Vamos a la playa

Hey everybody! Sorry it has taken so long to post, I just have been so busy! This weekend I visited the coastal cities of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. Only an hour and a half away by coach bus, these cities are popular for their art, beaches, and night life. However, the two cities were different from one another because Valparaíso had a more grunge, hipster look to it while Viña clearly is designed for tourists. I will just start off by saying that I am glad I chose to live in Santiago over Valparaíso this semester, because the streets are clear cut and I don't have to walk up a hill everywhere I step. Valparaíso is full of hills and curvy streets that are easy to get lost in, especially when you get caught up in looking at the fantastic street art and colorful houses! 

 

It is amazing how just an hour away from Santiago, lifestyles change dramatically in Valparaíso. Chile is known for supporting very relaxed cultures, where one can be as late as they want and it is socially acceptable. In Valparaíso, I felt life was even more relaxed with less people walking around, the breezy ocean air, and the houses on the hills with balconies for people to hang out on. Although at the same time, the nightlife seemed a little more intense and I did not feel as safe going out at night in Valparaíso than I do in Santiago. Part of this could be due to the fact that Santiago is starting to feel like home while Valparaíso was someplace new, with very confusing streets and hills that I could not comprehend within staying there for only two nights. On top of all this, I stayed in my first hostel. So overall, this whole trip to Valparaíso was one of my first adventures in Chile where I really experienced what it is like to be a student traveler, with limited cash, in a foreign city. I have to start somewhere though, and I think Valparaíso was a great first choice. In case any of you are interested, here are some pictures of my hostel (there were a total of eight of us to a room, pretty crazy but also really fun):

On our second day in Valparaíso, we took the metro to Viña del Mar to go to la playa (beach)! I was very excited because it has been awhile since I have seen the ocean and I really love the vast, endless feeling it evokes. However, before we got to the beach, we realized the metro dropped us off a mile away and so we had to walk in the blazing heat for about an hour. While on our walk we met a stray dog that accompanied us all the way to the beach and who we named Jesus. He was kind of a scary looking dog but I think in the inside he was a big softie...I mean he did walk with us for a very long time in extremely hot weather. Once we got to the beach, we stayed for seven hours, soaking up the sun, enjoying the ocean and talking with each other. I have to say that the pacific ocean is freezing and slightly terrifying. I got pulled under by the tide and was very scared I wouldn't surface. So after that experience I decided to stick only my toes in the water, for safety reasons. I had to go in the water at some points because it got to about 85 degrees around two in the afternoon. By the end of the day everyone was sunkissed (or burnt) and exhausted. The sun can be extremely draining and water was very expensive on the beach because it was a tourist hot spot. Let's just say that that night I fell asleep around 10:30 PM as opposed to 1 AM.

On our last day in Valparaíso, the eight of us went to the house of the famous poet and noble prize winner, Pablo Neruda. After seeing his house, I now can't wait to take a class in Madison on his poems because the themes of his literature relate exactly to how I feel about life sometimes. The guy is also an extremely creative person, and his house showed it. Sadly I could not take any pictures but I can describe some of the house's quirky attributes. First of all, Neruda was an avid collector of artifacts, kind of like my brother, Alex. In Neruda's living room resided a horse from a merry-go-round that he strategically placed in a circular portion of the room, so one sitting on the couch in there could feel like they too were still on the carousel. In addition, there were many oil paintings around the house of people and boats (because Neruda loved the sea) and there were tapestries from Ethiopia, Vietnam and China. In Neruda's office there was an elaborate british sink installed in the wall which Neruda never actually had attached, so it only served for aesthetic appeal. He was an eccentric dude who cared greatly about people remembering the complexity of this world and the need to remember, as an adult, your inner child. 

Grade school named after Neruda

View from Neruda's house

Bench with Neruda's head

Thank you for reading this extremely long blog post! It was a very busy weekend full of lots of exciting things to see. Te amo mucho y espero que todos recuerden la importancia de vivir como una poca inocencia en este mundo complejo.  

Explore What You Can Everyday

Wow! Can I just start off by saying that Santiago has made a great impression on me so far. Not only because of all the trees and mountains in the background, but also because everyone is so NICE! The people here are, from my experience, always willing to help you with directions and seem eager to return the goofy smiles I give them. I feel as if I am currently in the hidden gem of the world. I am positive that when asked where is the one place they would like to travel in the world, a person would not respond with Chile as the answer. But Chile is so unique being completely surrounded my a mountain chain on its eastern side and the pacific ocean on its western side. It also is very long, containing a wide range of natural landscapes that seem breath-taking. I hope that I can take advantage of the bus rides offered and the excursions my program will go on so I can experience the northern, southern and western life Chile has to offer.

Since I haven't posted for a couple days, I am just going to talk about my tour of downtown Santiago yesterday and my hike up San Cristobal today. Starting with the tour downtown, a few friends from my program decided to get a group of people together to see some of the popular spots downtown. We all met at La Moneda (pictured above) which is Chile's equivalent to our White House in D.C. My trip to La Moneda required me to take the train all by myself, but have no fear because I'm practically a master at navigating the subway system :). Once at the Moneda, a tour group near the building gave my friends and I free maps of the popular Santiago spots. So following that, we all headed to La Plaza de Armas. The plaza was actually under renovation so all we could see were the buildings surrounding it, which were still very beautiful. 

At the plaza, we visited Chile's national history museum which was very interesting. There I learned more about the Mepuche, the largest indigenous tribe in Chile, and about the communist-like rule in the country. The plaza was a fun area, but all of us were mainly excited to head over to Santa Lucia, the second highest point in Santiago. Santa Lucia was absolutely beautiful, with a great view of the city and nature greens galore.  I have posted pictures below of my adventures there.

Last but not least involves my travels today. The same group of friends and I set out for San Cristobal, the highest point in Santiago where the Virgin Mary stands watching over the city. To get to Mary was very difficult however, because we had to hike all the way to the top in eighty degree weather. Let's just say that my shoulders are very unhappy with me and my SPF 50 sunscreen did not calm the pain. It is ok though, because the top of the hill was breath taking and up near Mary everything was very tranquil. On top of the tranquility, however, I also felt a little sad. Being so high up was definitely a powerful experience, but the strong spiritual atmosphere that surrounded the place was making me remember those who have passed, the struggles my loved ones face today and the unknown future ahead. I couldn't help but shed a few tears, remembering Baba, my grandfathers and James, a friend from my high-school who passed away recently due to a terrible accident. At the same time though, remembering them at such a spiritual place made me smile through the tears and know that the time I did spend with them, if any, was great and never will be forgotten. Also I took the time to pray for my uncle Walter, a strong individual who is struggling with a major obstacle life has thrown at him. Just the fact that this one place in Santiago evoked many emotions and memories from me showed how powerful and important it is to make the effort to go places you may have never thought of going and to take advantage of the time life gives you. 

To end the day at San Cristobal, we all went down the mountain/hill via the funicular-the cart pictured below. I was kind of scared because I don't really enjoy heights and the funicular seemed kind of wobbly.