Hey guys, I'm in the USA now. I am a few weeks in to my semester at UW-Madison. Loving it, living it, etc. Things are good.
I am leaving this blog to wither and die, but I've got a new one going, which is not thematic at all. And way less Mathias-centric (ok somewhat less).
Thanks for reading! See you in the world.
CHAOOOOO
NEW BLOG
Monday, February 15, 2010
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Peru and the final days
School wrapped up quickly at the end there, but it felt agonizingly slow. I went to see a concert by a guy named Manu Chao, a french-born every-romantic-language singing leftish raggae rocker. We had a Thanksgiving celebration, to which I brought a sort of pumpkin pie.
Then I saw Peru. I took a bus from Santiago to the border, a 30 hour ride, and hung out at the Chilean beach/border town Arica. My travel companions and I, Matt and Daniel from UW-Madison, crossed the border and took an overnight bus to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The ride was a nightmare, far worse than any other, even though it was only 9 hours. The combination of intense body odor, extreme variable temperatures, altitude gain and rapid velocity plus curvy roads made me want to hurl. We spent a few nights taking tours on and around Lake Titicaca and getting used to the altitude. We crossed over to Cusco by bus, and saw the amazing landscape of the high plains.
Peru is different from Chile. The people look different, the spanish is crystal clear (compared to Chile anyway), and the buildings seem a bit more crumbly. Lima didn't have a subway, marking clearly the infrastructure differences. Chile and Peru have a history of violence and conflict, and as such still disagree. I love Peru, and thought it was a really important comparison to my time in Chile.
In Cusco I parted ways with Matt and Danielle, and met up with a group from Lima. Cusco is the Inka's old capital city, and has these amazing walls made from rocks without cement. The expert masons there just made every rock fit perfectly. Then the Spanish just built stucco and wood walls right on top. The cathedral maintains the base walls from the Inka high temple. Three UW students and a German student plus me went on a three day trip to Machu Picchu, where my passport and camera got soaked. The camera is not in good shape, but I got to swap the memory card into other cameras, so I have some shots there. Biking down mountains, hiking in the jungle, hot springs, and of course the insane ruins of Machu Picchu made for three very full days. Our guide Vicente, was really awesome too.
I made it to Lima at the end, for one night with my friend Alyse. She took me around with her friend Nina, and I basically had the best 24 hour stay you can ask for. We saw the basic sites (Plaza de Armas, the sea, downtown) and spent the night dancing and drinking weird jungle drinks. It ruled. In my experience, Chilean pisco sours taste just the same as Peruvian pisco sours.
I made it home with about 12 hours to spare before my folks were set to arrive. My blurred and splotched passport somehow presented very little issue at the immigration checkpoint. Mimi and Steve are now here, and we have already been to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, seen the basics of Santiago, and did some horseback riding in Cajón del Maipo. Beaner arrives tomorrow and the four of us have some big plans for the south of Chile.
I likely won't post again until January, so enjoy the holidays and the time off. I leave for the states shortly, so see you soon!
Then I saw Peru. I took a bus from Santiago to the border, a 30 hour ride, and hung out at the Chilean beach/border town Arica. My travel companions and I, Matt and Daniel from UW-Madison, crossed the border and took an overnight bus to Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The ride was a nightmare, far worse than any other, even though it was only 9 hours. The combination of intense body odor, extreme variable temperatures, altitude gain and rapid velocity plus curvy roads made me want to hurl. We spent a few nights taking tours on and around Lake Titicaca and getting used to the altitude. We crossed over to Cusco by bus, and saw the amazing landscape of the high plains.
Peru is different from Chile. The people look different, the spanish is crystal clear (compared to Chile anyway), and the buildings seem a bit more crumbly. Lima didn't have a subway, marking clearly the infrastructure differences. Chile and Peru have a history of violence and conflict, and as such still disagree. I love Peru, and thought it was a really important comparison to my time in Chile.
In Cusco I parted ways with Matt and Danielle, and met up with a group from Lima. Cusco is the Inka's old capital city, and has these amazing walls made from rocks without cement. The expert masons there just made every rock fit perfectly. Then the Spanish just built stucco and wood walls right on top. The cathedral maintains the base walls from the Inka high temple. Three UW students and a German student plus me went on a three day trip to Machu Picchu, where my passport and camera got soaked. The camera is not in good shape, but I got to swap the memory card into other cameras, so I have some shots there. Biking down mountains, hiking in the jungle, hot springs, and of course the insane ruins of Machu Picchu made for three very full days. Our guide Vicente, was really awesome too.
I made it to Lima at the end, for one night with my friend Alyse. She took me around with her friend Nina, and I basically had the best 24 hour stay you can ask for. We saw the basic sites (Plaza de Armas, the sea, downtown) and spent the night dancing and drinking weird jungle drinks. It ruled. In my experience, Chilean pisco sours taste just the same as Peruvian pisco sours.
I made it home with about 12 hours to spare before my folks were set to arrive. My blurred and splotched passport somehow presented very little issue at the immigration checkpoint. Mimi and Steve are now here, and we have already been to Valparaíso and Viña del Mar, seen the basics of Santiago, and did some horseback riding in Cajón del Maipo. Beaner arrives tomorrow and the four of us have some big plans for the south of Chile.
I likely won't post again until January, so enjoy the holidays and the time off. I leave for the states shortly, so see you soon!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Chilean food
This is a post which really needs another tab open in your browser. A tab with this flickr post.
Time to talk about Chilean food. I've written a bit on empanadas, which are scrumptious and popular. But one of my favorite street foods are the candied peanuts they sell at Nuts4Nuts stands. They cook them up in sugar and the bags of maní are still warm when you buy them. I think I am addicted. The Nuts4Nuts phenomenon really captivated my interest when I came across Nuts5Nuts, and later Nuts7Nuts, demonstrating either a kind of numerical arms race or a failure to grasp the witty marketing tool that is the classic 4 name. In any case, I have hunted for Nuts6Nuts, and am convinced it isn't visible to muggles. Or maybe the guy who made 7 was just a big risk taker and skipped 6 altogether.
Let's talk condiments. First off, Chileans love salt. There is no pepper on tables, neither in restaurants nor households. But there is always salt. Most meals are an invitation to dump salt on every item on your plate. Popular condiments for sandwiches and meats include mayo, ají, mustard and ketchup. Mayo here is globbed on in massive quantities. Ají is a sauce, with the consistency of ketchup, made from hot chilies, and it has a little smokey hint to it too. Ketchup and mustard are very sweet and lack the acidic bite they have in the states.
But I digress.
Chilean salad is another unique item. The salads themselves are quite normal, with mixed leafy veggies and an assortment of other toppings. But when you eat with a family, the salad dressing is standard: lemon juice, vegetable oil and salt. This dressing is also used on tomato/onion salads. Some take it as a Chilean tradition, but a Chilean once explained to me that this dressing came about only because those were the only ingredients available during the Allende-Pinochet era(1970's and 80s), when Chile was suffering an economic meltdown coupled with huge social upheaval and eventually secret police and a military imposed curfew. It's really interesting how history can change food culture so radically.
Seafood here rocks. The Humboldt Current brings cold, nutrient rich water to Chile's coast and with it an abundance of life. Which we eat. The widest Chile ever gets is 430km (265mi) wide, so fish is shipped fresh from the cost. Merluza, reineta, corvina, congrio, and salmón are just a few fish you'll find, plus octopi, every kind of shellfish you can imagine, lobster from the Juan Fernandez Islands, squid, sea urchins, you name it. I really love ceviche, a lemon soaked fish or shellfish dish.
Chileans love asados. A barbecue, but different, the asado is as much ritual as meal. Once the charcoal is going, longaniza hits the grill. This, paired with bread, constitutes the first course: choripan (from chorizo, sausage, and pan, bread). Then the real meat hits the fire. Pork and beef rules this realm. Often the whole group hangs out by the barbecue and eats pieces of meat sliced off the big hunk as it cooks. No sitting required. It should be noted that the only spice I have ever seen a chilean add to meat on a grill is salt. Tons of salt, and I have seen it every time.
Let's talk coffee real quick. Nescafe is standard. Instant. Always. You can get real coffee at restaurants or cafes, but it comes in espresso form. No drip coffee here.
I'll finish this up with a little info on the completo. It's a hotdog with avocado, tomato, and mayo on top. It's the cheapest thing on every menu, and it's filling. The best part is that with all the toppings you skip the hotdog taste.
Check out the Flickr for some good shots and a description of charqui.
I'll conclude by saying that I have enjoyed the majority of food here. Nevertheless, I look forward to lowering my beef intake, drinking drip coffee, and Christmas cookies. I'm counting on you, mom!
Time to talk about Chilean food. I've written a bit on empanadas, which are scrumptious and popular. But one of my favorite street foods are the candied peanuts they sell at Nuts4Nuts stands. They cook them up in sugar and the bags of maní are still warm when you buy them. I think I am addicted. The Nuts4Nuts phenomenon really captivated my interest when I came across Nuts5Nuts, and later Nuts7Nuts, demonstrating either a kind of numerical arms race or a failure to grasp the witty marketing tool that is the classic 4 name. In any case, I have hunted for Nuts6Nuts, and am convinced it isn't visible to muggles. Or maybe the guy who made 7 was just a big risk taker and skipped 6 altogether.
Let's talk condiments. First off, Chileans love salt. There is no pepper on tables, neither in restaurants nor households. But there is always salt. Most meals are an invitation to dump salt on every item on your plate. Popular condiments for sandwiches and meats include mayo, ají, mustard and ketchup. Mayo here is globbed on in massive quantities. Ají is a sauce, with the consistency of ketchup, made from hot chilies, and it has a little smokey hint to it too. Ketchup and mustard are very sweet and lack the acidic bite they have in the states.
But I digress.
Chilean salad is another unique item. The salads themselves are quite normal, with mixed leafy veggies and an assortment of other toppings. But when you eat with a family, the salad dressing is standard: lemon juice, vegetable oil and salt. This dressing is also used on tomato/onion salads. Some take it as a Chilean tradition, but a Chilean once explained to me that this dressing came about only because those were the only ingredients available during the Allende-Pinochet era(1970's and 80s), when Chile was suffering an economic meltdown coupled with huge social upheaval and eventually secret police and a military imposed curfew. It's really interesting how history can change food culture so radically.
Seafood here rocks. The Humboldt Current brings cold, nutrient rich water to Chile's coast and with it an abundance of life. Which we eat. The widest Chile ever gets is 430km (265mi) wide, so fish is shipped fresh from the cost. Merluza, reineta, corvina, congrio, and salmón are just a few fish you'll find, plus octopi, every kind of shellfish you can imagine, lobster from the Juan Fernandez Islands, squid, sea urchins, you name it. I really love ceviche, a lemon soaked fish or shellfish dish.
Chileans love asados. A barbecue, but different, the asado is as much ritual as meal. Once the charcoal is going, longaniza hits the grill. This, paired with bread, constitutes the first course: choripan (from chorizo, sausage, and pan, bread). Then the real meat hits the fire. Pork and beef rules this realm. Often the whole group hangs out by the barbecue and eats pieces of meat sliced off the big hunk as it cooks. No sitting required. It should be noted that the only spice I have ever seen a chilean add to meat on a grill is salt. Tons of salt, and I have seen it every time.
Let's talk coffee real quick. Nescafe is standard. Instant. Always. You can get real coffee at restaurants or cafes, but it comes in espresso form. No drip coffee here.
I'll finish this up with a little info on the completo. It's a hotdog with avocado, tomato, and mayo on top. It's the cheapest thing on every menu, and it's filling. The best part is that with all the toppings you skip the hotdog taste.
Check out the Flickr for some good shots and a description of charqui.
I'll conclude by saying that I have enjoyed the majority of food here. Nevertheless, I look forward to lowering my beef intake, drinking drip coffee, and Christmas cookies. I'm counting on you, mom!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Half a month
Lots of stuff happened in the last month. Stuff like: halloween, a mine tour, some quizzes, the Nike 10k, group projects, a wedding, and the coldest night of my life.
Chronologically the Nike 10k happened first. It was a huge race- 10k people running 10km. Nike puts it on and shuts down a sizable section of the city on a Sunday. We ran a route that went up the sides of the Río Mapocho in the heart of the city, crossing it twice to make it a circuit. In the all the runs I have done in the states, everyone who spectates cheers, and they cheer for everyone. Here, I came into the last 500 meters in awe of the silent families and friends lining the sides of the finish. They didn't even cheer for the people they were there to see. It was like a funeral procession minus the dirge. The race was super fun, but I learned firsthand the risk one takes running moderate distances with shirts with big plasticy prints on the chest. Think nipple chafing/scabs.
Then I was invited by my friend Jocelyn to a wedding! It was a fun experience, which involved a short mass, dinner and dance party. The mass started at 10pm, so as usual it was a late night. Most of the traditions are the same, down to the rice throwing, cake, first dance, and garter/bouquet toss. I was blown away by the dancing. The latin influence means lots of salsa, merengue, and reggaeton. The reggaeton came out real late at night, and brought out some great moments of older couples dancing as racily as the younger crowd. Then the costumes came out. The bride and groom walk around with masks on carrying trays of masquerade masks, plastic printed hats, and leis. That really knocked down any last inhibitions. Once you're goofy enough to wear that crap, you're probably having a good time:
The UW program went to the largest underground mine in the world, Chile's El Teniente copper mine. Honestly it was pretty lame. I had been to Tower Soudan in Tower, Minnesota, and it was kind of the same. Lowlight: eating with the miners in their mess hall. Pretty crappy food.
Halloween meant a costume party, complete with carved pumpkins- but not orange ones. Halloween only arrived in Chile about 5 years ago. Clearly it's another US import; one more consumer holiday. On the local news the night before, they had a segment where people could call in and voice their opinion on this question: Should Chile celebrate Halloween? I heard two responses, one for Halloween and one against it. On one hand, it's innocent fun plus candy, and Satan is involved (+). On the other, it's not really part of the culture, focuses on silly themes and feeding kids tons of candy, and is just kind of dumb (-). I had a good time in any case. Here's wedding and Halloween pics.
I spent this weekend in Cajón del Maipo again. This time Ramiro and I drove out there. Camping at some hot springs, we took a 4 hour night soak under the stars and among the mountains. Then we spent to coldest night ever in my tent, a summer tent, I now realize. The condensation froze on the tent walls. So did my feet. We woke up and on the way out got stuck in a mud puddle (muddle?) in Ramiro's little Chevy. With insane luck, we had just passed a miner, who I walked to. His job is to tell other miners when to not blast, so the rubble doesn't land on passing cars. He called up a truck on his walkie talkie, and we got dragged out of the mud. What could have been an all day wait was a 30 minute setback. It felt like revenge after the cold night. Then we hiked in El Morado national monument. It was one of the best places I have ever been. We crossed snow and streams and arrived at the base of some mountains where there is a lake. It was about a four hour trip up and back, just insane. Photos here.
Now I'm wrapping up school things with essays, projects, and presentations. I can't wait to be done with class. It's not that hard here, but it can be really hard to study when there's a foreign city outside your room.
Chronologically the Nike 10k happened first. It was a huge race- 10k people running 10km. Nike puts it on and shuts down a sizable section of the city on a Sunday. We ran a route that went up the sides of the Río Mapocho in the heart of the city, crossing it twice to make it a circuit. In the all the runs I have done in the states, everyone who spectates cheers, and they cheer for everyone. Here, I came into the last 500 meters in awe of the silent families and friends lining the sides of the finish. They didn't even cheer for the people they were there to see. It was like a funeral procession minus the dirge. The race was super fun, but I learned firsthand the risk one takes running moderate distances with shirts with big plasticy prints on the chest. Think nipple chafing/scabs.
Then I was invited by my friend Jocelyn to a wedding! It was a fun experience, which involved a short mass, dinner and dance party. The mass started at 10pm, so as usual it was a late night. Most of the traditions are the same, down to the rice throwing, cake, first dance, and garter/bouquet toss. I was blown away by the dancing. The latin influence means lots of salsa, merengue, and reggaeton. The reggaeton came out real late at night, and brought out some great moments of older couples dancing as racily as the younger crowd. Then the costumes came out. The bride and groom walk around with masks on carrying trays of masquerade masks, plastic printed hats, and leis. That really knocked down any last inhibitions. Once you're goofy enough to wear that crap, you're probably having a good time:
The UW program went to the largest underground mine in the world, Chile's El Teniente copper mine. Honestly it was pretty lame. I had been to Tower Soudan in Tower, Minnesota, and it was kind of the same. Lowlight: eating with the miners in their mess hall. Pretty crappy food.
Halloween meant a costume party, complete with carved pumpkins- but not orange ones. Halloween only arrived in Chile about 5 years ago. Clearly it's another US import; one more consumer holiday. On the local news the night before, they had a segment where people could call in and voice their opinion on this question: Should Chile celebrate Halloween? I heard two responses, one for Halloween and one against it. On one hand, it's innocent fun plus candy, and Satan is involved (+). On the other, it's not really part of the culture, focuses on silly themes and feeding kids tons of candy, and is just kind of dumb (-). I had a good time in any case. Here's wedding and Halloween pics.
I spent this weekend in Cajón del Maipo again. This time Ramiro and I drove out there. Camping at some hot springs, we took a 4 hour night soak under the stars and among the mountains. Then we spent to coldest night ever in my tent, a summer tent, I now realize. The condensation froze on the tent walls. So did my feet. We woke up and on the way out got stuck in a mud puddle (muddle?) in Ramiro's little Chevy. With insane luck, we had just passed a miner, who I walked to. His job is to tell other miners when to not blast, so the rubble doesn't land on passing cars. He called up a truck on his walkie talkie, and we got dragged out of the mud. What could have been an all day wait was a 30 minute setback. It felt like revenge after the cold night. Then we hiked in El Morado national monument. It was one of the best places I have ever been. We crossed snow and streams and arrived at the base of some mountains where there is a lake. It was about a four hour trip up and back, just insane. Photos here.
Now I'm wrapping up school things with essays, projects, and presentations. I can't wait to be done with class. It's not that hard here, but it can be really hard to study when there's a foreign city outside your room.
Friday, October 16, 2009
San Pedro de Atacama
I got back this Tuesday from a weekend in the driest desert on earth (according NASA and National Geographic, among others). We flew to the desert town of Calama, christened as a "shithole" by the Lonely Planet guide for Chile. We got right on a bus for an hour and a half and spent the next four nights in San Pedro de Atacama. It's an entirely tourist-centric town out in the middle of the huge salt covered plain, with mountains on either side and the Bolivian border only a few miles away.We swam in a salt lagoon, basically a lake where there's no outflow. It was something like 30% salt, though I'm not sure if that's by weight, volume, or our guide Jaun's estimate based on taste and how much it burns your eyes. I have never been so lazy swimming. Everything floats. We drove around and saw gorgeous sunsets, saw flamingos and salt flats and small desert villages where we pet llamas. The areas around rivers provide great contrast to the dry dusty land around them. We had a 4am trip to the geysers at El Tatio, complete with a hot spring bath (more like lukewarm) and vicuña spotting from the bus. All of this with Juan's gringo friendly mix tape, with 60s and 70s hits, all the way up to mainstream rap garbage to keep us rocking.
The nights found us watching Chile qualify for the World Cup in a stellar game against Colombia, as well as typical hostel card games and early bedtimes. Hostel life rules, except when the black beans just don't hydrate like you want them to. I guess 48 hours in water, 6 of them in boiling water, just isn't enough. We made use of the grill, and ate our traditional avocado/cheese/bread/pasta with sauce travel diet. The hostel also had about a dozen cats and two dogs. I really don't like cats. [Edit: I like Hanzo Cat and Mea/Katse. And a few others, but many bug me. Read on.] One bit me, and another scratched me. The dogs were pretty rad though.
The desert wreaks havoc on your body. I was a little burned, despite the most expensive sunblock ever (buy before you go) and my skin was all dried out. Lip protector with SPF is vital.
Also, I had my 21st birthday this week! I had two midterms the day after so cake with my host family was about as rowdy as it got. However, I'm making up for it with a joint birthday party tonight with my buddy Felipe. The idea of being legal is going to be an easy transition, as I've been legal since I got to Chile. It's already been 3.5 months!
PS. I believe anyone can comment on these posts, even without any sort of account, anonymously. It'd be cool to see who actually reads this, if anyone. So comment!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Buses
Transportation here rules. Sometimes. Here are two trips that are quick and accessible by bus (and a bit of walking).
1. Cajón del Maipo- a quiet and somewhat natural area, this canyon just outside of Santiago has lots of offer. I took a bus from the south end of the metro, and 2 hours later was in the sleepy town of San José del Maipo. They offer all sorts of nature tourism, like rafting, horseback riding and trekking. I just hung out for one night and trekked the next day. It's gorgeous, super close, and there are towns further down the canyon that I plan to visit (lots of camping options too). Here are some photos.
2. Climbing at Cerro Manquehuito- so I already posted some pictures of climbing outside. We went again, but this time did the whole thing without a car. The C14 will take you to the start of the quiet hill neighborhood, and a 50 minute hike past the fancy houses (we're talking gates, guards, and one with a helipad) and you're at the cliffs.
I spend about an hour and a half every day on the metro and buses. It kind of sucks, but I'm realizing how much of a wimp I was at home. Not that I look forward to spending more time on buses, but maybe I'm getting over my aversion to bus routes and waiting. Granted, the freedom of a bicycle trumps buses any day, but I will scoff no more at a warm bus on a snowy Madison night.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
The Party Rolls On
Fiestas Patrias has come and gone, but it had an aftershock too. First off, I went to Pichilemu with my host brothers and some of their friends. We rented a house with 3 bedrooms, and the 9 of us crashed there. It was a weekend full of late night dancing at the Fonda, which is a huge party in a tent that runs every night until the wee hours. We spent the days in the sun on the beach, but it was a cool and windy weekend.
Classes were all back to normal this week, with more robust attendance. On Thursday, there was a big fonda (el 18 chico), the aftershock party to the earthquake that was the 18th. Once again, live music, barbecue, and drinks were being served up. It's weird to party outside of classrooms, especially when on the walk to the bathroom you can see classes in session. Poor buggers. Check out a video of the situation here.
I made it out climbing yesterday (Friday). My buddy Rodrigo invited Lucy, Nigel and me to come climbing with his buddies on a hill on the north side of the city, called Manquehuito. We rode up a windy road to a skinny and slippery path, and made hiked to the rocks from there. The site already had bolts set for sport climbing, and Rodrigo and crew had all the gear we'd ever need. From the top of the routes, the panorama of Santiago was gorgeous (although a bit smoggy). Climbers just kept showing up. Someone brought a grill grate and charcoal, and all of a sudden the meat came out. Chicken, chorizo, and a lump of cow. The spices were typical Chilean: a ziplock full of salt was all we needed. I have never seen such a party while climbing- UW's Mountaineering Club could take a few pointers from these guys. Here's the newest Flickr set, with rock climbing, a fonda shot, and even a puppy (might be a baby polar bear).
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