"Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off-balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things- air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky... all things tending towards the eternal, or what we imagine of it."
Where is Rachael now: VALPARAISO/Vina del Mar, CHILE
July 21-25
On the 21st, Ashley and I headed to the bus station in Concepcion where we hit our first travel snag. Our bus to Santiago didn't exist. I had bought the tickets a month before while in Valdivia and our bus was due at 11:30. Well there was an 11:15, 11:45, and 12:30 bus. The ladies at the desk weren't very helpful. The first telling me I was too early to be asking where it was, the next saying the 11:45 wasn't ours, and then back to the first at 12:15 when no bus had come for us, who then told us we had missed it. Well after some complaining by way of explaining this was in no way our fault and would you please just look at our tickets and see that we were down for an 11:30 bus, they finally realized there was something wrong. After some more haggling, they got us on the next bus at 12:30 to Santiago without us having to pay anymore. After that, things went more smoothly. My friends from the program, Max and Desmond, met us at the station to help us in the metro and to the hostel they had booked for all of us.We had also been accompanied by an old friend of Max's who had just gotten to Santiago to begin a study abroad program. He and I had an awkward moment when he left us at the hostel door: I went in for a kiss on the cheek which is custom in Chile, and he, not expecting it being new to Chile, thought I was going in for a hug. I suppose I've become accustomed to much of chilean culture. The hostel was nice. It was free wine night so we indulged in that and met some of the other travelers staying in the hostel. This is when we realized we would be making a lot of friends from Brazil. Almost all of the travelers were from Brazil and this trend is continuing in other cities we are visiting. I can now saw about six words in Portuguese. After the wine, we went toBellavista, the club district nearby and met up with one of our good friends from Valdivia, Natalia. We went to a place called Bar Constitucion, which was a lounge/bar/disco all in one. Ashley exerienced the Chilean night scene for the first time with a noticeable entrance (mostly due to her blonde hair). We met gringos and Chileans alike, including a guy from Dallas who had just moved to Santiago that week!The next day, after an enjoyable breakfast ofpancito, we split with the boys to do errands. Ashley and I headed to get an International Student Identity Card (ISIC), which gives discounts in hostels, restaurants, and activities. We also picked up somePropolea, which is this great natural spray to help with a sore throat. That night we went to a little bar with Jose, a guy from our hostel who also lived in Valdivia. Ashley ordered her drinks on her very own:pisco sour, por favor. I reunited with Escudo, my cheap beer of choice. Surprisingly, Heineken and Budweiser are very popular in Chile and are always the most expensive non-artisanal beers on the menu.We woke up the 23rdto hike Cerro San Cristobal, located in the Municipal Park, which also housed the Santiago Zoo. The hike ended at the top with the Virgin of Immaculate Conception statue and a great view of Santiago…and it’s blanket of smog. Afterwards we went to the Plaza de Armas. A Plaza de Armas is the central square of most cities in South America. Its four sides contain the main church, the municipal building, the mint, and the governor’s palace. That night there was anasado, or bbq, for thecumpleanos, or birthday, of one of the long-term residents of the hostel. Ashley and I tried to get out of it, due to being tired, a bit, sick, and my being a vegetarian. However, the birthday boy, Carlos, wasn’t having it. He finally convinced us to abandon our movie and come down for a bit. We snuck away after one drink. Carlos’ favorite english phrase, which he used with us a lot, was:I don’t believe it.(complete with an exasperated voice).On the 24th, I had nearly lost all of my voice. Thank goodness we had Max to communicate, other wise with my inability to speak at all and Ashley’s inability to speak Spanish, we would have been in a tough spot. We first went to the Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) and then the Museo Pre-Colombiano (Museum Pre-Colonial). I preferred the second, for it’s pieces and the fact that you could take pictures, unlike the fine arts museum. We got a bit confused looking for the Museo Pre-Colombiano when we followed the signs and were led into a building that contained an XXX-rated movie theatre. It turned out the museum’s curator office was located there and the actual museum was down the street.For lunch we wandered into a fish market. The waiters/promoters swarm the people, especially the gringos, to be led into their businesses. We had mealsa la pobre, meaning it came with french fries with a fried egg on top. I had fish and Max hadjugo de bifewhich literally translates asbeef juice, but at the convincing of the waitress that it wasn’t so, he gave in and fortunately it turned out to be a regular piece of meat.
On our way back to the hostel I wanted to pick up some Tapsin which is a tea for colds. We happened to see it in the entrance of a store doorway and upon entering, realized it was a combinationsex shop/pharmacy. I’m sure you can imagine the variety of goods on the walls. But I got what I needed and we headed home.On the day we were supposed to head to Mendoza, Argentina we found out the pass over the Andes was closed due to snow. Ashley and I decided to rebook our tickets going to the coast of Chile, the city of Valparaiso, instead of waiting it out in Santiago. We didn’t want to waste time and money staying in Santiago and then possibly get stuck trying to come back. We wandered around that day (since we were leaving the morning of the next) and for dinner, Ashley made her first ever ravioli! We were skipping through the TV channels eating pasta and drinking wine when we found Legally Blonde! Ashley and I were ecstatic as it is one of our favorite movies to watch together: lounging on my couch in Eugene. It was a great reminder of the comfort of home.
Finally, on the 26th, we headed to the bus station to go to Valparaiso. As you saw in my last post, I didn’t make it all the way safely. My bruises are currently blooming in color all over my shins.
We left Santiago today and headed to Valparaiso which is an hour and a half west to the coast of Chile. The sun is shining, but today's a rest day. I had quite an eventful morning leaving our hostel in Santiago. With my gigantic backpack on and a carry-on bag in front, I started making my way down the narrow steps. Then gravity took over and down I went. I fell forward onto my knees and slid a bit on the wooden steps with a big crash and oomph! I heard Ashley above me yelling "Did you fall?!?" and the two Brazilian girls on the stairs yelling back "Se Cayó, Se Cayó!!" I got myself up pretty fast and then we headed to the metro which took us to the bus terminal. It wasn't until we were on the bus that I examined my legs..I found abrasions on my right knee and left ankle, lots of bruises, and a big ole egg forming on my left calf! Since Valpo is a hilly town made for lots of walking, we are resting today (me with ice on my leg) and will explore tomorrow. The sun is shining and hoping for a bit of color on my pale skin!
Ashley and I decided to pass a few days in Concepcion to relax before Santiago. We stayed with Paula, a fellow CampFire participator. We didn´t do much..Concepcion is not a city known for its cool sights. However, as Paula is an Ecology professor at El Universidad Catolico de Concepcion, she got us together with one of her grad students to visit their coast lab. The weather was gorgeous and the playa was beautiful. I had a delicious bowl of mariscos (shellfish) for lunch.
_ WHERE IS RACHAEL (and Ashley!) NOW: SANTIAGO, CHILE _
Last week I had to say goodbye to my home for four months, Valdivia. It was a long tiring week. We went out a lot to say goodbye to everyone leaving on different nights and despididas, goodbyes, are exhausting in themselves. We went to a nice restaurant with the whole program, professors included, called PicaMadero. We had great food, wine, and conversation.
Then we headed to the bar Madero for some special gringo despididas festivities. First we watched a futbol game and after participated in games like: Chilean Modismos (slang-they have a Ton), traditional dance (cueca), soccer goal contest, and karaoke. Somehow I won the soccer game and earned a free drink and a little figurine called a indiopicaro.
With mis hermanas: Sibyl and Theresa
Kris, myself, and two of the guys from our American Corner group at the university
In the next few days, everyone began to leave: most to the states, a few started traveling. I waited around, taking last minute pictures, picking up souvenirs, and waiting for Ashley. Ashley made it to Valdivia, safe and sound, but tired. I introduced her to Chile's favorite drink, pisco sours, before heading to bed. The next day we toured the city (fortunately a nice sunny day). My family cooked me my favorite lunch: a red sauce with soy meat and pasta. For the evening meal they cooked papas bravas, my other favorite food and made navegado which is a type of hot spiced wine. Everyone tried their best to speak in English with Ashley and my papa even tried in French! When we left, I cried hard. My mama, my papa, my hermanos..they are family that I don't know when or if I will see again. However, I am excited to be traveling..the first stop is Concepcion!
Hi everyone. I will post soon about my final days in Valdivia. It was a week of goodbyes and extremely difficult to leave. Ashley and I are now in Concepcion staying with a friend of mine. We will be spending two more days here, visiting the beach, and relaxing. Next, we head to Santiago on the 21st to meet with two others from my program where we will all head to Mendoza, Argentina.
More to come later!
Finals are done, grades are in. Just about all the gringos have left. Ashley is on a plane at this moment headed towards me. I cannot wait to get on the road and do some real exploring. I've had an amazing time in Valdivia. (Has it really been four months??) But I'm ready to get going..hopefully towards some warmth. Here's our projected itinerary:
Concepcion 7/18
Santiago 7/21
{Mendoza, Argentina}
Valparaiso
Vina del Mar
La Serena
Antofagasta
{Copiapo}
Calama/San Pedro de Atacama
Iquique
{Salta, Argentina}
Arica
---Cross into Peru---
{Arequipa, Peru}
Cuzco, Peru 8/18
{Ayacucho, Peru}
Lima 8/28
PORTLAND, OREGON 9/1
The dates in between are tentative. Going to Mendoza depends on whether the Copa America is still going on (soccer tournament). And for the rest, we will play it by how feel about the town..
Finally, on Sunday we got up and made a big plate of eggs before picking up our bikes. We headed out of town to what we had been warned was the worst part of the bike ride. They weren't joking. We alternated walking and wobbling while trying to shove our pedals down. The ground was well covered with ceniza in the hills and we used our scarves to cover our mouths. We quickly got hot and regretting our multiple layers (but later appreciated them on the way down in the evening).
The Wolf Pack
The trail evened out and it became colder the farther we went up the mountain. The trail wound around high above the lake Lanin. We went through a Mapuche village and found a great sunny lookout spot for lunch.
Yogurt, apples, oranges, bread, garlic, cheese (mozzarella), ham.
But we were soon shooed away by a herd of hungry goats and had to retreat quickly out of sight with our food.
Doing some yoga.
In the evening, we went to a nice restaurant so the boys could have some Argentinean steak. We had met one of the owners of the restaurant the night before and received a 15% discount and a bottle of champagne! The boys had steak while Jess and I shared some amazing squash ravioli with herb sauce and a yummy salad. We also had some Malbec wine of course!
The Wolf Pack goes classy
Wolf Pack 2011
We were all exhausted after dinner from the bike ride and good dinner. We headed home and the ceniza started falling like snow. After 10 min of trying to watch a movie, we all headed to bed. Monday morning we were up by 5am to catch our bus home. A great surprise were the leftover medialunas above the fridge that we grabbed for a quick breakfast. All went well on our ride home.
We had wanted to do a hike or something of the sort of Saturday, but instead had to stick around checking in with the bus station for Jess's backpack. We went there in the morning, as directed, and no bus had come in yet and they still weren't sure if they had recovered it. We decided to look around for a new hostel, one closer to downtown and with more guests. We found two that were promising and ended with one called the Puma. Clean, other guests, a big kitchen, the right price, and to our surprise after booking: a golden lab puppy called Violeta! We made the right choice!
Nothing better than puppy cuddle time
The fridges were covered in signs saying the same thing, but in every language that had come across it!
"Your mom doesn't live here! Please wash, dry, and put away your dishes right in their place!"
"Write your name on your food! Thanks!"
We decided to walk around San Martin: shopping, exploring, eating. I finally caved into my jewelry wants and bought two rings {one of the national stone of Chile: Lapiz Lazuli (dark blue) which is only found in Chile and Afghanistan and the other of the national stone of Argentina: Rhodochrosite Inca Rose (pink) } as well as a bracelet with serpentine stones in it (turquiose). All were hand-made by the owner of the stand in a little feria in one of the plazas. I also got a bombilla, one of the special straws to drink mate out of their cups, but didn't find a cup to my liking. We headed back to the bus station where we were told to again come back in an hour. We went to check out the lake nearby and eat some lunch.
Covered in ash, but still pretty
Next, bus station again. The people at the counter in the office had no idea. Jessie went straight outside to take some sort of action and look for herself. It was there!!
Victory dance!!
After this wonderful turn of events, we continued walking around for the rest of the day. We discovered that the next day, Sunday, most of the town would be closed down so we ran around to the different tourism shops and fortunately, finally, we found a place with very nice bikes and a great route to try out the next day. After setting that up, we went back to our new hostel, napped, showered, had dinner (apples, bread, cheese, wine), and celebrated the boys' birthdays. Max's being on Sunday and Todd's being on Tuesday. The celebration involved more wine and some delicious birthday desserts complete with trick candles!
The evening was a crazy one. We headed back to the bars where we met some awesome people and also saw two guys from the old hostel that we tried to explain why we weren't staying there anymore..We ended the night with a little dancing and then headed back to our warm beds to get some sleep before the mountain biking adventure on Sunday!
After much indecision, a few of us decided to risk the ash and head to San Martin de Los Andes in Argentina for our long weekend. There were hopes of skiing, but the ski resort there pushed their opening day back to the next weekend. Our bus left at 7:30am on Friday and we, that is, myself, Todd, Jessie, and Max, were all concerned about making it on time. To our chagrin, we had a friend's birthday to celebrate Thursday night. It was a close one with Jessie and Max running part of the way from their houses to the bus station, but we made it! We threw our backpacks in the storage under the bus, found our seats, and went back to sleep. My trip through the Andes was better this time as the views out of the window wasn't distorted by rain.
Max's first snowball ever in June.
Scrabble on my Kindle. Guess who's player One!
When we got to San Martin, we uncoiled our stiff bodies and collected our heavy bags..except Jessie's backpack wasn't under the bus. We had slips with a number that matched the slip number stuck to our bags, but the backpack on the bus that was unclaimed was not a match, in number nor in appearance. There had been a side-of-road transfer of some passengers during our trip who got onto a bus headed for Bariloche which we hoped meant that her backpack could still be recovered. Fortunately Jessie only had clothes in her bag, but nonetheless, there was value and sentiment in it as well. We spoke to a lot of people trying to confirm that they would recover the bag when they got to Bariloche, but for the time being all we could do was wait. If it was going to make it back, it wouldn't be until the next day anyways. So we headed out onto the streets to look around and make our way to the hostel. We stopped for some delicious sweets and preparations for dinner.
Cleaning up ceniza.
Pre-made dough, sauce, 2 cheeses, sauteed onions and garlic (with egg!), tomatoes, and meat for the men. We also all bought a different bottle of wine (Malbec-the wine of Argentina) to try throughout the weekend. In the end my selection won: Hereford. I picked it because I liked pronouncing the name in a British accent.
We also drank Fernet, which is a popular alcohol in Argentina. It was Max's first time and he found he wasn't much of a fan. It has a strange bitter taste that, even mixed with coke, doesn't disappear.
To end our first night in San Martin, we hit the hot spots in town. Our first spot was a really cool place in a house with white walls and bright accent colors. There was a roaring fire in the corner and it was hard to leave, but we were craving a snack. We then spotted a little place with delicious and Cheap empanadas. The girls got veggies and the boys, meat of course. Since we were out, we decided to make a last stop at a place called Alcatraz. It turned out to be a chill snowboard guy type place. Not many chairs or tables, surfer videos on the tv, and lots of underdressed guys chilling out, drinking beer. We stayed for a bit and then headed out for our looong walk home. We al hugged each other close and slipped on the ice as it was absolutely freezing. We set our alarms for the morning, praying that Jessie's backpack would be at the station in the morning
