Chilean Family Vacation

jueves 27 de diciembre 2012

Well, the Chilean family vacation (apart from a faulty GPS system which led us astray in our rental car every once in a while…) was a success!

I arrived a day earlier than my parents and stayed in a hostel that night.  Sebastian, one of the English students from Bridge back when I was in Buenos Aires, had moved back to Santiago (he’s Chilean, was studying in Buenos Aires, and returned to be with family for a while).  So he met up with me and we went out for a couple drinks and strolled through downtown Santiago.  That was great!

The next afternoon, my parents and I met up in our hotel.  It was SO great to see them!

We had some coffee and then walked through a more residential area of the city until we reached a set of restaurants along the river where we eat dinner. 

The  next morning, we visited Pablo Neruda’s house.  Neruda is a famous Chilean poet.  He actually had three houses, one in Santiago, one in Valparaíso, and another in Isla Negra (which, although it translates to “Black Island”, isn’t actually an island…  When I asked if you could organize a boat trip to get there someone laughed at me and said it’s just the name of a city… silly).  That was really cool, and as my mom said, “we got our dose of culture in early.”

Then we hopped into the car and drove towards Valparaíso, our next destination.  On our way, we passed through Casablanca and visited the vineyard Casas del Bosque, where we enjoyed a tour and (the most important part) tasting.

Me, Mom, and our tour guide

When we reached Valparaíso, we were immediately introduced to what the city is known for: its hills.  Basically, the only part of the city that’s flat is the small business district and what’s immediately along the coast.  Besides that, the city is divided into different cerros, or hills.  Most of the residents live in the cerros.  The houses are built so they fit on the hills, and the people adjust to live that lifestyle.  It’s really quite fascinating.  There are even ascensores or trolley lifts that can take you up or down a cerro.  I personally didn’t mind walking the hills (although I was only there three days), but driving up and down was quite frightening sometimes…

On Monday (Dec 17), we had a personal tour guide drive us around to see Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, and Reñaca.  That was a fantastic day!  All three cities lie just a few kilometers from each other along the coast.  Reñaca and Concon are popular vacation towns, with a lot of tourist rentals or part-time homes and sunny beaches.  My favorite city was Viña del Mar.  Valparaíso is cool because of the hills and colorful houses (it’s a historic city protected by Unicef), but to me it seemed kind of dirty, and I didn’t think it had that much to do.  Viña is much more like an actual city.  It was developed, with nice looking buildings, parks, a river, and the coast too, of course.  

Valparaíso

Look how skinny this building is!

acensor

Boats in the port. I’m particularly fond of the yellow one.

We saw a sea lion colony as we drove along the coast! 

and pelicans too!

As we were driving back, the clouds were resting just on top of Valparaíso across the water… it was a spectacular image!

After three nights in Valparaíso, the last activity we did was visit the botanical gardens just outside of Viña del Mar, which were really lovely.  Then we headed towards the “mountain lodge resort” that Dad had told us he booked.  We drove south to Chillán, and then east into the mountains, past the town of Pinto, until we reached Roca Negra (the name of the lodge).  Roca Negra reminded me a lot of Walter and Miriam’s house.  It was constructed completely out of wood and lava rock (hence the name Roca Negra, which means “black rock”).  There are ten guest rooms, a bar, small restaurant (breakfast and a three-course dinner each day were included… score!), a swimming pool, and two hot tubs.  Normally Roca Negra operates as lodging during the ski season, when people come to hit the slopes in Termas de Chillán, about a 20 minute drive away.  In the summer, Ruben and Roberta (the couple who owns and supervised the construction of the lodge) are trying to draw more guests in by offering trekking, mountain biking, and other summer activities. 

As soon as we arrived, it started to snow (even though it’s summer down here; that’s what going into the mountains can be like!)…  So, even though it wasn’t quite the 25th yet, that was the closest I came to having a white Christmas. 

The place is quite isolated from anything that looks like society, but it was nice to have a two-night getaway.  We were the only ones in the lodge… which was kind of weird but nice at the same time.  We had some nice family time.  We took full advantage of the lodge bar, played some pool, watched some movies, and had a nighttime hot tub session.  Ruben even drove us to Termas de Chillán (the ski resort) Thursday afternoon where Mom and I enjoyed a massage in their spa ;)  Overall, we really enjoyed our stay.  The staff were super friendly and it was just a really great atmosphere!

 The backyard after the snow

The hot tubs—heated by burning wood!

A waterfall on the way to Termas de Chillán

Our next stop was Santa Cruz, where we stayed one night.  After dinner, I ordered mote con huesillos for dessert, which I heard was a typical Chilean dessert even though I had no idea what it was.  Well, here’s what it turned out to be:

It’s peaches, in a glass with peach juice, and wheat (yes, that’s what those floating white things are).  It was… quite weird.  Kind of refreshing, but I would have enjoyed it more if it didn’t taste like I was drinking the high fructose corn syrup that comes with canned peaches.

Before we left Santa Cruz, we visited another vineyard, Viña Santa Cruz.  No tour this time, just wine tasting accompanied by a cheese platter, cracker, and mixed nuts and dried fruit.

The last night of our trip was fairly tranquil, back in Santiago.  We went out for pizza and a couple last pisco sours (typical South American drink made from pisco, a grape-based liquor, and egg white, among other ingredients), then had a mini Christmas in the hotel room.

It was really nice to see my parents, even just for 11 days :)  Sunday afternoon I flew to Buenos Aires, and then met up with my friend Anna (who was in my TEFL class) for a drink and a chat.  We talked about our experiences thus far, both the good and the bad, and it was really nice to talk with her, it was kind of exactly what I didn’t know I needed.

Next, I caught a bus to Concepción de Uruguay, where I am now, spending the holidays with Maia and her family...  More on that adventure later!

Puerto Madryn (aka Real-Life Pokemon Snap)

viernes 14 de diciembre 2012

This blog post is also written from inside a bus. 

Unfortunately, the bus is currently not moving.

We just crossed into Chile and went through customs, but before we had gone for another five minutes, the bus came to a stop, behind a long trail of stopped vehicles on the road.  We haven’t moved for at least half an hour.  After much complaining and question-asking from various passengers, the bus staff finally informed us that apparently they’re repairing the road… and they couldn’t advise us beforehand…  And no one knows how long we’ll be stopped here.  No one’s allowed to get down off the bus.  We’re stuck here inside for who knows how long…  On the bright side, we won’t die of hunger, as we’re stocked with bus food, although it consists of solely cheap alfajores and white-bread sandwiches. 

Ya gotta love South America.

I guess this gives me plenty of time to write out this post…

Well, okay, first things first, I have to recap on my trip to Puerto Madryn.  Puerto Madryn is a city on the eastern coast of Argentina, and it’s a wildlife wonderland.  Its main attraction are the southern right whales, which come into the bay for part of the year for reproduction.  Well, when I learned December was the end of the whale season, I decided, “Heck yes, I’m going!”  I left the day after my half-marathon (my legs were still painfully sore… it was a rough bus ride, haha), and Ramon came with me.  We arrived Monday morning and headed directly for Puerto Pirámides, which is the only town in Peninsula Valdés (a protected reserve).  From there, we booked a tour to go whale-watching.  That afternoon we went out in a boat with about 12ish other people.  Even though it’s the end of the whale season… we still had success!  We spotted five different whales, including a new mother with her offspring.  

 its mouth is open to feed… sooo cool

After the whale tour we went back to Puerto Madryn, where we stayed at the Hi! Patagonia hostel (which was fantastic…! If you ever travel to Puerto Madryn, stay there. It’s a really friendly environment, and the owner Gaston is super awesome).  Tuesday, we booked a tour to Punta Tombo, which is a protected area that houses the world’s largest colony of Magellan penguins.  We got to walk through their territory… and at times were close enough to be able to touch them (although we weren’t supposed to)!  The best part was it’s egg-hatching season… and we saw lots of adorable little fluff-balls, aka baby penguins or pinchos.

 ¡Pingüinos!

 In the nest with the youngsters

  Hellooooooooooo!

Punta Tombo was an all-day tour, and after seeing the penguins, we went to the port of Rawson where we went on a dolphin-watching tour.  We saw Tominas (sp?), which are really small (the smallest dolphin in the world), black and white dolphins.  They were so playful… they were chasing our boat and jumping and diving the whole time we were out there!  And they were so fast too…

And, as an added bonus, we passed by a sea lion colony on the shore on our way out to sea :)

These little buggers were so fast… it was so difficult to get a good picture!  (This one I got by pure luck)  I tried for a while and then put the camera away to just enjoy the ride

In the final part of the excursion, we were taken to the city of Gaiman, which is known for its preservation of the area’s Welsh heritage.  There wasn’t too much to see, we just stayed long enough to enjoy a merienda of traditional tea and some pastries.

So… those were my wildlife-watching adventures!  I was really happy to have a two-day vacation with a bunch of animals :)  Most of the time I spent with my camera in hand, ready to snap a good shot if the opportunity arose.  At times I felt like I was playing real-life Pokemon Snap… waiting for the animals to appear, hoping to capture them in a pose worthy of a high-score…  And yes, I am referring to the N64 game I used to play all the time when I was younger.

Our last night in Puerto Madryn (Tuesday) was really nice.  Gaston put on an asado in the hostel, so all us guests got to eat and chat together.  Plus there was chicken, so it was an asado I could actually eat at :)    (I stopped eating red meat about a year ago, not the most convenient timing, as beef makes up a hefty portion of the Argentine diet).  After the asado, Ramon and I took a stroll through the city with two other Americans from the hostel.  We enjoyed the views of the coast at night, as well had some tasty drinks at Las Margaritas Bar.

The funny thing about Puerto Madryn is that it was not as tropical as I imagined it would be…  The reason being that it’s in the desert.  That’s right, a desert beach town.  It was pretty strange, to me anyway; the town itself, and the coast, were really pretty and nice, but before the town appeared, we were just driving through what seemed like wasteland.  It was really dry and dirty and… kind of ugly.

Well anyway, that was my Puerto Madryn getaway :)  On Wednesday I left at 1:30 on my bus to Mendoza (I was supposed to leave at 12:30 but the bus was late… go figure, Argentina…).  That bus ride was 23 hours long… oof… the longest bus ride I’ve taken since Luke and I came to Bariloche from Bs.As.  But, I mean, it wasn’t that bad…  Even though they’re long, the nice thing about bus rides is you get to look at the countryside.  Plus years of drum corps have taught me very well how to sleep on buses… definitely a perk.

I arrived in Mendoza around noon yesterday.  And… I went directly to an apartment complex.  This Argentine girl named Paula, from CompartoDepto.com, and I had been messaging about living together.  She had to work that evening, so I went directly to her place after arriving to avoid missing the chance to meet her and see the apartment.  Her other roommate Gabi was there too.  Really nice girls!  They showed me the place and then we cooked some pasta and had lunch together.  The apartment was really nice too… nicer than any option I’d ever looked at in Bariloche.  When I told them I was staying with a Couch Surfer, they asked me who, and it turns out Gabi knew Laura (my host)!  They had gone to the same church group years back or something.  Haha, coincidences like that happen in Bariloche all the time… and it’s kind of comforting to know that, even though Mendoza is a much bigger city, they still say “Mendoza es chiquita" (it’s a small world).

After meeting Paula and Gabi, I headed to meet Laura, who lives in an apartment with her mother, Mercedes.  They’re both really lovely people! 

Later I headed out for a stroll to explore what I could of Mendoza.  Without even trying to scope them out, I passed by three English institutes.  Haha.  Then I headed to see another potential roommate and her apartment.  She was a nice girl, but felt better vibes about Paula and Gabi…

From what [little] I saw of Mendoza, I liked it.  It’s not as open and naturalistic as Bariloche (I mean, it’s hard to compare with Nahuel Huapi Lake and the surrounding mountain peaks)… but it possesses its own kind of beauty.  The downtown is adorned with five really nice plazas; it has a ginormous, beautiful park (el Parque General San Martin); the streets are wide (and all paved) and water canals run along the sidewalks.

**I have to interrupt my thought… our bus started moving finally… On our way to Santiago (again)!
It’s now 2:45; we were supposed to arrive 15 minutes ago… oh well**

Continuing: And, even though the heat is pretty strong in Mendoza, the city was really well planned; planted trees line all the streets, so walking down the sidewalks, you’re under a forest of shade.  In an odd way, Mendoza kind of reminded me of Sevilla… albeit smaller and more, well, Argentine.

My [one] evening in the city was quite awesome.  Laura had invited some friends over for dinner, and she made homemade pizza.  So I met her friends and we all had pizza and drinks, I listened to them have a heated discussion (debate, really), and then we played Uno (yes, the card game, of all things).  Typical of Argentine get-togethers, we didn’t close down the festivities until late (about 1:30-2ish).  But even though I had to get up at 6 this morning to catch my bus… I didn’t really care… The fun night was worth it.  And actually, I’m not really that tired right now…

But, I think I’ll put away my computer and try to have a South American siesta anyway.

Cambio de aire

miércoles 12 de diciembre 2012

Again, disculpa for the long lapse without updating.  I have the same excuse as last time—life went crazy!  I’m just going to say that this is probably going to be the norm, so I’ll stop apologizing haha.

Probably the most important change that I’ve undergone recently is a change in mindset.  Before, I was [too] preoccupied about finding work teaching… but I decided to think of this year in Argentina as a “gap year” instead of a professional experience abroad.  I’m traveling, experiencing another culture, practicing Spanish, and making some pocket change on the side :) no importa cúanto sera.

I’m writing out this blog post on my laptop on a bus to Mendoza.  How did I come to get here, you may ask?  Well, stay tuned, I’ll try my best to recap my recent life stories chronologically.

As predicted, moving downtown really turned my life around!  In October and November I worked quite a bit, much more than I had been before moving from the Peninsula.  And I was able to attend many more cultural events in Bariloche, go out with Maia and Diego and other friends…  A really good life choice!

While I was living in my apartment, I was able to host two Couch Surfers who were visiting Bariloche.  The first was Albert from Barcelona.  He stayed with me for about four days.  At the same time I received another CS request from a French guy named Fred.  Although I couldn’t really host both at once, we still met up with him, and he and Albert ended up spending lots of time together in Bariloche, and all of us went out together a few nights.  Through Albert I was able to meet this girl named Yenifer from San Martin de los Andes (who Albert also met through Couch Surfing); the three of us spent some time together and then Albert and I met Yeni at her aunt’s house in the neighborhood of Las Victorias to celebrate her birthday with her family!

My second Couch Surfer was Igor from Brazil.  He’s a travel writer, so basically his work is being on vacation.  When I met him he had already traveled to about 75 countries… Harsh life, ¿no?  He stayed with me for two nights, and convinced me to go on an excursion with him to Cerro Tronodor.  We hiked to the base of the glacier, hiked back, and then the tour van drove us to the other side of the mountain where we could see the Black Glacier. 

in front of the Black Glacier (by the water). You can see another glacier at the top of the mountain.  Because of the slope of the mountain on this side, when ice breaks off the top glacier, instead of falling and exploding, it rolls, collects earth, and then forms a second darker glacier at the bottom.

Another day-trip I took was to El Bolsón.  The best way I can describe El Bolsón is that it’s “the hippy town of Patagonia”.  There are lots of farms, and fresh, organic produce (and also a lot of weed and dreadlocks).  Three days a week the towns hosts a feria artesanal (artisan fair).  I went one Saturday with my student Victor (He wanted an interactive English class… so during the whole day he was asking ‘What is this? What is that?’ He learned lots of English vocabulary, and we both had a good visit).  I bought a couple gifts, and some jars of jam…  The frutos rojos and cassis varieties were especially delightful.  Cassis is a fruit grown here in Patagonia, it’s like the blueberry’s cousin.  And it’s absolutely delicious.  (Some heladerías in Bariloche have cassis ice cream… so good)

Victor and I also hiked up the mountain for a panoramic view of the city (it’s called “El Bolsón” because the city’s located in the middle of a cavity, or bowl, of mountains), and then to see a natural rock formation called La cabeza del indio (the Indian’s Head).

 the feria

La cabeza del indio

My next few adventures were shared with some fellow La Montaña students.  I met Matthew and Alex from England and Itamar from Israel.  The four of us went on a half-day excursion together to Cerro Leones, where you can visit cavernas from an ancient (now inactive) volcano.  There were three caves in all.  In the second one, on the wall, there was an indigenous painting.  Since it was painted who knows how long ago, the paint has now faded, but with some special photographic tricks we can still see it…

 Picture of the cave wall, normal camera settings (Can you see anything??  …me neither)

 Same wall, with some camera setting adjustments (you can see a faint pattern now)

 

Same picture, which some Photoshop adjustments   

 But the third cavern was by far the most intriguing.  We climbed through this really narrow crevice and entered a pitch-black cave.  The only source of light was a thin ray that came from the entrance.  When we went a bit further, we couldn’t see anything.  But with our guide’s lights, we were able to gaze upon an underground lake…!

 By the underground lake

Me, Matt, Alex, and Itamar… after surviving the trek inside the cave! (And don’t these helmets make us look bad-ass?)

The next day, a new student, Ramon (an 18-year-old from Chicago) joined the gang, and we spent the afternoon in Dina Huapi (an area outside of Bariloche).  There was a fair hosted by the European colectividades (there are European communities that reside in Bariloche).  Most European countries were represented by a food tent… there were lots of yummy things to eat and drink that day :)  There was also traditional music and dancing.  Getting there was kind of an adventure (taking multiple buses and taxis without really knowing where we were going…), but we eventually got there and had a really enjoyable afternoon!

Ramon being the only American I knew in Bariloche at the time, I invited him to my place for a form of Thanksgiving celebration… we ended up making empanadas (with the recipe I learned from Gabbi… thank you, clases de cocina!).  We made empanadas de choclo (corn) and caprece (with mozzarella, tomate, and basil).  Those were the two “normal” empanadas.  Then… we also made dessert empanadas.  One type was with a kind of cobbler mixture of cherries and bananas that Ramon made, and then we had just enough dough left to each make an “experimental” empanada… mine had banana, chocolate, peanut butter, and dulce de leche.  Ohhh yeah.

The next event I must talk about is… my birthday!!!  November 30 marked 23 years of living on this earth, and 5 months in Argentina :)  Here is how I spent the day:  Slept in, went running, my only class of the day was cancelled (oh bummer… haha), and then my Spanish teacher Sasha took me out for hot chocolate and cake :)

Sasha and me at Rapa Nui

That evening, Maia, Diego, and Ramon met me at this tranquil café called Mondella where we enjoyed sushi night, and then we went to a bar for more drinks, food, and dessert.  A quite enjoyable day :)

And my last milestone in Bariloche was… my half-marathon!!!  The Llao Llao 21K was this past Saturday.  I’ve been training ever since I came to Bariloche… And man, did it feel good to finally do it :)  I was super excited for it all week.  And then Saturday came, and I started to run, and then, well… I finished.  Hahaha.  I did really well!  My goal was to finish under 2 hours, and I ran a 1:42:26… That’s an average of an under 8-minute mile, which, well, let’s just say I surprised myself.  Thanks be to God, because I was running with some kind of energy that I knew didn’t come just from myself!  I give Him all the credit :)

After the race I found my friend Claire, an English woman who also teaches English in Bariloche.  She ran in the race too, along with two of her British friends who had come from Buenos Aires and another British woman she had just met about a week before.  Claire convinced me come back to Llao Llao that night for the party the hotel was putting on for the runners.  And good thing I did… First of all, it was enjoyable—there was music, a photo slideshow of the race, and some food (although, not enough… All the glycogen-depleted half-marathoners transformed into a sort of hungry mob that reached and grabbed for anything that looked edible as soon as the waiters set foot into the room with their tray of houre d’oivers (sp???)).  It was really nice to spend time with Claire and everyone else there.  We even played some ping-pong in the hotel’s games room.  And lastly, they posted the race results and gave out prizes… and I received an award!  Out of 102 female runners I came in 9^th, and placed 3^rd in my age category (18-29).  That was like the cherry on top of a fantastic day :) 

Did I mention that was my first long-distance race?  I’m sure there’s many more to come…

Samantha, Claire, and me after finishing

So this past week, I semi-moved in with Maia.  Since I’d be traveling for most of December and the first half of January, it didn’t make sense to pay rent for those months.  So I left my place at the end of November and Maia invited me to crash in her apartment.  That was kind of a hilarious mess, because she’s in the process of packing up / selling all of her stuff, because she’s moving to Australia (her boyfriend is Australian; they met when he came to Argentina over a year ago, fell in love, all that jazz, haha, and now she’s moving there).  Both of us for the longest time were kind of in the same boat—we were making big life decisions but were unsure of pretty much all the details.  In the end, she’s leaving Bariloche on December 15, will spend the holidays with her family, and then leave for Australia mid-January.  And me?  Well… at first, I was thinking of creating a permanent residence in Bariloche, or one that felt that way at least.  But the more I thought about it, the more I decided I wanted to try out life somewhere else.  I mean, I LOVE Bariloche, but I went through so many troubles and stress dealing with finding housing and work… and it’s a pretty expensive city to live in.  When I arrived in Buenos Aires, I knew I didn’t want to stay there, and when I read about other cities in the country, Bariloche was number one on my list, but Mendoza was number two.  So I thought… why do I have to make a fixed decision?  Why can’t I choose both?  SO I’ve decided to move to Mendoza and spend the rest of my time in Argentina getting to know that city! 

After I started thinking about Mendoza, I started looking on CompartoDepto for listings there (it’s an Argentine web site where you can look for housing/roommates… it’s how I met both Walter and Maia, actually!).  And whereas for Bariloche there’s only a list of about 15 places… for Mendoza there’s a list of over 50!  That was my first clue that I might have more opportunities/luck there.  Since I added my post to the website, I’ve already had various people contact me about renting a place.

There’s also Spanish schools in Mendoza. One is called Intercultural.  I wouldn’t say it’s a sister school of La Montaña, but Veronica (our director) knows the staff there.  So I can keep taking Spanish.  Plus, Intercultural is a “language center” and offers classes for all types of languages… including English!  Maybe I could possibly teach there…?  Veronica sent the school a recommendation about me; she said I was coming and planning to take classes, affirmed them I would be a great student, and also mentioned I was an English teacher and recommended that they consider hiring me.  Who knows if that will happen or not, but hey, I have my foot in the door in Mendoza already and I haven’t even been there :)

Mendoza is a bigger city, and just as touristy as Bariloche (touristy is good, because more people will need to know English), because it’s Argentina’s wine country (another obvious perk).  From what people have told me about Mendoza, it’s a nice city, a great place for students and young people, it’s clean, and better organized than Bariloche.  It’s nestled right next to the Andes, about a 6-7 hour bus ride and you cross over into Santiago, Chile.  It is supposedly really really hot in the summer (it’s in the desert), and Maia keeps warning me I’m not accostumed to it, being from Michigan and then later living in Bariloche… but, well, come at me, heat--I’m ready for the fight!

Having said all that, I really am quite excited for a change of pace, and of scenery, to live in and explore a new city…!

So, here is my current “plan” (I use this word lightly, because, especially in this country, plans are never really that fixed, haha):

-I’m currently on the bus that’s taking me from Puerto Madryn (keep tuning in… I’ll recap that trip in my next blog post!) to Mendoza.  I’m supposed to meet up with my parents in Santiago on Saturday, but to get there I have to pass through Mendoza anyway, so I figured, if I’m going to be moving there, I might as well spend the night and get to know the city as much as I can in a day…

-After my night in Mendoza, head to Santiago, spend a night there and then meet my parents the next morning

-Travel around Chile with my parents for about 11 days; they leave on December 23

-Travel to Concepción de Uruguay, a city in the province of Entre Rios, close to the Uruguayan border.  Spend Christmas and New Years there with Maia and her family!

-Fly to El Calafate; make my way up to Bariloche via bus, visiting various places in Patagonia along the way (taking advantage of the summer season)

-Return to Bariloche (I left some of my things in Diego’s apartment); chillax there for a couple weeks.

-Cuando tenga ganas… move to Mendoza!

So that’s the future ahead… Really excited, let’s see how it plays out :)