Hasta marzo!

Hi everybody!

This will be a quick post, as I just want to talk about yesterday and today and then give you a general overview of my itinerary for my February travels.

Yesterday, I slept in and took my time waking up. I had some breakfast and then basically got lost on the Internet, skimming blogs about other Chile travelers, finding some Chilean music to listen to, and searching for events going on in Santiago. I stumbled upon something about a used book fair near the Plaza de Armas here (the place with the HUGE Cathedral, if you recall). So, I wrote down the address. I was waiting around for Laura and Caitlin to call, as I thought we were going to meet up and do a little shopping, but they didn’t call, so I finally just left. I wanted to buy a book to take with me on my travels, and I remembered that I had seen many bookstores all clustered together in one area in Providencia, so I just got on the Metro and went. It was a lovely Saturday afternoon and there were less people on the streets and in the stores, and I spent about an hour or so milling about in bookstores. Then, as I had my nose stuck in a book, I detected some English-speaking nearby. I soon realized I knew that English speaker: it was Josh! We lamented the fact that we were overwhelmed with books we wanted to buy but were short on funds for these purchases. Then, I told them about the used book fair, and—much to my delight!—Josh agreed to accompany me.

It was a gem. Picture about ten different rooms full of tables piled high with books. Or, to phrase it differently, picture my Heaven. It was wonderful! We spent a few hours roaming around, and (needless to say) I made some purchases. I bought a Pablo Neruda book, featuring his love poems and sonnets, and I also purchased three stories—Como agua para chocolate, which is quite well-known (though I haven’t yet read it), Love Story (in Spanish!), which is a perfect go-to book for days when you just need to cry, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (also in Spanish), because it’s basically my favorite book ever and I think it’s at about my reading level in this language. I also purchased two posters, one of which is a picture of Valparaiso and the other which is a picture of “dos hermanas” (two sisters) by an Ecuadorian semi-Cubist painter. I like them a lot.

After the book fair, Josh and I had dinner at Hanna’s with her family. It was delicious! She had made a yummy salad with mozzarella, tomato, and basil, and I pretty much ate the whole thing. The Chileans didn’t seem as excited about it, but it was the best thing I’ve eaten here so far. Good work, Hanna! We sat and chatted for a long time at the dinner table, as is customary here. Hanna’s family is SO nice—her mom is super loving and generous, her sister and cousin are extremely friendly and sweet, and her sister’s 4-year-old daughter, Martina, who also lives with them, is precious and wise beyond her age. Hanging out with them was a lot of fun. Afterwards, we watched half of “The Reader” and half of “Revolutionary Road” on the computer. This was not our idea; we were headed to Blockbuster when Pia, Hanna’s Chilean cousin, hooked us up with this website with “free movies.” We didn’t finish them because they kept buffering in the middle of a scene, but now we’re halfway through TWO very new movies and the suspense is probably going to kill me (even though I read The Reader and know what happens next, at least what happened next in the book).

I slept at Hanna’s because it was late and it’s a safe option (her mom had offered). Then, I got up early and took the Metro home in the morning when it started running again. I changed and ate some breakfast and then left my house again, this time to meet Hanna again, along with David and Josh, to head to Mass. We didn’t just go to “ordinary” Mass, though—we went to Mass at the church atop the highest hill in the city! This is Cerro San Cristobol, the hill with the statue of the Virgin Mary (of the Immaculate Conception) which can be seen from pretty much all of Santiago. The hike up the hill was a good work-out, and we got some lovely views. Mass was wonderful—I loved the church itself, and the music and priest were excellent too. And the statue and view from the top were well-worth the climb. I can’t wait to do it again, as there is a gigantic zoo about halfway up (Molly, this is the one I told you about!) and I definitely need to make a half-day stop there. It’s a lovely area, and there were tons of people biking and running (yes, RUNNING up the hill!) and it was a perfect Sunday afternoon activity.

I was exhausted afterwards, and I came home to shower, have lunch with Gladis, Carolina, and María José, and Skype with a few people. I talked to Katharine and Brittany this afternoon, and it was wonderful to hear from both of them. Soon, it was time to head out again: this time to Basic Bar, the place we watched the Inauguration, for another gringo celebration—the Superbowl, of course!

The place was PACKED but we managed to place an order and get some burgers, beer, and wine. It was wonderful to just hang out and watch the game (though I left during the third quarter to take the Metro home), and I got to talk to some girls who studied with our program last semester and are here for their second semester (they love it here). They gave us some advice and inspiration, and although at this point I think it’s unimaginable to be in that place where I’d want to stay here for a whole year, it’s exciting to think that they liked it that much. I hope I will too.

I came home and talked to my parents tonight for quite some time, which I enjoyed. Thank goodness for Skype—it isn’t perfect, but it’s keeping me connected to many people I love. Tomorrow, I’m leaving for the beginning of our month-long vacation, most of which will be spent traveling. We’ll be taking an evening bus to the city of Pucón (about 11 hours south of Santiago), where our adventures will begin. I’ll be checking in regularly, though not daily, to let you all know I’m alive and well. I’m beyond excited about our travels. The opportunities we’ll have, the people we’ll meet, and the things we’ll see have been in my mind for a long time, and it’s so fantastic that it’s finally time to start this adventure. Below is our itinerary, as of now, for those of you who are interested and/or want to follow along. I sent a more detailed version to some of you via email, so I’m sorry about the repetition if you received that message. Please know that you’ll all be in my thoughts and prayers during my travels. I’ll miss the close relationship I’ve developed with this silly little blog project, but I’ll have MUCH to say when I return!

Itinerary:

February 2: TRAVEL DAY. Santiago--> Pucón (bus)

3: Arrive in Pucón at 6:45a.m

Activities in Pucón & Villarrica: climbing Volcán Villarrica, rafting, hot springs, hiking, horseback riding, canyoning!

4: Pucón/Villarrica

5: Pucón/Villarrica-->Valdivia (bus)

Activities in Valdivia: market, boat tours, art museum, brewery, hiking

6: Valdivia-->Puerto Montt (bus); Puerto Monttà Chiloé (ferry)

Activities in Chiloé: hundreds of historic wooden churches, hiking, kayaking, shopping, relaxing, & more

7: Chiloé

8: Chiloé--> Puerto Montt

9: Puerto Montt--> Punta Arenas (flight); stay in PA or bus to Puerto Natales

Activities in Puerto Montt: market, some shopping, museums, exploring, Puerto Varas visit

Activities in Puerto Natales: various boat tours, cave visit, hiking, and just exploring the town

10: Puerto Natales--> Torres del Paine national park (bus)

Activities in Torres del Paine: hiking the famous “W” route—seeing the Torres, Cuernos, and hiking Glacier Grey!

11: Torres del Paine

12: Torres del Paine

13: Torres del Paine

14: Torres del Paine--> Punta Arenas (bus)

Activities in Punta Arenas: boat to Isla Magdalena (penguin colony!!), perhaps a hike, & whatever else sounds exciting

15: TRAVEL DAY. Punta Arenas--> Ushuaia (bus)

16: Tierra del Fuego national park

Activities in Ushuaia & park: getting passport stamped “end of the world,” day hikes, kayaking Straits of Magellan?

17: Tierra del Fuego national park

18: TRAVEL DAY. Ushuaia-->Punta Arenas (bus)

19: Punta Arenas--> Santiago

20: Relax & Rearrange in Santiago

21: Organize trip north

22: Leave for La Serena/Elqui Valley

Activities in La Serena: tour of and hiking in the lovely Elqui Valley, astronomy observatories, water sports, & relaxing

And the rest is TBA.

Approximate Return Date to Santiago: March 1^st or 2^nd.

And with that, friends and family, I am going to leave you for awhile. Take care of yourselves, and send me updates about how you’re doing in the next few weeks. When I check in at Internet cafés and such, I’ll be more than delighted to receive your messages!

Amor y abrazos, hasta marzo! (Love and hugs, until March!)

Amanda