Well I think it is time to finish my journey. It took me a few months and a little bit of self realization that my trip in Chile has finally come to an end. I have now had enough time to come to the conclusion that I am no longer on the trip of a lifetime, but back home and in the same routine that I was in before I left. It is interesting what happens in just a few months, both at home and abroad.
For instance, I can honestly say that at the beginning of my trip I would have never called it 'the trip of a lifetime'. I have now grown up enough to envisage that what I was exposed to while abroad was a 'once' in a lifetime experience. The reason for the '' on 'once' is because what I went through in Chile will never happen again, but if I have anything to say about it I will never stop traveling and experiencing the world. My last few weeks in Chile were, in a word, triumphant. I experienced the worst bus ride of my life so far (lets just say I took the wrong bus, fell down a hill, ran into a pack of rabid dogs, a snake, cut myself, walked about a mile and all without a cell phone or a way to get out of the situation except for continuing on the path), I had to say goodbye to some truly exceptional family members and friends, I had to fly for two days straight, and then readjust to life back in the US.
Since being home, the changes in mentality, in morals, in life itself have been all around exceptional. Before returning I had planned on staying put for a while, finding a place to live and reconnecting with all my past friends. I now know that I was being naive. I have lost friends, become closer with others, realized that I am not the type of person that can stay put for too long, which makes my graduation coming up in a few months more stressful. I am looking for a career, hopefully an international career, looking to travel and looking to move forward in every aspect of my life.
And just because I haven't shared much of it on the blog yet, here is just a little piece from my journal that I kept while abroad,
'I’m sure at the beginning it was all sadness for leaving home, and now it has changed to sadness for leaving Chile. I knew it would happen, but at the same time I’m still ready to go home and see all my friends and family. I’m ready to start making money again, and I’m ready to finish school and find an apartment and just start saving money for my next big adventure! I’ve done it. I know there were times, a lot of them, where I struggled and just wanted to leave, but I’m so grateful for all of those now! They have made me into a better and more experienced person. This ending isn’t quite like what you read about in books, or see in the movies; there is no big conclusion that brings everything together and some hidden meaning behind it all… it’s just the end of another part in my life. With this experience I now have, I know I can travel anywhere and do anything.'
This little passage is really what I wanted to take out of my time in Chile, because its all true. There is no fairy tale ending, there is just one part of my life closing and another one opening. All I can hope for now is to keep past memories alive and create new, hopefully better, stories.
I do want to thank every single reader again for all the support and continued reading of this blog; it means a lot. I cannot wait until my next great adventure and I will be sure to keep a blog informing everyone who cares to know about every step. Until then, I will leave this blog off with one of my favorite travel quotes,
“You will find that it is all very familiar… the strange and faraway places where you’ve never been. The wild unknown leads you to a place just around the corner. Take a picture when you get there… the road is you” The Road, J. Bebe – R. Hammond
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Friday, November 11, 2011
Chapter 11 ~ Yin and Yang
In which I will explain some of the downsides of living in a foreign country.
I was going back and forth about posting this chapter, and in case you were still wondering, I did in fact decide to post it. I thought it only fair to the readers to share some of the downsides of my trip so far, so as not to confuse anyone in thinking it has been all butterflies and rainbows, because if I have learned anything in life so far, it's that for every up there is a down or is it that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; well that and the only guarantees are death and taxes, which turned out to be false because I happen to know that there are some people who do not pay taxes. Anyway I digress, before I get started I would like to state first and foremost that I have had the time of my life so far and if I could go back in time and change something, I wouldn't. I have learned more in the last four months of living in Chile than any other time in my life, and the struggles I am about to mention have only made me stronger and better. Having said that, lets get started, shall we?
The first struggle, and the greatest, is being away from my friends and family for so long. I am no stranger to moving, I did it often as a child and continue to move around as an adult. My experience with moving around has taught me a lot about friendships and family, and I figured that this trip would be just as easy (or hard) as when I moved after high school, or during college when I moved to the cities for a short period of time. The reason that this trip has been so much more challenging on me, I believe, is because I knew from the start that I was never going to be staying permanently in Chile. For that reason, I have had a much more challenging time connecting with the people here. It didn't help that up until a week ago the Chileans were all on strike from school, and I was stuck in a broken down high school out of town, never getting to meet Chilean students, never getting to know the university, not even being able to do some of the extra curricular activities I had originally planned on doing. No, I was in a run down building full of other foreigners, most of which didn't know much spanish, and most of whom had the same mentality that I did; after 5 months I'll probably never see these people again, why bother getting to know them? I'll admit that was wrong of me, I should have tried more actively to meet new people in the beginning, but unless you have done the same thing I'm doing right now, you don't understand the difficulties. You'll just have to trust me its easier said than done. It also didn't help that the school placed me as an 'independent', so while all of the other students had groups with counselors and leaders to help them go out and do things and meet new people, I remained alone.
It's may be at this point that you are probably thinking one of two things: either 'get over it, Sam, and stop whining!' or 'wow, that must have been really hard for you, I'm so sorry...' Well to both accounts, you can stop right there. It was hard in the beginning and I'll admit that I wanted to go home a few nights, but now I am more grateful for it. While everybody else was hanging out with other exchange students, I was with my host family and their friends, speaking spanish and learning the customs and cultures of Chile. So while everyone else got to experience the 'tourist' side of Chile, I got to live here as a Chilean, or I should say as close to a chilean as a foreigner can get. I can also say that my spanish has improved more so than most of the others', because I was forced to hang out with my host family while they were all forced to hang out with each other; I was speaking spanish most of the time while they were all speaking english. Now some of them may read this and want to argue, and they have every right; I'm sure they also have had a great time in Chile and learned a lot about spanish and culture, I'm simply stating my opinion and what I've found with the other exchange students. As for the school, yea it sucks and it made me so angry at first that I wasn't getting what I paid for, and I wasn't warned before I came here, but that is life and I've learned to live with these changes. The irony is now that I've finally learned to be OK with our little run down high school building outside of town, we are changing and going to finish our last two weeks of school in the actual university...
Other little things that get to me are the dogs that bark incessantly throughout the night, the food (don't forget how much bread, soup, and salad I eat), the lack of indoor heating, the daily struggles with the language, the school and its lack of reasoning (really though, the professors here have no reasons for anything it seems, and don't really care about the assignments or the grading process, they just seem to do what they want to do when they want to do it), the instant coffee, the lack of a job, the lack of personal items I have with me, the price of most things here (which may just be me paying more attention because of the lack of a job), and absolutely the daily threat of an earthquake, the buses I have to take, not being able to drive, and as always the spiders.
The interesting thing about all of this, I am almost certain that these are going to be all of the things that I miss most after returning to the US. The irony just kills me. I guess the point of this was just to let people know that I have daily struggles here, and it isn't alway fun and games. Living life in a foreign country is just like living life in the US (or anywhere for that matter), there are some good days and some bad days and you just have to take what comes to you and try and make the most out of it.
To end I just wanted to update you all on my trip to Chiloe (because I just hate ending on a bad note). It was great, I really enjoyed the company of my host siblings and the island is amazing. I went with a friend (on a 20 hour bus ride each way) and we toured around with my host brother. Saw some great churches, ate some amazing sea food, and it passed really quickly.
I have now entered my final month here in South America, and because of the lack of a job, my money supply is running low. I have a few more things I would like to do but it's kind of a wait and see. I hope you are all finding yourselves well, and I hope you understand the meaning behind this chapter. I will most likely only be updating my blog one last time before returning home, but of course if something extraordinary happens I will be sure to squeeze in another chapter. Thank you to all of you who continue to read my blog and support me in Chile, just know that the feeling is mutual.
No Vemo Muy Pronto!
S.R.
I was going back and forth about posting this chapter, and in case you were still wondering, I did in fact decide to post it. I thought it only fair to the readers to share some of the downsides of my trip so far, so as not to confuse anyone in thinking it has been all butterflies and rainbows, because if I have learned anything in life so far, it's that for every up there is a down or is it that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; well that and the only guarantees are death and taxes, which turned out to be false because I happen to know that there are some people who do not pay taxes. Anyway I digress, before I get started I would like to state first and foremost that I have had the time of my life so far and if I could go back in time and change something, I wouldn't. I have learned more in the last four months of living in Chile than any other time in my life, and the struggles I am about to mention have only made me stronger and better. Having said that, lets get started, shall we?
The first struggle, and the greatest, is being away from my friends and family for so long. I am no stranger to moving, I did it often as a child and continue to move around as an adult. My experience with moving around has taught me a lot about friendships and family, and I figured that this trip would be just as easy (or hard) as when I moved after high school, or during college when I moved to the cities for a short period of time. The reason that this trip has been so much more challenging on me, I believe, is because I knew from the start that I was never going to be staying permanently in Chile. For that reason, I have had a much more challenging time connecting with the people here. It didn't help that up until a week ago the Chileans were all on strike from school, and I was stuck in a broken down high school out of town, never getting to meet Chilean students, never getting to know the university, not even being able to do some of the extra curricular activities I had originally planned on doing. No, I was in a run down building full of other foreigners, most of which didn't know much spanish, and most of whom had the same mentality that I did; after 5 months I'll probably never see these people again, why bother getting to know them? I'll admit that was wrong of me, I should have tried more actively to meet new people in the beginning, but unless you have done the same thing I'm doing right now, you don't understand the difficulties. You'll just have to trust me its easier said than done. It also didn't help that the school placed me as an 'independent', so while all of the other students had groups with counselors and leaders to help them go out and do things and meet new people, I remained alone.
It's may be at this point that you are probably thinking one of two things: either 'get over it, Sam, and stop whining!' or 'wow, that must have been really hard for you, I'm so sorry...' Well to both accounts, you can stop right there. It was hard in the beginning and I'll admit that I wanted to go home a few nights, but now I am more grateful for it. While everybody else was hanging out with other exchange students, I was with my host family and their friends, speaking spanish and learning the customs and cultures of Chile. So while everyone else got to experience the 'tourist' side of Chile, I got to live here as a Chilean, or I should say as close to a chilean as a foreigner can get. I can also say that my spanish has improved more so than most of the others', because I was forced to hang out with my host family while they were all forced to hang out with each other; I was speaking spanish most of the time while they were all speaking english. Now some of them may read this and want to argue, and they have every right; I'm sure they also have had a great time in Chile and learned a lot about spanish and culture, I'm simply stating my opinion and what I've found with the other exchange students. As for the school, yea it sucks and it made me so angry at first that I wasn't getting what I paid for, and I wasn't warned before I came here, but that is life and I've learned to live with these changes. The irony is now that I've finally learned to be OK with our little run down high school building outside of town, we are changing and going to finish our last two weeks of school in the actual university...
Other little things that get to me are the dogs that bark incessantly throughout the night, the food (don't forget how much bread, soup, and salad I eat), the lack of indoor heating, the daily struggles with the language, the school and its lack of reasoning (really though, the professors here have no reasons for anything it seems, and don't really care about the assignments or the grading process, they just seem to do what they want to do when they want to do it), the instant coffee, the lack of a job, the lack of personal items I have with me, the price of most things here (which may just be me paying more attention because of the lack of a job), and absolutely the daily threat of an earthquake, the buses I have to take, not being able to drive, and as always the spiders.
The interesting thing about all of this, I am almost certain that these are going to be all of the things that I miss most after returning to the US. The irony just kills me. I guess the point of this was just to let people know that I have daily struggles here, and it isn't alway fun and games. Living life in a foreign country is just like living life in the US (or anywhere for that matter), there are some good days and some bad days and you just have to take what comes to you and try and make the most out of it.
To end I just wanted to update you all on my trip to Chiloe (because I just hate ending on a bad note). It was great, I really enjoyed the company of my host siblings and the island is amazing. I went with a friend (on a 20 hour bus ride each way) and we toured around with my host brother. Saw some great churches, ate some amazing sea food, and it passed really quickly.
I have now entered my final month here in South America, and because of the lack of a job, my money supply is running low. I have a few more things I would like to do but it's kind of a wait and see. I hope you are all finding yourselves well, and I hope you understand the meaning behind this chapter. I will most likely only be updating my blog one last time before returning home, but of course if something extraordinary happens I will be sure to squeeze in another chapter. Thank you to all of you who continue to read my blog and support me in Chile, just know that the feeling is mutual.
No Vemo Muy Pronto!
S.R.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Chapter 10 ~ 1 potato, 2 potato, 3000???
In which I will explain my first experience of traveling alone in a foreign country; the downs and the ups of my trip to Peru.
Did you know that there are over 3000 different types of potatoes in the world, and over half of them are found in Peru. If you are anything like me you can't name more than 5 different kinds without starting to say things like 'french fries, tater tots, or mashed'. This knowledge, of the different types of potatoes, is what I chose to research before traveling alone to Peru. I didn't think to research population, natural disasters, climate, crime rate, cuisine, or different activities for tourists; nor did I research what is needed when traveling alone such as necessities or what not to do. Instead I took this trip on as a sort of 'learn in the moment' type of trip. I knew I wanted to visit Machu Picchu, I knew the name of the city I was flying to and the name of the hostel I had a reservation at, I knew they spoke spanish, and I knew that they had a lot of potatoes. Other than that, I knew I was in for an adventure which is exactly what I got.
It all started on the night of October 13th, 2011. I had a bus ticket to Santiago and strict instructions from my host mother warning me not to take a taxi from the bus terminal to the airport because they would overcharge me and have been known to be a little dangerous for tourists in the past. I was all set with my hiking backpack and a fanny pack I borrowed from the family because I refused to buy one. My plane was planned to take off at 7 am on Friday and I was going to stay the entire night, Thursday, in the airport because there were no busses that could get me to the airport on time Friday morning. I said my goodbyes to the host family and as I was walking out of the house my host mother yelled after me, 'From this point onward, until when you return, enjoy everything!'. I set out, for the unknown, well not exactly the unknown, I really set out for the bus station. Then one and a half hours later, I was in Santiago, ready to find a bus to the airport. Except there was one little problem, the busses to the airport had stopped running a half hour before I arrived. Well that is just great, the only two rules that my host mother had given me were about to go straight down the drain. 1) Don't take a taxi, they overcharge and they can be dangerous for tourists. And 2) Enjoy everything. Well now I have to take a taxi to the airport, and if it's overcharging me with the potential of being dangerous, I'm certainly not enjoying it! But it turned out fine, I found a taxi, it didn't turn out to be dangerous, it was expensive, but I also found out later that a friend of mine had been charged more than I payed. Then I make to the airport and the real madness begins. It turns out that on said night of the 13th, Justin Bieber was flying in to Santiago for a show. The airport was full, and I mean FULL, of screaming teenage girls. It was a nice way to pass the time, but I've got to say that after an hour of screaming girls, it gets old; and when I was boarding my flight at 6 am the next morning, there were still screaming teenage girls and no Justin Bieber.
So now I've made it to Peru. My flight has landed and I just have to collect my backpack and find the person I'd reserved to pick me up and take me to my hostel. I collect my belongings, walk out the front door of the Cusco airport, and encounter hundreds of people. Some holding signs with names on them, others shouting 'taxi, taxi, you look like you need a taxi', and others that just looked like family members waiting to see their relatives. Amongst all of the shouting people, there was not one person with a sign that had my name on it. After I waited a few minutes, and had yelled at every single taxi driver, and told them all that I didn't want or need a taxi, I decided to go in the airport, find the information desk, and call my hostel. According to them, I had failed to reserve the airport transportation service (even though I still have the e-mail stating clearly that I did reserve it) and that I'd have to take a taxi to get there. Great, once again I'm about to break one of my mothers rules, and on top of that, I have to return outside to the taxi drivers that I had just been yelling at 5 minutes previously. Needless to say I found a nicer looking old man (more of a chance he wouldn't remember me), who brought me to my hostel at a decent price. Now first thing's first, I have to check in and then find a tour package of Machu Picchu, because I was told to wait until arriving in Peru to buy a tour due to the fact that they are everywhere and about half the price than the ones found online. Check, and check. I purchased the 3 day, 2 night 'Inca Jungle Trek' which was set to depart at 7 am the next morning. At this point I had time to walk around the city, get to know the area, snap a few photographs, drink a beer and try some delicious Ravioli de Cuy (translation to come later).
Now this is the first time I've stayed in a hostel, and I'm sharing a room with 14 people, and a bathroom, which is coed, with no hot water, and for the entire hostel. It was a new experience and had I not been exhausted from the previous night in the airport, I might have actually enjoyed the party type atmosphere a little more than I did. But, having no sleep for the last couple nights, and having to wake up from another restless night at 6 am to take a cold shower, I had broken the other of my two rules; I was not enjoying it very much. But that was all in the past. It was nearing 7 and my tour guide was on his way to pick me up, along with 8 others not staying at the hostel, and I was determined to enjoy the upcoming tour.
Day 1: I am the first person to be picked up. The tour guide, Edson, walks with me up the street a couple blocks and we find two others coming on the tour, Ash from Australia and Sabrina from Italy. We begin talking right away with each other and continue walking with Edson. We come up to a van that has another girl sitting in it, Tina from California. (Her name isn't actually Tina, but I can't remember what it really is so we'll go with Tina) Now we start driving; Ash, Tina, Sabrina and myself talking and sharing stories of our travels. After a few minutes the van stops and 5 more people enter, all speaking in Portuguese. They seem to know each other and we have already kind of established our friendships so we appear to have formed 2 separate groups. We continue driving, its a three hour drive to the mountains and we only stop once for a break and some snacks. Once we reach the top of the mountain range we unload the mountain bikes, the helmets and pads, and we bike down the other side of the mountain.
Its about a 5 hour ride to the bottom, with views like I've never seen in my life. They literally take your breath away, especially when you get so caught up in them that you crash your bike into the mountain. No one was around and I had all my gear on, so the only damage done was a little chunk of my self esteem and a small sprain on my ankle. We make it to the bottom and its time for lunch, Peruvian food is amazing and cheap (not that it really matters because its all included in the tour anyway). After lunch we find out that Ash, Sabrina, and Tina are all taking the 4 day version of the tour and they will be leaving the group. That seems about right, I would make friends with the only three people in the group that are now separating; leaving me alone with 5 people all speaking in portuguese with each other. The six of us get back in the van, joined now by a new girl who doesn't speak english or spanish very well and absolutely no portuguese, her name is Melanie from Belgium. She was traveling alone and I think that was how she preferred it, she really kept to herself until she too split from our group on the 3rd day... but that to come later. We drive another couple of hours through the mountains to a small little village where we will be staying the night. There is a small hot springs, about a 15 minute walk down the mountain, and the 6 of us decide to check it out.
Now seems like a good time for introductions. There are three guys including myself, and four girls including Melanie. Sleeping arrangements are set up as the three guys in a room, two girls in another room, and the other two in a different room. On our walk to the hot springs, I decide I should find out more about my new group. It turns out that they are all from Brazil. The two guys live a little inland from Rio de Janeiro; their names are Guilherme and Tertuliano. The three girls are traveling together and live in Sao Paulo; their names are Milena, Silvia, and Maria. (Maria isn't really her name either, and I feel a little bad for not remembering it because she didn't leave after half a day). We all seem to get along really well. Tertuliano, Guilherme, and myself are the only ones that decide to go for a swim, and after a few hours, the three of us walk back up the mountain for dinner, beer in hand and one flashlight between the three of us, dodging mud, streams, and cars. After dinner we are told to meet back at the restaurant tomorrow at 830 for breakfast, after which we will continue on our way.
Day 2: We get up and get ready, take yet another cold shower (the Brazilians inform me they've never had to worry about cold showers in Brazil, to which I told them I didn't in the US, but in Chile every now and then it happens). Go to the restaurant, eat breakfast, load our backpacks into the van, and drive about half an hour to our next location. Time to zip line through the canyons. This was a slight additional cost on the overall tour price, but completely worth it! Milena and Silvia chose to do the hike instead, but everyone else was geared up and ready to go. Edson went with the two girls and told the rest of us that there would be a vehicle waiting for us as soon as we were finished to bring us to the next meeting point for lunch.
It was 120 KM above the ground, there were 6 different lines zigzagging through the canyon, and the view from up there was inexplainable. (The photo is me after the first line, waiting to go on line number 2.) After we'd finished zip lining, we got in the vehicle and went on a death drive to the next meeting place. The mountain roads in Peru are in serious need of a safety inspector. On one side is the mountain, on the other, a cliff. There are no barriers, nothing to stop the inevitable death that would follow a fall from that height. And the drivers don't seem to notice or care because they are just speeding onward, wheels touching the road or not.
After lunch is a three hour hike, following the train tracks through some of the best jungly, mountainous, scenery that Peru has to offer. The end destination is Aguas Calientes, a small town that can only be described as suited for the gods. Built into the mountain, next to a river, and within walking distance to Machu Picchu. We have some free time before dinner here, so Tertuliano, Guilherme, and myself get ready, store our stuff in the room, and walk around the town for a while waiting for dinner. After we walked around for a little bit, we drank a bottle of wine (walking that much makes you thirsty), and then it was time for dinner. This time at dinner we were given a menu (up until then it was all pre-ordered food but still all delicious three course meals) and after dinner we were given our entrance tickets to Machu Picchu and were told that we would be waking up at 4 am to hike the hour or so up the stairs through the mountains to the entrance.
Day 3: Now as much as I'd like to describe Machu Picchu to everyone, there is nothing that I can say or show you to explain the feeling of actually being there. This section is going to be a few photos with some explanations, but that is all I really can offer for Machu Picchu, which may be somewhat anticlimactic and I am sorry for that, but hopefully the photos will give you just enough of a taste to make you want to visit.
The stairs seemed to continue forever, but the view was more than worth the hike. And for those who can't or don't want to take the stairs there is also a bus you can take for 28 dollars one way.
One of the first views from the top.
The start of the tour. After hiking the stairs to Machu Picchu, I had 1 hour to rest and learn about Machu Picchu before having to hike up more stairs (for about another hour) to Huyana Picchu.
This is the view of the ruins from Huyana Picchu. There was an additional fee to get into Huyana Picchu, and they only allow 400 people up, per day (200 at 7am and 200 at 10am) to keep it from getting to crowded. The stairs and some of the trails around the ruins are similar to the mountain roads, one wrong step and it could be your last!
I had to go up to Huyana Picchu alone at 7 while the rest of my group went up at 10, it wasn't so bad though; I met a nice lady from Peru, another lady from Scotland (who had just done the Inca Trail for four days) and a few gentlemen from Spain. After the morning we all met back up and Tertuliano, Guilherme and I went to Ponte Inca (a bridge) and the girls went a different direction to walk around more of the ruins.
After spending most of the day in Machu Picchu, we descended and met back up in the restaurant where we ate dinner the night before. The three of us shared a few beers and some pizza, and once the girls all arrived back we got our train tickets for the trip back to Cusco. The train ride is about an hour and a half long and ends in a town about an hour from Cusco. I encountered a few problems in this town because my name was not on the list with the rest of my group for the bus ride back. So after a little convincing and a lot of persistence, I was able to get a ride in one of the vans that had room. This was officially the end of the tour and the girls were all returning to Sao Paulo the next morning. We all said our goodbyes and then the three of us remaining started walking towards our hotels/hostels.
I knew that I wasn't going to be able to sleep in the first hostel I had stayed at, and after waking up at 4 in the morning and then hiking up two mountains and walking around all day, I needed to find somewhere more suitable for sleeping. I followed the guys back to their hotel to see if there was any rooms available for my remaining two nights in Cusco. There wasn't, but they did direct me to a great hostel that was only a little over a block away. I had my own room, my own bathroom with hot water, and cable TV all for about 15 dollars a night. It was just what I needed, the irony was that when I finally got a place with hot water, I was sunburned and unable to use it!
Day 4: For my final day in Cusco I had decided to spend the morning alone, walking around and finding a few souvenirs and maybe finding a nice little cafe for breakfast. The guys and I had made plans for later in the day so I had until about 11:30 to complete everything on my list. The morning was a success.
Everything you see in this picture was all for under 5 dollars. Like I said, Peruvian food is delicious and cheap!
In the afternoon I met back up with Tertuliano and Guilherme for a trip out to Tipon to try some real cuy at a cuyerilla. It was about a half hour taxi ride to the town and about a 5 minute wait for the cuy, along with some warm beer but I think it was worth it to say that I've tried it... (prepare yourself)
Yes, cuy is guinea pig. We decided that it wasn't awful, but it was a lot of work for little meat and chicken is easier and tastes better. Afterwards, the taxi driver offered to take us up to the ruins in the hills around Tipon and give us a free tour. We accepted and then returned to Cusco in the evening. For my last night we decided that we should visit some of the bars, try some of the local drinks, and party to celebrate being in Peru. We had a great time and the little hangover I had on the flight home at 7 the next morning was worth it!
In the end I've discovered a few things about traveling alone. It takes a certain type of person to be able to do it; they have to be somewhat smart, resourceful, outgoing, calm, and most importantly willing to try new things no matter what they are (a knowledge of the local language helps also). I think I can safely assume that I match all of those requirements and I passed the 'traveling solo' test with flying colors. I made some great friends who have invited me to Brazil (my next big trip I'm planning), learned some useful information for the next time I'm traveling alone (like don't bring a lot of stuff with you, only a small backpacks worth of clothes, and always bring toilet paper when traveling in South America), and have the best stories to tell from my adventures in Peru.
I realize that this is a bit long and I do want to thank you for reading it all the way through (and just know I cut a lot of information out to try to make it shorter, but left in the essentials). I hope everyone is finding themselves in good health and enjoying your fall/winter weather back in the US. Just know that I am nearing summer here and its been rather enjoyable. I leave for a trip to Southern Chile (the island of Chiloe) in 3 days and will no doubt have another great story to tell when I get back. Until that time...
No Vemo Pronto
S.R.
Did you know that there are over 3000 different types of potatoes in the world, and over half of them are found in Peru. If you are anything like me you can't name more than 5 different kinds without starting to say things like 'french fries, tater tots, or mashed'. This knowledge, of the different types of potatoes, is what I chose to research before traveling alone to Peru. I didn't think to research population, natural disasters, climate, crime rate, cuisine, or different activities for tourists; nor did I research what is needed when traveling alone such as necessities or what not to do. Instead I took this trip on as a sort of 'learn in the moment' type of trip. I knew I wanted to visit Machu Picchu, I knew the name of the city I was flying to and the name of the hostel I had a reservation at, I knew they spoke spanish, and I knew that they had a lot of potatoes. Other than that, I knew I was in for an adventure which is exactly what I got.
It all started on the night of October 13th, 2011. I had a bus ticket to Santiago and strict instructions from my host mother warning me not to take a taxi from the bus terminal to the airport because they would overcharge me and have been known to be a little dangerous for tourists in the past. I was all set with my hiking backpack and a fanny pack I borrowed from the family because I refused to buy one. My plane was planned to take off at 7 am on Friday and I was going to stay the entire night, Thursday, in the airport because there were no busses that could get me to the airport on time Friday morning. I said my goodbyes to the host family and as I was walking out of the house my host mother yelled after me, 'From this point onward, until when you return, enjoy everything!'. I set out, for the unknown, well not exactly the unknown, I really set out for the bus station. Then one and a half hours later, I was in Santiago, ready to find a bus to the airport. Except there was one little problem, the busses to the airport had stopped running a half hour before I arrived. Well that is just great, the only two rules that my host mother had given me were about to go straight down the drain. 1) Don't take a taxi, they overcharge and they can be dangerous for tourists. And 2) Enjoy everything. Well now I have to take a taxi to the airport, and if it's overcharging me with the potential of being dangerous, I'm certainly not enjoying it! But it turned out fine, I found a taxi, it didn't turn out to be dangerous, it was expensive, but I also found out later that a friend of mine had been charged more than I payed. Then I make to the airport and the real madness begins. It turns out that on said night of the 13th, Justin Bieber was flying in to Santiago for a show. The airport was full, and I mean FULL, of screaming teenage girls. It was a nice way to pass the time, but I've got to say that after an hour of screaming girls, it gets old; and when I was boarding my flight at 6 am the next morning, there were still screaming teenage girls and no Justin Bieber.
So now I've made it to Peru. My flight has landed and I just have to collect my backpack and find the person I'd reserved to pick me up and take me to my hostel. I collect my belongings, walk out the front door of the Cusco airport, and encounter hundreds of people. Some holding signs with names on them, others shouting 'taxi, taxi, you look like you need a taxi', and others that just looked like family members waiting to see their relatives. Amongst all of the shouting people, there was not one person with a sign that had my name on it. After I waited a few minutes, and had yelled at every single taxi driver, and told them all that I didn't want or need a taxi, I decided to go in the airport, find the information desk, and call my hostel. According to them, I had failed to reserve the airport transportation service (even though I still have the e-mail stating clearly that I did reserve it) and that I'd have to take a taxi to get there. Great, once again I'm about to break one of my mothers rules, and on top of that, I have to return outside to the taxi drivers that I had just been yelling at 5 minutes previously. Needless to say I found a nicer looking old man (more of a chance he wouldn't remember me), who brought me to my hostel at a decent price. Now first thing's first, I have to check in and then find a tour package of Machu Picchu, because I was told to wait until arriving in Peru to buy a tour due to the fact that they are everywhere and about half the price than the ones found online. Check, and check. I purchased the 3 day, 2 night 'Inca Jungle Trek' which was set to depart at 7 am the next morning. At this point I had time to walk around the city, get to know the area, snap a few photographs, drink a beer and try some delicious Ravioli de Cuy (translation to come later).
Now this is the first time I've stayed in a hostel, and I'm sharing a room with 14 people, and a bathroom, which is coed, with no hot water, and for the entire hostel. It was a new experience and had I not been exhausted from the previous night in the airport, I might have actually enjoyed the party type atmosphere a little more than I did. But, having no sleep for the last couple nights, and having to wake up from another restless night at 6 am to take a cold shower, I had broken the other of my two rules; I was not enjoying it very much. But that was all in the past. It was nearing 7 and my tour guide was on his way to pick me up, along with 8 others not staying at the hostel, and I was determined to enjoy the upcoming tour.
Day 1: I am the first person to be picked up. The tour guide, Edson, walks with me up the street a couple blocks and we find two others coming on the tour, Ash from Australia and Sabrina from Italy. We begin talking right away with each other and continue walking with Edson. We come up to a van that has another girl sitting in it, Tina from California. (Her name isn't actually Tina, but I can't remember what it really is so we'll go with Tina) Now we start driving; Ash, Tina, Sabrina and myself talking and sharing stories of our travels. After a few minutes the van stops and 5 more people enter, all speaking in Portuguese. They seem to know each other and we have already kind of established our friendships so we appear to have formed 2 separate groups. We continue driving, its a three hour drive to the mountains and we only stop once for a break and some snacks. Once we reach the top of the mountain range we unload the mountain bikes, the helmets and pads, and we bike down the other side of the mountain.
Now seems like a good time for introductions. There are three guys including myself, and four girls including Melanie. Sleeping arrangements are set up as the three guys in a room, two girls in another room, and the other two in a different room. On our walk to the hot springs, I decide I should find out more about my new group. It turns out that they are all from Brazil. The two guys live a little inland from Rio de Janeiro; their names are Guilherme and Tertuliano. The three girls are traveling together and live in Sao Paulo; their names are Milena, Silvia, and Maria. (Maria isn't really her name either, and I feel a little bad for not remembering it because she didn't leave after half a day). We all seem to get along really well. Tertuliano, Guilherme, and myself are the only ones that decide to go for a swim, and after a few hours, the three of us walk back up the mountain for dinner, beer in hand and one flashlight between the three of us, dodging mud, streams, and cars. After dinner we are told to meet back at the restaurant tomorrow at 830 for breakfast, after which we will continue on our way.
Day 2: We get up and get ready, take yet another cold shower (the Brazilians inform me they've never had to worry about cold showers in Brazil, to which I told them I didn't in the US, but in Chile every now and then it happens). Go to the restaurant, eat breakfast, load our backpacks into the van, and drive about half an hour to our next location. Time to zip line through the canyons. This was a slight additional cost on the overall tour price, but completely worth it! Milena and Silvia chose to do the hike instead, but everyone else was geared up and ready to go. Edson went with the two girls and told the rest of us that there would be a vehicle waiting for us as soon as we were finished to bring us to the next meeting point for lunch.
After lunch is a three hour hike, following the train tracks through some of the best jungly, mountainous, scenery that Peru has to offer. The end destination is Aguas Calientes, a small town that can only be described as suited for the gods. Built into the mountain, next to a river, and within walking distance to Machu Picchu. We have some free time before dinner here, so Tertuliano, Guilherme, and myself get ready, store our stuff in the room, and walk around the town for a while waiting for dinner. After we walked around for a little bit, we drank a bottle of wine (walking that much makes you thirsty), and then it was time for dinner. This time at dinner we were given a menu (up until then it was all pre-ordered food but still all delicious three course meals) and after dinner we were given our entrance tickets to Machu Picchu and were told that we would be waking up at 4 am to hike the hour or so up the stairs through the mountains to the entrance.
Day 3: Now as much as I'd like to describe Machu Picchu to everyone, there is nothing that I can say or show you to explain the feeling of actually being there. This section is going to be a few photos with some explanations, but that is all I really can offer for Machu Picchu, which may be somewhat anticlimactic and I am sorry for that, but hopefully the photos will give you just enough of a taste to make you want to visit.
I had to go up to Huyana Picchu alone at 7 while the rest of my group went up at 10, it wasn't so bad though; I met a nice lady from Peru, another lady from Scotland (who had just done the Inca Trail for four days) and a few gentlemen from Spain. After the morning we all met back up and Tertuliano, Guilherme and I went to Ponte Inca (a bridge) and the girls went a different direction to walk around more of the ruins.
After spending most of the day in Machu Picchu, we descended and met back up in the restaurant where we ate dinner the night before. The three of us shared a few beers and some pizza, and once the girls all arrived back we got our train tickets for the trip back to Cusco. The train ride is about an hour and a half long and ends in a town about an hour from Cusco. I encountered a few problems in this town because my name was not on the list with the rest of my group for the bus ride back. So after a little convincing and a lot of persistence, I was able to get a ride in one of the vans that had room. This was officially the end of the tour and the girls were all returning to Sao Paulo the next morning. We all said our goodbyes and then the three of us remaining started walking towards our hotels/hostels.
I knew that I wasn't going to be able to sleep in the first hostel I had stayed at, and after waking up at 4 in the morning and then hiking up two mountains and walking around all day, I needed to find somewhere more suitable for sleeping. I followed the guys back to their hotel to see if there was any rooms available for my remaining two nights in Cusco. There wasn't, but they did direct me to a great hostel that was only a little over a block away. I had my own room, my own bathroom with hot water, and cable TV all for about 15 dollars a night. It was just what I needed, the irony was that when I finally got a place with hot water, I was sunburned and unable to use it!
Day 4: For my final day in Cusco I had decided to spend the morning alone, walking around and finding a few souvenirs and maybe finding a nice little cafe for breakfast. The guys and I had made plans for later in the day so I had until about 11:30 to complete everything on my list. The morning was a success.
In the afternoon I met back up with Tertuliano and Guilherme for a trip out to Tipon to try some real cuy at a cuyerilla. It was about a half hour taxi ride to the town and about a 5 minute wait for the cuy, along with some warm beer but I think it was worth it to say that I've tried it... (prepare yourself)
In the end I've discovered a few things about traveling alone. It takes a certain type of person to be able to do it; they have to be somewhat smart, resourceful, outgoing, calm, and most importantly willing to try new things no matter what they are (a knowledge of the local language helps also). I think I can safely assume that I match all of those requirements and I passed the 'traveling solo' test with flying colors. I made some great friends who have invited me to Brazil (my next big trip I'm planning), learned some useful information for the next time I'm traveling alone (like don't bring a lot of stuff with you, only a small backpacks worth of clothes, and always bring toilet paper when traveling in South America), and have the best stories to tell from my adventures in Peru.
I realize that this is a bit long and I do want to thank you for reading it all the way through (and just know I cut a lot of information out to try to make it shorter, but left in the essentials). I hope everyone is finding themselves in good health and enjoying your fall/winter weather back in the US. Just know that I am nearing summer here and its been rather enjoyable. I leave for a trip to Southern Chile (the island of Chiloe) in 3 days and will no doubt have another great story to tell when I get back. Until that time...
No Vemo Pronto
S.R.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Chapter 9 ~ La Campana Part 2... Night of the Tarantula
In which I will attempt to explain the weekend spent at 'La Campana', the reasons behind my lies in a previous chapter, and what is going to be happening in my near future.
So I'm assuming you must be pretty baffled at this point. I mean you already read what happened at La Campana in Chapter 7, why would there be another chapter about it? Why would anyone want to read into further detail the disastrous effects of Mother Nature and the disappointing outcome of a camping trip. Well allow me to shed some light on this confusion and be the first to tell you that until three nights ago, I had never been to La Campana. Now before everyone accuses me of lying to them please allow me to explain. Apparently I had misinterpreted the entire weekend. When I thought we were going to La Campana, we were actually going to 'Roble'. I don't know where this mixup occurred in my mind; all I know for sure is that I believed so strongly that I was going to La Campana that I had even misread the scheduled outline of the class. So please switch everything discussing La Campana in Chapter 7 to El Roble. Now if you would like to know more information about Roble you will have to refer to the internet, or what I've stated in Chapter 7, because until about a week ago I had no idea what Roble was, let alone that I had even been there for two days. It didn't help that once I found out and explained the situation to my host mother, she didn't know where Roble was either. Now that I've cleared up my little misinterpretation, allow me to share with you the real Campana.
Friday - 8:30 pm: I just finished buying supplies for my Mountain Sports class. They told us today that we are going to be making pizza while camping (I don't know how either), so we need to make sure that we bring all the necessary supplies. I was supposed to meet up with some of my Chilean friends at 7:30 for a Wine Night that is taking place in Valpo, but I didn't get home from buying ingredients for pizza until just now. I still have to pack my hiking backpack because I have left everything for the last minute as usual (I tell myself I work best under pressure, but I hate being rushed; its a catch 22 I guess). I call my friends and tell them that tonight isn't going to work out for the wine night. I have to attempt to go to bed early because I have to leave in the morning by 6:30 at the latest to meet up with the rest of my class by 7. I eat a little something for dinner and begin to pack my camping gear. Sleeping bag, tent, pad to sleep on, clothes, cooking supplies, food, water, juice, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash... The backpack seems bottomless but that only comforts me a little bit, the more I put in it, the heavier it is and I still haven't been able to adjust the straps to fit me properly. I know my uncle and I did it before I left for Chile, but I've lost quite a bit of weight since then and it was empty when we did it. I know that when the class went to Roble, the professor, Rodrigo, took a picture of my backpack to use as an example of what an improperly fitted backpack looks like for future students. I am a little happy to know that I will stay apart of this class even after I return to the US, but a little annoyed about the manner of how I'll be remembered, especially seeing as Rodrigo tried to help adjust the backpack and couldn't figure it out either. I don't have time to think about that right now, its now 10 pm and I'm still not ready for camping. I'll have to raid the cupboards to find some eating utensils and a plate that can be used to cut vegetables on. I don't think Hilda will notice or even mind, its only for two days after all. Ok, I have found everything I need and the house is empty, time to get some much needed sleep (I haven't slept much in the last week; nerves about all the upcoming trips). I lay down, close my eyes, and am about to fall asleep when Hilda comes home. Ok, now that she's home I should go out and say goodnight, so I go to the kitchen. She is eating a whole chicken and seems to be in a good mood. I decide I am hungry and join her, who was I really kidding about trying to fall asleep before midnight. She explains that she has a few friends that are staying the night here and will be showing up at some point during the night. I guess I'm just not meant to sleep at all this week...
Saturday - 5:47 am: My alarm just went off (I can't set my alarm for normal times such as 15 passed the hour, 30 passed, or even 45 passed; its just another quirk I have). I am extremely tired and woke up a lot through the night, but I know if I go back to sleep I'll most likely miss the bus with my class. I get dressed for the day and get ready to leave. I'm a little nervous because I know I have to take a Micro to get to the meeting point, and even though I'm getting used to them a little more, it doesn't mean I'm comfortable with them and I'd still prefer about any other form of transportation. I walk the ten minutes to the bus stop and I wait. After four or five busses pass I think I see one that has the correct sign in its front window (I can never be sure, they go so fast and I can't read them unless they stop or at least slow down, not to mention its still dark so it just makes it that much harder). I flag the bus down and ask the bus driver if he is going to the place I need to go (1 Norte in between 1 and 2 Oriente) he tells me yes, takes my money and doesn't give me change. I'm confused and still really tired so I just ignore the fifty cents or so that he kept and sit down close to the front. I try to keep my eyes peeled but its dark and I'm tired. Finally, when I realize that the bus is not going where I need to go, and this bus driver clearly doesn't plan on telling me, I get off the bus and decide I can just walk from where I am. I make it to the meeting point in plenty of time (the professors had told us the night before that we can be up to 30 minutes late, gotta love Chilean time). We get on another bus towards Limache, then get on yet another bus towards La Campana. We arrive around 9:30 in the morning. Time to set up the tents and get everything ready. I know we aren't ascending the mountain today so I take my time. After everything is set up, we have a quick lecture on how to properly set up a tent, then we are off on a hike. We walk around the trails and learn about the different types of trees in the mountains, which we are told are going to appear on the final exam at the end of the semester. I doubt if I'm even going to remember what their names are tonight. We continue down the path, it is a beautiful day and the views are great, it feels great to be back in the mountains, and then it happens... TARANTULA!!! Ok that may be an overstatement, it is dead when we find it. Now I have to say, my fear of spiders may be lessening, I am brave enough to walk up to it, look at it, and watch as the professor picks it up and then 'plays' with it until finding a final resting place for it off the path. Just because my fear is lessening doesn't mean its gone though, and I can't help but wonder how many more are out there, that aren't dead, that are waiting for me walk by them so they can attack. We continue on a little further and find a few gold mines...
And even though they say not to enter, we enter a few, looking for bats and whatever else we can find. The only flashlight we have is the one on my cell phone, so we can see about as much as if I were holding a candle in the middle of a hurricane. Still its fun and something new. We don't find anything and get to the end of the trail, stop for a break and play a few team building games, and a few games that remind me of grade school. They are fun and a good way to pass the time. We return to camp and make our pizza, from scratch, using nothing but the pans we brought and the little propane cookers we have. It takes a while and the pizzas are small, but they still taste great! Now lunch is over and we have an hour or so for a little nap or some more games. Half the group chooses games and the others go off for some much needed sleep. I went with the games knowing I wouldn't really be able to sleep. After the break its time for some repelling. We walk up a different trail and the professors set everything up and we begin to repel. Its just as much fun as the first time we did it in Las Chilcas. The first time down is a little nerve racking, but after that its a great rush of adrenaline. After that its time for dinner, rice with veggies (I'm in a vegetarian group because I didn't mind only eating veggies a for a few nights). Then its time for a bonfire, some mind racking games, one of which I can't figure out, but I'll have the entire hike tomorrow to do it, and then bed. We have to be up a little before 6 am tomorrow for the big hike...
Sunday - 6:07 am: I feel exhausted. Sharing a small tent between three people in the mountains with no heat doesn't provide much comfort for sleep, especially because last night while I was gathering wood for the bonfire, I encountered my second tarantula. It was under a little crevice and looked like it was in the attack position, or maybe the defense position... either way it was enough to stop me from gathering more firewood and join the rest of the group. We all get up and begin preparing our breakfast. Its freezing outside but I know that in a few short hours I'll be hiking up a mountain in the sun, wishing I were still cold. We eat, wash our dishes, and brush our teeth just in time for the professors to tell us its time to start the hike. Its a little passed 7:15 and we begin on the main trail. We walk for about 15 minutes and then we stop at the entrance to a trail off of the one we are currently on; we are instructed to stretch...
I have never really stretch before a hike before and am a little confused but I do it anyway. The hike begins. It starts out at a little incline but I know its going to get much worse. We are told that the overall hike will take about 4-5 hours to the summit, and then another 3-4 hours to return. We try to play some games and sing some songs to pass the time, but we are running out of breath and wearing out fast. Then we come to our first stop and the view is enough to make anyone want to continue.
That is where we are headed. It still looks so far away. I drink a little water, eat a granola bar, and then continue on. The trail gets increasingly more challenging the further up we go, but hiking in a group keeps everyone motivated to continue. We stop at a few more places and then about two-thirds of the way up we encounter some campers, complete with horses and tents, and one of the horses and I have a stare off...
The views are increasingly better each time we stop, and they are more than enough to keep us going. The air is getting thinner the higher we go, and I have decided to relieve Freddo (one of the guys in my group) of the backpack. I regret it immediately because we have now encountered the hardest and most dangerous part of our hike. the trail is gone and its just small boulders and rocks/dirt from here on out and I have just added an extra 10 pounds to myself, which doesn't sound like a lot, but after hiking all day, not sleeping the night before, and when breathing is difficult, the backpack is a bad idea. Not five minutes after I take over the backpack we encounter this sign...
My morale is getting low, my energy is crumbling like the rocks falling down the mountain side, and the only things keeping me going now are my fellow classmates, the view, and the thought of being able to say I've climbed that mountain to the peak. Well, after all the sleeplessness, all the pain in my thighs, all the sweat and all the lightheadedness, we make it to the top; and I'm not joking when I say that it was more than worth it! Now pictures can't do the view justice, but here are a few to show the reward that followed the last few days...
You could see everything, from the Andes Mountains to the Ocean. It was even possible to see a mountain in Argentina.
Now the decent was pretty bad too. 3 hours of walking down hill, jumping from rock to rock; it was painful on the knees and feet, but I would do it all over again in a second. And as I sit here, typing this message, my entire body sore, I can't help but feel proud, knowing that I did something that not just anyone could do. I am happy to report that by the end of the hike, Cesar (one of the professors), never gave up on helping me figure out the one mind-trick game we had played the night before, and I have now figured them all out. So if any of you are in for a little riddle of a game, just let me know. I did not run into any more tarantulas on the journey and survived the one live tarantula I did run into. I feel sufficiently prepared for Machu Picchu, which I will be leaving for in 4 days. I am going alone, as I've said, and even though I am a little nervous, I know that after this last weekend I will be just fine in Peru. It should make for some great stories, if not anything else.
As always I want to thank all of you readers (I know this was a long entry, and written a little differently) and I hope you all find yourselves healthy and happy. I hope you all enjoy the pictures and rest assured I have hundreds more for when I get home. I want to especially thank everyone in my mountain sporting group who hiked with me this last weekend, you all pushed me and helped to make it to the end! Until the next time...
No Vemo Pronto
S.R.
So I'm assuming you must be pretty baffled at this point. I mean you already read what happened at La Campana in Chapter 7, why would there be another chapter about it? Why would anyone want to read into further detail the disastrous effects of Mother Nature and the disappointing outcome of a camping trip. Well allow me to shed some light on this confusion and be the first to tell you that until three nights ago, I had never been to La Campana. Now before everyone accuses me of lying to them please allow me to explain. Apparently I had misinterpreted the entire weekend. When I thought we were going to La Campana, we were actually going to 'Roble'. I don't know where this mixup occurred in my mind; all I know for sure is that I believed so strongly that I was going to La Campana that I had even misread the scheduled outline of the class. So please switch everything discussing La Campana in Chapter 7 to El Roble. Now if you would like to know more information about Roble you will have to refer to the internet, or what I've stated in Chapter 7, because until about a week ago I had no idea what Roble was, let alone that I had even been there for two days. It didn't help that once I found out and explained the situation to my host mother, she didn't know where Roble was either. Now that I've cleared up my little misinterpretation, allow me to share with you the real Campana.
Friday - 8:30 pm: I just finished buying supplies for my Mountain Sports class. They told us today that we are going to be making pizza while camping (I don't know how either), so we need to make sure that we bring all the necessary supplies. I was supposed to meet up with some of my Chilean friends at 7:30 for a Wine Night that is taking place in Valpo, but I didn't get home from buying ingredients for pizza until just now. I still have to pack my hiking backpack because I have left everything for the last minute as usual (I tell myself I work best under pressure, but I hate being rushed; its a catch 22 I guess). I call my friends and tell them that tonight isn't going to work out for the wine night. I have to attempt to go to bed early because I have to leave in the morning by 6:30 at the latest to meet up with the rest of my class by 7. I eat a little something for dinner and begin to pack my camping gear. Sleeping bag, tent, pad to sleep on, clothes, cooking supplies, food, water, juice, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash... The backpack seems bottomless but that only comforts me a little bit, the more I put in it, the heavier it is and I still haven't been able to adjust the straps to fit me properly. I know my uncle and I did it before I left for Chile, but I've lost quite a bit of weight since then and it was empty when we did it. I know that when the class went to Roble, the professor, Rodrigo, took a picture of my backpack to use as an example of what an improperly fitted backpack looks like for future students. I am a little happy to know that I will stay apart of this class even after I return to the US, but a little annoyed about the manner of how I'll be remembered, especially seeing as Rodrigo tried to help adjust the backpack and couldn't figure it out either. I don't have time to think about that right now, its now 10 pm and I'm still not ready for camping. I'll have to raid the cupboards to find some eating utensils and a plate that can be used to cut vegetables on. I don't think Hilda will notice or even mind, its only for two days after all. Ok, I have found everything I need and the house is empty, time to get some much needed sleep (I haven't slept much in the last week; nerves about all the upcoming trips). I lay down, close my eyes, and am about to fall asleep when Hilda comes home. Ok, now that she's home I should go out and say goodnight, so I go to the kitchen. She is eating a whole chicken and seems to be in a good mood. I decide I am hungry and join her, who was I really kidding about trying to fall asleep before midnight. She explains that she has a few friends that are staying the night here and will be showing up at some point during the night. I guess I'm just not meant to sleep at all this week...
Saturday - 5:47 am: My alarm just went off (I can't set my alarm for normal times such as 15 passed the hour, 30 passed, or even 45 passed; its just another quirk I have). I am extremely tired and woke up a lot through the night, but I know if I go back to sleep I'll most likely miss the bus with my class. I get dressed for the day and get ready to leave. I'm a little nervous because I know I have to take a Micro to get to the meeting point, and even though I'm getting used to them a little more, it doesn't mean I'm comfortable with them and I'd still prefer about any other form of transportation. I walk the ten minutes to the bus stop and I wait. After four or five busses pass I think I see one that has the correct sign in its front window (I can never be sure, they go so fast and I can't read them unless they stop or at least slow down, not to mention its still dark so it just makes it that much harder). I flag the bus down and ask the bus driver if he is going to the place I need to go (1 Norte in between 1 and 2 Oriente) he tells me yes, takes my money and doesn't give me change. I'm confused and still really tired so I just ignore the fifty cents or so that he kept and sit down close to the front. I try to keep my eyes peeled but its dark and I'm tired. Finally, when I realize that the bus is not going where I need to go, and this bus driver clearly doesn't plan on telling me, I get off the bus and decide I can just walk from where I am. I make it to the meeting point in plenty of time (the professors had told us the night before that we can be up to 30 minutes late, gotta love Chilean time). We get on another bus towards Limache, then get on yet another bus towards La Campana. We arrive around 9:30 in the morning. Time to set up the tents and get everything ready. I know we aren't ascending the mountain today so I take my time. After everything is set up, we have a quick lecture on how to properly set up a tent, then we are off on a hike. We walk around the trails and learn about the different types of trees in the mountains, which we are told are going to appear on the final exam at the end of the semester. I doubt if I'm even going to remember what their names are tonight. We continue down the path, it is a beautiful day and the views are great, it feels great to be back in the mountains, and then it happens... TARANTULA!!! Ok that may be an overstatement, it is dead when we find it. Now I have to say, my fear of spiders may be lessening, I am brave enough to walk up to it, look at it, and watch as the professor picks it up and then 'plays' with it until finding a final resting place for it off the path. Just because my fear is lessening doesn't mean its gone though, and I can't help but wonder how many more are out there, that aren't dead, that are waiting for me walk by them so they can attack. We continue on a little further and find a few gold mines...
Sunday - 6:07 am: I feel exhausted. Sharing a small tent between three people in the mountains with no heat doesn't provide much comfort for sleep, especially because last night while I was gathering wood for the bonfire, I encountered my second tarantula. It was under a little crevice and looked like it was in the attack position, or maybe the defense position... either way it was enough to stop me from gathering more firewood and join the rest of the group. We all get up and begin preparing our breakfast. Its freezing outside but I know that in a few short hours I'll be hiking up a mountain in the sun, wishing I were still cold. We eat, wash our dishes, and brush our teeth just in time for the professors to tell us its time to start the hike. Its a little passed 7:15 and we begin on the main trail. We walk for about 15 minutes and then we stop at the entrance to a trail off of the one we are currently on; we are instructed to stretch...
Now the decent was pretty bad too. 3 hours of walking down hill, jumping from rock to rock; it was painful on the knees and feet, but I would do it all over again in a second. And as I sit here, typing this message, my entire body sore, I can't help but feel proud, knowing that I did something that not just anyone could do. I am happy to report that by the end of the hike, Cesar (one of the professors), never gave up on helping me figure out the one mind-trick game we had played the night before, and I have now figured them all out. So if any of you are in for a little riddle of a game, just let me know. I did not run into any more tarantulas on the journey and survived the one live tarantula I did run into. I feel sufficiently prepared for Machu Picchu, which I will be leaving for in 4 days. I am going alone, as I've said, and even though I am a little nervous, I know that after this last weekend I will be just fine in Peru. It should make for some great stories, if not anything else.
As always I want to thank all of you readers (I know this was a long entry, and written a little differently) and I hope you all find yourselves healthy and happy. I hope you all enjoy the pictures and rest assured I have hundreds more for when I get home. I want to especially thank everyone in my mountain sporting group who hiked with me this last weekend, you all pushed me and helped to make it to the end! Until the next time...
No Vemo Pronto
S.R.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Chapter 8 ~ The Change
In which I will explain a transformation of grand proportions that takes place after two months of surviving the Chilean culture.
Something happens in Chile during the month of September, something that is almost impossible to describe and do it justice at the same time. It doesn't happen all at once, it takes a few weeks for it to really sink in, but after it hits you, you realize its a completely different country. These changes take place in every aspect of daily life, whether its the people who seem more friendly all of a sudden, the weather which used to be cold and unbearable and is now sunny and comfortable, the decorations and music that can be found at every corner in celebrations of independence, and the smell of bbq's mixed with spring that put the mind in a state of constant ease and hunger at the same time. The changes can also be found in my personal life. Whether I just recognized someone in a store a month ago I couldn't even find, understood the waitress at the bakery who was telling me I couldn't leave with their glass bottles, or just coming to the realization that everything I have learned about my host family and many of my friends over the past 2 months has been learned in spanish. It leaves a great sense of accomplishment with an aftertaste of belonging to the community and it all starts with the 31st of August, allow me to explain.
On the 31st of August this year, I learned a small but interesting cultural trait about Chile. I believe it was a Wednesday, it was around dinner time and Hilda and I were listening to the radio, preparing dinner (toast with some instant coffee or tea), and waiting for Jaime to get home from work when I heard something on the radio that made me question my translations. I asked Hilda to clarify what I thought I had heard and I don't know if she was just joking with me or not, but I have no reason not to believe her so this is what I'm sticking with. Apparently, on the last day of August, all of the 'elderly' people go out and celebrate the fact that they are still alive. According to what she said, more old people die in the month of August than any other month, and while I have no idea where she would even find such a statistic, or if it is even true, it makes a great excuse for older men and women to go out and pretend that they are 21 again. This got me thinking two things: 1) What a great idea for me when I'm older, only at the end of every month, because why not celebrate the fact that I'm old but still alive and able to go out with friends to enjoy a night of partying; and 2) this could be the theme for my next blog entry, partying in Chile! Clearly one of these is just a joke if you didn't catch on to it, there is no way I could write an entire blog on parties in Chile and keep the readers entertained, so now I just have to decide the proper age to begin my new ritual, I think 30 is old enough.
Then began the month of September, the month of celebrations. I just spent the last three days going to different bbq's with family and friends and celebrating the 18th, the Chilean Independence day. This independence day, and the bbq's that go along with it, is equivalent to the US's 4th of July celebrations, if those celebrations were on steroids and the 4th of July was really the month of July. I'm going to do my best to describe everything that happened in one of the bbq's, then just multiply that day by three and you'll be sitting right where I am at this moment. It starts in the afternoon, around 1, and it starts with terremotos. A terremoto (other than an earthquake) is the name of a typical chilean drink that consists of wine mixed with pisco (booze) and some type of frozen pineapple sorbet, I begin with 5 of them. Now it is 130 and other people start showing up for the bbq with more food and more wine/booze. If I have learned anything about bbq's here in Chile it is this, they are not about the food, but about the company. I know, I was disappointed too, for me everything is about the food, especially when it is amazing chilean bbq food. So then while the chefs prepare the bbq, the rest of the people sit around and drink wine, play typical chilean games, listen to typical chilean music, and dance typical chilean dances. The weather could not have been more perfect, sunny with a very slight breeze, and I had a bottle of wine to hold me off until the food was ready. If I haven't said it yet, Chilean wine is one of their most prized possessions, they are very proud of it and for very good reasons. They claim that it is the best wine in the world and while I can't say whether that claim is true or false, I can say that their wine is very good, and very cheap. An average bottle of wine costs about 8-10 dollars if there are no promotions going on, and while you may be thinking a bottle of wine that cheap in the US is bound to taste like fermented sewer water, just remember that it is comparable to a bottle of 20-25 dollar wine in the US, aka average. So there I was drinking my wine and playing a chilean game that I'll call 'frog' because I don't really know what the name is I just know it consists of throwing discs (resembling thick quarters) at this table with holes and a frog. Each of the holes you make it in have different points corresponding to them and if you are lucky enough to make it in the frogs mouth its 2000 points, I was lucky enough to accomplish this once. After a few glasses of wine and one or two games of 'frog' the first round of food was ready, choripan. Choripan is an amazing chilean dish that is chorizo on a bun with ahi (a chilean spicy sauce) and mayo. Simple yet effective, I ate four of them. Afterwards, we all go back to our chit chat while the main course is prepared. The main course consists of every type of meat found in Chile; chicken, pork, cow, and varies from steak, to ribs, to chops. While some people are preparing the meat, others are preparing the salads, also varying greatly and most I couldn't tell you what was in them but they were all delicious. After dinner, the drinks switch to pisco sours, piscolas, beer, whiskey, and rum. I had a 'little' of everything. That isn't the interesting part, what is interesting is what the Chileans do with these drinks. For instance, they have something called 'fanchop' and I'm guessing on the spelling, but it is fanta (that orange soda that everyone loves) mixed with beer. I did drink one just to try it and it didn't turn out to be too bad, one of the other people at the bbq was mixing their beer with coke, which I just tried a sip of theirs, and it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. They also have something called 'jote' which is wine mixed with coke. I had a few of these and was pleasantly surprised at the flavor, its definitely something I could drink from time to time; and just for those that were wondering we were using a Cabernet Sauvignon. After a little clean up and people have had a few more cocktails, the dancing begins. The main dance, known as the cueca, is the national dance of Chile and a tradition of the 5th region (where I live), and practically everyone knows it, or at least parts of it. Now don't worry, I got my chance, several chances actually, to dance the cueca and I assure everyone, regardless of what my host mother and the other Chileans were saying, I am not that good at it. There was also an extremely nice Peruvian couple that were celebrating with us and taught us a little bit of their traditional dances, which are more fast paced but really entertaining. SideNote: I really got along with the Peruvian couple, and I'm not sure if its because Peruvians are known for their amazing food, or if its because they are also known for their clear, enunciated speaking, which was a nice change from the rapid fire, short, made up words the chileans are known for. It showed me how far my spanish has really come when I was talking with them... Now all of these festivities end around 1 in the morning, after most of the people have left and there are just a few of us sitting around the fire and finishing up the remaining bottles. Now do this three days in a row and you'll be sitting right where I am... It was in those bbq's however, that I finally saw what made people fall in love with Chile, they have a great sense of hospitality about them, and they sure know how to have a bbq. Its enough to make anyone want to pack up and move here and it helps remind me why I'm here in the first place.
On a completely separate topic now, I finally felt my first ever earthquake about a week ago. Now when I say 'major earthquake' it was a 5.9 on the richter scale so for me it was an earthquake, for the Chileans who are way to comfortable with them, it was just a little tremble. Now I'm not saying I was scared, but I will explain the reasons as to why I wasn't. The earthquake took place at about 4 in the morning, and I was sound asleep dreaming about random crap that isn't really important to this story. What is important is the vividness of my dreams. For those of you who do not know this about me, I have extremely vivid dreams, so vivid that if I dream that someone is standing in my bedroom with knife, when I wake up I can still see the person in my bedroom. This kind of thing has been happening to me for years and I am used to it now, but when it first started happening it scared the living hell out of me. So on this particular instance, when my bed started to shake and I started to come too, I could see the outline of a person trying to wake me up. Well I wasn't ready to wake up yet so I started to tell the person to leave me alone and let me sleep when I realized that some of the books on my shelves were falling on the floor. Finally I realized what was actually going on and fumbled around for the light so I could see the extent of damage but by the time I finally found the light, the earthquake had ended. Hilda, worried about how I would react to my first earthquake in Chile came strolling down the stairs to check on me only to find that I had already shut off my light and had gone back to bed. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep after that because the after shocks continued throughout the rest of the morning. It was definitely a great experience and I'm glad that I was in Chile to witness an earthquake, but one is plenty. It is interesting to hear the Chileans talk about them though. They are so used to them that they have different words for them. A temblor is a little earthquake while a terremoto is an 'actual' earthquake. Now before last week I would have thought that a 5.9 was an actual earthquake, but for them it was nothing more significant than someone stomping through the house making some noise. Why anyone would want to be that accustomed to earthquakes is completely beyond me, but I guess there are two choices; adapt or move, they chose to adapt.
Other than that not much has been going on. I am currently on 'spring break' and while most of the students took off to other parts of South America (Argentina, Peru, Bolivia) I have decided to stay in Chile and explore this area more. I have visited 'La Sebastiana' (One of the three houses of the late poet Pablo Neruda) and plan on taking a day trip to 'La Isla Negra' at some point this week to visit another of them, and according to locals, the best of the three. I am also taking this week to go around getting to know the city more and getting a lot of great pictures, of the bbqs, the city, and the sites. And while I don't have them downloaded on my computer yet, hopefully on the next chapter I will have a few good pictures posted. Still no volunteer job which is proving to be more difficult than I'd expected, but it is really nice to not have anything but school for a change. I am really starting to understand why the Chileans are known for relaxing, it is great! I also have my trip to Machu Picchu planned; I will be going alone unfortunately, but will be flying and then taking the train for the first time in my life so it should be a really great time. I also got the Peruvian couple I mentioned earlier to help me out because they know of some real money savers when visiting Peru, so that turned out to be another advantage to meeting them! My host sister, Silvana, is back in town for about a week and it has been a lot of fun seeing her and getting to spend more time with her, and I will still be going down to Chiloe to visit in the first week of November. My spanish is improving daily but I still encounter a ton of obstacles and have daily struggles with understanding certain people. Having said that, I also have days where my spanish is good enough for Chileans to ask me why I am so much more advanced than the other foreign students so that is always a self-esteem booster.
I am always appreciative to my readers and I really enjoy the comments I'm getting on here and on facebook. Thank you all for your support and I can't wait until I see you all again in December! Stay happy, stay healthy, and thats all until the next chapter...
No Vemo Pronto
S.R.
Something happens in Chile during the month of September, something that is almost impossible to describe and do it justice at the same time. It doesn't happen all at once, it takes a few weeks for it to really sink in, but after it hits you, you realize its a completely different country. These changes take place in every aspect of daily life, whether its the people who seem more friendly all of a sudden, the weather which used to be cold and unbearable and is now sunny and comfortable, the decorations and music that can be found at every corner in celebrations of independence, and the smell of bbq's mixed with spring that put the mind in a state of constant ease and hunger at the same time. The changes can also be found in my personal life. Whether I just recognized someone in a store a month ago I couldn't even find, understood the waitress at the bakery who was telling me I couldn't leave with their glass bottles, or just coming to the realization that everything I have learned about my host family and many of my friends over the past 2 months has been learned in spanish. It leaves a great sense of accomplishment with an aftertaste of belonging to the community and it all starts with the 31st of August, allow me to explain.
On the 31st of August this year, I learned a small but interesting cultural trait about Chile. I believe it was a Wednesday, it was around dinner time and Hilda and I were listening to the radio, preparing dinner (toast with some instant coffee or tea), and waiting for Jaime to get home from work when I heard something on the radio that made me question my translations. I asked Hilda to clarify what I thought I had heard and I don't know if she was just joking with me or not, but I have no reason not to believe her so this is what I'm sticking with. Apparently, on the last day of August, all of the 'elderly' people go out and celebrate the fact that they are still alive. According to what she said, more old people die in the month of August than any other month, and while I have no idea where she would even find such a statistic, or if it is even true, it makes a great excuse for older men and women to go out and pretend that they are 21 again. This got me thinking two things: 1) What a great idea for me when I'm older, only at the end of every month, because why not celebrate the fact that I'm old but still alive and able to go out with friends to enjoy a night of partying; and 2) this could be the theme for my next blog entry, partying in Chile! Clearly one of these is just a joke if you didn't catch on to it, there is no way I could write an entire blog on parties in Chile and keep the readers entertained, so now I just have to decide the proper age to begin my new ritual, I think 30 is old enough.
Then began the month of September, the month of celebrations. I just spent the last three days going to different bbq's with family and friends and celebrating the 18th, the Chilean Independence day. This independence day, and the bbq's that go along with it, is equivalent to the US's 4th of July celebrations, if those celebrations were on steroids and the 4th of July was really the month of July. I'm going to do my best to describe everything that happened in one of the bbq's, then just multiply that day by three and you'll be sitting right where I am at this moment. It starts in the afternoon, around 1, and it starts with terremotos. A terremoto (other than an earthquake) is the name of a typical chilean drink that consists of wine mixed with pisco (booze) and some type of frozen pineapple sorbet, I begin with 5 of them. Now it is 130 and other people start showing up for the bbq with more food and more wine/booze. If I have learned anything about bbq's here in Chile it is this, they are not about the food, but about the company. I know, I was disappointed too, for me everything is about the food, especially when it is amazing chilean bbq food. So then while the chefs prepare the bbq, the rest of the people sit around and drink wine, play typical chilean games, listen to typical chilean music, and dance typical chilean dances. The weather could not have been more perfect, sunny with a very slight breeze, and I had a bottle of wine to hold me off until the food was ready. If I haven't said it yet, Chilean wine is one of their most prized possessions, they are very proud of it and for very good reasons. They claim that it is the best wine in the world and while I can't say whether that claim is true or false, I can say that their wine is very good, and very cheap. An average bottle of wine costs about 8-10 dollars if there are no promotions going on, and while you may be thinking a bottle of wine that cheap in the US is bound to taste like fermented sewer water, just remember that it is comparable to a bottle of 20-25 dollar wine in the US, aka average. So there I was drinking my wine and playing a chilean game that I'll call 'frog' because I don't really know what the name is I just know it consists of throwing discs (resembling thick quarters) at this table with holes and a frog. Each of the holes you make it in have different points corresponding to them and if you are lucky enough to make it in the frogs mouth its 2000 points, I was lucky enough to accomplish this once. After a few glasses of wine and one or two games of 'frog' the first round of food was ready, choripan. Choripan is an amazing chilean dish that is chorizo on a bun with ahi (a chilean spicy sauce) and mayo. Simple yet effective, I ate four of them. Afterwards, we all go back to our chit chat while the main course is prepared. The main course consists of every type of meat found in Chile; chicken, pork, cow, and varies from steak, to ribs, to chops. While some people are preparing the meat, others are preparing the salads, also varying greatly and most I couldn't tell you what was in them but they were all delicious. After dinner, the drinks switch to pisco sours, piscolas, beer, whiskey, and rum. I had a 'little' of everything. That isn't the interesting part, what is interesting is what the Chileans do with these drinks. For instance, they have something called 'fanchop' and I'm guessing on the spelling, but it is fanta (that orange soda that everyone loves) mixed with beer. I did drink one just to try it and it didn't turn out to be too bad, one of the other people at the bbq was mixing their beer with coke, which I just tried a sip of theirs, and it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. They also have something called 'jote' which is wine mixed with coke. I had a few of these and was pleasantly surprised at the flavor, its definitely something I could drink from time to time; and just for those that were wondering we were using a Cabernet Sauvignon. After a little clean up and people have had a few more cocktails, the dancing begins. The main dance, known as the cueca, is the national dance of Chile and a tradition of the 5th region (where I live), and practically everyone knows it, or at least parts of it. Now don't worry, I got my chance, several chances actually, to dance the cueca and I assure everyone, regardless of what my host mother and the other Chileans were saying, I am not that good at it. There was also an extremely nice Peruvian couple that were celebrating with us and taught us a little bit of their traditional dances, which are more fast paced but really entertaining. SideNote: I really got along with the Peruvian couple, and I'm not sure if its because Peruvians are known for their amazing food, or if its because they are also known for their clear, enunciated speaking, which was a nice change from the rapid fire, short, made up words the chileans are known for. It showed me how far my spanish has really come when I was talking with them... Now all of these festivities end around 1 in the morning, after most of the people have left and there are just a few of us sitting around the fire and finishing up the remaining bottles. Now do this three days in a row and you'll be sitting right where I am... It was in those bbq's however, that I finally saw what made people fall in love with Chile, they have a great sense of hospitality about them, and they sure know how to have a bbq. Its enough to make anyone want to pack up and move here and it helps remind me why I'm here in the first place.
On a completely separate topic now, I finally felt my first ever earthquake about a week ago. Now when I say 'major earthquake' it was a 5.9 on the richter scale so for me it was an earthquake, for the Chileans who are way to comfortable with them, it was just a little tremble. Now I'm not saying I was scared, but I will explain the reasons as to why I wasn't. The earthquake took place at about 4 in the morning, and I was sound asleep dreaming about random crap that isn't really important to this story. What is important is the vividness of my dreams. For those of you who do not know this about me, I have extremely vivid dreams, so vivid that if I dream that someone is standing in my bedroom with knife, when I wake up I can still see the person in my bedroom. This kind of thing has been happening to me for years and I am used to it now, but when it first started happening it scared the living hell out of me. So on this particular instance, when my bed started to shake and I started to come too, I could see the outline of a person trying to wake me up. Well I wasn't ready to wake up yet so I started to tell the person to leave me alone and let me sleep when I realized that some of the books on my shelves were falling on the floor. Finally I realized what was actually going on and fumbled around for the light so I could see the extent of damage but by the time I finally found the light, the earthquake had ended. Hilda, worried about how I would react to my first earthquake in Chile came strolling down the stairs to check on me only to find that I had already shut off my light and had gone back to bed. I didn't get a whole lot of sleep after that because the after shocks continued throughout the rest of the morning. It was definitely a great experience and I'm glad that I was in Chile to witness an earthquake, but one is plenty. It is interesting to hear the Chileans talk about them though. They are so used to them that they have different words for them. A temblor is a little earthquake while a terremoto is an 'actual' earthquake. Now before last week I would have thought that a 5.9 was an actual earthquake, but for them it was nothing more significant than someone stomping through the house making some noise. Why anyone would want to be that accustomed to earthquakes is completely beyond me, but I guess there are two choices; adapt or move, they chose to adapt.
Other than that not much has been going on. I am currently on 'spring break' and while most of the students took off to other parts of South America (Argentina, Peru, Bolivia) I have decided to stay in Chile and explore this area more. I have visited 'La Sebastiana' (One of the three houses of the late poet Pablo Neruda) and plan on taking a day trip to 'La Isla Negra' at some point this week to visit another of them, and according to locals, the best of the three. I am also taking this week to go around getting to know the city more and getting a lot of great pictures, of the bbqs, the city, and the sites. And while I don't have them downloaded on my computer yet, hopefully on the next chapter I will have a few good pictures posted. Still no volunteer job which is proving to be more difficult than I'd expected, but it is really nice to not have anything but school for a change. I am really starting to understand why the Chileans are known for relaxing, it is great! I also have my trip to Machu Picchu planned; I will be going alone unfortunately, but will be flying and then taking the train for the first time in my life so it should be a really great time. I also got the Peruvian couple I mentioned earlier to help me out because they know of some real money savers when visiting Peru, so that turned out to be another advantage to meeting them! My host sister, Silvana, is back in town for about a week and it has been a lot of fun seeing her and getting to spend more time with her, and I will still be going down to Chiloe to visit in the first week of November. My spanish is improving daily but I still encounter a ton of obstacles and have daily struggles with understanding certain people. Having said that, I also have days where my spanish is good enough for Chileans to ask me why I am so much more advanced than the other foreign students so that is always a self-esteem booster.
I am always appreciative to my readers and I really enjoy the comments I'm getting on here and on facebook. Thank you all for your support and I can't wait until I see you all again in December! Stay happy, stay healthy, and thats all until the next chapter...
No Vemo Pronto
S.R.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Chapter 7 ~ La Campana
In which I explain what happens when mother nature decides to take things into her own hands...
First I'll tell you what I don't have. I don't have very many good pictures of 'La Campana', if any at all. I don't have the experience of sleeping two nights in the mountains of Chile. I don't have a group (I'll explain this shortly). As for what I DO have; I have a cold, I have extremely muddy clothes and shoes, I have a bruise on my chest, but most importantly and above all other things, I have a story.
To start this story we have to go back a few days before the trip. The way my mountain sporting class is set up is in two groups. In each of the groups, the students are split into small sub-groups of three or four. I chose to join the group with the vegetarian German couple, meaning I wouldn't be able to eat meat during the trips, and I would have to share a tent with a couple. The three of us decided that it would be easier, because they were the members of the group that were 'picky' eaters and they lived together, that they could go out and get the food and I would just pay them when we met up to leave on the trip. They also thought that they could find a tent for us so I wouldn't have to worry about that. The day before we left and two days after I had spoken with them last, I sent them a message asking if everything was ready, and if not what could I do to help. About one hour later I received a response with a sincere apology saying that neither of them would be able to make it on the trip because they were both feeling sick. Now is where the story gets interesting. While I don't blame them, after all people get sick, I was still a little upset, because the two members of the group that were supposed to have everything were no longer going, and I am now without a group, and without supplies for the trip tomorrow. I quickly e-mailed the professors explaining the situation, stating that I need a tent for camping, just for myself, and anything else they could supply me with. I then went out to go to the store (during the national strike going on outside) to pick up food for two days. I stayed in Vina, because the riots almost always stay in Valpo, and went to the Jumbo (store for foreigners, similar to an unorganized Wal*Mart). I picked up food that was already ready to eat, applesauce, bread, peanut butter (which was the first american food I had eaten in over a month), cereal bars, dried fruit, and you get the idea. I was trying to find food that was easy to eat, and that I wouldn't need to cook, so I could avoid packing cooking gear, and avoid buying a gas canister. The store was a success, all food purchased and all for under 20 dollars. When I returned to the house, I had received an e-mail from the professors. It was a short response and my feelings were mixed on its contents. On one hand I had a tent, great news; on the other hand, it was the same tent that the professors were sleeping in.
The next day, I had all of my gear packed in my hiking backpack supplied by my amazing Uncle Mike (thanks a million it worked out really well) and I was ready to meet the rest of the class. We met up at 3 in the afternoon and headed out using the metro and then a bus, and then the rest of the trail by foot. We were told that it would take about 2 hours to hike to our camping spot, and then tomorrow we would be able to leave most of our supplies with our tents and hike the rest of the trail (to the peak) with less weight. That sounded good to me, so we started the hike. It was about five o' clock when we started and I knew that most of the hike would be made at night. It was colder up in the mountains and there were clouds everywhere. I knew that the likelihood of rain was pretty high, and I also knew that in the mountains there might even be a chance of snow. The hike itself wasn't bad at all, a little tiring, but overall fun and it felt great to be out in the mountains. Fresh, clean air, no sounds of traffic, no sirens, it was nice. And even though it was pitch black for most of the hike, and the fog was too dense to see anything during the day portion of the hike, I knew in the morning when we woke up, we would be able to see just how high we'd hiked! After the two hour hike, we made it to the campsite, and we started to set up immediately, that was when the rain and wind started.
My first goal was to find a tent to sleep in, because even though I had been promised the tent with the professors, they had a third, unknown professor, join them, and the thought of me and three professors sharing a tent on the first trip, well lets just say I was not looking forward to it. I asked around and found out the tent that could fit six people only had five in it so far, so I told the professors that I was going to join that tent, said goodnight to the other people and went to join my new group.
I was placed against the wall of the tent, which I would have been fine with had the weather been cooperative. Now anyone who has ever been camping in a tent knows that even if it doesn't rain, the morning dew usually covers the outside of the tent, which is where it stays, unless someone touches the tent. With six people sharing one tent, it was impossible not to touch the tent. The weather that night was unbelievable. The wind was so strong I thought the tent was sure to collapse, the rain pounded at the tent with such force there was a possibility that it would puncture it soon, and the whole time I am lying next to the side of it, getting slapped in the face with the wet tent, and feeling the cold seep through my sleeping bag. I think it is fairly safe to say that no one got sleep that night, and in the morning when we woke up, snow covered the ground and tents and the sleet continued.
Now the professors were faced with a choice, and if it was only the snow we were up against, I feel safe in saying we would have continued. But morale was low with the students, some were wet, most were tired, and all were cold. On top of everything else, the narrow trails leading up to the peak and back to the base were now slippery mud and almost impossible to walk on. With everything looking the way it did, the professors decided to surrender and face defeat to mother nature, we would pack our things and head back down the mountain. Now for me, growing up in the mountains in Montana, I am accustomed to this. Sometimes camping trips are ended much earlier than expected due to bad weather, even with this I was disappointed. Instead of getting away for a fun weekend of camping, with campfire games and pictures of the scenery, I was cold and wet and tired and now in for a two and a half hour hike through the mud. I did attempt at a few pictures because it was, despite the weather, extremely beautiful up in the mountains, but most either turned out blurry or dark, but I have something better than those pictures. I have the memory and the experience.
The trip may not have been what I was expecting, but really when is anything in life what you expect it to be. I survived, I made some good memories, and even better I made some great friends. It is difficult to spend one sleepless, cold, wet, night in a tent with five strangers and not make friends. And because our weekend was shot, we decided to go home, shower, nap, and wake up and go out that night. We went out, we had fun, and even better I took the micro home and got off on the right stop for the first time yet! And even though I'm lying in bed right now, sick with a cold, and piled up with homework I don't plan on doing, I am glad for every second of it.
PS. Apparently there was a fairly sizable earthquake when I was out with my friends, but I was either too drunk, or too busy in the club to even notice it.
Also I am sorry to all those that were looking forward to the pictures, I will have some on facebook and I will have some when I return home to show people, but none will be on the blog. Thanks as always for reading, you have no idea how much I appreciate it. I hope you are all finding yourselves in good health.
Until the next chapter...
No Vemo Pronto
S.R.
First I'll tell you what I don't have. I don't have very many good pictures of 'La Campana', if any at all. I don't have the experience of sleeping two nights in the mountains of Chile. I don't have a group (I'll explain this shortly). As for what I DO have; I have a cold, I have extremely muddy clothes and shoes, I have a bruise on my chest, but most importantly and above all other things, I have a story.
To start this story we have to go back a few days before the trip. The way my mountain sporting class is set up is in two groups. In each of the groups, the students are split into small sub-groups of three or four. I chose to join the group with the vegetarian German couple, meaning I wouldn't be able to eat meat during the trips, and I would have to share a tent with a couple. The three of us decided that it would be easier, because they were the members of the group that were 'picky' eaters and they lived together, that they could go out and get the food and I would just pay them when we met up to leave on the trip. They also thought that they could find a tent for us so I wouldn't have to worry about that. The day before we left and two days after I had spoken with them last, I sent them a message asking if everything was ready, and if not what could I do to help. About one hour later I received a response with a sincere apology saying that neither of them would be able to make it on the trip because they were both feeling sick. Now is where the story gets interesting. While I don't blame them, after all people get sick, I was still a little upset, because the two members of the group that were supposed to have everything were no longer going, and I am now without a group, and without supplies for the trip tomorrow. I quickly e-mailed the professors explaining the situation, stating that I need a tent for camping, just for myself, and anything else they could supply me with. I then went out to go to the store (during the national strike going on outside) to pick up food for two days. I stayed in Vina, because the riots almost always stay in Valpo, and went to the Jumbo (store for foreigners, similar to an unorganized Wal*Mart). I picked up food that was already ready to eat, applesauce, bread, peanut butter (which was the first american food I had eaten in over a month), cereal bars, dried fruit, and you get the idea. I was trying to find food that was easy to eat, and that I wouldn't need to cook, so I could avoid packing cooking gear, and avoid buying a gas canister. The store was a success, all food purchased and all for under 20 dollars. When I returned to the house, I had received an e-mail from the professors. It was a short response and my feelings were mixed on its contents. On one hand I had a tent, great news; on the other hand, it was the same tent that the professors were sleeping in.
The next day, I had all of my gear packed in my hiking backpack supplied by my amazing Uncle Mike (thanks a million it worked out really well) and I was ready to meet the rest of the class. We met up at 3 in the afternoon and headed out using the metro and then a bus, and then the rest of the trail by foot. We were told that it would take about 2 hours to hike to our camping spot, and then tomorrow we would be able to leave most of our supplies with our tents and hike the rest of the trail (to the peak) with less weight. That sounded good to me, so we started the hike. It was about five o' clock when we started and I knew that most of the hike would be made at night. It was colder up in the mountains and there were clouds everywhere. I knew that the likelihood of rain was pretty high, and I also knew that in the mountains there might even be a chance of snow. The hike itself wasn't bad at all, a little tiring, but overall fun and it felt great to be out in the mountains. Fresh, clean air, no sounds of traffic, no sirens, it was nice. And even though it was pitch black for most of the hike, and the fog was too dense to see anything during the day portion of the hike, I knew in the morning when we woke up, we would be able to see just how high we'd hiked! After the two hour hike, we made it to the campsite, and we started to set up immediately, that was when the rain and wind started.
My first goal was to find a tent to sleep in, because even though I had been promised the tent with the professors, they had a third, unknown professor, join them, and the thought of me and three professors sharing a tent on the first trip, well lets just say I was not looking forward to it. I asked around and found out the tent that could fit six people only had five in it so far, so I told the professors that I was going to join that tent, said goodnight to the other people and went to join my new group.
I was placed against the wall of the tent, which I would have been fine with had the weather been cooperative. Now anyone who has ever been camping in a tent knows that even if it doesn't rain, the morning dew usually covers the outside of the tent, which is where it stays, unless someone touches the tent. With six people sharing one tent, it was impossible not to touch the tent. The weather that night was unbelievable. The wind was so strong I thought the tent was sure to collapse, the rain pounded at the tent with such force there was a possibility that it would puncture it soon, and the whole time I am lying next to the side of it, getting slapped in the face with the wet tent, and feeling the cold seep through my sleeping bag. I think it is fairly safe to say that no one got sleep that night, and in the morning when we woke up, snow covered the ground and tents and the sleet continued.
Now the professors were faced with a choice, and if it was only the snow we were up against, I feel safe in saying we would have continued. But morale was low with the students, some were wet, most were tired, and all were cold. On top of everything else, the narrow trails leading up to the peak and back to the base were now slippery mud and almost impossible to walk on. With everything looking the way it did, the professors decided to surrender and face defeat to mother nature, we would pack our things and head back down the mountain. Now for me, growing up in the mountains in Montana, I am accustomed to this. Sometimes camping trips are ended much earlier than expected due to bad weather, even with this I was disappointed. Instead of getting away for a fun weekend of camping, with campfire games and pictures of the scenery, I was cold and wet and tired and now in for a two and a half hour hike through the mud. I did attempt at a few pictures because it was, despite the weather, extremely beautiful up in the mountains, but most either turned out blurry or dark, but I have something better than those pictures. I have the memory and the experience.
The trip may not have been what I was expecting, but really when is anything in life what you expect it to be. I survived, I made some good memories, and even better I made some great friends. It is difficult to spend one sleepless, cold, wet, night in a tent with five strangers and not make friends. And because our weekend was shot, we decided to go home, shower, nap, and wake up and go out that night. We went out, we had fun, and even better I took the micro home and got off on the right stop for the first time yet! And even though I'm lying in bed right now, sick with a cold, and piled up with homework I don't plan on doing, I am glad for every second of it.
PS. Apparently there was a fairly sizable earthquake when I was out with my friends, but I was either too drunk, or too busy in the club to even notice it.
Also I am sorry to all those that were looking forward to the pictures, I will have some on facebook and I will have some when I return home to show people, but none will be on the blog. Thanks as always for reading, you have no idea how much I appreciate it. I hope you are all finding yourselves in good health.
Until the next chapter...
No Vemo Pronto
S.R.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Chapter 6 ~ Food is Food
In which I explain the difference in foods and habits of eating, and while there are many changes in their habits compared to the United States, one thing never changes; boredom equals hungry.
Well I'm stuck in the house for the next couple of days. As I have previously explained, there are a number of student riots and marches going on throughout Chile, protesting and requesting reform in the education system. Well instead of slowly being resolved it seems that it may be getting a little worse for a while. For today and tomorrow there is a 'National Strike' going on and, as far as I can tell, all schools in Chile have been shut down for both days. Due to these strikes, I have received numerous e-mails from the US Department of State, the US Embassy in Chile, and my home institution stating an increase in danger for the next couple of days. At the same time I'm receiving these e-mails my host mother keeps assuring me that where we live is safe and I could even wander around Vina if I'd like, just as long as I don't go anywhere near Valpo. Now I have had to fight with my other half and I am forcing myself to remain in the house, but after a friend of mine told me that they could see all of the marches from their balcony and they have several pictures of it I have encountered a little jealousy and want pictures of it too. And even though Jaime has told me it is dangerous for him to live that close, even from a balcony, in case of bombs, I still feel like my adventure into the riot would make an amazing story! Anyway I have drifted from the topic I promised in the beginning. This was just leading into it because I am now stuck in the house, with the potential of getting bored, and nothing makes me miss food like being bored.
Now I am well aware that I have already discussed a little bit about food in the chapter on my daily life, but seeing as I have nothing to discuss until I get back from my camping trip this upcoming weekend, I figured my blog could use a filler. I must first tell a bunch of my readers (including my cousin Tom) that they will be disappointed to find out there is no such thing as chili in Chile (and to think I almost used 'Chili in Chile' for the title of my blog). I discovered this because of an interesting tradition they have here in Chile. When it has been raining for a few days, it is tradition in Chile to make "sopaiapillas". This amazing piece of fried pumpkin bread is delicious and worth every ounce of grease ingested in every bite. Back home, my mother makes a version of these every time she makes chili, so while I was eating them I decided I'd bring it up and wait for the outcome. I ended up explaining what chili was (difficult in itself) all to discover they don't have anything of the sort here. Which I found slightly interesting because I have some type of soup almost every day for lunch. And I'm not complaining, because I like all of them, and I like soup, but every day is almost overdoing it. And when you join the soup with the salad that is always on the table, with the bread of course, well it just sort of feels like I have been at the 'never ending soup, salad, and breadsticks' at Olive Garden for over a month now. And when I say never ending I mean never ending. I don't have to go into how much bread I eat again do I?
Aside from that, I am not getting as much meat as I am used too. They make some type of meat on some days on some of the weekends, and sometimes during the week there will be lunch meat available to accompany the bread, but other than that, I'm really not eating meat. And according to my professor, fruits and vegetables are much cheaper here, but no one really ever eats them. I don't find it true in my house, we always have fruits and veggies around, but that might be because we don't really have a lot of meat. And generally, all the way around I have found that foods and alcohol are much cheaper comparative to the US, but clothes (sold in stores) are much more expensive. It is easy to side step the expensive clothes by buying them from the street vendors if you have enough courage, and if you do have enough courage for the street vendors, you can find almost anything cheaper.
Well I think I have rambled on for a sufficient amount of time now, it is my host mothers birthday today, so she has invited all of her girlfriends over and pisco sours are a must. Tomorrow her and Jaime are going out to trade in their vehicle for a 2012, because apparently they trade it in every 5 years for a brand new one, must be nice. The only problem with that is now I have no idea what to get her for her birthday, because I can't top a new car. Also, I am going to use this as a tester for adding pictures, and if it works, I will add some good pictures from my camping trip I'm taking this weekend. My mountain sports class is going to 'La Campana' for a few days. Should be a good time, and I should have some good stories/pictures for when I get back. Until then I hope everyone is doing well in the US and thank you all for your continued reading...
No Vemo Pronto
S.R.
(From left to right: My host brother Felipe (lives in Chiloe), my host sister Alejandra (lives half the time in Santiago and half the time with us), my host sister Silvana (twin of Alejandra and lives in Chiloe), myself, and my host mother Hilda) The dog is Pepe, he is a little mean, has bit me once, but I'm getting used to him and he is getting used to me. Jaime (my host father) could not appear because he was at work and this was the last chance I had with all of my host siblings.
Well I'm stuck in the house for the next couple of days. As I have previously explained, there are a number of student riots and marches going on throughout Chile, protesting and requesting reform in the education system. Well instead of slowly being resolved it seems that it may be getting a little worse for a while. For today and tomorrow there is a 'National Strike' going on and, as far as I can tell, all schools in Chile have been shut down for both days. Due to these strikes, I have received numerous e-mails from the US Department of State, the US Embassy in Chile, and my home institution stating an increase in danger for the next couple of days. At the same time I'm receiving these e-mails my host mother keeps assuring me that where we live is safe and I could even wander around Vina if I'd like, just as long as I don't go anywhere near Valpo. Now I have had to fight with my other half and I am forcing myself to remain in the house, but after a friend of mine told me that they could see all of the marches from their balcony and they have several pictures of it I have encountered a little jealousy and want pictures of it too. And even though Jaime has told me it is dangerous for him to live that close, even from a balcony, in case of bombs, I still feel like my adventure into the riot would make an amazing story! Anyway I have drifted from the topic I promised in the beginning. This was just leading into it because I am now stuck in the house, with the potential of getting bored, and nothing makes me miss food like being bored.
Now I am well aware that I have already discussed a little bit about food in the chapter on my daily life, but seeing as I have nothing to discuss until I get back from my camping trip this upcoming weekend, I figured my blog could use a filler. I must first tell a bunch of my readers (including my cousin Tom) that they will be disappointed to find out there is no such thing as chili in Chile (and to think I almost used 'Chili in Chile' for the title of my blog). I discovered this because of an interesting tradition they have here in Chile. When it has been raining for a few days, it is tradition in Chile to make "sopaiapillas". This amazing piece of fried pumpkin bread is delicious and worth every ounce of grease ingested in every bite. Back home, my mother makes a version of these every time she makes chili, so while I was eating them I decided I'd bring it up and wait for the outcome. I ended up explaining what chili was (difficult in itself) all to discover they don't have anything of the sort here. Which I found slightly interesting because I have some type of soup almost every day for lunch. And I'm not complaining, because I like all of them, and I like soup, but every day is almost overdoing it. And when you join the soup with the salad that is always on the table, with the bread of course, well it just sort of feels like I have been at the 'never ending soup, salad, and breadsticks' at Olive Garden for over a month now. And when I say never ending I mean never ending. I don't have to go into how much bread I eat again do I?
Aside from that, I am not getting as much meat as I am used too. They make some type of meat on some days on some of the weekends, and sometimes during the week there will be lunch meat available to accompany the bread, but other than that, I'm really not eating meat. And according to my professor, fruits and vegetables are much cheaper here, but no one really ever eats them. I don't find it true in my house, we always have fruits and veggies around, but that might be because we don't really have a lot of meat. And generally, all the way around I have found that foods and alcohol are much cheaper comparative to the US, but clothes (sold in stores) are much more expensive. It is easy to side step the expensive clothes by buying them from the street vendors if you have enough courage, and if you do have enough courage for the street vendors, you can find almost anything cheaper.
Well I think I have rambled on for a sufficient amount of time now, it is my host mothers birthday today, so she has invited all of her girlfriends over and pisco sours are a must. Tomorrow her and Jaime are going out to trade in their vehicle for a 2012, because apparently they trade it in every 5 years for a brand new one, must be nice. The only problem with that is now I have no idea what to get her for her birthday, because I can't top a new car. Also, I am going to use this as a tester for adding pictures, and if it works, I will add some good pictures from my camping trip I'm taking this weekend. My mountain sports class is going to 'La Campana' for a few days. Should be a good time, and I should have some good stories/pictures for when I get back. Until then I hope everyone is doing well in the US and thank you all for your continued reading...
No Vemo Pronto
S.R.
(From left to right: My host brother Felipe (lives in Chiloe), my host sister Alejandra (lives half the time in Santiago and half the time with us), my host sister Silvana (twin of Alejandra and lives in Chiloe), myself, and my host mother Hilda) The dog is Pepe, he is a little mean, has bit me once, but I'm getting used to him and he is getting used to me. Jaime (my host father) could not appear because he was at work and this was the last chance I had with all of my host siblings.
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