Chile [TAKE 2: Santiago, Vina, & Valpo]

After I said goodbye to the chileno surfeadores, I headed to the capital city, Santiago. I arrived with low expectations since everyone told me to expect smog and a city not nearly as cool as BA. But I'm really glad I checked it out for myself, because even though I only spent a couple days there, I really enjoyed the little city at the foot of the Andes.

I followed the itinerary given to me by my cousin Lauren, who used to live in Santiago... I went to the Museo de Bellas Artes but it was closed for a "paro" (which means a labor strike, but I had no idea so I waltzed right on into the museum while everyone looked at me like I was crazy to have not seen the hundreds of signs and protestors on the street. oops! at least I learned a new spanish word!).

Chileans are a very proud people, and after they were liberated from 17 years of military rule in 1990 they learned how to really take advantage of their rights. There are constantly strikes about one thing or another because they love to exercise their freedom of speech. Here is one group in the Plaza de Armas:

Catedral Metropolitana in the same plaza:

I walked up Cerro Santa Lucia, a little hill that used to be a cemetery and then a defensive military point, and is now open to explore and check out the view of the city.

(I warned you about the haze/smog... there are gorgeous snow capped mountains somewhere under there, I swear)

While wandering around streets full of cafes, shops, and plazas I ran into this pretty church:

Pablo Neruda's house was my last stop, and it was great learning about the famous Chilean poet and politician. I picked up one of his love poem collections to attempt reading my first spanish book!

Next I headed to the coast (again) to stay with my acquaintance-turned-new-amigo Ricardo. He and his family were so welcoming and were kind enough let me stay with them for a few days in Vina del Mar- a gorgeous beach town that totally reminds me of California! We drove up the coast in search of secret beaches (which of course are all built up now), ate incredible seafood (like Chilean sea bass, razor clam empanadas, and homemade ceviche), and drank ourselves silly with pisco (the national alcohol- super sweet but soo good).

View from Ricardo's place of Valparaiso during the day:
and at sundown:

We spent a day exploring the cerros of Valpo. This colorful town has funiculars that take you up and down the hills, with winding roads full of murals, cool graffiti, and bohemian character. Some of my favorite buildings and art:







We stopped to take in this gorgeous view and grab a beer:

Cemetery for Dissidents a.k.a. non-Catholics on the hill:

I absolutely loved my time in Chile! Although I could barely understand anyone when I first got there (their spanish is totally different from other Latin countries, esp Argentina), I got to know the place and its friendly people, and ultimately I wish I had more time to travel around the long skinny country bounded by ocean and mountains.

Crossing back into Argentina, the vineyards of Mendoza:

Chileans and Argentineans typically don't like each other for past political/cultural reasons... but I must admit I appreciate and treasure both countries. My vacation was great, but I am also excited to be back in Buenos Aires to start working, settle down, and continue living my 'vida loca' in Argentina!

Chillen in Chile [TAKE 1: Pichilemu]

When your friends say "hey, want to go to a surf town in Chile?" the obvious answer is yes (even if you barely surf, love the big city you're living in, and are already paying rent). So 2 weeks ago I set off on another long bus ride (24 hours!) to Pichilemu, all the way on the opposite coast of South America. The scenic ride through the Andes was incredible, and a bit frightening at times of steep hairpin turns.
Just about to start crossing the Andes:
Crossing into Chile:

We stayed in a historic hostel that is built like a boat and right on the sand. It was so nice to fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing instead of the cars and sirens of the city streets.




I went surfing in the freezing cold water wearing a thick wetsuit and booties, and also went horseback riding along the water. The world famous surf spot Punta de Lobos was a few kilometers away (yeah metric system) and became a daily trip to get some exercise and admire the gorgeous surfers, er I mean scenery.


Punta de Lobos:


I also spent Halloween 2009 in Pichilemu, which is not the ideal celebratory location for the average American... my friends and I wanted to get dressed up but realized we would literally be the only people in the entire town in Halloween costumes... the other problem was that we did not have costumes and there was nowhere to buy anything. So we resorted to wearing our normal clothes, just spiced up a bit. Luckily Halloween fell on a Saturday night this year, so we ended up being able to party anyways! Here is the final result of our costumes, which we titled "neon jungle"

It is hard to really put Pichilemu into words- it has very laid back vibe, gorgeous beaches, and friendly people who are either local Chileanos or pro surfers... seriously what could be better?! Jack Johnson even filmed a music video in Pichilemu, you can watch it HERE. I absolutely fell in love with this town and hope to go back at some point in my life.

Another post on the rest of my trip to Chile is coming soon... but here are a few more photos of Pichilemu to hold you over in the mean time!

(Sea) Lions and Penguins and Whales, Oh My!

After only a week in Buenos Aires, my new traveling buddies and I decided to head down to the Patagonian coast (another long bus ride but this time only 16 hours). The buses here really aren't bad- the seats are huge and cushy, you get wine, and they play American movies ranging from the good (Lethal Weapon, Eternal Sunshine) to the horribly bad (Scorpion King, Britney Spears music video collection). They also play a game of BINGO and I won, earning myself a bottle of wine (Malbec of course)!

We finally got to Puerto Madryn, where it turned out to be really cold. We were bundled up in beanies and scarves while we strolled on the beach and planned our upcomming excursions.

The next day we rented a car and drove up to Peninsula Valdez, a world heritage site full of wildlife and nature. We saw whales from the coastal cliffs at our first stop.


We stopped at this cool restaurant for some 'cafe con leche'

Then we continued onward in search of orca's (think Shamu) but unfortunately never saw them... supposedly they beach themselves in this particular area to eat baby seals. We were hoping to witness the semi-morbid-but-really-cool event, but lucky for the sea lions they were left alone on this particualr day.


Our next stop was to see the penguins! I never imagined seeing penguins whose normal habitat was not in the snow but rather at the beach! They were sooo cute and we were able to get really close.



The following day, we went to an area with even more 'penguinos,' where they come up onto shore to lay their eggs.


There were also Patagonian llamas everywhere

On our final day in Puerto Madryn, the sun gods were smiling down on us because the temperature increased about 25 degrees since we had first gotten there, and we were able to lay out at the beach (I've missed it even though it has only been a few weeks)!

Now I am back in Buenos Aires and loving it. I moved into my new apartment and just signed up for a photography class (it's all in spanish though, so wish me luck). Everyone here is really nice and friendly, and I already have a busy social calendar! I am going to hold off on looking for a job for a couple more weeks so that I can really enjoy the city before I am caught up with responsibilities... who wants those anyways?

Hasta luego, chao!

Becoming a Porteño

It was such a weird feeling to arrive in Buenos Aires- a huge city that is completely foreign to me, but that I know I will learn well over the next few months. I can already tell that I'm going to absolutely love living here! It has SO much culture. On top of that, there is always something going on. For example, over the past week I have gone to a reggae festival, South African art gallery opening party, and two street fair/markets. I've also gone to countless bars, high tea at a fancy shmancy hotel, and stayed out until 7 am only to stumble home in the daylight. One night we went to this awesome drum show called Bomba de Tiempo:

We also went to the Buenos Aires zoo... I didn't even want to go in the first place but someone told me they have a species that is a mix between a rabbit and a goat so I was intrigued... check it out!

They had a lot of animals, including bears (even a polar bear), bison, rhinos, a pygmy hippopotamus, and panthers. But they all seemed very sad :(

One of the most famous tourist attractions in BA is the Recoleta Cemetery which is is like a housing development. There are thousands of above-ground crypts, with several coffins sitting in rooms which are about 20 feet underground accessed by stairs. You can even see some of the coffins! There are street names for the "avenues," and the coveted spots are bought and sold and traded. It was endless and so cool!




Evita Peron's Grave:

On another note, I am moving into an apartment next week! It is in Palermo which is the trendy part of town with bars, restaurants, clubs, cafes, and local artsy shops. It has trees and parks (unlike the downtown area), some cobblestone streets, and so much cute character! I will be a little sad to leave the hostel because there are always cool people around, but I am excited to have my own room and bathroom and start my life for real in Buenos Aires!