La Serena y Ovalle

So I took a trip to La Serena and Ovalle, both to the north of Santiago in an area known as the Norte Chico (little north). It was awesome. Check out the photos here.

I went with two gringas from my program, Lucy and Anna, and we kicked it for 3 nights in the desert. After arriving at 7 am by way of midnight bus, we dropped our stuff off at La Casa de Maria Hostel and explored the city. We saw the Archeology Museum, where they have the only Moai (from Chile's Rapa Nui) outside the island, as well as some mummies preserved by the insanely dry Atacama desert in northern Chile. The next day we toured Valle de Elqui, a beautiful valley with a dam that enables grape cultivation, for wine, pisco and table grapes. La Serena and the valley are both located in one of the two regions of Chile in which the grapes to make pisco, the national drink, are grown. We had a great lunch at a solar restaurant (solar ovens and even mirror reflectors for teapots) which was delicious and eco-friendly. And of course, we took a tour of a pisco distillery at the end of the long day.

Day three began early, with the 6:30 am bus to Ovalle, a ride of about two hours south. We got on the nearly empty bus in La Serena and wondered where everyone else was. I drifted in and out of sleep as the bus slowly filled along our route. By the time we were reaching Ovalle, the bus was crowded to standing room only by men, women, and a dozen kids in uniforms heading to middle and high school. I looked at them through my bleary eyes and was left chuckling at the image I must have presented- a drowsy, crusty and somewhat smelly gringo.

Our accommodations in Jaimes Crazy Hostel were bare-bones, but cheap and cozy. The free internet access made up for the lack of hot water (they were remodeling). We got hooked up with a day tour from our hosts and spent the day with Percy in his little Suzuki. With the broken window taped up, the reggaeton blaring and the sun shining, we booked it to Parque Nacional Fray Jorge . The park is situated along the coastal cordillera, where clouds drift up from the sea and rain on the coastal side, leaving the other side dry like the rest of Norte Chico. We hiked up and down the mountain and even saw a desert fox!. Later we saw the Valle del Encantado, a small but spectacular creek with huge boulders and petroglyphs everywhere. We scrambled on the rocks and marveled at the 2,000 year old markings.

We made it home safe and sound the next day. I had a day of orientation and then took off again for a trip to my host family's place on the coast. That might have to wait for another post... Classes are in session now, and day two promises more possibilities. I will enroll in the next two weeks, and will be able to attend classes in order to gauge their language intensity and my level of interest. School's here!

Settling In

I'm settling in here and getting used to getting to campus. Right now I'm halfway through a two week Spanish course for the students from UW/University of Michigan. We have class with a great profesora, and little homework. This has left plenty of time for exploration and, of course, a bit of rowdiness.

We hosted a little party at our house last week, with Ramiro's Chilean friends and some friends of mine from UW. We had quite a time (Chileans are used to late nights)! I also took a beautiful afternoon to walk with some friends up and down Cerro San Cristobal, a huge park built on a hill. There are many separate parks, like a Japanese garden and a pool, as well as restaurants and mountain bike trails. At the top is La Virgen, a soaring statue of Mary. Definitely a requisite for any trip to Santiago.

Oh and check it out: New photos from around Santiago! And now some homework.

Valdivia

I went on a grand adventure to Valdivia, a 12 hour bus ride south from Santiago. It was a beautiful combination of water, forests, history and incredible seafood.

We took a boat ride around the rivers which surround Valdivia and I did my best to understand the guide. We ate avery well and drank the local beer, Kuntsman, which is a fantastic German brewery. There's a lot of German influence in the architecture and the food, and clearly the beer has benefitted from the immigration that started in the 1800s. Vladivia has an interesting history as a colony, the site of the worlds most intense earthquake as well as a tourist destination.

Here is my new flicker account. I think this is a better way for me to show photos- this set is from my Valdivia trip. Here you can see my friends Ramiro and Felipe, as well as some of the great food we ate and sights we saw. Take care!

A Few Days, A Few Fotos

I've been keeping busy with trips to register my visa, to the mall with my host family and generally wandering Santiago. The weather is nice, a little on the cool side, but nothing terrible.

I had the good luck to catch Cori (to my left) on one of her last nights in town. I had an amazing night making merry with her and her charming friends.

The mountains surround you here wherever you look. The Andes to the east, and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west make for picturesque views, but these same mountains hide themselves. They trap so much smog that on certain days you can see a haze hanging over the city. My lungs are slowly adjusting and I think I almost kicked my cold.

Tomorrow it's off to Valdivia with my host brother and a friend. Should be nice, but colder still. Long johns in July? You betcha!

Chao!

A New Home

I made it to Santiago! I spent my first day napping and then hit up Transformers 2. Later, after dinner, I went to some bars and clubs with my host brother, Ramiro. After a few Piscos we finally crashed around 3.

Here's one of the two dogs I now live with, Lucas. Oscar, the other pup, is very loving but not as prone to lick my face.

¡Salud!