Well, I had this entire (rather lengthy) post written, and while Blogger claims to autosave posts every three seconds, it appears there is in fact no way to retrieve said autosaved drafts… So, here I go again:
I’m so, so sorry I’m so behind on my posting!
First: Our trip to Viña del Mar and Valparaíso!
We got a late start to the day Tuesday, but still made it out there by mid afternoon. We stayed at this cute little bed and breakfast called Cariño Porteño- it was actually between the two cities. We had a bit of trouble finding it though. We took the bus to downtown Valpo from Santiago, and then the connector bus after a bit of vendor shopping and a bite to eat. The city bus took us near the Universidad de Santa Maria, where we were told to get off. We did, but were not sure how far the house was from the stop. We went in a convenience store, and thankfully the man and woman behind the counter (and then also a customer) were beyond helpful. Initially the phonebook they found it in made it appear to be miles from where we were- on the other side of the city center actually- but eventually a guy called and we were just a few blocks away.
We got a late start to the day Tuesday, but still made it out there by mid afternoon. We stayed at this cute little bed and breakfast called Cariño Porteño- it was actually between the two cities. We had a bit of trouble finding it though. We took the bus to downtown Valpo from Santiago, and then the connector bus after a bit of vendor shopping and a bite to eat. The city bus took us near the Universidad de Santa Maria, where we were told to get off. We did, but were not sure how far the house was from the stop. We went in a convenience store, and thankfully the man and woman behind the counter (and then also a customer) were beyond helpful. Initially the phonebook they found it in made it appear to be miles from where we were- on the other side of the city center actually- but eventually a guy called and we were just a few blocks away.
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| Here's a collage from the website. As you can see, the house is gorgeous! |
After a nap, we decided we wanted some dinner. The area we were in had several convenience stores, but really no restaurants that we saw. And while Valpo may be a tourist spot because of the beaches, I’ll admit it was a little sketchy. We went back to our friends at the convenience store, and the woman seemed a little skeptical of us ‘gringos’ going downtown at night alone. Still, we felt as though we knew the buses were safe, and if we saw once downtown it was unsafe, we would just ride the loop back to our stop near the B&B. Once downtown, we saw it wasn’t the best to be there at night, but we did manage to walk right off the bus and into this very nice (and very well lit- all the nice restaurants here are extremely well-lit, which seems to be opposite of the US) restaurant called Marco Polo. Our waitress was really friendly, and sold us wine at cost so we wouldn’t have to go find a grocery store. After dinner, we just went back to the house and slept.
We woke up early the next day to a wonderful breakfast:
We woke up early the next day to a wonderful breakfast:
After, we decided to venture to Viña del Mar. We took a bus; it was only about 15 minutes since our house was between the two. We walked around a lot, but got to see the waterfront so it was worth it. We also rode these old funicular elevators called 'ascensores.' Basically, they're rickety carts pulled up a hill by a pulley. Pretty scary if you ask me, but also fun. Here are pictures from the day:
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| The Chilean Navy |
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| View from the top of the ascensor |
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| View looking down the tracks |
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| The woman taking pictures for us wanted to be in one, haha. |
We got lunch at this little café, and again our waitress was super nice. She gave us soup “for the house,” (she was so proud she knew some English that we didn’t want to correct her) and made small talk. We had been under the impression the wineries were in this town, or close. (Literally translated Viña del Mar means “Vineyard of the Sea”) However, we were told the ones worth seeing were in Casablanca, on the way home to Santiago. Too tired by that point, we decided we would just check out the winery close to Santiago, Concha y Torro, at some point.
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The day after we returned to Santiago- Thursday- my mom and I were trying to find fun (cheap) things to do in Santiago. I googled some ideas, and a woman’s blog claimed that a road near Plaza de Armas (where the gorgeous Cathedral is below) has 30+ thrift stores lining it. Being the second-hand-superstars that my mother and I are, we found this to be an exciting option, and headed out.
Were there thrift stores? Well, we don’t know. Because we arrived in the area and came to this:
The day after we returned to Santiago- Thursday- my mom and I were trying to find fun (cheap) things to do in Santiago. I googled some ideas, and a woman’s blog claimed that a road near Plaza de Armas (where the gorgeous Cathedral is below) has 30+ thrift stores lining it. Being the second-hand-superstars that my mother and I are, we found this to be an exciting option, and headed out.
Were there thrift stores? Well, we don’t know. Because we arrived in the area and came to this:
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| Yep, there was tear gas. |
That’s right. Protesting, and lots of it. Employees of Banco de Chile (the Chilean National Bank) are, in a broad overview, protesting for a minimum monthly income of CP 530.000 (about $1,500 USD), restitution allowances, mobilization allowances, etc. The banners I have taken pictures basically send the message that these workers are demanded to give 100%, but are not reciprocated the same respect.
Realizing I had left my Moleskin back at the apartment (I thought we were thrift shopping! But, lesson learned- you never know in Latin America.), I told my mom I needed to find a school supply store to find a cheap notebook so as to be able to record the answers to questions I would ask people. We eventually found LapizLopez, a chain around here, and got a notebook. I had also forgotten my voice recorder, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. The protesters were using "vuvuzelas" (think the long horns used originally by spectators of South African soccer matches- you can kind of see one in the last picture above), so it was really loud.
I scoped out the protestors and found a group of women sitting off to the side that smiled at my obviously-foreign looks. I approached them, and asked if I could ask them a few questions about the protest and their stake in it. I told them I was a university student from the US interested in Latin American politics, but more specifically forms of protest and social movements. I had to shout to make even that heard, so one of the women asked if she could just write what she thinks I would want to know in the journal. Of course, I was relieved- meant less thinking in Spanish amongst so much noise and so many people. When she was finished she asked if she could leave her name and email, in case I had any more questions. I was so appreciative! And then, she said she wanted mine too. So she could “make sure she saw a copy of my final paper on the protests.” …yeesh. Guess that means I need to throw something together!
Basically, she wrote that their Union, Citibank, has achieved many milestones, but that she personally could not have done it without the help of God.
Needless to say, during the protest, and despite the tear gas, I was like a kid in a candy store. Before coming here I was confident that I loved learning about Latin American politics and that all of the human rights violations I read about really upset me. But deep down I wondered if once I got here I would feel differently. I’ve got to say, I was almost scared to come abroad in case that very thing happened. I was scared that my passion was all academic. Which isn’t a bad thing…just not what I saw for myself. Anyways, it feels good to know that I genuinely enjoy being here in Latin America and experiencing protest- albeit as an outsider- and physically watching the change being made.
After I spoke with Magaly (the woman at the protest), my mom and I decided to head back to the apartment. All of the commotion made us both pretty tired. Still, we stopped for a drink just outside our metro stop. Here’s a (dark) picture:
I scoped out the protestors and found a group of women sitting off to the side that smiled at my obviously-foreign looks. I approached them, and asked if I could ask them a few questions about the protest and their stake in it. I told them I was a university student from the US interested in Latin American politics, but more specifically forms of protest and social movements. I had to shout to make even that heard, so one of the women asked if she could just write what she thinks I would want to know in the journal. Of course, I was relieved- meant less thinking in Spanish amongst so much noise and so many people. When she was finished she asked if she could leave her name and email, in case I had any more questions. I was so appreciative! And then, she said she wanted mine too. So she could “make sure she saw a copy of my final paper on the protests.” …yeesh. Guess that means I need to throw something together!
Basically, she wrote that their Union, Citibank, has achieved many milestones, but that she personally could not have done it without the help of God.
Needless to say, during the protest, and despite the tear gas, I was like a kid in a candy store. Before coming here I was confident that I loved learning about Latin American politics and that all of the human rights violations I read about really upset me. But deep down I wondered if once I got here I would feel differently. I’ve got to say, I was almost scared to come abroad in case that very thing happened. I was scared that my passion was all academic. Which isn’t a bad thing…just not what I saw for myself. Anyways, it feels good to know that I genuinely enjoy being here in Latin America and experiencing protest- albeit as an outsider- and physically watching the change being made.
After I spoke with Magaly (the woman at the protest), my mom and I decided to head back to the apartment. All of the commotion made us both pretty tired. Still, we stopped for a drink just outside our metro stop. Here’s a (dark) picture:
The next two days were my mom’s last.
Friday, my mom and I decided to visit the second largest winery in the world: Concha y Torro. It’s not too far from Santiago, once you take the metro and a bus “for a little while,” as we read on another blog. We took the metro, and then after a little confusion found the correct bus. We told the bus driver where we wanted to go, so that he could tell us when to get off if it wasn’t already obvious (the second largest winery in the world has got to have some signage, right?).
At this point in time, we were the only ones on the bus, so it seemed obvious that he would anyways. We rode, and rode, and rode some more. Through the towns at first- outskirts of Santiago, and then eventually through Pirque- the closest town to the vineyard. When we started seeing signs for Pirque we knew we had to be close. I made eye contact with the driver (‘conductor’ here), and he seemed to give a nod in my direction.
After another 15 or so minutes, we pulled into this small gas station type place, where we switched drivers. Not really thinking about it, and still convinced this place would be very obvious in a rural area like where we were, I didn’t ask again to be shown where to get off. There were probably 8 to 10 people on the bus besides ourselves, so I figured at least one would get off there; this bus is largely just for the vineyard. Well, lesson learned: always ask questions when you’re not sure. My mom and I wound up riding this bus a little over two and a half hours, which was two hours more than we’d planned.
We had already emailed for spots at the 2 o’clock tour- figuring we would arrive around 1:30 and have plenty of time to eat some appetizers and then take the tour. Well, it was 3:00 and we were still on the bus. We were passing houses made largely of aluminum and cardboard now. Our bus (thankfully) hugged the mountain as we winded along the narrow roads that dropped into deep ravines. It was nerve wracking, driving on these roads without guardrails or fences or anything. Still, I had been on worse roads in Honduras and Belize, so I just kept telling myself that I had lived through those and would make it through these.
We had already emailed for spots at the 2 o’clock tour- figuring we would arrive around 1:30 and have plenty of time to eat some appetizers and then take the tour. Well, it was 3:00 and we were still on the bus. We were passing houses made largely of aluminum and cardboard now. Our bus (thankfully) hugged the mountain as we winded along the narrow roads that dropped into deep ravines. It was nerve wracking, driving on these roads without guardrails or fences or anything. Still, I had been on worse roads in Honduras and Belize, so I just kept telling myself that I had lived through those and would make it through these.
Eventually, the bus came to the end of the gravel/dirt road we were on, and the bus driver stopped the bus. He turns to us and says (in Spanish of course) “this is it.” My mom and I looked at each other uncomfortably…what did he mean, “this is it?” Surely he was joking. We were in the middle of nowhere! I explained that we were trying to go to Concha y Torro, and he laughed, and said, “that stop was awhiiiile ago.” …Great. With some sweet smiles and coaxing, we convinced him we were not cut out to be dropped off here, and he agreed to take us back. Finally, around 4, we made it to the vineyard, just in time for the last tour of the day in English! Here are some pictures: (Sadly the one of me and my mom at the Welcome sign didn’t take.)
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| "Casillero del Diablo": "The Devil's Basement"; where they keep their signature wine |
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| The signature (expensive!) wine we got to taste |
It was a good tour, and the wines were wonderful. I met some new friends on the tour; we exchanged information and I have already met up with the one of them. It’s always nice to have friends in foreign places!
We went to the Walmart equivalent on the way home to get some groceries, but after that went straight home. We were both exhausted. Still, Gerardo convinced me to go out and get a beer and learn the bus system. (The metro stops running around 10.) I really trust Gerardo, so I went. We went to a bar called “California,” which was started by a student from California that came to Santiago on study abroad, went back for his last year, and then moved here to start the bar. I met the guy, and enjoyed talking to him for awhile. Around one though, Gerardo and I headed home. I was beyond tired!
We went to the Walmart equivalent on the way home to get some groceries, but after that went straight home. We were both exhausted. Still, Gerardo convinced me to go out and get a beer and learn the bus system. (The metro stops running around 10.) I really trust Gerardo, so I went. We went to a bar called “California,” which was started by a student from California that came to Santiago on study abroad, went back for his last year, and then moved here to start the bar. I met the guy, and enjoyed talking to him for awhile. Around one though, Gerardo and I headed home. I was beyond tired!
Saturday, Gerardo (my Chilean roommate) took us around parts of Santiago we hadn’t seen. We saw the government palace:
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| The infamous "Morandé 80" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morandé_80 |
We also saw where Gerardo works (Ministry of Economics), and just more of downtown Santiago.
After a bit we went to see the vegetable/seafood market and have some lunch. It was so cool to see all the types of fish (and vegetables) that are indigenous here but not to the US. I don't remember names, but here's what we saw:
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| Sea urchins |
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| That's octopus on the right |
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| These are "Locos"; I wound up having them for lunch; so good! |
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| Our view of the market from our table at lunch |
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| Gotta love South America and their music at lunch |
Then he took us to see the US Embassy, which I was disappointed to see was not better advertised. You could barely read the words “US Embassy,” and without the flag, I think it would be undistinguishable to someone walking by.
The US Embassy:
The US Embassy:
After, we walked to the neighborhood of Las Condes. Gerardo had told us that compared to other neighborhoods of Santiago, it was a lot different. But I didn’t really believe him or know what he meant until I saw for myself. Here’s a comparison:
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| A "mil peso" (dollar store) store we saw earlier that day. |
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| Las Condes |
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| High-end fashion |
Las Condes is so nice. It’s definitely the richest part of Santiago, at least that I’ve seen. We passed an Armani store (while most storefronts I’ve seen are international calling stations, bars, cheap clothing stores, etc.), and lots of American restaurants:
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| Starbucks and Ruby Tuesday |
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| Needed coffee to keep going! |
I really enjoyed seeing the comparison. I must say, I felt safest in Las Condes, but I also became even more outraged with the inequality compared to the cardboard houses I had seen just the day prior… it was humbling.
We were out exploring until about ten, so once home we all just hung around the house and went to bed.
We were out exploring until about ten, so once home we all just hung around the house and went to bed.
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Sunday was my mom’s last day. To be honest, we didn’t do a lot. Just slept in, and got her all packed up and made sure we had everything in order logistically (our skypes were working, I had my bus/metro card, my cell phone had enough minutes, I had money, etc.). Gerardo took the metro with me to drop her where the bus would take her to the airport. We said our goodbyes and sent her off, and then…I realized I was still holding one of her bags. Gerardo and I hopped on the next bus to the airport (we weren’t going to go because roundtrip for two people was about $5 USD, but it was worth it to give her bag). We got there before she checked in, and said goodbye yet again. I got all teary, so Gerardo tried to cheer me up by getting me coffee and donuts (he knows me so well). I didn’t really care for the donuts here though… they’re much more bread-y, or at least the one I had. Anyways, it was a nice gesture on his part, and gave us a chance to talk politics some.
We got back to the apartment and planned on making dinner, but one of my friends I met at the vineyard wanted to grab a drink in the same area my mom and I had appetizers- Patio Bellavista. It was fun; we all know English but I really want to improve my Spanish, so I told them to only talk in Spanish. I followed most of the conversations, which were largely political and economical. When I wasn’t following, I was wishing I hadn’t said to speak in Spanish, haha.
Anyways, around midnight Felipe (the friend) had to leave, and while Lars was headed out to meet some of his German friends, Gerardo and I planned to head home. We decided to just meet his friends on the way home, and I found it was a bunch of girls; Lars is the only guy in the friend group. They insisted that I (and Gerardo too) come dancing with them. As you can tell from my posts, about…all…of my friends are guys, so I really liked the idea of having female friends. So, I agreed. Gerardo planned to come along just for fun, but after the first place we tried was closed, he decided he didn’t feel like trying another headed home.
I’m so glad I stayed! I only had half a drink the whole night. I forget what it’s called, but it’s this strong wine with a scoop of ice cream in it. Lars knows my obsession with ice cream, and ordered it for us to share. My goal wasn’t to drink, just to meet people though. I’ve found here, unlike the US, while the drinking age is lower and people stay out later, they seem to really be out to be social and not to get drunk. I wound up staying out until 4:15am, but just dancing and talking. Here’s a picture of the group, minus Lars:
Monday I allowed myself to sleep late- like 2pm. I woke up, did some reading, and then went to get sushi with Lars and two more of his (male) German friends I hadn’t met. I believe their names were Claudios and Basti…anyways, they were nice guys, too. The guys all did an all-you-can-eat deal, and Lars ate FIFTY pieces of sushi! AND a plate of noodles I ordered and didn’t care for. I was full after my one roll! Guys and their metabolisms are unbelievable; Lars is skinny! After, we got some groceries and some frozen yogurt at McDonald’s. It was a fun night.
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Tuesday (and today) I’ve just stayed at the apartment. I have three books to read for my study abroad program, and I’m not done with it all, so I’m really trying to knock it out while Gerardo is at work and Lars is in class. I think in a bit I’ll go to the grocery store though. Partially to get some stuff, but mostly just to get fresh air.
…Whew. That was a lot of catching up. I’m sorry it wasn’t all as detailed as it would’ve been had I been keeping up with it all; I’ll really try to from now on.
I love and miss you all, and hope you’re all doing well!
-Alex
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