hand, we have had a blast doing fun things in the city and just having a blast with each other. You know, livin' it up in Santiago, Chile. On the other hand, I know what it's like to leave your study abroad experience behind (friends, a host family you adore, the way of life you have become accustomed to etc). It's absolutely unbearable and heartbreakingly painful. So my heart goes out to everyone going home soon. Then, there's me, watching everyone leave and feeling quite homesick to be brutally honest.
Homesick? You, Sarah? No way! No te creo!
Yup, believe it or not, I'm homesick. Don't get me wrong I love Santiago and I love being here. Definitely don't want to leave, yet. However, knowing that everyone is going home for Christmas and that the friends I became so close to this semester are leaving (me) is hard. Saying goodbye is never fun. It never gets any easier. In fact, I think it gets harder, especially as I become more sentimental in my "old age." Then, there's the subject of Christmas making me homesick. I thought Thanksgiving was hard. It doesn't really seem like Christmas down here. Sure there are Christmas decorations pretty much everywhere but it's 80/90 degrees outside. Weird, right? (I know ya'll in the cold Midwest are thinking, "Tough life, Sarah" but believe me, you'd miss your white Christmas.) I've been trying to get into the Christmas cheer by helping my Chilean family put up their Christmas tree, listening to Mariah Carey and *NYSYC Christmas albums as well as working on my grocery list for the Christmas cookies. I have a lot to look forward to (like going to the beach for Christmas and baking with my host family) and many new cultural experiences to embrace. I keep telling myself it's just one Christmas I'll be "missing" but some days I just want it to snow. Thus, my host sister and I will be making paper snowflakes to take with us to the beach so I can have a "white" Christmas. Cute, right? I am so blessed to be with a Chilean family who loves me. (It's mutual.) And we are going to have a blast. I think my host family is especially stoked to have a "gringa" spending the holidays with them. Or perhaps they are just using me for my insanely great baking abilities. :) What's on the menu so far? Snickerdoodles, gingerbread cookies (at the request of mi mamá), Oreo balls, chocolate Christmas pretzels, and Rolo cookies. Then, I am preparing my Nana's egg casserole and coffee cake for Christmas morning, a tradition of my family back in the States.
Anyways, the past couple weeks have been entertaining to say the least. A few weekends ago my host sisters had a concert for their university that I went to with my host family. My oldest sister studies music and it was her first time directing on her own. Thus, it was a really special event that I was able to share with the family. I'm posting some pictures of the past few weeks as well, included is the concert etc. Similarly, you will find pictures of Cerro San Cristóbal, which is the highest point in Santiago. One morning, my friend Amanda and I were feeling ambitious and ran, yes ran, up the hill. We were definitely feeling it the following day. Oh yes, also you will find pictures of Santiago's cemetery. Cemeteries in Latin America are huge as you will see. They are absolutely gorgeous as well and very interesting to walk through. We mainly ventured to the cemetery in order to see the grave of Salvador Allende, the Chilean president who was overthrown by a military coup on September 11, 1973. Related to that topic was the visit to the Human Rights Museum that just opened two years ago in Santiago. It was definitely sobering but also very informative and interesting. Honestly, I have just been doing the last minute things that I have forgotten to do or haven't had time to do yet in Santiago. Lots of time with the family and friends. Like tonight, when my good friend Emily and I decorated her mamá's Christmas tree, swapped Christmas music, and watched Elf.
Wow, I cannot believe this semester (and my college career) are almost over. Two finals remain. Only three days left in Santiago before everyone leaves and I leave for Peru, which I suppose brings me to my next noteworthy news. I'll be trekking up to Peru, mainly to visit Machu Picchu and tour around the Sacred Valley. Kinda surreal, right? Machu Picchu is the infamous Inca site in Peru that was voted as one of the seven wonders of the world in 2007. It will be absolutely incredible if it doesn't rain the entire time. So we'll be crossing our fingers. Anyways, it is going to be a little bit of an adventure since we really don't have much planned. To our defense, it is kinda hard to plan out the when's and the where's since things like public transportation are a little more "relaxed" than in the US. We are flying up to Arica, Chile near the border and then busing up to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. It's definitely not a quick trip, which is why we are giving ourselves ten days. Oh I might want to mention who we are - my friend Caroline and I, although there will be a bunch of other people we know up there around the same time so we might run into some of our friends.
Well, to be honest I'm about to fall asleep so I better get going but I just wanted to give you all a little update so you knew I was still alive down here in South America. So I'm alive and kicking. Do not worry! And stay tuned for some beautiful pictures of Peru and entertaining blog posts about our little adventure. Then, get excited for some Chilean Christmas action. I hope you all are doing well and getting into the Christmas spirit! I love and miss you all!
Un besito,
¡Ciao!
Monday, November 7, 2011
The Big Apple
Well, after our less than lovely experience in Montevideo, we were all more than stoked to hop on that ferry and get to Buenos Aires, or BA. (Note: The ferry experience was super cool! Our first time entering a country via water!) Anyways, we arrive in Buenos Aires and cab to our hostel on Avenida de Mayo, practically in the city center. And we immediately LOVE Buenos Aires. It is absolutely GORGEOUS. The architecture is all French, Spanish, and Italian colonial style, making it appear more like Europe than anything I have ever seen this side of the Atlantic. Many people say that it is the Paris of the Americas and that is absolutely FACT. Spoiler Alert: I fell in love. As beautiful and stunning as Paris is with her coffee shops, wide avenues, and city appeal, Buenos Aires does Paris one up for the very fact that it has everything Paris has (minus the Eiffel Tower) AND it has Spanish, making BA my dream city... literally. Plus, Parisians do get a bad rap for being rude and snobby, while Argentines are quite personable, helpful, and lovely. Now that I am in love, ya'll in the States have to worry about me skipping out on coming home in the spring and just up and moving to Buenos Aires. (You think I'm kidding... I'm not.)
Anywaysss... The details about when we arrived on Thursday can be skipped. Not too much happened. Just getting settled, eating, finding an ATM etc. However, the big day was Friday with our 8 hour personal walking tour with Alan, a Brit who has lived in BA for 6.5 years. We went EVERYWHERE and saw EVERYTHING. Where do I even begin? Well, we began in La Boca, the colorful neighborhood where El Tango was born. La Boca with all her colors, history, and crazy charm was a favorite of all of us seven girls on the tour. Then we moved to the San Telmo district, which was also precious with her coffee shops, cobblestone streets, and antique shops. Moreover, throughout the entire tour, Alan was heaping wonderful amounts of history on us, which made us appreciate what we were seeing so much more. A rich history of colonial conquest and revolution as well as dictatorships and civil unrest overflows from the city of Buenos Aires. From San Telmo we wandered into the city center to see beautiful churches (like the one built in the early 17th century by the Jesuits and named St. Ignatius de Loyola!!), Congreso Nacional, the Obelisk, la Casa Rosada (i.e. their version of the White House, yet pink), and so much more. We took a coffee break in the most famous coffee house in Buenos Aires, Cafe Tortoni. And unlike most coffee shops in Chile, they had REAL coffee.
Honestly, everything we saw was gorgeous and very European. Buenos Aires is absolutely beautiful. Avenida 9 de Julio (yes, my birthday and BA official day of independence in 1816 although May 25, 1810 is celebrated more as their day of declaring their independence) is one of the largest avenues I have ever seen, with over 18 lanes of traffic in some areas. It is pretty much the man street in BA. More with the history, all of us especially loved the history about Juan and Evita Peron. Perhaps you have heard of Evita? If not, in short, she is probably the most beloved Argentine in history. I don't have time to go into mini detail about everything I learned, but I would highly encourage you to pick up a history book about Argentine history if you are into history. It is fascinating. We also went to the Plaza de Mayo which is where the Mothers of the disappeared meet every Thursday for their disappeared family members from the dictatorship in the 1970s who "disappeared" (a euphemism for murdered) over 30.000 Argentines, mostly Peronists from the left. Horribly sad. The Mothers still meet in order to bring attention to the injustices. Plus, many of the bodies have not been found and some will never be due to the tactics used, like simply taking them up in planes and dumping them into the ocean. Furthermore, only a few of those involved have been held accountable and thus, the Mothers are asking for justice as well as for the truth to be unearthed.
Anyways, the tour was amazing and that evening we went out to a parrilla, which means MEAT, MEAT, MEAT. I, of course, was living on the edge and chose chorizo (type of sausage) and morcilla (aka blood sausage haha). Both are typical Spanish dishes of which I am quite fond. Delicioso!! However, definitely not as delicious as the place we went to in Mendoza, Argentina. Nothing can beat that place. Although we did drink some tasty wine from Mendoza with dinner.
The next day was another full one. We broke up into smaller groups, which was helpful and didn't cause as many headaches. Plus we moved a little faster. So Emily and I headed for Teatro Colon, the famous theater in the center of Buenos Aires. Although we didn't get to do the tour, we enjoyed seeing the outside as well as relaxing in the park for awhile with a Starbucks. Afterwards, we traveled to the Palermo district where we went to the Museo de Evita - i.e. Eva Peron museum. Very cool! She was such a classy lady. Next, we picked up Katie at the museum and headed for the ZOO, which was insane!! We were literally feeding animals out of our hands. And there were hundreds of these rabbit-deer animals running around. It was very South American. We saw all kinds of animals, of which our fav was probably the giraffes! We took some hilarious pictures with the animals and definitely had a good laugh. Next, we went back into the city center to do some shopping, which for me didn't amount to much. (I did buy a new hat to replace my pink Hawkeye hat for running! Not as cool but it will suffice.) Anyways, I will have plenty of time to shop if necessary (probably isn't necessary though.. haha). I mean, I will be coming back to Buenos Aires before I leave South America. I am kinda thinking about backpacking for the month of February down through the South of Chile to Patagonia and then up North through Argentina to Buenos Aires.... Just an idea! However, things did not turn out so well for our friend Katie, who was pick-pocketed on the metro. Thus, we had to call her mom in the States and go through that whole bit, canceling credit cards etc. How horrible! It could have been much worse but it is just frustrating, especially because we were just talking about pick-pocketers since Emily and I realized this other guy was trying to rob us on the way to the museum in the morning on the metro. It was crazy! We obviously gave this dude a dirty look and told him to skedaddle. But then, three hours later while back on the metro... Katie is robbed! Ugh.
Sunday was travel day. Woke up, headed to the airport, flew to Montevideo, had a five hour layover, then hopped on our plane to Santiago. We were exhausted by the end of the day. However, once we landed in Santiago and realized we were home, we suddenly had all the energy in the world! Hogar, dulce, hogar. All in all, Buenos Aires was a SUCCESS and I am definitely pumped to go back. But before that, I still have a month of school left and a bunch of papers, presentations, and projects to complete first... bummer! However, the girls and I definitely have some plans in progress in order to make our last month together in Santiago the best ever... so stay tuned :)
¡Hasta pronto!
Anywaysss... The details about when we arrived on Thursday can be skipped. Not too much happened. Just getting settled, eating, finding an ATM etc. However, the big day was Friday with our 8 hour personal walking tour with Alan, a Brit who has lived in BA for 6.5 years. We went EVERYWHERE and saw EVERYTHING. Where do I even begin? Well, we began in La Boca, the colorful neighborhood where El Tango was born. La Boca with all her colors, history, and crazy charm was a favorite of all of us seven girls on the tour. Then we moved to the San Telmo district, which was also precious with her coffee shops, cobblestone streets, and antique shops. Moreover, throughout the entire tour, Alan was heaping wonderful amounts of history on us, which made us appreciate what we were seeing so much more. A rich history of colonial conquest and revolution as well as dictatorships and civil unrest overflows from the city of Buenos Aires. From San Telmo we wandered into the city center to see beautiful churches (like the one built in the early 17th century by the Jesuits and named St. Ignatius de Loyola!!), Congreso Nacional, the Obelisk, la Casa Rosada (i.e. their version of the White House, yet pink), and so much more. We took a coffee break in the most famous coffee house in Buenos Aires, Cafe Tortoni. And unlike most coffee shops in Chile, they had REAL coffee.
Honestly, everything we saw was gorgeous and very European. Buenos Aires is absolutely beautiful. Avenida 9 de Julio (yes, my birthday and BA official day of independence in 1816 although May 25, 1810 is celebrated more as their day of declaring their independence) is one of the largest avenues I have ever seen, with over 18 lanes of traffic in some areas. It is pretty much the man street in BA. More with the history, all of us especially loved the history about Juan and Evita Peron. Perhaps you have heard of Evita? If not, in short, she is probably the most beloved Argentine in history. I don't have time to go into mini detail about everything I learned, but I would highly encourage you to pick up a history book about Argentine history if you are into history. It is fascinating. We also went to the Plaza de Mayo which is where the Mothers of the disappeared meet every Thursday for their disappeared family members from the dictatorship in the 1970s who "disappeared" (a euphemism for murdered) over 30.000 Argentines, mostly Peronists from the left. Horribly sad. The Mothers still meet in order to bring attention to the injustices. Plus, many of the bodies have not been found and some will never be due to the tactics used, like simply taking them up in planes and dumping them into the ocean. Furthermore, only a few of those involved have been held accountable and thus, the Mothers are asking for justice as well as for the truth to be unearthed.
Anyways, the tour was amazing and that evening we went out to a parrilla, which means MEAT, MEAT, MEAT. I, of course, was living on the edge and chose chorizo (type of sausage) and morcilla (aka blood sausage haha). Both are typical Spanish dishes of which I am quite fond. Delicioso!! However, definitely not as delicious as the place we went to in Mendoza, Argentina. Nothing can beat that place. Although we did drink some tasty wine from Mendoza with dinner.
The next day was another full one. We broke up into smaller groups, which was helpful and didn't cause as many headaches. Plus we moved a little faster. So Emily and I headed for Teatro Colon, the famous theater in the center of Buenos Aires. Although we didn't get to do the tour, we enjoyed seeing the outside as well as relaxing in the park for awhile with a Starbucks. Afterwards, we traveled to the Palermo district where we went to the Museo de Evita - i.e. Eva Peron museum. Very cool! She was such a classy lady. Next, we picked up Katie at the museum and headed for the ZOO, which was insane!! We were literally feeding animals out of our hands. And there were hundreds of these rabbit-deer animals running around. It was very South American. We saw all kinds of animals, of which our fav was probably the giraffes! We took some hilarious pictures with the animals and definitely had a good laugh. Next, we went back into the city center to do some shopping, which for me didn't amount to much. (I did buy a new hat to replace my pink Hawkeye hat for running! Not as cool but it will suffice.) Anyways, I will have plenty of time to shop if necessary (probably isn't necessary though.. haha). I mean, I will be coming back to Buenos Aires before I leave South America. I am kinda thinking about backpacking for the month of February down through the South of Chile to Patagonia and then up North through Argentina to Buenos Aires.... Just an idea! However, things did not turn out so well for our friend Katie, who was pick-pocketed on the metro. Thus, we had to call her mom in the States and go through that whole bit, canceling credit cards etc. How horrible! It could have been much worse but it is just frustrating, especially because we were just talking about pick-pocketers since Emily and I realized this other guy was trying to rob us on the way to the museum in the morning on the metro. It was crazy! We obviously gave this dude a dirty look and told him to skedaddle. But then, three hours later while back on the metro... Katie is robbed! Ugh.
Sunday was travel day. Woke up, headed to the airport, flew to Montevideo, had a five hour layover, then hopped on our plane to Santiago. We were exhausted by the end of the day. However, once we landed in Santiago and realized we were home, we suddenly had all the energy in the world! Hogar, dulce, hogar. All in all, Buenos Aires was a SUCCESS and I am definitely pumped to go back. But before that, I still have a month of school left and a bunch of papers, presentations, and projects to complete first... bummer! However, the girls and I definitely have some plans in progress in order to make our last month together in Santiago the best ever... so stay tuned :)
¡Hasta pronto!
Wake-Up Call in Montevideo
Hello all,
I am writing to you while in Montevideo, Uruguay although I probably won't post this until I get back to Santiago. However, I wanted to blog while the events of today are still fresh in my mind.
Hmm... the events of the day... Well, after getting about 2-3 hours of sleep, waking up to catch a flight to Uruguay, and arriving at our hostel in Montevideo, it was already a long and exhausting day. But we were all stoked to be in Uruguay, the pinnacle of which occurred at customs when we got our passports stamped! With the ride from the airport to the city center, we noticed that Uruguay had a different feel - a costal city in a country less developed or less wealthy than Chile. Nonetheless, it had a bit of charm from the superficial views we gathered from the shuttle. However, we did notice how dirty the water was... perhaps because it was so shallow and the sand was so visible, but still dirty. In hindsight, that was perhaps the first sign. Little by little, we got some weird vibes... In the first place, there wasn't much happening since it was a holiday - Day of the Dead. So most businesses were closed and thus less street traffic. The architecture of Montevideo seemed to promise beauty and a bit of a European-feel. I'd guess the architecture is French colonial style but I'm no expert. However, Montevideo is dirty like it's ocean water along the coast. It is quite obvious just by taking a look around that Uruguay is much more underdeveloped and Uruguayans have lower standards of living in general. (These are general observations and most likely do not reflect all of Uruguay etc. but I am entitled to blog about my views and opinions, right?) Anyways, with the lack of pedestrian traffic on the streets and the lack of open businesses etc. we all got a kinda eerie vibe as we walked along the main parts of the city... As a group of five girls, I would say we were pretty noticeable to the population. However, we are also pretty street smart and aware of our surroundings. Thus we were careful. Yet, a few things came to our attention and in hindsight kinda set the scene of what was to come. (The suspense is killing you right? Spoiler Alert - Don't worry. we all survive!!)
The first red flag was our use of the McDonalds bathroom in which a woman who was clearly strung out on drugs was bathing her toddler-aged son. Honestly, as much as I wanted to turn the other way and get out of that bathroom asap, my heart was uneasy as I realized how impoverished and absolutely difficult her life must be and thus a large part of the population as well. And Uruguay is not even the worst, you know? There are places and people who are in situations that I, myself, cannot even begin to imagine. And it is so easy to be disgusted, judge, condemn, and then forget whatever you saw and lack so much compassion. I am reminded of Jesus and how He never turned the other cheek or ignored the desolate and broken. Instead, He touched the leper, spoke to the prostitute, etc. I wish I had a fraction of the compassion God has for His people.
Second red flag occurred while we were walking down a street heading towards the ocean. We passed a storefront behind it's protective cage, or bars, which is totally common. However, what is not common is the state that the storefront was in. Covered, absolutely covered, in various varieties of trash and filth as well as five or six of the most innocent kittens wandering aimlessly through the junk with flies hovering above it all. It was a sight that broke all of our hearts and, again, made us cringe with disbelief and a bit of disgust, to be 100% honest. I can't help but wonder if the kittens are a metaphor of some sort for people - stagnant in a place of filth and hurt, innocent without any knowledge of a way out, somewhat incapable of helping themselves. Humbling... Yes, this world is broken. People are starving, hurt, and sick. Yet, more than food and medicine, these people need a Savior. They need a life that offers joy, fulfillment, and purpose. See where I am going with this? It all points to Jesus.
And lastly, as we were walking from the corner market to our hostel, we stopped just outside our hostels buzz-entry door to snap a few pictures of the sunset. As we were there, we had a few suspicions surrounding a young, teen-aged boy, who was hanging around just a little too much to be up to good. We were right. He tried to rob one of us. Luckily, we were just about inside and luckily, one of us let out a terrifying scream and luckily, he freaked a little and ran away with nothing. An experience to shake us up just a little bit.
Now to Montevideo's defense, it was a holiday and thus the city was not at it's normal state. However, even on holidays without very many people in the streets, we felt Montevideo was a little too eerie and yes, a little scary. Thus, we stayed in our hostel the rest of the night and prepared for Buenos Aires. The next morning as we awoke to head to the harbor to board our ferry to BA, we noticed the hustle and bustle of Montevideo with all the stores open and the people going about their daily lives and we liked it... I think given different circumstances we would have really like Montevideo. However, circumstances weren't different and we really had a terrible time. Thus, I am not bashing Montevideo totally, saying never go there. It may be worth another shot. However, bring friends, be smart, and don't go when there are holidays... Just a few words of wisdom for the traveler.
Now... for Buenos Aires, the Big Apple!
PS Pictures of Montevideo y Buenos Aires are up!
I am writing to you while in Montevideo, Uruguay although I probably won't post this until I get back to Santiago. However, I wanted to blog while the events of today are still fresh in my mind.
Hmm... the events of the day... Well, after getting about 2-3 hours of sleep, waking up to catch a flight to Uruguay, and arriving at our hostel in Montevideo, it was already a long and exhausting day. But we were all stoked to be in Uruguay, the pinnacle of which occurred at customs when we got our passports stamped! With the ride from the airport to the city center, we noticed that Uruguay had a different feel - a costal city in a country less developed or less wealthy than Chile. Nonetheless, it had a bit of charm from the superficial views we gathered from the shuttle. However, we did notice how dirty the water was... perhaps because it was so shallow and the sand was so visible, but still dirty. In hindsight, that was perhaps the first sign. Little by little, we got some weird vibes... In the first place, there wasn't much happening since it was a holiday - Day of the Dead. So most businesses were closed and thus less street traffic. The architecture of Montevideo seemed to promise beauty and a bit of a European-feel. I'd guess the architecture is French colonial style but I'm no expert. However, Montevideo is dirty like it's ocean water along the coast. It is quite obvious just by taking a look around that Uruguay is much more underdeveloped and Uruguayans have lower standards of living in general. (These are general observations and most likely do not reflect all of Uruguay etc. but I am entitled to blog about my views and opinions, right?) Anyways, with the lack of pedestrian traffic on the streets and the lack of open businesses etc. we all got a kinda eerie vibe as we walked along the main parts of the city... As a group of five girls, I would say we were pretty noticeable to the population. However, we are also pretty street smart and aware of our surroundings. Thus we were careful. Yet, a few things came to our attention and in hindsight kinda set the scene of what was to come. (The suspense is killing you right? Spoiler Alert - Don't worry. we all survive!!)
The first red flag was our use of the McDonalds bathroom in which a woman who was clearly strung out on drugs was bathing her toddler-aged son. Honestly, as much as I wanted to turn the other way and get out of that bathroom asap, my heart was uneasy as I realized how impoverished and absolutely difficult her life must be and thus a large part of the population as well. And Uruguay is not even the worst, you know? There are places and people who are in situations that I, myself, cannot even begin to imagine. And it is so easy to be disgusted, judge, condemn, and then forget whatever you saw and lack so much compassion. I am reminded of Jesus and how He never turned the other cheek or ignored the desolate and broken. Instead, He touched the leper, spoke to the prostitute, etc. I wish I had a fraction of the compassion God has for His people.
Second red flag occurred while we were walking down a street heading towards the ocean. We passed a storefront behind it's protective cage, or bars, which is totally common. However, what is not common is the state that the storefront was in. Covered, absolutely covered, in various varieties of trash and filth as well as five or six of the most innocent kittens wandering aimlessly through the junk with flies hovering above it all. It was a sight that broke all of our hearts and, again, made us cringe with disbelief and a bit of disgust, to be 100% honest. I can't help but wonder if the kittens are a metaphor of some sort for people - stagnant in a place of filth and hurt, innocent without any knowledge of a way out, somewhat incapable of helping themselves. Humbling... Yes, this world is broken. People are starving, hurt, and sick. Yet, more than food and medicine, these people need a Savior. They need a life that offers joy, fulfillment, and purpose. See where I am going with this? It all points to Jesus.
And lastly, as we were walking from the corner market to our hostel, we stopped just outside our hostels buzz-entry door to snap a few pictures of the sunset. As we were there, we had a few suspicions surrounding a young, teen-aged boy, who was hanging around just a little too much to be up to good. We were right. He tried to rob one of us. Luckily, we were just about inside and luckily, one of us let out a terrifying scream and luckily, he freaked a little and ran away with nothing. An experience to shake us up just a little bit.
Now to Montevideo's defense, it was a holiday and thus the city was not at it's normal state. However, even on holidays without very many people in the streets, we felt Montevideo was a little too eerie and yes, a little scary. Thus, we stayed in our hostel the rest of the night and prepared for Buenos Aires. The next morning as we awoke to head to the harbor to board our ferry to BA, we noticed the hustle and bustle of Montevideo with all the stores open and the people going about their daily lives and we liked it... I think given different circumstances we would have really like Montevideo. However, circumstances weren't different and we really had a terrible time. Thus, I am not bashing Montevideo totally, saying never go there. It may be worth another shot. However, bring friends, be smart, and don't go when there are holidays... Just a few words of wisdom for the traveler.
Now... for Buenos Aires, the Big Apple!
PS Pictures of Montevideo y Buenos Aires are up!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Gettin' Down & Dirty in San Pedro de Atacama
Oh well hello there my blog-followers!
I am currently blogging from San Pedro de Atacama, which is in the northern-most part of Chile and home to the driest desert in the world. We are doing so much and seeing so much that I just couldn't wait until I got home to start blogging sooo here goes nothing:
Day 1 (Friday, October 28)
We woke at the crack of dawn to be on a bus around 5:00AM taking us to the airport where we boarded our flight to Calama, Chile. Then we bused for another hour or so up to San Pedro de Atacama. We are at a much higher altitude (2400m or 7900ft) so thus we must be careful not to get altitude sickness. (So far so good!) Also, it is incredibly dry up here so we are drinking water like it's our job. And not the tap water, might I add, due to metal contamination. Furthermore, the temperature is very extreme, dropping below zero up in the mountains to getting up into the 80s with a very strong sun that makes a hat and sunscreen a must. Up here in the desert, we are surrounded by copper, nitrate, and other mineral mines. We actually passed the largest copper mine in the world on our way from the airport. Pues, once we got settled in to the airport, we took a little walk around the small, quaint town of San Pedro. Not too much going on... Very touristy. However, we did manage to book a tour for the next day (Saturday), which brings me to...
Day 2 (Saturday, October 29)
Again, waking up at the crack of dawn (3:30AM for the second day in a row), we put on our swimsuits then bundled up with layers upon layers. Being picked up at 4:20AM, ten of us headed up the mountains with the starry sky looking more beautiful than ever! I even saw my first shooting star!! Another note: Because of the high altitude and nearly non-existent clouds as well as lack of light pollution and radio interference, the Atacama desert is one of the best places to conduct astronomical observations and is home to some of the biggest and most high-powered telescropes in the world. Thus we will be going on an astronomical tour in a few days. Pues, where were we headed so early exactly? El Tatio, a geyser field with over 80 active geyers. It was INCREDIBLE. I truly need to invent a new adjective to describe the astounding beauty of the combination of mountains, desert, geyers, and just the vastness of the scenery in general. Well, hopefully you'll check out my pictures and see just what I'm talking about. On another note, boy was it cold up there!! However, with a little guts, we all stripped off all our layers and headed for the thermal baths. Hahaha. What an experience. It was all great and lovely until we had to get out of the water. Yikes!! An experience nonetheless, and that's what we are here for - to experience. Among the 80+ geyers, there was even a volcano with smoke coming from the top - the real deal! Sooo beautiful. On the trekk back, we stopped at random points on the (very, very, very bumpy) road to take pictures of beautiful panoramic scenes and the wild animals, such as burros, flamingos, and vicunas (a llama-looking animal that is only found at high altitudes). Anyways the beauty was overwhelming.
Part two of day two consisted of touring an ancient fortress, which was fun, but the best part of the afternoon/evening was going to a national park - Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). It was like being on another planet, hince the name. It is so desolate and dry with differing rock formations from varying minerals etc. I honestly felt like I was on Mars, so uninhabited but so beautiful in its own way. The desert is surprisingly beautiful. In the Valle de la Luna, we also climbed a huge sand dune in order to watch the sunset across the landscape. More or less, breathtaking. Although I was a little bummed because due to the crazy wind whipping sand to and fro my amazing light pink Iowa Hawkeyes hat blew off and down the dune, which later I was prohibed from retrieving it because we aren't allowed to walk on the actual dune. Major bummer. So I guess I'll have to put that on my Christmas list (haha) or just wait until I get back to Iowa to buy a new one, although I will have to buy a replacement down in Chile due to the muy fuerte sun. Anywhoo I'll survive. Hopefully a Chilean will find my hat and decide it is cool enough to sport around! After the park and dinner, it was straight to the showers for all of us. We were all absolutely filthy with sand, dirt, and dust. Best shower of my life (or at least in the running). Although I'll probably be finding sand amongst all my things for weeks to come... Oh well, when in San Pedro... :)
Day 3 (Sunday, October 30)
The morning of our third day here, we were able to witness a traditional native (blend of Chilean, Peruvian, and Bolivian) baptism ceremony of our program director's daughter. How lucky we were to be able witness this personal and emotional ceremony. I can't even begin to describe all that occurred. I will note, however, that this baptism was not of water, but a hair-cutting ceremony. It was actually pretty cool the way everything occurred. The godparents carried out the ceremony with the whole community present. It was a very emotional and special day for our program director, his wife, daughter (obviously), and friends and relatives. Moreover, it was very cool that we were about to be there to share in the special ceremony. We even got to try coca leaves, which are supposed to help altitude sickness etc. Also a kinda cool experience. The rest of the afternoon I laid by the pool and got tan. :) Success!! Now we are heading for dinner and then the ASTRONOMY TOUR!!! We get to look at the stars in the best place to look at the stars etc. in the world. Wow!
Astonomy Tour = EPIC. Absolutely mindblowing. We learned a ton about the rotation of the earth, planets etc. in our solar system as well as about constallations and how people 3.000+ years ago would have looked at the sky. We also got to look through telescopes to get a closer look at Beetlejuice, Sirius (the brightest star in the sky), the third star of Orion's sword, the Seven Sisters, two orbiting stars (which really look like one), another galaxy, a star cluster that looks like a giant spider, the small Magellanic cloud, and the big one was Jupiter and her four moons. WOW. We also got bombarded with facts about how far away all of this really is - thousands of lightyears away... It was all just so incredible. The stars, galaxies, planets and everything else in between just makes me feel so small, which makes the fact that God created all of this yet He loves us, humans, so much and desires a personal relationship with each of us all the more unbelieveably amazing. Throughout this whole trip to the desert, I have been astounded by the variety of beauty God has created. He is unmatchable on every single level imaginable.
Day 4 (Monday, October 31)
Happy Halloween everyone!! Day four of our desert excursion took us to the salt flats. What used to be a giant (I think they said the 3rd biggest in the world) salt lake is now a huge space of flat yet bumpy ground filled with salt. We literally took a little taste of the rocks and yes, salty it was indeed. Amongst this rocky and salty terrain was a few fresh water lagoons that are home to many creatures of which the flamingo is the most well-known. Flamingos everywhere! Surrounded by volcanoes and mountains and fresh water lagoons. An oasis in the middle of the driest desert in the world. Chile is an amazing country with an amazingly large variety of environments - from deserts to glaciers, wine valleys to volcanos, the Andes mountains to the Pacific ocean... With Chile you can literally travel to the end of the world. What a country! What a country indeed. ((PS again, the rest of the afternoon, I laid out by the pool and worked on my "tan" - tough life I know. And for the record, I did get t-a-n, which is an accomplishment for my general pale skin. Must have been the Atacama sun! Magical.))
Day 5 (Tuesday, November 1)
Departure Day... However, in the morning we went to the Puritama hot springs, which were exactly like an oasis in the desert. Absolutely gorgeous as well!! ((Note: On our way to the airport we stopped at the most well-known memorial for those who were murdered by the regime of Pinochet (dictator) after the coup in 1973. Very cool especially since I had just watched a documentary with my class called Nostalgia de la Luz about the Atacama desert and those murdered/disappeared during the dictatorship and how families are still searching for their loved ones in the barren, vast desert as the astronomers are searching amongst the stars and galaxies as well.))
The desert never ceases to surprise me or amaze me. Throughout the entire time I was there, I was constantly in awe of the beauty of this seemingly-barren land. I think I fell in love with the desert. No joke. Totally unlike me, seeing as I prefer cool weather to the scorching heat, busy cities to vast landscapes, and so on and so forth. However, the Atacama desert is enchanting.
Anyways check out the pictures and I apologize if this blog was a bit all over the place. Currently it is 1AM and I am unpacking from the desert (the amount of sand is unbelievable) and repacking for Montevideo and Buenos Aires. I have to be up at 4AM to get ready to catch my ride to the airport for our morning flight. Thus, I am wondering if I should even sleep! Ridiculous but totally worth not sleeping. Soooo stay tuned for Buenos Aires and Montevideo!! :)
¡Ciao!
Sarah
PS the pictures might not be posted quite yet... slow internet connection!
I am currently blogging from San Pedro de Atacama, which is in the northern-most part of Chile and home to the driest desert in the world. We are doing so much and seeing so much that I just couldn't wait until I got home to start blogging sooo here goes nothing:
Day 1 (Friday, October 28)
We woke at the crack of dawn to be on a bus around 5:00AM taking us to the airport where we boarded our flight to Calama, Chile. Then we bused for another hour or so up to San Pedro de Atacama. We are at a much higher altitude (2400m or 7900ft) so thus we must be careful not to get altitude sickness. (So far so good!) Also, it is incredibly dry up here so we are drinking water like it's our job. And not the tap water, might I add, due to metal contamination. Furthermore, the temperature is very extreme, dropping below zero up in the mountains to getting up into the 80s with a very strong sun that makes a hat and sunscreen a must. Up here in the desert, we are surrounded by copper, nitrate, and other mineral mines. We actually passed the largest copper mine in the world on our way from the airport. Pues, once we got settled in to the airport, we took a little walk around the small, quaint town of San Pedro. Not too much going on... Very touristy. However, we did manage to book a tour for the next day (Saturday), which brings me to...
Day 2 (Saturday, October 29)
Again, waking up at the crack of dawn (3:30AM for the second day in a row), we put on our swimsuits then bundled up with layers upon layers. Being picked up at 4:20AM, ten of us headed up the mountains with the starry sky looking more beautiful than ever! I even saw my first shooting star!! Another note: Because of the high altitude and nearly non-existent clouds as well as lack of light pollution and radio interference, the Atacama desert is one of the best places to conduct astronomical observations and is home to some of the biggest and most high-powered telescropes in the world. Thus we will be going on an astronomical tour in a few days. Pues, where were we headed so early exactly? El Tatio, a geyser field with over 80 active geyers. It was INCREDIBLE. I truly need to invent a new adjective to describe the astounding beauty of the combination of mountains, desert, geyers, and just the vastness of the scenery in general. Well, hopefully you'll check out my pictures and see just what I'm talking about. On another note, boy was it cold up there!! However, with a little guts, we all stripped off all our layers and headed for the thermal baths. Hahaha. What an experience. It was all great and lovely until we had to get out of the water. Yikes!! An experience nonetheless, and that's what we are here for - to experience. Among the 80+ geyers, there was even a volcano with smoke coming from the top - the real deal! Sooo beautiful. On the trekk back, we stopped at random points on the (very, very, very bumpy) road to take pictures of beautiful panoramic scenes and the wild animals, such as burros, flamingos, and vicunas (a llama-looking animal that is only found at high altitudes). Anyways the beauty was overwhelming.
Part two of day two consisted of touring an ancient fortress, which was fun, but the best part of the afternoon/evening was going to a national park - Valle de la Luna (Valley of the Moon). It was like being on another planet, hince the name. It is so desolate and dry with differing rock formations from varying minerals etc. I honestly felt like I was on Mars, so uninhabited but so beautiful in its own way. The desert is surprisingly beautiful. In the Valle de la Luna, we also climbed a huge sand dune in order to watch the sunset across the landscape. More or less, breathtaking. Although I was a little bummed because due to the crazy wind whipping sand to and fro my amazing light pink Iowa Hawkeyes hat blew off and down the dune, which later I was prohibed from retrieving it because we aren't allowed to walk on the actual dune. Major bummer. So I guess I'll have to put that on my Christmas list (haha) or just wait until I get back to Iowa to buy a new one, although I will have to buy a replacement down in Chile due to the muy fuerte sun. Anywhoo I'll survive. Hopefully a Chilean will find my hat and decide it is cool enough to sport around! After the park and dinner, it was straight to the showers for all of us. We were all absolutely filthy with sand, dirt, and dust. Best shower of my life (or at least in the running). Although I'll probably be finding sand amongst all my things for weeks to come... Oh well, when in San Pedro... :)
Day 3 (Sunday, October 30)
The morning of our third day here, we were able to witness a traditional native (blend of Chilean, Peruvian, and Bolivian) baptism ceremony of our program director's daughter. How lucky we were to be able witness this personal and emotional ceremony. I can't even begin to describe all that occurred. I will note, however, that this baptism was not of water, but a hair-cutting ceremony. It was actually pretty cool the way everything occurred. The godparents carried out the ceremony with the whole community present. It was a very emotional and special day for our program director, his wife, daughter (obviously), and friends and relatives. Moreover, it was very cool that we were about to be there to share in the special ceremony. We even got to try coca leaves, which are supposed to help altitude sickness etc. Also a kinda cool experience. The rest of the afternoon I laid by the pool and got tan. :) Success!! Now we are heading for dinner and then the ASTRONOMY TOUR!!! We get to look at the stars in the best place to look at the stars etc. in the world. Wow!
Astonomy Tour = EPIC. Absolutely mindblowing. We learned a ton about the rotation of the earth, planets etc. in our solar system as well as about constallations and how people 3.000+ years ago would have looked at the sky. We also got to look through telescopes to get a closer look at Beetlejuice, Sirius (the brightest star in the sky), the third star of Orion's sword, the Seven Sisters, two orbiting stars (which really look like one), another galaxy, a star cluster that looks like a giant spider, the small Magellanic cloud, and the big one was Jupiter and her four moons. WOW. We also got bombarded with facts about how far away all of this really is - thousands of lightyears away... It was all just so incredible. The stars, galaxies, planets and everything else in between just makes me feel so small, which makes the fact that God created all of this yet He loves us, humans, so much and desires a personal relationship with each of us all the more unbelieveably amazing. Throughout this whole trip to the desert, I have been astounded by the variety of beauty God has created. He is unmatchable on every single level imaginable.
Day 4 (Monday, October 31)
Happy Halloween everyone!! Day four of our desert excursion took us to the salt flats. What used to be a giant (I think they said the 3rd biggest in the world) salt lake is now a huge space of flat yet bumpy ground filled with salt. We literally took a little taste of the rocks and yes, salty it was indeed. Amongst this rocky and salty terrain was a few fresh water lagoons that are home to many creatures of which the flamingo is the most well-known. Flamingos everywhere! Surrounded by volcanoes and mountains and fresh water lagoons. An oasis in the middle of the driest desert in the world. Chile is an amazing country with an amazingly large variety of environments - from deserts to glaciers, wine valleys to volcanos, the Andes mountains to the Pacific ocean... With Chile you can literally travel to the end of the world. What a country! What a country indeed. ((PS again, the rest of the afternoon, I laid out by the pool and worked on my "tan" - tough life I know. And for the record, I did get t-a-n, which is an accomplishment for my general pale skin. Must have been the Atacama sun! Magical.))
Day 5 (Tuesday, November 1)
Departure Day... However, in the morning we went to the Puritama hot springs, which were exactly like an oasis in the desert. Absolutely gorgeous as well!! ((Note: On our way to the airport we stopped at the most well-known memorial for those who were murdered by the regime of Pinochet (dictator) after the coup in 1973. Very cool especially since I had just watched a documentary with my class called Nostalgia de la Luz about the Atacama desert and those murdered/disappeared during the dictatorship and how families are still searching for their loved ones in the barren, vast desert as the astronomers are searching amongst the stars and galaxies as well.))
The desert never ceases to surprise me or amaze me. Throughout the entire time I was there, I was constantly in awe of the beauty of this seemingly-barren land. I think I fell in love with the desert. No joke. Totally unlike me, seeing as I prefer cool weather to the scorching heat, busy cities to vast landscapes, and so on and so forth. However, the Atacama desert is enchanting.
Anyways check out the pictures and I apologize if this blog was a bit all over the place. Currently it is 1AM and I am unpacking from the desert (the amount of sand is unbelievable) and repacking for Montevideo and Buenos Aires. I have to be up at 4AM to get ready to catch my ride to the airport for our morning flight. Thus, I am wondering if I should even sleep! Ridiculous but totally worth not sleeping. Soooo stay tuned for Buenos Aires and Montevideo!! :)
¡Ciao!
Sarah
PS the pictures might not be posted quite yet... slow internet connection!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
This Is CHILE
Hey everyone!
Soo tonight I was looking forward to relaxing in my bed while catching up on some NCIS. However, cbs.com doesn't work for my "geographic location" and the "hulu" of South America doesn't have NCIS, which is a serious crime. How dare they! Anyways, I should be reading a book in Spanish or something and Facebook is boring so I decided to blog. This blog post is kinda a work in progress, FYI. But here are x-number of observations I have made about Chile, Chilean life, Chileans etc. They are in no particular order and may seem a little random, but perhaps you'll find a few interesting... Expand your horizon, people! :)
Observations start here:
1. Chileans like to stare. (and honk and whistle and occasionally be obnoxious.) This is very similar to Spain, which is great for me because I'm kinda used to people staring at the gringa, or white person. Your average Chilean has brown hair, brown eyes, and often darker skin tone. Thus, any reddish-brown haired girl with blue/green eyes dressed like a gringa definitely stands out. However, when I'm on the metro and everyone and their mom is staring at me, often I like to stare back and give a little wink. Usually it catches them off-guard and they turn away. Kinda amusing, eh?
2. Chileans walk slow and speak fast. As a girl from Chicago I walk semi-fast. But hey, when I got someplace to go, I got someplace to go sooo watch out, Chileans, and get out of my way! Haha. However, oftentimes I just have to slow down... there are sooo many slow-walking Chileans, sometimes I just can't win! Kinda surprising when you think about how darn fast they speak too. Habla más despacio is one of my most-used phrases, meaning "Speak slower."
3. Chilenismos - I thought I knew Spanish (castellano) coming down to Chile. However, some of the basics are completely different. For example, avocado in Spain is aguacate but in Chile it is palta. The list goes on... literally.
¿Cachai? = Got it?
Po = "well" and they say it after everything. For example Sí po.
Al tiro = right away
Weon/a = dude
Fome = boring
Pololo/a = boyfriend/girlfriend
Bacán = cool!
4. Pololear = Wanna be girlfriend/boyfriend? Like in Spain, PDA is rampant. It is everywhere. Maybe it's just the hormones, but teens are making out all over the place - in the park, on the metro, on the streets... You name it and they'll make out there too. I must say, it can be entertaining but usually it's just downright annoying.
5. The morning metro commute... Sardines, anyone? I'm not kidding. When a metro train pulls up to your metro stop, you may think to yourself "There is no way anymore people are fitting on that train." Au contraire. At least a dozen more will fit. Trust me. Been there, done that. The best part is watching the little old Chilean women push their way on that train like nobody's business. Permiso is the key word. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to summertime when it is 100+ degrees down there and I am stuck on a packed train with everyone's B.O. But hey... you gotta do what you gotta do. Survival of the fittest in the Chilean jungle.
6. Once (own-say) is kinda like tea-time in Chile, but oftentimes it takes the place of dinner. Usually served between 4 and 7 PM, once consists of tea, coffee, bread and jams - kinda like a breakfast repeat. Luckily, my host family only partakes in once occasionally on the weekends, thus I get a normal and substantial dinner. :)
7. Coffee. HUGE disappointment. You would think being so close to Brazil and Colombia, Chile would have AMAZING coffee. No. Fail. They don't. The majority of Chileans drink instant coffee. I know, I know, I was shocked too. It is a CRIME, right? These people are truly loco. Haha just kidding. But I do find it extremely weird. I guess they do more instant coffee due to their tea obsession. I'm not kidding you; they are obsessed with té. I can barely compare it to my own coffee addiction. Luckily, I am becoming more and more fond of tea.
8. Okay, let's talk about this climate thing. Obviously the seasons are switched... I hope that much is obvious. However, when I arrived, the clime was extremely harsh. Very, very cold mornings and evenings... then it would get absurdly warm in the afternoons, which was kinda annoying because you had to dress in layers and then carry around your layers all afternoon. But I survived! Also, seeing as the biggest hole in the ozone is over Antarctica (I think), Chile also is having problems with a thinning ozone. Translation? Where your sunscreen and sunglasses everyone and don't go tanning. Seriously. Don't. As for pollution? Welcome to Santiago, home of pollution and smog. I really haven't had a problem with it although a few of my gringo friends have had trouble adjusting and have developed coughs. Furthermore, sometimes you can really see it if you are up high enough. Cars are also issued a number or a color or letter or something and on certain days when the pollution is really bad, only certain cars can drive. Carpool, por favor.
9. Bananos - No I did not misspell bananas. A banano in Chile is none other than a FANNY PACK. Oh yeahhh! The 80s are back so bust out your old fanny packs and bring them with you to Chile. Men and women alike are caught sporting fanny packs all over Chile. Where they on your hip, in front, or slug across your shoulder/chest if you are really cool. Sometimes I don't get it... I mean, they stare at me for dressing like a gringa all the time while they are wearing fanny packs.
10. Terremotos: earthquakes and drinks. As you all may know, Chile, all approximately 2.600 miles of coastline, is situated on the Ring of Fire, meaning yes, volcanoes but most importantly, earthquakes. Temblores, or tremors, occur quite frequently: i.e. all the time. However, the big ones, the terremotos are more rare and thank goodness. Their latest big one was in February of 2010 and measured a chill 8.8, killing about 525 people not including the 25 that went missing. This is serious business. Needless to say, with earthquakes come tsunamsi so watch out if you´re at the beach. If the water suddenly and rapidly retreats, that is code for RUN. However, as scary and serious as earthquakes are for Chileans, there is a subtle pride in their dangerous country so much so they have a drink called terremotos as well, which consists of white wine, pisco, sugar, and pineapple icecream.
11. What is pisco? Well, it´s essentially a colorless grape brandy that everyone drinks in Chile. Pisco sours and piscolas, which are like rum and cokes. Chile and Peru both claim ownership of this drink and it´s a touchy subject. If you want to get a rise out of a Chilean, just make the comment that pisco isn´t really from Chile and they´ll get all hot and bothered. Amusing, I´d say.
12. Alright, let´s talk about food, Chilean food. I think I´ll start with empanadas, which are infamous. You can buy an empanada just about anywhere at anytime and usually they are delicious for roughly a few bucks. My favorite is empanada with seafood. However, the more original would be empanada pino, which has ground meat, boiled egg, a little pepper and onion among a few other things in the mix, and always with one black olive. Empanadas, Represent yo.
13. Completos y Choripan I put these two together because they are both ¨hotdog-esque.¨ You have probably heard about me talk about completos, which are hotdogs traditionally with avocado, mayo, and tomato. Choripan on the other hand is chorizo, Spanish sausage, on the grill in a hotdog bun, essentially. Don´t eat a completo on the street, but en casa they are pretty legit. However, choripan... eat it anywhere at anytime. ¡Delicioso!
13. Now is a great time to address the mayonnaise obsession. Chileans put mayo on EVERYTHING and I am not exaggerating. While I have been in Chile this short time, I have put mayo on hotdogs, potatos, salads, french fries, artichokes, meat... you name it and they´ll put mayonnaise on it. Just be careful not to eat the mayo on the streets as many people have been gotten salmonela and one man actually died. So ten cuidado, meaning be careful!
14. Speaking of obsessions, this is an appropriate time to add ice cream, or helado, to the Chilean obsessions of tea and mayo. Chile is the largest ice cream consumer of Latin America, which says a lot seeing as it is only the 7th most populated Latin America country. Just to give you some perspective, Brazil has about 190 million people, Mexico has about 112 million, Colombia 45 million and Chile... about 17 million... But they like their ice cream that is for sure.
15. I would also like to add pebre to the list of Chilean foods. This one I particularly adore. Similar to pico di gallo, pebre consists of tomatos, cilantro, garlic, onion among a few other things depending on the recipe. Spicy as ever and delicious!!! In most restuarants, pebre and bread is placed before you to munch on while ordering and waiting. Many also put pebre on choripan, in soups, on potatos etc. I don´t think a meal would be truly Chilean if it didn´t consist of pebre and mayo as condiments. I think most Chileans would agree.
16. Nanas... and no, I´m not talking about another name for Grandma. Nanas are quite popular and common in Chile. Many children are raised by nanas... maybe their parents work or maybe that is just how it is. I´m not sure, but it certainly isn´t uncommon to be raised by a nana in Chile.
17. Oh, interesting observation about the lawnmowers in Chile. They are plug-in lawnmowers, I kid you not. Twice, I have seen people mowing their lawns with lawnmowers, which had cords attached to them! How odd, I thought, just make sure you don´t run over the cord with the lawnmower... that could be problematic.
18. Alright, let´s talk about the political scene briefly. As many of you may know, Chile was under a dictatorship from 1973 to about 1990. His name? Augusto Pinochet. Very complicated history that has left deep wounds and scares throughout Chile and her people. On September 11, 1973 the first democratically elected Marxist president in Latin America, Salvador Allende, was overthrown; thus unleashing a whirlwind of events that would haunt Chile forever. If you didn´t already guess, the US (CIA) was involved in the coup d´état as it was right in the middle of the Cold War... not that that is an excuse, but just to give ya´ll an idea of why we would do that. So even before, September 11th became infamous in 2001, that date was already well-known in the minds of all Chileans.
19. More recently, however, has been the protests for education reform, often which have gotten media attention when they have turned a bit violent (you´ve heard me talk about tear gas, rubber bullets, etc.). Anyways, this is a huge time in Chilean history and will be a turning point in educational reform. I think I´ve already devoted a whole blog post about this but I just wanted to mention that Education is dominating the political rhetoric right now and the students aren´t going anywhere without a fight. They want results and who can blame them? Education is frighteningly expensive compared to the average Chilean wage and the interest on loans is scandalous. Education is treated more like a business than anything else... all for profit... but at whose expense? Education affects the young people who are in turn the future of the country... so who is really hurting whom? Anyways... it´s problematic and complicated as most political debates are.
20. Another more random observation is about the public buses in smaller towns like Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. It is not uncommon to see street vendors hop on buses with drinks, snacks etc. and try to sell them to customers on the buses. This would never happen in the US, I´d dare to say, but in Chile, it´s común. Furthermore, street vendors etc. are quite common selling anything from roasted nuts to sopapillas to scarves and sunglasses. You may even get approached by a gypsy wanting to read your palm. Don´t fall for it, she can´t. (And no, I do not know that from experience... Just my street smarts! haha)
21. Many of my next observations have to do with Chile in comparison to the United States. Although Chile is very different from the US, oftentimes I catch myself wondering if perhaps I am in the US afterall. Why? Well, let me make a list: Lider (i.e. Walmart with Great Value brands), The North Face, Merrell shoes, Hush Puppies, Aldo, Columbia, TGI Fridays, Applebees, Dunkin Donuts, Chucky Cheese (weird, right?), Papa Johns, Subway, McDonalds (but that shouldn´t surprise you), Blockbuster, Starbucks (thank goodness! real coffee. although they don´t have pumpkin spice because it isn´t fall... FAIL!)... The list goes on with Herbal Essence, St. Ives, Colgate, Lays potato chips etc. I don´t know if I should be comforted by the fact that I can by my same shampoo in Chile as well as grab dinner at Applebees or if I should be frightened at how powerful globalization (and the US influence on the world) is... In a lot of ways, they, Chileans, like what we have. However, that´s not to say that makes the US superior and thus justified in its arrogant (at times) ways, but the truth is the US and US businesses have done a slam-dunk job at producing some amazing consumer items. I mean, who can honestly live without McDonalds ever once in awhile?
22. Oh, and to the above list I can add media: i.e. television and movies. The Simpsons, Grey´s Anatomy, House, and other US shows are extremely popular in Chile. There is even a Chilean version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? which my family and I watch ever night while eating dinner. Similarly, the Chilean movie theaters are dominated by US movies like Friends with Benefits, Bad Teachers, and the latest Taylor Lautner movie called Sin Escape here in Chile... I mean, let´s just talk about that real quick. How lame. The kid looks 16 (okay, to be fair I think he is 19) and is holding a gun trying to look all BA on the movie poster... epic fail, Taylor, stick with Twilight, my friend. But anyways... my host family is even familiar with The Jersey Shore and 16 & Pregnant, which I constantly tell them are not from the US to save myself the embarassment of being associated with those trashy shows. Whoa, I was coming on a little strong there. My apologies. Terrible TV shows about nothing that I think are more detrimental to our society kinda gets me worked up. Needless to say, movies and TV are another thing that has transcended the borders of the US.
23. Let´s just talk briefly about the bathrooms. I almost forgot to mention this because the toilet-situation is very similar to Spain. Public restrooms are a little more common here than in Spain, however, you still have to pay (50 cents to a dollar depending on where you´re at). Regardless, most restrooms have a separate basket for your TP... pipage problems :) Another fun note, always have some TP with you wherever you go just in case your bathroom doesn´t provide you with any. And NEVER go into a stall without first grabbing some TP from the dispensors located OUTSIDE of the bathrooms in the common-area. This may sound kinda harsh to you all from the US, but at least most Chilean toilets have toilet seats unlike many restrooms in Italy. There is always a silver lining, right?
24. Dreadlocks and Rattails: Yes, I said it. I know you thought fanny packs were bad news but another popular Chilean style is dreads, specifically rattail dreads. Usually they come in just one or two, maybe three, from the back of a younger gentlemen's head near the nape of his neck. Sometimes however they come from the side of his hairline right behind his ear. Weird. End of story. Disgusting too, I should add. You would think that their girlfriends, or wives even, would cut them off in his sleep and blame it on the cat or something. But now that I think of it, would they really even have girlfriends, let alone wives??? The scary thing is, they do. The Chilean girls dig it. How can I tell? Well, this leads me back to Chilean Observation #4 - PDA.
25. Lapis Lazuli: a relatively rare semi-precious stone that is prized for its intense blue color. AND lapis lazuli is only found in two areas: Afghanistan and, you guessed it, CHILE! whoop whoop!
So I thought it would be best to end on #25 for now, although I am sure I will come up with dozens more observations about this great country in which I am residing for the next 4+ months! I hope you all enjoy some of the quirks of Chile and her people as well as recognize the beauty in her ways, culture, and history. Chile is pretty extraordinary and unlike any other place I have been (which really isn't many but still!). Anyways, this is just a little something to tide you all over until I get back from my vacations to the desert, Montevideo, y Buenos Aires.
¡Ciao!
PS I started working on this post over three weeks ago... soo if it doesn't flow or something sounds awkward, my apologies but enjoy nonetheless.
Soo tonight I was looking forward to relaxing in my bed while catching up on some NCIS. However, cbs.com doesn't work for my "geographic location" and the "hulu" of South America doesn't have NCIS, which is a serious crime. How dare they! Anyways, I should be reading a book in Spanish or something and Facebook is boring so I decided to blog. This blog post is kinda a work in progress, FYI. But here are x-number of observations I have made about Chile, Chilean life, Chileans etc. They are in no particular order and may seem a little random, but perhaps you'll find a few interesting... Expand your horizon, people! :)
Observations start here:
1. Chileans like to stare. (and honk and whistle and occasionally be obnoxious.) This is very similar to Spain, which is great for me because I'm kinda used to people staring at the gringa, or white person. Your average Chilean has brown hair, brown eyes, and often darker skin tone. Thus, any reddish-brown haired girl with blue/green eyes dressed like a gringa definitely stands out. However, when I'm on the metro and everyone and their mom is staring at me, often I like to stare back and give a little wink. Usually it catches them off-guard and they turn away. Kinda amusing, eh?
2. Chileans walk slow and speak fast. As a girl from Chicago I walk semi-fast. But hey, when I got someplace to go, I got someplace to go sooo watch out, Chileans, and get out of my way! Haha. However, oftentimes I just have to slow down... there are sooo many slow-walking Chileans, sometimes I just can't win! Kinda surprising when you think about how darn fast they speak too. Habla más despacio is one of my most-used phrases, meaning "Speak slower."
3. Chilenismos - I thought I knew Spanish (castellano) coming down to Chile. However, some of the basics are completely different. For example, avocado in Spain is aguacate but in Chile it is palta. The list goes on... literally.
¿Cachai? = Got it?
Po = "well" and they say it after everything. For example Sí po.
Al tiro = right away
Weon/a = dude
Fome = boring
Pololo/a = boyfriend/girlfriend
Bacán = cool!
4. Pololear = Wanna be girlfriend/boyfriend? Like in Spain, PDA is rampant. It is everywhere. Maybe it's just the hormones, but teens are making out all over the place - in the park, on the metro, on the streets... You name it and they'll make out there too. I must say, it can be entertaining but usually it's just downright annoying.
5. The morning metro commute... Sardines, anyone? I'm not kidding. When a metro train pulls up to your metro stop, you may think to yourself "There is no way anymore people are fitting on that train." Au contraire. At least a dozen more will fit. Trust me. Been there, done that. The best part is watching the little old Chilean women push their way on that train like nobody's business. Permiso is the key word. Needless to say, I am not looking forward to summertime when it is 100+ degrees down there and I am stuck on a packed train with everyone's B.O. But hey... you gotta do what you gotta do. Survival of the fittest in the Chilean jungle.
6. Once (own-say) is kinda like tea-time in Chile, but oftentimes it takes the place of dinner. Usually served between 4 and 7 PM, once consists of tea, coffee, bread and jams - kinda like a breakfast repeat. Luckily, my host family only partakes in once occasionally on the weekends, thus I get a normal and substantial dinner. :)
7. Coffee. HUGE disappointment. You would think being so close to Brazil and Colombia, Chile would have AMAZING coffee. No. Fail. They don't. The majority of Chileans drink instant coffee. I know, I know, I was shocked too. It is a CRIME, right? These people are truly loco. Haha just kidding. But I do find it extremely weird. I guess they do more instant coffee due to their tea obsession. I'm not kidding you; they are obsessed with té. I can barely compare it to my own coffee addiction. Luckily, I am becoming more and more fond of tea.
8. Okay, let's talk about this climate thing. Obviously the seasons are switched... I hope that much is obvious. However, when I arrived, the clime was extremely harsh. Very, very cold mornings and evenings... then it would get absurdly warm in the afternoons, which was kinda annoying because you had to dress in layers and then carry around your layers all afternoon. But I survived! Also, seeing as the biggest hole in the ozone is over Antarctica (I think), Chile also is having problems with a thinning ozone. Translation? Where your sunscreen and sunglasses everyone and don't go tanning. Seriously. Don't. As for pollution? Welcome to Santiago, home of pollution and smog. I really haven't had a problem with it although a few of my gringo friends have had trouble adjusting and have developed coughs. Furthermore, sometimes you can really see it if you are up high enough. Cars are also issued a number or a color or letter or something and on certain days when the pollution is really bad, only certain cars can drive. Carpool, por favor.
9. Bananos - No I did not misspell bananas. A banano in Chile is none other than a FANNY PACK. Oh yeahhh! The 80s are back so bust out your old fanny packs and bring them with you to Chile. Men and women alike are caught sporting fanny packs all over Chile. Where they on your hip, in front, or slug across your shoulder/chest if you are really cool. Sometimes I don't get it... I mean, they stare at me for dressing like a gringa all the time while they are wearing fanny packs.
 |
| Just in case ya'll missed my last post - I bought a banano, of course! But if you did miss my last post, go back and read it!! |
10. Terremotos: earthquakes and drinks. As you all may know, Chile, all approximately 2.600 miles of coastline, is situated on the Ring of Fire, meaning yes, volcanoes but most importantly, earthquakes. Temblores, or tremors, occur quite frequently: i.e. all the time. However, the big ones, the terremotos are more rare and thank goodness. Their latest big one was in February of 2010 and measured a chill 8.8, killing about 525 people not including the 25 that went missing. This is serious business. Needless to say, with earthquakes come tsunamsi so watch out if you´re at the beach. If the water suddenly and rapidly retreats, that is code for RUN. However, as scary and serious as earthquakes are for Chileans, there is a subtle pride in their dangerous country so much so they have a drink called terremotos as well, which consists of white wine, pisco, sugar, and pineapple icecream.
11. What is pisco? Well, it´s essentially a colorless grape brandy that everyone drinks in Chile. Pisco sours and piscolas, which are like rum and cokes. Chile and Peru both claim ownership of this drink and it´s a touchy subject. If you want to get a rise out of a Chilean, just make the comment that pisco isn´t really from Chile and they´ll get all hot and bothered. Amusing, I´d say.
this is a pisco sour
12. Alright, let´s talk about food, Chilean food. I think I´ll start with empanadas, which are infamous. You can buy an empanada just about anywhere at anytime and usually they are delicious for roughly a few bucks. My favorite is empanada with seafood. However, the more original would be empanada pino, which has ground meat, boiled egg, a little pepper and onion among a few other things in the mix, and always with one black olive. Empanadas, Represent yo.
13. Completos y Choripan I put these two together because they are both ¨hotdog-esque.¨ You have probably heard about me talk about completos, which are hotdogs traditionally with avocado, mayo, and tomato. Choripan on the other hand is chorizo, Spanish sausage, on the grill in a hotdog bun, essentially. Don´t eat a completo on the street, but en casa they are pretty legit. However, choripan... eat it anywhere at anytime. ¡Delicioso!
 |
| Completo |
 |
| Choripan |
13. Now is a great time to address the mayonnaise obsession. Chileans put mayo on EVERYTHING and I am not exaggerating. While I have been in Chile this short time, I have put mayo on hotdogs, potatos, salads, french fries, artichokes, meat... you name it and they´ll put mayonnaise on it. Just be careful not to eat the mayo on the streets as many people have been gotten salmonela and one man actually died. So ten cuidado, meaning be careful!
 |
| This has to signify the epitome of mayo obsession. "Kids, do you want Snickers or Reeses for Halloween?" "NOO! We want MAYONNAISE!" Now the only question is Hellmann's or Miracle Whip... |
14. Speaking of obsessions, this is an appropriate time to add ice cream, or helado, to the Chilean obsessions of tea and mayo. Chile is the largest ice cream consumer of Latin America, which says a lot seeing as it is only the 7th most populated Latin America country. Just to give you some perspective, Brazil has about 190 million people, Mexico has about 112 million, Colombia 45 million and Chile... about 17 million... But they like their ice cream that is for sure.
15. I would also like to add pebre to the list of Chilean foods. This one I particularly adore. Similar to pico di gallo, pebre consists of tomatos, cilantro, garlic, onion among a few other things depending on the recipe. Spicy as ever and delicious!!! In most restuarants, pebre and bread is placed before you to munch on while ordering and waiting. Many also put pebre on choripan, in soups, on potatos etc. I don´t think a meal would be truly Chilean if it didn´t consist of pebre and mayo as condiments. I think most Chileans would agree.
16. Nanas... and no, I´m not talking about another name for Grandma. Nanas are quite popular and common in Chile. Many children are raised by nanas... maybe their parents work or maybe that is just how it is. I´m not sure, but it certainly isn´t uncommon to be raised by a nana in Chile.
 |
| Chilean movie about a Nana, who is trying to hold the position she has held for 20+ years. |
17. Oh, interesting observation about the lawnmowers in Chile. They are plug-in lawnmowers, I kid you not. Twice, I have seen people mowing their lawns with lawnmowers, which had cords attached to them! How odd, I thought, just make sure you don´t run over the cord with the lawnmower... that could be problematic.
18. Alright, let´s talk about the political scene briefly. As many of you may know, Chile was under a dictatorship from 1973 to about 1990. His name? Augusto Pinochet. Very complicated history that has left deep wounds and scares throughout Chile and her people. On September 11, 1973 the first democratically elected Marxist president in Latin America, Salvador Allende, was overthrown; thus unleashing a whirlwind of events that would haunt Chile forever. If you didn´t already guess, the US (CIA) was involved in the coup d´état as it was right in the middle of the Cold War... not that that is an excuse, but just to give ya´ll an idea of why we would do that. So even before, September 11th became infamous in 2001, that date was already well-known in the minds of all Chileans.
19. More recently, however, has been the protests for education reform, often which have gotten media attention when they have turned a bit violent (you´ve heard me talk about tear gas, rubber bullets, etc.). Anyways, this is a huge time in Chilean history and will be a turning point in educational reform. I think I´ve already devoted a whole blog post about this but I just wanted to mention that Education is dominating the political rhetoric right now and the students aren´t going anywhere without a fight. They want results and who can blame them? Education is frighteningly expensive compared to the average Chilean wage and the interest on loans is scandalous. Education is treated more like a business than anything else... all for profit... but at whose expense? Education affects the young people who are in turn the future of the country... so who is really hurting whom? Anyways... it´s problematic and complicated as most political debates are.
 |
| Universidad de Chile en paro - meaning "unemployed" or kinda like being on strike. There haven't been classes in months and the students have been living inside the school. |
20. Another more random observation is about the public buses in smaller towns like Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. It is not uncommon to see street vendors hop on buses with drinks, snacks etc. and try to sell them to customers on the buses. This would never happen in the US, I´d dare to say, but in Chile, it´s común. Furthermore, street vendors etc. are quite common selling anything from roasted nuts to sopapillas to scarves and sunglasses. You may even get approached by a gypsy wanting to read your palm. Don´t fall for it, she can´t. (And no, I do not know that from experience... Just my street smarts! haha)
21. Many of my next observations have to do with Chile in comparison to the United States. Although Chile is very different from the US, oftentimes I catch myself wondering if perhaps I am in the US afterall. Why? Well, let me make a list: Lider (i.e. Walmart with Great Value brands), The North Face, Merrell shoes, Hush Puppies, Aldo, Columbia, TGI Fridays, Applebees, Dunkin Donuts, Chucky Cheese (weird, right?), Papa Johns, Subway, McDonalds (but that shouldn´t surprise you), Blockbuster, Starbucks (thank goodness! real coffee. although they don´t have pumpkin spice because it isn´t fall... FAIL!)... The list goes on with Herbal Essence, St. Ives, Colgate, Lays potato chips etc. I don´t know if I should be comforted by the fact that I can by my same shampoo in Chile as well as grab dinner at Applebees or if I should be frightened at how powerful globalization (and the US influence on the world) is... In a lot of ways, they, Chileans, like what we have. However, that´s not to say that makes the US superior and thus justified in its arrogant (at times) ways, but the truth is the US and US businesses have done a slam-dunk job at producing some amazing consumer items. I mean, who can honestly live without McDonalds ever once in awhile?
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| If you didn't know any better, you'd think I was at the Walmart in Burlington, right? |
22. Oh, and to the above list I can add media: i.e. television and movies. The Simpsons, Grey´s Anatomy, House, and other US shows are extremely popular in Chile. There is even a Chilean version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? which my family and I watch ever night while eating dinner. Similarly, the Chilean movie theaters are dominated by US movies like Friends with Benefits, Bad Teachers, and the latest Taylor Lautner movie called Sin Escape here in Chile... I mean, let´s just talk about that real quick. How lame. The kid looks 16 (okay, to be fair I think he is 19) and is holding a gun trying to look all BA on the movie poster... epic fail, Taylor, stick with Twilight, my friend. But anyways... my host family is even familiar with The Jersey Shore and 16 & Pregnant, which I constantly tell them are not from the US to save myself the embarassment of being associated with those trashy shows. Whoa, I was coming on a little strong there. My apologies. Terrible TV shows about nothing that I think are more detrimental to our society kinda gets me worked up. Needless to say, movies and TV are another thing that has transcended the borders of the US.
23. Let´s just talk briefly about the bathrooms. I almost forgot to mention this because the toilet-situation is very similar to Spain. Public restrooms are a little more common here than in Spain, however, you still have to pay (50 cents to a dollar depending on where you´re at). Regardless, most restrooms have a separate basket for your TP... pipage problems :) Another fun note, always have some TP with you wherever you go just in case your bathroom doesn´t provide you with any. And NEVER go into a stall without first grabbing some TP from the dispensors located OUTSIDE of the bathrooms in the common-area. This may sound kinda harsh to you all from the US, but at least most Chilean toilets have toilet seats unlike many restrooms in Italy. There is always a silver lining, right?
24. Dreadlocks and Rattails: Yes, I said it. I know you thought fanny packs were bad news but another popular Chilean style is dreads, specifically rattail dreads. Usually they come in just one or two, maybe three, from the back of a younger gentlemen's head near the nape of his neck. Sometimes however they come from the side of his hairline right behind his ear. Weird. End of story. Disgusting too, I should add. You would think that their girlfriends, or wives even, would cut them off in his sleep and blame it on the cat or something. But now that I think of it, would they really even have girlfriends, let alone wives??? The scary thing is, they do. The Chilean girls dig it. How can I tell? Well, this leads me back to Chilean Observation #4 - PDA.
25. Lapis Lazuli: a relatively rare semi-precious stone that is prized for its intense blue color. AND lapis lazuli is only found in two areas: Afghanistan and, you guessed it, CHILE! whoop whoop!
So I thought it would be best to end on #25 for now, although I am sure I will come up with dozens more observations about this great country in which I am residing for the next 4+ months! I hope you all enjoy some of the quirks of Chile and her people as well as recognize the beauty in her ways, culture, and history. Chile is pretty extraordinary and unlike any other place I have been (which really isn't many but still!). Anyways, this is just a little something to tide you all over until I get back from my vacations to the desert, Montevideo, y Buenos Aires.
¡Ciao!
PS I started working on this post over three weeks ago... soo if it doesn't flow or something sounds awkward, my apologies but enjoy nonetheless.
Monday, October 24, 2011
My Chilean "Banano"
To all my friends and family back home: Hello!
Life is going quite well for me in Chile. Last weekend was the birthday party for my host papá. Thus we made a delicious cake, grilled out, and ate some spectacular food, por supuesto. And as of this coming Friday, I will be embarking on 10+ days of travel. The first five I will be traveling with my program to San Pedro de Atacama, which is the driest desert in the world and also featured on the Planet Earth DVDs which my brother informed me of the other day. Then the second half I will be traveling with a few other chicas to Montevideo, Uruguay and then taking a ferry over to Buenos Aires, Argentina. ¡Qué bacán! Thus, ya'll are in for a whale of a blog post when I return. However, I couldn't wait that long to inform you of my newest (and probably best) Chilean purchase - mi "banano".
So what exactly is this "banano" thing I speak of?? Well, it is none other than a fanny pack. Yes, that's right, I said it - fanny pack. I, Sarah Routh, bought a fanny pack. But not only did I buy it, but I wore it. Correction: I wear it. At this point, I know ya'll are probably either dying with laughter or incredibly disgusted at my fashion faux pas, but let me explain. Fanny packs are incredibly popular, kinda like the UGG boots of 2008 but more practical. And yes, they are practical, for men and women. Don't want to take a purse? Your pocket isn't big enough for your cell phone, camera, money, and chap-stick? No pasa nada. No worries. Take your fanny pack. (Wow, I sound like I should be on a commercial for fanny packs right now.) Thus, practical - yes; fashionable - ehhh? However, when in Rome, do as the Romans. So when in Chile, do as the Chileans.
Now let me just be clear. I do not, repeat: do NOT, wear this thing all the time every day. I haven't lost my mind, people. However, I bought it primarily for my runs throughout the city. When I go for a run, I have to take my keys and sometimes it's helpful to take a few dollars and my metro card just in case or even a cell phone to be safe. Thus, enter the fanny pack. Anyways so the day I bought my little fanny pack I just had to try it out and go for a run. So I strapped that baby on, laced up my kicks, and away I went. For the first ten minutes of my run, I could help but giggle to myself as I pictured me, a gringa wearing shorts (which is already reason to be stared at) as well as her bright turquoise fanny pack running down the streets of Santiago... Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. Then, as I was running, I started to see other pedestrians wearing their fanny packs. Now those of you who have trucks and have driven them on the highway know of the "truck-code" between owners of trucks. For those of you who aren't familiar with what I am talking about, let me explain. When driving your truck (or even Suburban) down a two-lane country road for example and you begin to approach an on-coming truck, both drivers usually give each other the hand-on-the-steering-wheel-wave or just a little head nod so say What's up. Well, that is precisely how I felt while running. As I would make eye contact with another wearer-of-the-banano I would give a little What's up head nod. You know, just a little something between us members of the Chilean fanny pack club. No big deal.
Ya'll think I'm exaggerating... I'm not. I like this whole fanny pack thing so much that I will definitely be bringing it home with me for when I go on runs in the States. You're right, I will not wear my fanny pack out to the movies in the US of A but I will definitely sport it while running down the streets of B-town or Lake Shore Drive. Anyways, for those of you who still do not believe that I actually bought and wore a fanny pack, here is the proof. Enjoy!!
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| Yes, I am wearing a fanny pack. With pride. |
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| Check it out!! My very own fanny pack. |
Please note that in these pictures I am wearing my fanny pack in the cool way, which is in the front (for security) and slightly to the side (for a little edge). Also note that there are multiple ways to wear a fanny pack in Chile. For the men, who feel a little shy about sporting their fanny pack around the middle, you can hang it off your shoulder or do the whole across your shoulders thing which is quite popular here.
Anyways that's all I really have for ya'll. Hope you got a little chuckle out of this one. And yes, I know this is incredibly weird. I, too, was a little weirded out when I got to Chile and saw my first normal Chilean wearing a fanny pack. I thought perhaps it was a mistake but it wasn't. I repeat, it's actually cool here. However, the idea has grown on me. Perhaps the idea will grow on you and you'll bust out your fanny pack from the 90s and start a new trend. Come on. Do it. Join the fanny pack club once again.
¡Ciao!
Just for fun, Meet my Chilean sisters:
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| Me and my beautiful Chilean sisters!!! |
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