#bus – Up From Below

DIOS MIO!

Today is the 15th of November which means we are down to exactly ONE MONTH before my family comes to explore Patagonia and then whisk me back to the States. WHAT?! Simultaneously excited beyond belief and so incredibly sad that my time here is coming to a close. These last few days I’ve realized there are still many things on my list that I haven’t accomplished yet, so I am slowly but surely checking them off. The weather has just started heating up, so my first mission was to make it to the beach as many times as possible. I made this goal three days ago, and it’s been a lovely three days relaxing, and soaking up the sun (after finishing some homework of course). Also I live about 3 blocks from one of Pablo Neruda’s houses and I’ve just never mosied on up there to check it out. That will be happening this week. It’s crazy how you start out the semester thinking you have all the time in the world, but in the blink of an eye the whole experience happens and you’re left with three weeks to complete three 15-page papers, multiple presentations, normal exams, explore everything you haven’t gotten to see yet, soak in the last few weeks with your host family, and the list goes on and on.

Needless to say, this next month will at the very least be a complete whirlwind. On top of everything listed above, we have farewell dinners with the program and some last minute hangouts with Chileans we’ve gotten to know over the semester. Also, something I’m probably most excited for is my trip to Bolivia and Peru in the beginning of December!! It’s been one of my life dreams (just like almost everyone else in the world) to go see Machu Picchu, so of course that is one of the main stops during my 2-week adventure! For those of you who worry or wonder about my whereabouts here is a basic, rough outline of my upcoming trip. (It’s best not to plan these things very rigidly because sometimes things don’t go exactly as planned, like buses being canceled, etc. but here’s a pretty good guess)

MI AVENTURA:

December 2nd – Fly to Calama and then bus to San Pedro to wait for tour to Salar de Uyuni

3rd-5th: Tour Salar de Uyuni (Largest Salt Flat in the world located in southern Bolivia)

5-6th-Bus to La Paz and explore the capital city

6th- leave for Copacabana and Lago Titicaca (largest lake in South America), Isla del Sol posible?

7-8th bus from Puno, Peru to Cusco to meet up with our friends!

8-9th travel from Cusco to Aguas Calientes

10th-MACHU PICCHU!!

11th- Return to Cusco and check out other nearby ruins (Sacsayhuaman)

12th/13th-return to Valparaíso to quick clean, pack, spend some last few moments with my host family, say goodbye to friends, and get ready for my family to get here!!

I’m beyond excited to go explore these two countries and see more natural beauty as well as see monuments from the indigenous history I’ve learned so much about. And of course for all those unplanned moments that happen when you’re travelling. I wish I had more time to just mosey around and really get to know these places well, but the good news is that I have many years ahead of me and the privilege to come back one day. I don’t know if it’s the brilliant sunshine we have going on here at the moment or what, but my heart feels so full and I am feeling so incredibly blessed. I have had the best semester, and even though it wasn’t always filled with the easiest situations, I would not change one moment about it. What am I doing? It’s not even over yet, and I’m already speaking in past tense. Okay I’m done with the nostalgia for now, and will finish those thoughts in a month. But really, in the craziness that is life right now, sometimes I just have to sit back and realize how much growth has happened and the incredible process of becomming a part of a place. When I got here in July, I was just a slightly freaked-out gringa walking the streets of Valpo, but after four months or so, I feel like I actually live here. I run into people I know on the street (I’m talking Chileans here), have my little corners of the city that I go to when I just want to think about life, I know where they sell the cheapest strawberries and the cool pants. By no means do I own this city, but I feel as if I finally have found my groove. Just in time to leave, right? haha The small-town girl finally became a city-slicker..okay that’s pushing it.

Well I am off to go finish some homework so I can aprovechar (take advantage of) the sun and this beautiful weather we are having! Sorry to rub it in for all you folks shoveling snow at the moment. You are welcome to come visit anytime! (Well before December, that is!) I hope all is well with you wherever you may be in the world.

Ciao y besos 🙂

November 15, 2013November 15, 2013 by hannahsmith19 Categories: Chilean ExperienceTags: #bolivia, #bus, #calama, #chile, #Copacabana, #Cusco, #family, #isladelsol, #lagotitcaca, #machupicchu, #month, #peru, #salardeuyuni, #SouthAmerica, #travel, valparaiso Leave a comment

Caballeros y damas,

Here I am at the end of yet another amazing adventure feeling relaxed, rejuvinated, and having a hard time going back to reality. My Chilean reality, that is. This past weekend I traveled down south for the first time this semester to one of the most beautiful places on earth: Chiloé. I know I say that about every location I end up going to, but for real, this place was gorgeous. Just as I was beginning to feel slight pangs of homesickness for midwestern fall landscapes, rolling green hills, and dare I say it, COWS, just like that Chiloé was just handed to me like a sign from the heavens.

Let me start out by saying that this trip was one of the most rash decisions of my life. Some of my closest friends and I had heard about the beauty of Chiloé and knew it was famous for fish, being the largest Chilean island, and churches made out of wood. Other than this info we knew practically nothing. We bought our bus tickets to and from Puerto Montt (one of the biggest cities in the south, and our connection to Chiloé) and made sure we had a hostel for the first night. After those minimalist plans, we decided to just hop on that bus and see where it took us, literally and figuratively. I’ve always felt like the best excursions are the ones where you have very few expectations and no rigid plans. After this weekend, I am almost positive this is the best way to travel.

Everyone has been asking us how the trip was and all about what we did, and I have had a really hard time explaining it. Honestly nothing life-changing or earth-shattering happened there. It was literally a time to just break free of obligations, escape city life, appreciate some natural beauty, and eat some really dang good food! I don’t really know if I can entirely explain the beauty of Chiloé and I know it’s the worst phrase ever, but you really just had to be there. Pictures only do it justice to a certain extent, so really the best option is just for you all to fly down there and see for yourself what I’m raving about! But anyways, we got to tour the towns of Ancud, Castro (which is the capital of Chiloé), Dalcahue, Achao, and Cachao. Since I have trouble describing the beauty of the place, here are some of my top moments from this past weekend:

1. Biggest, best, and most barato (cheap) salmon I’ve had in my life. A woman on the street literally dragged us into her restaurant, and after a few minutes of apprehension we all sat down and hesitantly ordered from the menú. Needless to say the worries were totally uncalled for as our first meal on the island was INCREDIBLE and almost was reason enough for a return to Ancud before heading home at the end of the trip.

2. SHEEP. Hill upon hill covered with this glorious animal. Enough said.

3. Sharing once (Chilean tea time that somewhat replaces dinner) with the family that owned our last hostel. We got a chance to talk with them for a few hours about the south of Chile, their original homes in Patagonia, and exchange more Chilean phrases. I also got to sit by Carla who was their 10-year old daughter at both once and breakfast and she was awesome! We totally bonded over our love for manjar (delicious Chilean spread that has replaced peanut butter in my heart). These were some of the nicest people I have encountered since being in Chile, and I would highly recommend anyone and EVERYONE stay at their hostel. (message me if you want deets)

4. Walking through the Parque Nacional de Chiloé. The trees all twist above the path, and you actually feel like a hobbit walking through most of it. We explored nature to its fullest and we took the path less traveled at one point to try and reach the most idyllic sheep farm in existence. Seriously found my future retirement home: tucked in the side of a mountain, has a chimney (meaning fireplace inside) and surrounded by multitudes of sheep. What more could you honestly ask for?

5. Arriving at the Festival de Mariscos in Achao RIGHT as the curanto al hoyo was being served. What is that, you ask. Basically you put a whole sea of mariscos (seafood) in a hole in the ground, along with papas (potatoes), chorizo (sausage), and tortillas made from papas and you cook it for hours and hours. Little did we know Chileans had been waiting all day to eat this delicacy, as we just walked into the festival, saw the hole being opened, and got in line to try some delicious food! It was one of the many examples of how perfect timing and zero planning played to our advantage this weekend. It was quite the experience but I think my favorite was the reaction of the Chileans we asked if one of the tortillas de papas was a cow tongue. In our defense it was a lot spongier and darker than any tortilla or potato product we have ever encountered before!

6. Playing Egyptian Rat Screw outside of the bus terminal in Pedro Montt. Or as Kendyl calls it, Egyptian Rat Turd Slap Stew. Sometimes names are hard, I get it. It was the end of our trip, and we all just sat down on the sidewalk and started playing this card game, getting super into it, and laughing hysterically. The best part were the reactions of the Chileans walking by. Yes, it was a gringa momento, but it was a beautiful one at that. Perfect ending to a perfect trip.

Definitely can’t wait to return to the south soon. It’s actually a different world down there. I am so grateful I’ve gotten to explore most of the regions of this beautiful country. It never ceases to amaze me that the country that holds the world’s driest desert also is home to the greenest mountains and largest lake districts. It may mean traveling for days on end by bus, but man is it worth it! I’m taking a week off of traveling to actually get some work done for school, BUT then we have a break over Halloween weekend that has a multitude of possibilities in it. So much travel, so little time. Today I was talking with mis padres at once and mi padre mentioned that I have less than two months left here. We all got really silent and sad, so from there on out we agreed not to talk about it until the day of departure. It’s going by SO incredibly fast, and I am of course missing all my lovely amigos y familia back in the states, but I also can’t imagine what it’ll be like removing myself from this place that has become such a huge part of my life. For the time being I’m just going to aprovechar (take advantage of) my last few hurrahs here! No use in being sad, when it’s still happening! I hope all is well with you wherever you may be in the world.

Ciao y besos