These blogs are coming closer and closer together, but still too spaced. I hope people aren’t losing interest and more that I don’t forget all the good details. So, to start where I left off. . . on a bus trip from Calama to Arica. We pretty much slept the whole time. I woke up in time to view a whole lot of desert NOTHING. Growing up in the Mojave Desert, I always thought it was ugly and baron, but this place made the Antelope Valley look like the Yellowstone. There were sand dunes as far as the eye could see. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE. I’d heard that people actually lived there and am still amazed by that fact. We were woken up by a strange choice of music blasting throughout the bus- - a detail that Megan brought up yesterday on an outing to the beach. We were both remembering it fondly, although at the time it seemed pretty absurd. We woke up to hear the Rolling Stones’ song “ANGIE” being blasted. It was of particular sentiment to the three of us (even though it was the first time I’d ever heard it) because we’d sung it to our other TeachingChile gringa buddy , Angie, on occasion. They’d told me about it and were appalled that I’d never heard it, but thanks to Pullman Turbus, I know the song. It was followed by a string of other easy listening/soft rock. All the while we were wondering why in the hell it was considered a good idea at 7AM, on an overnight bus trip. Yesterday, Megan reasoned that the stewards were trying to get breakfast out and blankets folded as soon as possible, even though we were still a good hour from our destination. If, for nothing else, it created some special meaning for songs that would otherwise never have any. Like those by Celine Dion, Whitney, the Eagles (for Megan, in particular). . .
We enjoyed a great seafood lunch in Arica- - probably the best (and one of the cheapest) restaurant meal I’d had in Chile, up to that point. We took a colectivo across the Chile-Peru border as it was much more efficient than buses. It was a beat up old, Oldsmobile, with bobble head figurines on the dash. Exactly as they’re described in all travel blogs/advisories/books. We crammed in with two other backpackers and crossed without a hitch. I even got to keep my produce for the long journey from Tacna to Puno. We’d purchased our tickets from Tacna to Puno in Arica, having been promised meals on our ‘direct’ trip. Well, wasn’t that a ****ing joke. This was the just the first of a string of lies we were fed by Peruvian tour/bus agents.
After leaving the main terminal for our direct ride, we were surprised that the bus stopped after only four blocks or so, to pick up more passengers. The bus already seemed to be pretty full, so watching groups of people with LOADS of stuff get on, we were starting to feel like we’d boarded the clown bus. Thankfully, we’d splurged on the semi-cama seats and were downstairs in the “first class” section. I felt sorry for all these people with kids and giant loads in tow. . . we still weren’t too suspicious until the bus made yet ANOTHER stop, just a few blocks down the road. And AGAIN. This continued for a good hour and we were STIIIIIILL in Tacna. We were growing really irritated and impatient, imagining how late we’d arrive to Cusco with all these stops, not understanding why people couldn’t have just gone to the main terminal to prevent the intercity bus from making stops like an actual metro bus. It wasn’t until one of the last stops in Tacna that our irritation turned to fear. We were watching more families with enormous bundles of stuff (yes, bundles- wrapped in cloth, often strung over the backs of old ladies) and then a man with a video camera came on with the light glaring in our eyes. We’d been warned of overly protective Chilean friends that night buses in Peru are really dangerous but always dismissed them. At that moment, we were wondering if we’d dismissed our Chileans too quickly. The cameraman walked slowly up and down the aisle, until he’d captured the faces of everyone on board. I was saying silent prayers to whatever God might be out there, that our bus wouldn’t be hijacked. I don’t know if the prayers worked or if we were just lucky, but we made it safely to Cusco. It was NOT a direct drive, however. We had many stops along the way, some lasting for up to two hours in the middle of po-dunk towns in the middle of nowhere. Although quite peeved and impatient at the time, I feel lucky to have seen what I did from that bus. Small town Peru isn’t something a lot of folks get to witness so close up. I loved seeing the old ladies working the fields, in their colorful skirts and bowler hats and walking along the highway together. For some reason I’d thought it was just a costume, used for ceremonial purposes, but they actually wear them day to day. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable it must be to do farm work in a skirt, but they wear ‘em. The whole time I remember all of us noting that we ‘finally felt like we were in South America’. Being in Santiago had its own shockers but it’s really developed and on a level of infrastructure, pretty first world. Peru was a different story.
The landscape was a treat as well. Tacna is pretty dry like Arica (despite being on the coast), but we ran into more rolling hills in Puno-although still quite dry. Between Puno and Cusco we saw more varied differences. I remember comparing it to southern Idaho/ Utah , with a mountainous backdrop with lots of rolling hills. Closer to Cusco, the peaks were higher and much greener.
We settled into our ‘palace’ hostel, which turned out to be a really great set up- -huge room, central to everything, quiet and safe. We were happy campers. Mostly we were happy to be free of bus travels for at least a couple of days. After a quick siesta, we set off for some sightseeing and food. Being the foodie that I am, I don’t know how I never tried Peruvian food before this trip but I’ll never be a stranger to it again. It was amazing. I think it partly had to do with the disappointments of Chilean food, and it’d been SO long since I’d had a great dining out experience. Not only was the food amazing, the service was great, prices low, and portions generous. AND, it was reasonably healthy too. As a tourist destination, I think Peruvian cuisine is underrated.
So, we spent two days in Cusco- - part of which time, we had to plan part of our Machu Picchu tour. We’d had some issues in San Pedro, getting frustrated with our lack of planning and therefore having to spend much or our vacation time planning our vacation. Things all worked out in the end and many mental notes were taken for any future trips. DON’T PLAN YOUR VACATION WHILE ON YOUR VACATION. We were able to rearrange our tour to Machu Picchu in order to get back in time to leave Cusco to make it on two bus connections, to catch our flight out of Calama to Santiago.
We were supposed to take a train from Cusco to a small town about 20 minutes from MP, but given our last minute changes, we were escorted to a secondary train stop by a private driver, which turned out to be much more advantageous since he was from the area and knew all kinds of interesting tidbits about the area’s history and shared them with us during the whole drive. He taught us a few words in his indigenous language (the name of which I’ve forgotten) and made a couple stops for us to take photos of the valley. After he left us at the train station, we were in gringo backpacker central. Obviously, Machu Picchu is no secret. The train ride was comfortable and we had incredible scenery. The only distraction was an obscenely loud-talking British twat who wouldn’t shut the hell up, talking all sorts of nonsense, despite a train car full of people trying to enjoy the serene beauty of the mountains we were passing through and it being a very early hour in the morning.
We arrived in Aguas Calientes, where we’d stay the night then catch an early morning bus to MP. It was a kitschy little town, tucked in between all the mountain peaks. I didn’t even have to convince Renee and Megan to do a little hike with me to some waterfalls nearby. I should give them credit because it was cloudy and on the verge of rain that day, and neither of them were the least bit concerned. I still tease them for being “fifi”, which is Chilean for girly girls, but I should give them more credit. By their standards, they were quite rough and tough that trip.
We called it a night pretty early, since we had another 4 AM wake- up call ahead of us, but were really excited to be heading into the highlight of our trip. For Megan, especially. We were a little grumpy, waiting with hundreds of people for the shuttle.
I remember having such high expectations for MP, as if I was going to have some kind of spiritual experience once seeing the actual ruins and getting really anxious on the bus ride up the mountain. Although it was beautiful, it was not a spiritual experience and don’t like to say it was anticlimactic, but it kind of was. It was absolutely amazing though. After being there, when seeing pictures online and on TV I know they do no justice, so in that sense I’m really glad for the experience. Not to mention the fact that there are rumors of it being closed or admission dramatically restricted. I got to see something pretty f***ing special. (so eloquent, I know).
After MP, we returned to Cusco and spent our last night enjoying delicious Peruvian food and trying to ignore the fact that we had a hellish journey back to Calama. Despite all the recommendations to try ceviche, I never did. After all my experience with food poisoning, I knew that if I got any kind of bug it would be impossible for me to leave the confines of my hotel room. So, I stuck to quinoa soup, ahi de gallina, stuffed red peppers (whose Spanish name I can’t remember), papas rellenas, empanadas and yummy salads that actually come with more than those in Chile do (tomato and onion). Unfortunately I never got to try the Chocó con queso either, which was corn on the cob with slabs of goat cheese piled on. It was one of those things that was available on every corner and/or bus stop during the whole time in Cusco but when I was ready to buy one, there were no vendors in sight. On the subject of food, Renee and Megan will kick me if I leave out my empanada in Cusco story, so here goes: After a full day of museums and sightseeing, I’d left them to get some cake and wine, while I wandered for a bit to take pictures and just get some alone time. I was thoroughly enjoying the people watching and meandering at my own pace. After a bit, I stopped in at a bakery that had some amazing looking empanadas and was planning to grab one then go relax in one of the plazas near the hotel to do some more people watching. I bought my Peruvian empanada, and being as hungry as I was ripped a piece off to hold me over until I reached the plaza. On par with the rest of Peruvian food, this empanada was delicious. I continued up the street toward the plaza, when all of a sudden I felt something bump my butt. I was expecting to see some dirty pervert trailing behind me but nothing. Then it happened again, only harder. Turns out it was a very hungry and aggressive dog head-butting me (Pun well intended). He wanted my chicken empanada and wasn’t going to give up until I shared. When I realized he was following me, and starting to go after my hand, holding the bag, I started to squeal like a little girl. I felt like a complete idiot and even more like a pig because I actually thought twice about giving in to it! Ultimately, I dropped the bag and ran across the street and back the opposite direction, away from the dog. He had some friends nearing him to share the wealth and I didn’t want anyone attacking me in case I still smelled like the chicken. It was all quite disappointing- - and embarrassing- - because I’ve yet to come across chicken empanadas since then. I could’ve gone back to the bakery for another, but was a bit traumatized at the moment. Renee and Megan were served well by the story and still get a good laugh at my expense. Thankfully , the dogs in Santiago are actually protective over single women on the street and never aggressive.
We wrapped up the vaycay in Cusco and set out for yet another epic bus journey back to Calama. We originally wanted to take a different route to see Arequipa, the second-largest city in Peru, but our schedule wouldn’t allow it. Thanks to our grand planning, we had to make it to Calama early enough on Monday morning to make our flight to Santiago. Getting out of Cusco was an ORDEAL to say the least. We had a million people telling us a million different stories, then the same people telling us a million different stories and it was hectic. One agent was telling us flat out lies, for what purpose we STILL can’t figure out. For example, AFTER we already bought our tickets, she started warning us of the border closing early on Sundays, etc. Then when our bus was two hours late, she continued to walk along the terminal, very kindly assuring everyone that the bus was there waiting for us. We were shuttled outside to the platform without a bus. She then continued for about an hour assuring us that the bus was en route. Then, upon probing from much more eloquent Spanish speaking Peruvians (but just as impatient) she announced that the bus was actually broken down by the side of the road and another bus was coming. . . well, these tales kept coming and we finally were able to coerce a refund, after 2-3 hours of being given the run around. By some miraculous twist of fate, we got on a bus (and it wasn’t even a broke down bus-BDB) and made it home. We were tired and a little crankier than on the way TO Cusco, but still managed to keep our spirits high. Again, this is where I really came to appreciate Megan and Renee’s great sense of humor and realized that as “fifi’ as they might be when it comes to getting dirty and climbing mountains (and hating tents), they’re pretty damn tough and made excellent travel companions. I had consulted Rafael via text messages and he confirmed for us that we wouldn’t get stuck in Peru. The border didn’t, in fact, close early and we’d make it back ‘home’ to Chile just fine, albeit with loads and loads of people and endless stops and pickups. . .
We got an early flight back to Santiago, with just enough time to clean up a bit so as to not be the dirty backpackers on a tiny plane. The other passengers on the buses managed to make us smell fresh in comparison, but the plane was another story. Once presentable, we joined the rest of the non-backpackers and headed back to cold and dreary Santiago, where we finally felt at home.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Winter Vacation (OVERDUE account)
After months of nagging (thank you Renee and Elizabeth) and procrastinating, I’m finally back to get this thing up to speed. . . I hope. (it may take a few posts to get there) I’ll start where I left off (skipping the unnecessary details, of course) - - preparing for the epic journey to the Atacama Desert in Chile and Machu Picchu. Well, epic doesn’t even begin to describe it. However, it was a great experience that I walked away from with amazing memories and stories.
Traveling with new friends is always a little stressful to me(as was the case with Renee and Megan- who are now considered future bridesmaid material), but we made it through two weeks with only a couple abbreviated incidents of shortness and snappiness. (I think menstruation was probably involved so we’re not completely culpable) If any conditions could test our affection for one another, that trip certainly delivered, so I feel REALLY lucky to not only have made great friends in Santiago, but also those who love to travel as much as I do and who I’m compatible traveling with.
While the company was fantastic, the trip did have its pitfalls. Like the first half hour into it, when we arrived at the Santiago airport and my reservation had accidentally been cancelled. Thank you LANChile. As some of you may know by my prior rants and raves, Chilean customer service DOES.NOT.EXIST. Of course it was my fault that the LAN representative cancelled my flight, even though I had a confirmation number and a credit card receipt, showing that I’d paid for the ticket. Still being my fault, I charged another ticket to Calama (in the North of Chile), paying three times as much as the original ticket cost- all the while being assured that I could appeal for reimbursement. Knowing how quick and efficient Chilean business is, I was pretty upset- convinced that IF I did get the money back, it wouldn’t be until long after I was already back in Seattle, making real money and it wouldn’t even matter. Megan poured on the optimism, trying to assure me that the worse off a vacation starts, the better it ends up, so we held on to her theory to get back into our happy mode- despite our 4:30AM wakeup call and 6:30AM flight.
After we got to Calama, we took a bus to San Pedro, enjoying the sun and very clear skies (again, I will NEVER again take clean air for granted). The view wasn’t much to brag about, just barren desert. I was worried that we’d been tricked into seeing some “beautiful” spot in Chile, when really it was just flat rocks and loose sand, with fancy names. Fortunately, it wasn’t the case. We settled into our “ensuite” room, freshened up a bit and headed out to make the most of our stay. We had three days and 50+ tours to choose from. We meandered ‘downtown’ to check out the best deals and get our schedule set. This was an easy feat, given that ‘downtown’ San Pedro is about the length of A city block. Charming, no less. For a town thriving solely on tourism, it was surprising to me that we didn’t have to fight off tour operators hustling gringas for business- but a nice relief.
The first afternoon, we walked around Valle de la Luna and Valle de la Muerte with a small group (the leader of which I was crushing on pretty hard, talking his ear off trying to get a number. . .). The sweet city girls I was with (Renee and Megan) were so proud of their first ever ‘hike’, and saying that they should have dressed more appropriately had they known we’d be doing trekking. This thoroughly amused me, since I only consider walking to be “hiking”, if there’s an incline involved (mind you, I realize I’m no outdoors adventure guru). They kept saying “wow, I’ve never been hiking!”- to which I kept snottily replying, “and you STILL haven’t”. ok, so maybe they’ve been on a SHORT hike, because at the VERY end of our tour, we climbed a sand dune to watch the sun set and witnessed an incredible view of the mountains, rocks and desert bathed in amazing color patters from the sun (see photo links). We were all incredibly pooped since we’d only slept a couple hours at Megan’s the night before flying out- our “we need to be in bed by 8PM” turned into a flashback to 7th grade slumber party, complete with cookies, chips, gossip and lots of snickering. I don’t think anyone slept before 2:30 and our shuttle picked us up at 4:30. So, we spent the night at the hostel, relaxing and bracing ourselves for another day of tours in the desert. (Times like these were when I REALLY learned to appreciate the fact that I my companions were so cool. Being stuffed onto buses, trains, planes, tour vans and into hostels, this trip could’ve been a COMPLETELY different story.
The second day, we went to the Ojos del Salar - - two small bodies of water in the middle of the driest desert in the world, that look like eyes (again, see photo links) then for a quick float in a salt lake. Literally, we struggled to ‘swim’ because the salt concentration was so high. Not only did the salinity have a strange effect, but the temperature was crazy as well. We waded out in freezing cold water to what looked like a submerged pool, crossed the rock border and were suddenly in Jacuzzi- hot water. The guide warned us about the heat but didn’t do a good enough job. Apparently the deeper you go, the hotter the water is. I only realized this after extending my feet straight down, while playing with the buoyancy. OUCH! The pain was so bad that I was actually surprised to not have had burns on my feet. After our burning dip, we headed out to another laguna to see some flamingos and watch another sunset. This time we enjoyed colors even more impressive than the first night. We kicked back and enjoyed a typical Chilean spread of cookies, chips and boxed juice while taking it all in.
Realizing that there wasn’t anything to do in San Pedro except for take desert tours, we decided to buck up and go on one last tour to so we all would have seen what we wanted to see, then we could spend more time in Peru where there might actually be some culture and/or nightlife to take part in. Our last quest was to see the Tatio Geysers, which are about 2 hours outside of San Pedro. We were set and ready to go, spending our last day in SP at the geysers. Because the views are best at sunrise, we had to get an early (EARLY) start. The shuttle picked us up at 4AM (an hour becoming far too familiar to us) and we were stuffed in and on our way. In the first few minutes of the trip, I was wondering how the hell I could stand being so crammed but when we started to climb altitude and I started to FREEZE MY BLOODY ASS OFF, I was thrilled at sharing body heat. When we got to the geysers, it was still dark and painfully cold. I’ve born plenty of Utah winters, but somehow they didn’t compare to that morning’s conditions. The cold HURT. I’d never experienced it before. We were warned not to jump around to stay warm, given the dramatic change in altitude, but I figured I was going to suffer one way or another, so I jogged in place and rubbed my gloved hands together as hard as I possibly could until the sun came up and provided some relief to the biting cold. It was a view worth waiting for, despite the grounds being littered with tourists. No major geyser action, just lots of jets of steam that were quite beautiful against the sunrise.
After returning to SP, we showered and packed, then were on our way back to Calama, where we would catch our overnight bus to Arica (the northernmost city in Chile). On previous weekend trips here and there, we’d joked about broken down, ghetto ass buses but we had no idea what a ghetto ass bus was until we climbed aboard this one. Reggeaton was on full blast from the driver’s booth, seats were stuck in reclined position, overhead bins were collapsing, seats were stuck in ERECTLY UPRIGHT position, unpleasant smells were wafting throughout the cabin, the engine sounded like it was running on an old washing machine spin cycle and strange clinks and clanks could be heard during the whole hour drive. Renee and I were really amused, but at the same time crossing our fingers to JUST MAKE OUR CONNECTION!!! Well, that clunker got us where we needed to go. After a quick bite of Chinese food we were on the third of countless bus rides and on our way to Peru (via Arica)!
. . . . . to be continued.
Traveling with new friends is always a little stressful to me(as was the case with Renee and Megan- who are now considered future bridesmaid material), but we made it through two weeks with only a couple abbreviated incidents of shortness and snappiness. (I think menstruation was probably involved so we’re not completely culpable) If any conditions could test our affection for one another, that trip certainly delivered, so I feel REALLY lucky to not only have made great friends in Santiago, but also those who love to travel as much as I do and who I’m compatible traveling with.
While the company was fantastic, the trip did have its pitfalls. Like the first half hour into it, when we arrived at the Santiago airport and my reservation had accidentally been cancelled. Thank you LANChile. As some of you may know by my prior rants and raves, Chilean customer service DOES.NOT.EXIST. Of course it was my fault that the LAN representative cancelled my flight, even though I had a confirmation number and a credit card receipt, showing that I’d paid for the ticket. Still being my fault, I charged another ticket to Calama (in the North of Chile), paying three times as much as the original ticket cost- all the while being assured that I could appeal for reimbursement. Knowing how quick and efficient Chilean business is, I was pretty upset- convinced that IF I did get the money back, it wouldn’t be until long after I was already back in Seattle, making real money and it wouldn’t even matter. Megan poured on the optimism, trying to assure me that the worse off a vacation starts, the better it ends up, so we held on to her theory to get back into our happy mode- despite our 4:30AM wakeup call and 6:30AM flight.
After we got to Calama, we took a bus to San Pedro, enjoying the sun and very clear skies (again, I will NEVER again take clean air for granted). The view wasn’t much to brag about, just barren desert. I was worried that we’d been tricked into seeing some “beautiful” spot in Chile, when really it was just flat rocks and loose sand, with fancy names. Fortunately, it wasn’t the case. We settled into our “ensuite” room, freshened up a bit and headed out to make the most of our stay. We had three days and 50+ tours to choose from. We meandered ‘downtown’ to check out the best deals and get our schedule set. This was an easy feat, given that ‘downtown’ San Pedro is about the length of A city block. Charming, no less. For a town thriving solely on tourism, it was surprising to me that we didn’t have to fight off tour operators hustling gringas for business- but a nice relief.
The first afternoon, we walked around Valle de la Luna and Valle de la Muerte with a small group (the leader of which I was crushing on pretty hard, talking his ear off trying to get a number. . .). The sweet city girls I was with (Renee and Megan) were so proud of their first ever ‘hike’, and saying that they should have dressed more appropriately had they known we’d be doing trekking. This thoroughly amused me, since I only consider walking to be “hiking”, if there’s an incline involved (mind you, I realize I’m no outdoors adventure guru). They kept saying “wow, I’ve never been hiking!”- to which I kept snottily replying, “and you STILL haven’t”. ok, so maybe they’ve been on a SHORT hike, because at the VERY end of our tour, we climbed a sand dune to watch the sun set and witnessed an incredible view of the mountains, rocks and desert bathed in amazing color patters from the sun (see photo links). We were all incredibly pooped since we’d only slept a couple hours at Megan’s the night before flying out- our “we need to be in bed by 8PM” turned into a flashback to 7th grade slumber party, complete with cookies, chips, gossip and lots of snickering. I don’t think anyone slept before 2:30 and our shuttle picked us up at 4:30. So, we spent the night at the hostel, relaxing and bracing ourselves for another day of tours in the desert. (Times like these were when I REALLY learned to appreciate the fact that I my companions were so cool. Being stuffed onto buses, trains, planes, tour vans and into hostels, this trip could’ve been a COMPLETELY different story.
The second day, we went to the Ojos del Salar - - two small bodies of water in the middle of the driest desert in the world, that look like eyes (again, see photo links) then for a quick float in a salt lake. Literally, we struggled to ‘swim’ because the salt concentration was so high. Not only did the salinity have a strange effect, but the temperature was crazy as well. We waded out in freezing cold water to what looked like a submerged pool, crossed the rock border and were suddenly in Jacuzzi- hot water. The guide warned us about the heat but didn’t do a good enough job. Apparently the deeper you go, the hotter the water is. I only realized this after extending my feet straight down, while playing with the buoyancy. OUCH! The pain was so bad that I was actually surprised to not have had burns on my feet. After our burning dip, we headed out to another laguna to see some flamingos and watch another sunset. This time we enjoyed colors even more impressive than the first night. We kicked back and enjoyed a typical Chilean spread of cookies, chips and boxed juice while taking it all in.
Realizing that there wasn’t anything to do in San Pedro except for take desert tours, we decided to buck up and go on one last tour to so we all would have seen what we wanted to see, then we could spend more time in Peru where there might actually be some culture and/or nightlife to take part in. Our last quest was to see the Tatio Geysers, which are about 2 hours outside of San Pedro. We were set and ready to go, spending our last day in SP at the geysers. Because the views are best at sunrise, we had to get an early (EARLY) start. The shuttle picked us up at 4AM (an hour becoming far too familiar to us) and we were stuffed in and on our way. In the first few minutes of the trip, I was wondering how the hell I could stand being so crammed but when we started to climb altitude and I started to FREEZE MY BLOODY ASS OFF, I was thrilled at sharing body heat. When we got to the geysers, it was still dark and painfully cold. I’ve born plenty of Utah winters, but somehow they didn’t compare to that morning’s conditions. The cold HURT. I’d never experienced it before. We were warned not to jump around to stay warm, given the dramatic change in altitude, but I figured I was going to suffer one way or another, so I jogged in place and rubbed my gloved hands together as hard as I possibly could until the sun came up and provided some relief to the biting cold. It was a view worth waiting for, despite the grounds being littered with tourists. No major geyser action, just lots of jets of steam that were quite beautiful against the sunrise.
After returning to SP, we showered and packed, then were on our way back to Calama, where we would catch our overnight bus to Arica (the northernmost city in Chile). On previous weekend trips here and there, we’d joked about broken down, ghetto ass buses but we had no idea what a ghetto ass bus was until we climbed aboard this one. Reggeaton was on full blast from the driver’s booth, seats were stuck in reclined position, overhead bins were collapsing, seats were stuck in ERECTLY UPRIGHT position, unpleasant smells were wafting throughout the cabin, the engine sounded like it was running on an old washing machine spin cycle and strange clinks and clanks could be heard during the whole hour drive. Renee and I were really amused, but at the same time crossing our fingers to JUST MAKE OUR CONNECTION!!! Well, that clunker got us where we needed to go. After a quick bite of Chinese food we were on the third of countless bus rides and on our way to Peru (via Arica)!
. . . . . to be continued.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Lost/Outdated Blog
July 10, 2008
(I wrote this, forgot about it, found it and figure I might as well post it-outdated and all. . .)
The first semester is technically finished, with the exception of a few loose strings and details to be managed. However, I said goodbye to the beloved students almost two weeks ago and it was as sad as I thought it was going to be. Unfortunately, I was PMS-ing when bidding farewell to my very favorite class and actually teared up in front of all of them while giving the “I had a great semester with you guys” spiel. They broke into some sad, sappy song and were rocking back and forth- half mocking, half- I don’t know. The funniest part was that later in the same evening, after they’d finished their final and I’d returned all my paperwork to the offices and was ready to head out to meet some favorites for a drink. I was walking toward the main exit (where, I might add, about 60 students were still lingering) when I heard some faux sobbing noises. Turns out it was a group of my students from class, mocking me, pretending to rub their eyes and bawling, ”boo-hoo”. Now you might understand why they’re my favorites! I finally made it out for beers with some of those students and had a great time. I’ve been anxious for them to finish all there finals so I can go out and play with them again- very fun, sarcastic group.
I feel really grateful for the groups that I had last semester and am thinking there’s no way I’ll have the same luck twice . . . but I’m hoping. I totally understand the teacher’s pet issues now, because my favorite students made ALL the difference to me. Cross your fingers for me please.
There is still about a month left before the next semester. My first week off was spent being really lazy and not inputting grades like I should have. I did spend one evening at Duoc doing makeup finals with students, but other than that, last week was lazy lazy lazy. I watched a couple movies, started to read a book in Spanish and am aiming to study some Spanish, specifically more grammar so I might return next semester with better speaking ability- not that it matters since I force English on my most basics of Basic (and Intermediate). I did make it out of town to visit a teacher friend of mine (Angie), who lives in Milipilla- a small town about an hour outside of Santiago. Since you know how much I love the air in this city, you know getting out of town is always nice, but especially to a completely new place, and better yet a small town where I have a tour guide. I had good pizza for the second time in five months there, took a walking tour and actually felt like I was in South America. We went out for drinks (which were notably cheaper than in Santiago), ran into some of her amigos and continued the night with them. We had been determined to go salsa dancing that night, but the only men willing and available at the bar, were TERRIBLE partners. Our hopes were up for a minute because they had the DJ cancel the regaeton and throw on some salsa, acting like twinkle toes, but when it came down to it, none of them had an ounce of rhythm. . . just some eager old pervs trying to get close to a couple of gringas. We had the music changed back and danced until we couldn’t keep them away anymore, then just practiced our Spanish over multiple rounds of piscolas.
(I wrote this, forgot about it, found it and figure I might as well post it-outdated and all. . .)
The first semester is technically finished, with the exception of a few loose strings and details to be managed. However, I said goodbye to the beloved students almost two weeks ago and it was as sad as I thought it was going to be. Unfortunately, I was PMS-ing when bidding farewell to my very favorite class and actually teared up in front of all of them while giving the “I had a great semester with you guys” spiel. They broke into some sad, sappy song and were rocking back and forth- half mocking, half- I don’t know. The funniest part was that later in the same evening, after they’d finished their final and I’d returned all my paperwork to the offices and was ready to head out to meet some favorites for a drink. I was walking toward the main exit (where, I might add, about 60 students were still lingering) when I heard some faux sobbing noises. Turns out it was a group of my students from class, mocking me, pretending to rub their eyes and bawling, ”boo-hoo”. Now you might understand why they’re my favorites! I finally made it out for beers with some of those students and had a great time. I’ve been anxious for them to finish all there finals so I can go out and play with them again- very fun, sarcastic group.
I feel really grateful for the groups that I had last semester and am thinking there’s no way I’ll have the same luck twice . . . but I’m hoping. I totally understand the teacher’s pet issues now, because my favorite students made ALL the difference to me. Cross your fingers for me please.
There is still about a month left before the next semester. My first week off was spent being really lazy and not inputting grades like I should have. I did spend one evening at Duoc doing makeup finals with students, but other than that, last week was lazy lazy lazy. I watched a couple movies, started to read a book in Spanish and am aiming to study some Spanish, specifically more grammar so I might return next semester with better speaking ability- not that it matters since I force English on my most basics of Basic (and Intermediate). I did make it out of town to visit a teacher friend of mine (Angie), who lives in Milipilla- a small town about an hour outside of Santiago. Since you know how much I love the air in this city, you know getting out of town is always nice, but especially to a completely new place, and better yet a small town where I have a tour guide. I had good pizza for the second time in five months there, took a walking tour and actually felt like I was in South America. We went out for drinks (which were notably cheaper than in Santiago), ran into some of her amigos and continued the night with them. We had been determined to go salsa dancing that night, but the only men willing and available at the bar, were TERRIBLE partners. Our hopes were up for a minute because they had the DJ cancel the regaeton and throw on some salsa, acting like twinkle toes, but when it came down to it, none of them had an ounce of rhythm. . . just some eager old pervs trying to get close to a couple of gringas. We had the music changed back and danced until we couldn’t keep them away anymore, then just practiced our Spanish over multiple rounds of piscolas.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Long Time, No Write
The end of the first semster is DONE. I cannot believe it, but month five is approaching- - rapidemente. In the beginning, I thought a lot about how the hell I was going to make it so many months without seeing my favorite little buddies and meeting the new buddies, whose births were expected after my departure, but with time flying so quickly,I'm now bogged by the thought that I only have 6 more months. Susan and mom are helping to ease the issue, reminding me that new babies won't be talking or walking by January, and the others won't be too different, nor will they have forgotten their favorite auntie Doods (sorry kathy).
Life is great here, for the most part, but it's just as mundane at times, as anywhere else might be. HOWEVER, I love my job here, which is a completely new experience for me. Aside from tending to the old folk's entertainment needs in San Francisco, I can't say i've ever really liked my jobs in the past. Hooray for me! Seriously, my students this semester were phenomenol and played a huge role in my decision to stay (I just hope I have such luck next semester). What stresses me out more is not knowing what i'm going back to. I totally sympathize with Mr. Benny and know exactly why he doesn't want to leave Korea. Unfortunately, I'm too easily distracted and can't follow a plan so well. A straight and narrow is hard to follow when you have ADD.
Speaking of paths, my immediate one is taking me on an exciting journey to the north of Chile and then to Machu Picchu. I'm going with two teacher friends, Megan and Renee at the crack of dawn on Friday morning. We're flying up north to Calama, then going to San Pedro de Atacama for four days, where I cannot wait to experience a nighttime desert sky. Among the few things I miss about Lancaster, the night sky tops my list, so it'll be a rare treat. When Shannon was visiting, we went with Rafael out to the country for the weekend, where his aunt and uncle (Anita y Lauta) have a place. They took us on a little drive out to the middle of nowhere to see the southern cross and the sky was AMAZING, but Lauta insisted it wasn't anything compared to San Pedro. We'll see. There's an observatory that I want to check out, if the prices are reasonable. On top of stargazing, I'll head to Valle de la Luna (Valley of the moon), which is meant to be viewed at sunset to maximize the light display on the rocks. It's all supposed to be incredible. . .
On Monday we head out on our EPIC bus journey to Cusco. . . this I CAN wait for. I will say that in my other trips, the bus journey proved to be really rewarding when scenery was nice- even the hellish 13 hour trip to Mendoza that should've taken 8. We'll leave from Calama to Arica, the northernmost city in Chile. From there, we'll take a colectivo (taxi) across the border to avoid time constraints with a busload of people at the border. In Peru, we'll take a bus from Tacna to Arequipa, then transfer again to get to Cusco. I have no idea how long these trips are going to take and kind of dont want to. It is a oncce in a lifetime opportunity, so I'm thinking posetively. I know my butt will be sore and crying, not thinking in those terms, but for now I'm excited. Once we get to Cusco (I hope by Tuesday) we'll do some 'sploring there and on Friday we take the train to Machu Picchu. I know, I know, I talked a lot of smack about train riders, but 1: all permits for hiking were sold out until September and 2: it's beneficial for the trails. . . . We'll spend the night at a hostel just below the ruins on Friday, where I hope we'll enjoy an evening of natural hot tubbing while celebrating Megan's 30th birthday. On Saturday morning, we get to actually see the ruins, then head back to bus tour hell (or heaven, who knows). Please cross your fingers that none of us suffer from altitude sickness while traveling- if you pray, ask for our protection =).
I hope this finds you all well. To the Seattleites, I'm damn happy for your sunshine. . . FINALLY!
Life is great here, for the most part, but it's just as mundane at times, as anywhere else might be. HOWEVER, I love my job here, which is a completely new experience for me. Aside from tending to the old folk's entertainment needs in San Francisco, I can't say i've ever really liked my jobs in the past. Hooray for me! Seriously, my students this semester were phenomenol and played a huge role in my decision to stay (I just hope I have such luck next semester). What stresses me out more is not knowing what i'm going back to. I totally sympathize with Mr. Benny and know exactly why he doesn't want to leave Korea. Unfortunately, I'm too easily distracted and can't follow a plan so well. A straight and narrow is hard to follow when you have ADD.
Speaking of paths, my immediate one is taking me on an exciting journey to the north of Chile and then to Machu Picchu. I'm going with two teacher friends, Megan and Renee at the crack of dawn on Friday morning. We're flying up north to Calama, then going to San Pedro de Atacama for four days, where I cannot wait to experience a nighttime desert sky. Among the few things I miss about Lancaster, the night sky tops my list, so it'll be a rare treat. When Shannon was visiting, we went with Rafael out to the country for the weekend, where his aunt and uncle (Anita y Lauta) have a place. They took us on a little drive out to the middle of nowhere to see the southern cross and the sky was AMAZING, but Lauta insisted it wasn't anything compared to San Pedro. We'll see. There's an observatory that I want to check out, if the prices are reasonable. On top of stargazing, I'll head to Valle de la Luna (Valley of the moon), which is meant to be viewed at sunset to maximize the light display on the rocks. It's all supposed to be incredible. . .
On Monday we head out on our EPIC bus journey to Cusco. . . this I CAN wait for. I will say that in my other trips, the bus journey proved to be really rewarding when scenery was nice- even the hellish 13 hour trip to Mendoza that should've taken 8. We'll leave from Calama to Arica, the northernmost city in Chile. From there, we'll take a colectivo (taxi) across the border to avoid time constraints with a busload of people at the border. In Peru, we'll take a bus from Tacna to Arequipa, then transfer again to get to Cusco. I have no idea how long these trips are going to take and kind of dont want to. It is a oncce in a lifetime opportunity, so I'm thinking posetively. I know my butt will be sore and crying, not thinking in those terms, but for now I'm excited. Once we get to Cusco (I hope by Tuesday) we'll do some 'sploring there and on Friday we take the train to Machu Picchu. I know, I know, I talked a lot of smack about train riders, but 1: all permits for hiking were sold out until September and 2: it's beneficial for the trails. . . . We'll spend the night at a hostel just below the ruins on Friday, where I hope we'll enjoy an evening of natural hot tubbing while celebrating Megan's 30th birthday. On Saturday morning, we get to actually see the ruins, then head back to bus tour hell (or heaven, who knows). Please cross your fingers that none of us suffer from altitude sickness while traveling- if you pray, ask for our protection =).
I hope this finds you all well. To the Seattleites, I'm damn happy for your sunshine. . . FINALLY!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
I Heart Chile (sort of)
I recently talked to my mom for a while and was informed that she "thoroughly enjoys reading my blogs". I told her that she and my friend Renee seem to be the only ones who read it, and she reminded me that it's a great personal journal source and I should just write for myself, regardless if anyone else reads it. So in the spirit of remembering things 10 years from now, I wrote down some stuff that I'm totally missing in Seattle and totally loving here in Santiago. Hopefully,by December, my list of "things i'm going to miss" about Chile will have grown a bit. Here goes. . .
Things I love here: My roommates; the view from my apartment; my students; my boss; my new gringa friends; cheap wine; being able to use the preterit-FINALLY; being ogled by hot, 20-something year old Duoc students; ogling hot, 20-something year old Duoc students; Spanglish; speaking loudly about inappropriate subjects on the metro and NO ONE HAVING A CLUE!; my students; the very talented musicians on the Micros; the availability of ice cream; SOPAIPILLAS; deep fried hot dogs; terremotos; churrasco italianos; the price of produce; cookies; having the door opened for me every time I leave the building and come back home; being called “MEEZ!”; instant parties (parties start faster here than at Steve and Jaylene’s); empanadas
Things I hate: starers on the bus and everywhere else; line-cutters; being in a language bubble; impossibility of finding shoes in double digits (thanks mom. . . or dad??); five-step purchases (see previous blogs); never being able to split a freakin check at restaurants
Things I miss: Real coffee; real beer; my nieces and nephews; my potty-humor-enjoying friends; clean air; clean air; clean air; being assertive (well, not sounding retarded while being assertive); !!!!MEXICAN FOOD!!!; going out to breakfast; dim sum; walking Greenlake with Susan and Lily; telling stories to Ethan on my walk home from work; chatting with my mom on the way to work; having a lot of cell minutes to make such calls; being able to stop at Susan’s on my way home from work; only having a 15 minute walk to get to work. . . definitely don’t miss the work, though=); Tillamook extra sharp, aged white cheddar; goat cheese; string cheese (am I five?); Nancy’s plain yogurt; bulk bins at the Greenwood Market; last minute beers with Shannon; tennis and beers with Shannon; lazy Sunday mornings with cable TV at Bo and Mike’s; evenings around the fire pit at Bo and Mike’s or Amy and Rosy’s; (brace yourself). . . my cat, believe it or not!; aerobics with Shannon (believe it or not)
Things I’m going to miss: see above, under “things I love”
Things I love here: My roommates; the view from my apartment; my students; my boss; my new gringa friends; cheap wine; being able to use the preterit-FINALLY; being ogled by hot, 20-something year old Duoc students; ogling hot, 20-something year old Duoc students; Spanglish; speaking loudly about inappropriate subjects on the metro and NO ONE HAVING A CLUE!; my students; the very talented musicians on the Micros; the availability of ice cream; SOPAIPILLAS; deep fried hot dogs; terremotos; churrasco italianos; the price of produce; cookies; having the door opened for me every time I leave the building and come back home; being called “MEEZ!”; instant parties (parties start faster here than at Steve and Jaylene’s); empanadas
Things I hate: starers on the bus and everywhere else; line-cutters; being in a language bubble; impossibility of finding shoes in double digits (thanks mom. . . or dad??); five-step purchases (see previous blogs); never being able to split a freakin check at restaurants
Things I miss: Real coffee; real beer; my nieces and nephews; my potty-humor-enjoying friends; clean air; clean air; clean air; being assertive (well, not sounding retarded while being assertive); !!!!MEXICAN FOOD!!!; going out to breakfast; dim sum; walking Greenlake with Susan and Lily; telling stories to Ethan on my walk home from work; chatting with my mom on the way to work; having a lot of cell minutes to make such calls; being able to stop at Susan’s on my way home from work; only having a 15 minute walk to get to work. . . definitely don’t miss the work, though=); Tillamook extra sharp, aged white cheddar; goat cheese; string cheese (am I five?); Nancy’s plain yogurt; bulk bins at the Greenwood Market; last minute beers with Shannon; tennis and beers with Shannon; lazy Sunday mornings with cable TV at Bo and Mike’s; evenings around the fire pit at Bo and Mike’s or Amy and Rosy’s; (brace yourself). . . my cat, believe it or not!; aerobics with Shannon (believe it or not)
Things I’m going to miss: see above, under “things I love”
Two More Weeks
The end of the semester is now only two weeks away and while I'm really going to miss my students I am glad to get a break. WE've only had short ones since we arrived, so it will be nice to have that vacation mentality again- although, I can't complain. My hours allow for me to spend late nights shooting the shit with Rafael and a bottle of wine (or two, sometimes three), and meeting people for late dinners after classes. Definitely nothing like my endless hours at the Fokin' office in Greenwood =).
On top of prepping for finals and getting all the grades and make up quizes taken care of, I'm totally slammed trying to get ahead for next week. SHANNON'S COMING IN TWO DAYS!!!! Como se dice "Hallelujah!"? I was really excited, but I lack the ability to envision, so it wasnt until a couple days ago that it actually hit. I can't wait to hang out with her and laugh my ass off. . . as is always guaranteed in her presence. I feel lucky because my friends here are pretty understanding of my crazy sense of humor and I was really appreciating that about them recently (during a PMS-y/hallmark-y moment). So, fortunately I've not been deprived of great laughs in Santiago. Actually, I can say that laughing with my gringas has been my medicine, because there were certainly times when I wanted to go right back home.
Since she couldnt come after I was done with school, we're going to take a trip to the coast- Vina del Mar and Valparaiso (maybe go to the fancy casino in Vina, on the beach). Then, with our next two-day stretch we'll head to some smaller towns for a more "south american", small town feel. One, in particular, is called Pomaire and is supposed to be great for shopping- she can get it all out of her system in one day (i hope) and also for good traditional chilean food. Rafael's uncle has property outside of Santiago that I hear is really cool- we'll see about convincing him to take a couple a' gringas out of town.
I told Rafael about the fart machine that Shannon and I have so much fun with, and we're planning all kinds of schemes for after she gets here. I'm pretty excited to watch Flito-tito (rafael) flirt with someone on the metro as he cues me or Shannon to make the machine fart. We're also going to plant it under a couch cushion and let it rip when his fart-despising friend Patricio is sitting down. I have a feeling that Shannon, Flito and I are going to be the only ones laughing. Apparently farting is particularly gross here. ??? ha ha ha
It should be good times. I'll keep things posted. we should have some funny pictures and/or stories. These Chilenos won't know what hit them.
On top of prepping for finals and getting all the grades and make up quizes taken care of, I'm totally slammed trying to get ahead for next week. SHANNON'S COMING IN TWO DAYS!!!! Como se dice "Hallelujah!"? I was really excited, but I lack the ability to envision, so it wasnt until a couple days ago that it actually hit. I can't wait to hang out with her and laugh my ass off. . . as is always guaranteed in her presence. I feel lucky because my friends here are pretty understanding of my crazy sense of humor and I was really appreciating that about them recently (during a PMS-y/hallmark-y moment). So, fortunately I've not been deprived of great laughs in Santiago. Actually, I can say that laughing with my gringas has been my medicine, because there were certainly times when I wanted to go right back home.
Since she couldnt come after I was done with school, we're going to take a trip to the coast- Vina del Mar and Valparaiso (maybe go to the fancy casino in Vina, on the beach). Then, with our next two-day stretch we'll head to some smaller towns for a more "south american", small town feel. One, in particular, is called Pomaire and is supposed to be great for shopping- she can get it all out of her system in one day (i hope) and also for good traditional chilean food. Rafael's uncle has property outside of Santiago that I hear is really cool- we'll see about convincing him to take a couple a' gringas out of town.
I told Rafael about the fart machine that Shannon and I have so much fun with, and we're planning all kinds of schemes for after she gets here. I'm pretty excited to watch Flito-tito (rafael) flirt with someone on the metro as he cues me or Shannon to make the machine fart. We're also going to plant it under a couch cushion and let it rip when his fart-despising friend Patricio is sitting down. I have a feeling that Shannon, Flito and I are going to be the only ones laughing. Apparently farting is particularly gross here. ??? ha ha ha
It should be good times. I'll keep things posted. we should have some funny pictures and/or stories. These Chilenos won't know what hit them.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Reformed Chanchita
Many of you might not believe it unless you saw it, but I am a reformed slob. More so, I’m a borderline neat freak. Thanks to my roommate, I’m disgusted by clutter and dirty dishes. I was tolerant of his chanchito ways during the time he was employed, but now that he has no early morning wakeup calls and long hours at the office, I accept no excuses for the constant messes left in his wake. Strewn piles of dishes and newspapers, snack wrappers and empty beer/wine bottles have practically turned me into my sister Christine. I say practically because I at least wait until after eating my meals to clean up, but (unlike my old, living-alone self) I do clean up immediately. No dishes soaking in the sink for even an hour. No counter left unwiped. I used to make fun of Kathy for having a personal soundtrack of a swishing broom sound but now the noise applies to me, as well. It’s painful but I do try to hold out from cleaning up after him, and can usually last up to three or four days while crusty dishes accumulate in the sink. Elsa warned me not to give in because she’s desperately concerned about Rafael becoming accustomed to being a kept man, living with two tidy women. However, I am a cooker and there come times when I NEED the dirty dishes that sit in his pile so at times I break down. I was having people for Chinese dinner on Saturday and had three dishes to prepare, so I needed a lot of kitchen/sink space. Without thinking, I went ahead and cleared out the sink so the kitchen would be presentable when people showed, but since remembered a GIANT Rubbermaid container that Elsa sometimes uses to consolidate his disaster zones and hides in the laundry room. . . NOT E TO SELF, CAROL. Yes, next time, I will pull a Joan Willis/Elsa move and contain the wreckage. Elsa usually goes off on him about it, much like a bossy big sister, but she works long hours and isn’t around as much as I am. What I need is to learn some pestering phrases in Spanish so I can nag, nag, nag. But, when did nagging a man ever get me anywhere??
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