Visitantes a Chile: Parte Uno

Versiculo de la Semana
"Recocijaos en el Senor siempre. Otra vez digo: Recocijaos! Vuestra gentileza sea conocida de todos los hombres. El Senor esta cera." Filipenses 4:4-5

Vamos a Valparaiso
Nearly a month has passed since the last entry, and Chris and I have been blessed to have friends and family visit us for the past four weekends. This means we have really been tourists and seen much of what Santiago and the surrounding region has to offer. Our first adventure was with Mike and Carolyn, and as soon as we picked them up from the airport the four of us were off to the famous port city of Valparaiso, a little over an hour outside of Santiago.

A little history: As Chile was being settled by the Spanish and other European groups, Valparaiso was the main harbor and home to the Chilean Navy. It became an important trading harbor, especially during the time of the California Gold Rush (Daughter of Fortune, or Hija de la Fortuna, is a great fiction book by Chilean author Isabel Allende that takes place during this era). Unfortuantely, after the construction of the Panama Canal, Valpo was not as essential and started to fall into a bit of decay. However, it has maintained it's vibrant architecture and unique charm. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2003 for "it's exceptional testimony to the early phase of globalization in the 19th century, when it became the leading merchant port in the sea routes of the Pacific coast of South America."

Our weekend started with a tasty dinner along one of the narrow streets near our bed and breakfast, where Mike and Carolyn enjoyed their first Pisco Sour.

The view over the port in the evening was truly stunning, and of course my camera couldn't quite capture it, but you can get a small idea for how large the bay is. Chris and Mike were analyzing all the dry docks, ships and boats in the harbor and figuring out the mechanics of them all.

Saturday morning we woke up to a great breakfast at Puerta Escondida, a restored old home that now serves as a bed and breakfast. We were given a map to help us navigate the winding streets and staircases of the city, as well as help locate some of the many ascensores, or elevators. Our first ascensor was built in 1889, and is STILL functioning. Of the four of us in the small elevator, two may have screamed when it started to descend :)

We wandered the port for awhile, took in the sights and smells of a fish market, admired the naval offices, and then took another ascensor to the top of a different cerro, or hill. Valparaiso has over 40 different hills, each covered in a colorful array of houses.

At the top of the hill was the Naval and Maritime Museum, housed in the former Navy school. Chris and Mike especially enjoyed the weapons and canons on display, as well as the explanation on the War of the Pacific. Brief history on that: from 1879-1883, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia were all at war over border disputes. Because Chile had such a superior army at the time, they were able to push back Bolivia so they no longer had access to the sea, and they gained more territory from Peru as well (including rich mining regions). Now I understand some of the animosity between Chileans, Peruvians, and Bolivians. Chile has since prospered with a wealth of natural resources and a strong army and navy. Bolivia is now the poorest country in South America. I will admit, I felt a little sheepish as a history major to be learning about this war for the first time in Chile.

From the museum, we wandered the streets and admired the art, graphitti, winding roads, and views on our way to lunch at Cafe Tutti.

We continued to admire the different alleys, passages, and viewpoints around the city, stopping of course for a well deserved ice cream after all those steps and hills.

Of particular fascination to all of us was the way in which the telephone wires were attended to. Please appreciate this gentleman on a ladder to fix the wires.

That afternoon, we decided to take the coastal road into the neighboring city of Vina del Mar, which has beautiful sand beaches, high-rise condos, and rocks waiting to be explored.

Of course, getting to the beach was an adventure in itself!

As you can see above, Chris wanted to be sure I had an up-close experience with the cold Pacific waters (though the weather is relatively warm, the water is like Puget Sound or colder, since the currents come from Antarctica). After the sunset, Carolyn and I were inspired to exercise on one of the many machines available along the beach. The Chilean government has similar exercise machines all over parks in Santiago as well. Public health is of great importance! The picture is blurry, as was the moment (the movements are quite comical).

That evening we decided to dine at an Argentianian steakhouse. Perhaps the blood-sausage was our greatest mistake, as Mike grew very ill and had to stay in bed for much of the following day. While he rested, Carolyn, Chris and I took a few more walks around the city.

As you can see we stopped and (attempted to) take a picture in front of the Lutheran Church of Valparaiso. It wasn't recognized as a church for nearly one hundred years (due to Chile having a strong Catholic influence) but now is a landmark of the city.

Once Mike was on the mend, we decided to visit the city of Vina again. I had seen some bikes that were for four people and thought they would be so fun to rent and ride along the boardwalk. I was shocked to find out they were only $8 per unit for a half an hour, then we all realized that was perhaps the worst $8 we spent. We only lasted about 15 minutes on the rickety bikes with rather flat tires, and we likely could have gone faster walking. However, the laughs and memories were somewhat priceless.

En la Ciudad
Monday and Tuesday, Mike and Carolyn and I were super-tourists of Santiago, and likely walked miles and miles to see all there is to see of the city. We took a few walking tours, which were informative for me and brought me to new areas, such as La Vega. La Vega is a giant market just north of the center of the city, and there you can find any type of fruit, spice, vegetable, meat, or fish. The stands have been owned by families for generations, and many people make a Sunday tradition of coming to the market to purchase what they would need for the week. It was a place filled with sights, smells, sounds, and colors.

We stopped for some very traditional Chilean snacks of Mote con Huesillo, which is like a grain with dried peaches and cold peach juice. It may sound strange, but it is hugely popular and quite tasty! We also ate Empanadas de Pino which, like all traditional empanadas, included an olive, hard-boiled egg, and raisin among the meat and onions.

Near the market, there was a Pergola de Flores, which is a flower market that specializes in flowers for cemeteries and gravesites. There was also a church nearby, and it is very common for Chileans to frequently visit the graves of their loved ones to place wreaths and adornments of fresh flowers.

The second part of our tour took us through more traditional areas of downtown Santiago, and stopped for a break at a cafe. I ordered "cafe helado" which I thought meant iced coffee, and Carolyn followed suit. We were in for a real treat when we found out that it really meant coffee with ice-cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. No wonder the waiter shook his head and looked confused when I asked if he could put some soy milk in my "cafe helado."

Near the Gabrial Mistral Cultural Center, there was a chalk wall where people could write their wishes before they die. "Antes de morir..." means "Before death..." It was interesting, humbling, encouraging, and depressing all at once to read what people had written. The message along the top, "que me mujer me ame de nuevo" means, "that my wife would love me again." It's a wall of hopes and desires that causes one to stop and contemplate the many situations, struggles, and triumphs we find ourselves in.

The next day, we continued exploring the city, including the neighborhoods of Brasil and Yunguay, which were once the wealthy barrios of Santiago. We enjoyed a tasty lunch outside, and walked around Parque Quinta Normal, a huge park featuring museums, play feilds, and a pond.

After some city exploration, Mike and Carolyn went to wine country for a few days, and Chris and I went back to our routine of work, teaching English, and cooking in our tiny kitchen. When they returned from wine country, we packed up the car and headed to the mountains!

Farellones y Cabalgatas
About an hour outside of Santiago is the small town of Farellones, which can be reached by a series of 45 switchbacks. This picture (found online since we never took one ourselves) demonstrates a small slice of those many switchbacks. We did them at night, so didn't have a full scope of the height or drop, which perhaps was all for the best.

We arrived at the mountain cabin that we would be renting, and it was quite cold. Chris and Mike were able to build a fire, and our puppy friend Pirata kept us company as well.

The next morning, we discovered that we were in the middle of the Andes mountains. These cabins are usually used for the various ski resorts in the area, so imagine the mountains covered with snow. The pictures can't capture how the mountains seem to go on and on, they are impressive.

Chris had arranged a horseback riding trip through the mountains for us, and eight hours later we returned, having experienced the Andes up close, and having learned a great deal about horses. It was an incredible and memorable adventure, one that could only happen in Chile. As you will see in the pictures below, our horses were small but scrappy, their colts came with us, and we traversed a variety of mountain terrain.

We reached a "laguna" to rest for awhile. There were some Chileans camping out, which was rather brave since the winds were fierce and it was quite cold at that altitude. Chris tried to feel the water, but ended up falling through some ice. Thankfully only one foot was soaked. There were wind breakers set up around the area, and we all huddled down in one for a rest.

That evening, after a wonderful sunset, we enjoyed barbeque, played dominos, shared some delicious Chilean wine, and replayed the events of the day (including Mike getting kicked by a horse). Overall, it was a memorable Andean experience, and we were thankful to share it with friends from the states. Carolyn mentioned that she would have never gone to Chile had we not been there, and she loved the experience. So, those of you who are perhaps wary of South American travels, let that be a testament that this is truly a worthy place to visit :)