I'm beginning this post over a cup of café in the kitchen of the Alacrón family. It's a cold spring morning, like most in Chillán, and I'm nestled close to the wood-fired oven, which is the centerpiece of my favorite room in the house. Looking out the large pane glass windows, the sun begins to break through the clouds, and blossoms of bright pinks and deep purples show among the calla lilies and endless shades of green. The room is filled with the sound of Chilean folk music, and the smell of fresh torta, as Paula, my families nanny checks on her latest creation. I have been in Chile for six weeks now, and it has been quite the ride. While I hoped to keep this blog updated on a regular basis, a lack of consistency in my everyday life has left me scrambling to keep up with anything that requires stillness for more than a few minutes. This is by no means a complaint, for I feel incredibly privileged to have this opportunity.
Well, I've got a lot to fill you in on, so here we go..
Riding the Andes
We had been in Chile for less than a week before traveling to Termas de Chillán, a ritzy little ski resort about an hour and a half east of the city. After a slow and winding bus ride through the foothills we found ourselves standing at the foot of two active volcanoes; steam spewing from the rocks above. The day was spent riding the spring snow and taking in the awe inspiring views of the worlds longest mountain range (4300 miles). The horizon was filled with one volcanic peak after the next, as far as the eye could see. We rode late into the afternoon, nearly missing the last shuttle back down the mountain. Once the day was finished, we headed back to the resort for a long soak in the termas (a large hot water mineral pool).
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It was a pretty emotional day for all of us on top of those mountains. We had just arrived, and the reality of where we were and what we were doing had not really set in. I remember staring off into the distance, thinking about the times my friend Jens and I would sit in my parents basement, watching ski videos. We had hopes of becoming ski bums, travelling from hemisphere to hemisphere in search of the eternal winter. Though those hopes have long passed, there was a part of me that could not believe that a little piece of that dream had come true.
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| Baking empanadas |
Celebrated on September 18, Fiestas Patrias marks the beginning of an 8 year battle waged by Chile for its independence from Spain. Though historically the dates seem to be a bit skewed with a lot of confusion existing between definitions of independence, this is a holiday Chileans celebrate with great pride. What is normally a two day celebration, September 18 and 19, was turned into nearly a week long celebration this year, due to the holiday falling on a Tuesday and Wednesday. In preparation for this event, I spent two days with my host-family rolling out dough and filling empanadas, which would soon serve as life support between servings of barbecued bovine, and what seemed to be endless bottles of pisco. The following two days of meat-sweats were shared with friends and family coming from near and far. Though I was the only gringo in attendance, I was not the only extranjero (foreigner); joining me was a student from China, and a social worker from Columbia. The highlights of Fiesta Patrias included mountains of meat, drinking piscola and ponche, dancing cueca (Chile's national dance) long into the night, and two days of rodeo (Chile's national sport; which is currently quite a controversial issue), where my host brother took second place.
After spending the good portion of a week with our host families, celebrating Fiestas Patrias, a small group of us (A.J., Cameron, and myself) decided it was time to do some site seeing. The three of us jumped on a bus and headed five hours south to Pucón; a small city resting between the active, Volcan Villarrica, and a large lake of the same name. Arriving late the first night we trekked to a nearby hostel, where we found a friendly Chilean named José, who got us acquainted with our new residence. The following day, after making a new friend from France, Sophie, the four of us rented mountain bikes and made the 40 km round trip journey to Ojos del Caburgua. The ride was beautiful, as we followed a large river valley, surrounded by tall peaks and lush farm land. Arriving a few hours after the ride began, we were greated by a large turkey, and a friendly old man who gladly took a 500 peso entrance fee. We quickly forgot about our burning legs, and spent the next few hours wandering aimlessly around the deep blue pools, where the water of four enormous waterfalls come together.
The ride home was a bit less treacherous as we flew down the highway, a welcome break from the long uphill battle we experienced on the way there. Having timed the afternoon just about perfectly, we rolled into Pucón just as the sun was setting over the lake. The next day was spent taking photographs, and wandering the markets of the small town. We ended the day in a small camp ground located at the edge of the city, where we sat under a full moon engulfed by an enormous lunar halo.
Pucón reminded me a lot of Oregon, with its rushing rivers and high volcanic peaks. There was even a bike lane running through the middle of town. I hope to return there next month to summit Volcan Villarrica.
Pucón reminded me a lot of Oregon, with its rushing rivers and high volcanic peaks. There was even a bike lane running through the middle of town. I hope to return there next month to summit Volcan Villarrica.
It's difficult to fit so many experiences into a single post, so instead I'll skip ahead a few weeks to our latest trip, taking us through Isla Negra, Viña del Mar, and Valparaiso. To fill in the gaps, here's a sunset from Buchupureo, a beautiful little beach town located in Chile's central coast.
Navigating Neruda
Isla Negra is located about five hours north of Chillán and served as great inspiration, and the final resting place of Chilean diplomat and Nobel Prize winning poet, Pablo Nerdua. His home in Isla Negra is famous for it's design, having been inspired by the authors obsession with the sea. With a picturesque view of the Pacific, the house was built to resemble a ship. This vision is taken a step further by the authors enormous collection of nautical figureheads, placed throughout the home. 
Aside from being an author, Neruda was a diplomat and well known communist in Chile. He was forced into exile in the 1940's, and removed from office. During that time he traveled much of the world, posing as Guatemalan poet, Miguel Ángel Asturias. He later served as ambassador to France before returning to Isla Negra where he intended to spend his remaining days. Unfortunately for Neruda, the news of the military coup which put dictator Pinochet into office exacerbated his heart condition, requiring him to be moved to Santiago, where he passed away.
Neruda was a truly eccentric man. This can be seen through his poetry, as well as the various collections displayed throughout Isla Negra. It was obvious that he chose to live his life with an open and malleable mind. I found the beauty of his home, and his life to be quite inspiring.
Neruda was a truly eccentric man. This can be seen through his poetry, as well as the various collections displayed throughout Isla Negra. It was obvious that he chose to live his life with an open and malleable mind. I found the beauty of his home, and his life to be quite inspiring.
Vagabonding in Valpo
After leaving Isla Negra, a two hour bus ride north lead us to Viña del Mar. The bustling resort town is filled with bars and fancy hotels, and is a favorite among Chileans. I had little interest in the city, and as soon as we had the chance, Cam and I jumped on the metro heading for Valparaiso. Known for it's tightly stacked buildings, and bohemian feel, Valparaiso is worlds apart from Viña del Mar.
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| Ascensor Concepcion |
The neighborhoods of Valparaiso are broken up into Cerro's, or hills, as the city is built on a mountainside which runs directly into the Pacific. In order to navigate these Cerro's the city constructed a number of ascensors (long elevators) in the late 1800's. It was our original thought to use these as a means of travel, but after quickly finding ourselves lost in the labyrinth of narrow streets and alleyways, we lost all hope, relying on dumb luck to get us around.
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| Our first wrong turn leading to Casa Fischer |
Fortunately, dumb luck has served us quite well in Chile. In this particular case getting lost lead us directly to Casa Fischer, which was the hostel we had hoped to stay in the following night. After reserving the last two beds for the following day, we began traversing the brightly painted alleyways, and photographing the hundreds of murals that decorate the city. It was incredible to see the striking contrast between the crumbling European architecture, and the paintings that cover every surface of the city. As Chile's major port, Valparaiso has had its financial ups and downs, most notably a large earthquake in the early 1900's that decimated the city, followed shortly there after by the creation of the Panama Canal. Though the city was obviously very wealthy at one time, it is easy to see that this wealth has trickled up and finds itself concentrated in the hands of very few. One can not help but feel that the artistic expression shown throughout Valparaiso is one way that the people are able to reclaim the city they love.
After visiting Parque Cultural Ex-Carcel, which was once a prison that now serves as a cultural center for local artists, Cam and I found ourselves hungry, and in search of some charrasco (a hot roast beef sandwich on a white bun, generally topped off with tomato, avocado and a heaping mound of the Chile's number one condiment, mayonnaise). As we walked down the Cerro high on cultural experiences, and looking forward to our next intake of nitrates, we were overcome by a terrible smell, which quickly turned into an asphyxiating odor. My first thought was that our weakened gringo senses had left us vulnerable to the fumes of a working city, but through my coughing and tears I realized that we were not the only ones being affected. We rushed through the streets, attempting to find refuge from whatever noxious gas was following us. I am not sure if it was a waft of fresh air, or a rush of adrenaline from the sign that read "Sandwiches de Cubana", but we mustered some strength and made haste for the open door of the restaurant. Our first concern was price per sandwich, and whether or not they served café. Once the necessities were out of the way, we asked about the debilitating smell. The woman explained to us through unintelligible Chilean Spanish, and a series of rapid hand gestures, that there had been a group of people congregated in the square, most likely protesting (as Chileans love to do), and rather than let them be, the police opened fire with canisters of tear gas. Just moments after her explination we were again over taken by bouts of coughing and watery eyes, forcing us to flee from our hard fought sandwiches in search of higher ground, and cleaner air.  |
| La Sebastiana |
Our next stop would be La Sebastiana, another of Neruda's famed houses. Located on top of one of the highest cerro's in the city, this five story home overlooks the entire port. Once we had our Neruda fix, we spent the rest of the day wandering through the various galleries of the city, and chatting with local artists.
The next morning Cam and I packed our bags and headed for Casa Fischer. Much like the city, Casa Fischer is brightly painted, and built up rather than out. The large house was filled with travelers and students from around the world. After unloading our bags, we bade our new bunk-mates farewell, and headed back to the streets in search or our next adventure.
It didn't take long for us to realize that Valparaiso was looking more like a ghost town than the bustling city we had experienced the day before. Rather than wander aimlessly, we decided it best to stop for lunch and take a look at our maps, hoping to plan our next move. We hadn't been at the cafe long when we noticed a steady stream of people flowing toward the bay front. Not wanting to miss out on something exciting we quickly made our way out of the restaurant and joined the masses.
With every passing block the crowd grew larger, and before we knew it, we were surrounded by thousands of people, all pouring through a narrow corridor towards the working port. With every step the sound of drums became more apparent, and with every beat the anticipation of the crowd grew stronger. Finally, as we walked beneath an over pass, our destination came into view. Ahead of us tens of thousands of people were crowded together. Unknowingly we had arrived at El Festival de los Mil Tambores, and annual event held in Valparaiso, where drum troupes from all over the city gather to play.The crowd stretched over miles of pavement, marching and dancing to the beat of the drums. Ahead of us a giant rooster huddle into a group of clowns, while an old Medicine Man shouted prayers above them. At another point a large crowd circled around a group of jugglers who threw fire back and forth, while children on unicycles weaved between them. Some were dressed in ornate costumes resembling forest animals, while others chose a more simplistic look, wearing nothing but body paint. We wandered through the deafening crowd for hours, dancing and throwing confetti into the air, unable to remove the giant grins that sat on both of our faces.
So much for a brief rundown :) I know it may not seem like it, but I am indeed attending classes during the week, though the curriculum has proven to be far less challenging than I originally expected. My host family and I are getting along quite well. Mama Raquel keeps telling me that I'm too skinny, and that she wants to fatten me up before I go home. With all of the cakes she makes and and an endless supply white bread, I would say her chances are pretty good. Thanks to everyone who takes the time to read this, as I really enjoy putting it together. Hope all of you back home are doing just swell, and I look forward to the next time I see your beautiful faces :) Much love!
- J
