Hola los de Friolandia....
I decided to 'aprovechar' the long weekend we just had in observance of Labor Day. And when I say take advantage of, I mean it. We had school off this past Thursday and Friday, so I decided to leave on my vacation two Tuesdays prior. For those I just confused, we didn't have school the 1st and 2nd and I left on the 22nd of April.
First stop was Viña del Mar to visit the girls that accompanied me to Argentina about a month ago. Due to Clare's (my friend from Montana) high tolerance and her landlord’s generosity, I was able to stay with her for free.
When I arrived, Clare took me to the local farmers market to buy food for the week. I was a bit overwhelmed in the beginning, but ended up leaving with bundles of fresh fruit and vegetables without much money spent. I was then introduced to the Viña lifestyle as we proceeded to drink wine and watch the sun set over the pacific. Clare lives atop a hill in Viña with an amazing view of the ocean and the city below. Before the jealousy of her lifestyle could set in, we were off to a discotech in Valparaiso. Valparaiso is an important port city in Chile. It has very cool architecture using the whole rainbow of colors. It is built on the side of a hill like San Francisco and shares the same kinds of vibes. This night we did not explore much of Valparaiso, but I got a better introduction a few days later.
Viña del Mar is a touristy city that hugs the Pacific Ocean. In the summer, it is filled with people from all over the world. Although there were not many tourists while I was there (out of season) it was very evident that the town caters to them. McDonalds, the mall and other things gringo were seen everywhere.
I must note that for each city I have spent time in here in Chile, the experience has sorta been defined by the type of transportation utilized. For example, in Concepcion, I walk almost everywhere. I have only ridden the bus one time and a colectivo two times. In Viña it was defined by riding in colectivos. (Colectivos are like taxis but they follow a certain route.) We also rode some micros, but due to where Clare lives, high up on the hill, it’s either walking or taking a colectivo. It was an adventure getting around when I was alone in Viña. For example, one night Clare stayed in and I went out parting with Laura (the other friend that went to Argentina.) At the end of the night and probably a little too much pisco drank, I found myself jogging down the side walk in Viña until I happened across the necessary colectivo…
Viña was super fun and I was hosted excellently.
The next stop was Santiago. I arrived on Monday the 28th. I have two Chilean friends whom studied at the UM last year. I again was lucky to stay with one of them for free. I had originally planned on staying in Santiago for only a couple of days and then head to Argentina, but for a combination of reasons that did not happen. However, my friends showed me a great time. One night, we went to the house of my friend Paulo's cousin for a BBQ and party. Much to my surprise the party ended having a DJ and about 100 or so people show up. It was like a disco in this back yard. It was alot of fun, however, I got asked about 50 times if I was cold because I was wearing my sandals. It’s hilarious. I have noted this before, but the Chileans are not very resistant to a little cold. The rest of this night, when ever asked where I was from I would respond 'Friolandia' because apparently wherever that is, it’s colder than Chile.
At the end of the week, Clare came over from Viña to join me in my gringo invasion of Santiago. We scoured the whole city. In Santiago, the time was defined by riding the metro (subway). Clare and I rode that thing all over the city, getting off at random stops and walking the streets. I told her I was the tour guide and that I always knew where we were. hehe We passed the days beating the streets and then danced the nights away. Clare, being a much practiced dancer in various disciplines is obviously very good. I, being a gringo white boy with no rhythm am not so good. However, I do love to dance and I’m certainly not afraid. So, that coupled with Clare's ability we were able to have some fun.
Because I did not know exactly when I was going to be returning to Concepcion, nor from what point, I did not buy my return ticket until Saturday, the day before I came home. Being as it was a holiday weekend there were not many options. So, I ended up buying the bus equivalent of a first class plane ticket because that was all that was available. (The long distance bus industry is quite large and popular here. There are many companies and three levels of service. The most basic or 'clasico' is just a normal bus with normal greyhound type seats. The next level is semi-cama, and then full cama. Cama means bed. Anyway the semi-cama and cama flavors are usually on the same bus. The semis are on the second level of the double deck and the fulls are on the first level. The semi is basically a regular seat that reclines a little farther and has a leg rest thing you can pull down so that your lower legs are supported. The full is a bigger seat and really soft, much like a first class seat on an airplane. It reclines almost all of the way and also has the leg support thing.) So, I rode in high comfort back to Concepcion watching movies and sleeping!
I had a great time over the past two weeks discovering all types of new things in my new country. I hope all is amazing on your end too. I think about you guys often and I appreciate your support. Abrazos y besos para todos. Chao!!
D
Ps. Check out the following photo album of the adventure….
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