Whoo okay so I got up early just to get a spot on the hostel computer so I can leave you guys an update of what has been going on!
Colin and I have just returned from Parque Nacional Torres del Paine where we hiked and camped out for the last 5 days. And man, it was INTENSE! So much hiking and moving around it wasn´t even funny. BUT, we ended up completing the W trek, a very popular trek that takes you through some of the most beautiful parts of the park in 4-5 days. You can see a map of the full circuit and the W here: http://www.i-needtoknow.com/paine/maps/index.html. Anyways, it was an absolutely spectacular and challenging experience for me and I´m so glad I did it. Honestly, the first two days were so rough for me with my body getting used to the weight of my pack and walking all the time that I almost gave up. But I didnt and we made it!! Such a big accomplishment for me. And man, was it GORGEOUS. Such a unique and beautiful landscape. The lakes are all a beautiful crystal blue with super green valleys and huge snow capped glaciers. I cant wait to show you guys pictures!
Other than that, Colin and I spent our first few days in Santiago just sort of touring around. I took him to see a few things that I had already done like Cerro Santa Lucia and a few museums. I also took him to the two hippest neighborhoods and we spent some time walking around them. Other than that we just took it easy and found things as we went. Colin stumbled upon a cool little museum while we were walking near the Plaza de Armas so we went in there and looked around. We also visited Pablo Nerudas house in Bellavista: La Chascona. So now I can officially say that I have seen all of his houses in Chile.
Then we flew down south to Punta Arenas where we hung out for a day and a half mostly just to rest and ready ourselves for the park. We did some walking around and found an awesome little restaurant downtown that served amazing seafood. I´m not usually a seafood lover but I was converted here! And, we also went on a day tour to Las Pinguineras, a nearby farm that is situated near the coast where you can go and see Magellanic Pinguins. They were so cute!! But there weren´t that many and overall I thought the tour was too overpriced. But, whatever.
We just got in to Punta Arenas once again last night and we will be leaving this afternoon to go back to Santiago. We still need to go to the grocery store and do our laundry before we head off so I´m going to get going now. Next up: Easter Island. This should be interesting . . . can´t wait to tell yall about it!
Love you guys!! Be well. Have a very Merry Christmas!!!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The time has come . . .
We've finished our exams, packed our bags and said our goodbyes. My school days in Chile are officially over!! Its been a very fun and emotional couple of days trying to spend time with Sara and Nathalie before they left. They've been such wonderful friends to me and they were a huge part of making this trip so memorable for me. I am very happy to have met them and I look forward to seeing them again soon!!
Meanwhile, Colin arrives tomorrow! I've gotten a transfer all set up to take me to the airport bright and early. Needless to say I am super excited to see him. Being away from each other has been a little hard at times (even though I think we've both managed it super well). Skype is awesome but seeing him in person will be even better!!
I've got some pictures from the last couple of days here in Santiago. They are from our goodbye dinner that we had last week.
Group photo: our Track 3 class and our awesome professor, Jaqueline
Me, Sara and our buddy Tim
The girls and I with our Spanish professor, Jaqueline
The girls and I with our friend Maya
Vino!! :)
Also a couple photos from Algarrobo the other weekend:
We made friends with the owner of the restaurant and he wanted to be in our group picture haha
And one more from an asado a couple weekends ago:
Like I said before, I will be doing my best to keep ya'll updated on our activities. We will spend the first few days in Santiago visiting the museums, markets and all of that. Then we will head south on the 15th and thats when the fun really begins!! I don't think I will be able to share pictures though since I won't have my computer with me. But I will post them when we get back.
I hope you all are well! Love & miss you all lots!!
Meanwhile, Colin arrives tomorrow! I've gotten a transfer all set up to take me to the airport bright and early. Needless to say I am super excited to see him. Being away from each other has been a little hard at times (even though I think we've both managed it super well). Skype is awesome but seeing him in person will be even better!!
I've got some pictures from the last couple of days here in Santiago. They are from our goodbye dinner that we had last week.
Group photo: our Track 3 class and our awesome professor, Jaqueline
Me, Sara and our buddy Tim
The girls and I with our Spanish professor, Jaqueline
The girls and I with our friend Maya
Vino!! :)
Also a couple photos from Algarrobo the other weekend:
We made friends with the owner of the restaurant and he wanted to be in our group picture haha
And one more from an asado a couple weekends ago:
Like I said before, I will be doing my best to keep ya'll updated on our activities. We will spend the first few days in Santiago visiting the museums, markets and all of that. Then we will head south on the 15th and thats when the fun really begins!! I don't think I will be able to share pictures though since I won't have my computer with me. But I will post them when we get back.
I hope you all are well! Love & miss you all lots!!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Almost done!
Day 1 of exams done, only one more to go! I'm soo ready to be done and start preparing for Colin and I's big vacay. He will be here in FIVE DAYS aaaaaah!! I'm so excited!!
Meanwhile, I'm still waiting to get pics from the lovely Nathalie from our activities over the last few days, but she did share some pics with me from our desert trip that she took. I'm going to post those now and post the rest later this week.
Hope ya'll are well!
Meanwhile, I'm still waiting to get pics from the lovely Nathalie from our activities over the last few days, but she did share some pics with me from our desert trip that she took. I'm going to post those now and post the rest later this week.
Hope ya'll are well!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Things are wrapping up here . . .
Hola de nuevo mis gringitos!! Como estan?
Everything is going pretty well here. I only have one more day of school and then I am free to prepare for my finals exams (which are all on Mon and Tues). I've only got one more little essay to complete and then its really just study, study, study!
I had a great time in Algarrobo with the girls last weekend. The town itself is absolutely gorgeous. And, its still low season there so there wasn't really too much going on. We stayed in a really nice residencial (a mixture between an inn and a hostel) and we had a good time. We ate, read, relaxed and drank wine. Pretty good if you ask me!! I absolutely love Chilean wine. It is so cheap and delicious. Plus, they have a type of red wine here called Carmenere which is native to Chile. Its so delcious!
Meanwhile, the girls and I went out last night as sort of a going away dinner. The 3 of us met with our friend Maya to go and check out a really awesome Spanish restaurant here in Santiago. We drank some Sangria and ate delcious Spanish tortillas- yummm! Tonight, there is a cena de despedida (going away dinner) being put on by the study abroad program. Pretty much the whole group of us is going to be there. There will be all the usual eating and drinking, plus a picture show, nomination of superlatives and maybe some talents too! Its going to be interesting . . . Then, tomorrow we are having a party in my Spanish class complete with food and drinks. We've also each selected un amigo secreto (pretty much the same think as secret santa in the US) and we are getting each other little gifts! Friday night the girls and I are having a wine night with our Chilean friend Daniel. We are each going to pick one of our favorite wines and spend the whole night drinking and talking :)
So, I've got a lot going on right now. And pretty soon Colin will be here (only a little over a week) and we will be heading off on our adventure!! I've going to go ahead and put our itinerary on here so you guys can see what we have planned. I should have internet access throughout our trip (except when we visit Torres del Paine) so I should be reachable through email and I will be trying to blog with our experiences and pictures.
Dec 12- Colin arrives in the morning. We will go to the hostel and spend the next two days touring around Santiago.
Dec 15- Flight to Punta Arenas arrives in the afternoon. We spend the next day touring around Punta Arenas.
Dec 17- Early morning bus to Puerto Natales. This trip takes roughly two hours. Then, we will take another bus to Torres Del Paine National Park. There, we check in and spend the next 5 days in the park.
Dec 22- Leave the park in the late afternoon/evening and catch a bus back to Punta Arenas.
Dec 23- Flight to Santiago. We will arrive in Santiago in the evening and spend the night in the airport.
Dec 24- Flight to Easter Island in the morning. We spend the next 5 days exploring the island.
Dec 29- Flight to Santiago. We will arrive in the evening and stay in a hostel.
Dec 30- Early morning bus ride to Valpariso. We spend the next three
days celebrating New Year's and relaxing in Valpo.
Jan 2 - 5: Early morning bus to La Serena. We spend the next three
days touring around the coast.
Jan 6- Back to Santiago where we leave for the US!!! I will arrive in RDU around 12:30PM on Jan 7th.
Thats all for now! I will post pictures sometime this weekend so keep your eyes peeled. Love ya'll!
Everything is going pretty well here. I only have one more day of school and then I am free to prepare for my finals exams (which are all on Mon and Tues). I've only got one more little essay to complete and then its really just study, study, study!
I had a great time in Algarrobo with the girls last weekend. The town itself is absolutely gorgeous. And, its still low season there so there wasn't really too much going on. We stayed in a really nice residencial (a mixture between an inn and a hostel) and we had a good time. We ate, read, relaxed and drank wine. Pretty good if you ask me!! I absolutely love Chilean wine. It is so cheap and delicious. Plus, they have a type of red wine here called Carmenere which is native to Chile. Its so delcious!
Meanwhile, the girls and I went out last night as sort of a going away dinner. The 3 of us met with our friend Maya to go and check out a really awesome Spanish restaurant here in Santiago. We drank some Sangria and ate delcious Spanish tortillas- yummm! Tonight, there is a cena de despedida (going away dinner) being put on by the study abroad program. Pretty much the whole group of us is going to be there. There will be all the usual eating and drinking, plus a picture show, nomination of superlatives and maybe some talents too! Its going to be interesting . . . Then, tomorrow we are having a party in my Spanish class complete with food and drinks. We've also each selected un amigo secreto (pretty much the same think as secret santa in the US) and we are getting each other little gifts! Friday night the girls and I are having a wine night with our Chilean friend Daniel. We are each going to pick one of our favorite wines and spend the whole night drinking and talking :)
So, I've got a lot going on right now. And pretty soon Colin will be here (only a little over a week) and we will be heading off on our adventure!! I've going to go ahead and put our itinerary on here so you guys can see what we have planned. I should have internet access throughout our trip (except when we visit Torres del Paine) so I should be reachable through email and I will be trying to blog with our experiences and pictures.
Dec 12- Colin arrives in the morning. We will go to the hostel and spend the next two days touring around Santiago.
Dec 15- Flight to Punta Arenas arrives in the afternoon. We spend the next day touring around Punta Arenas.
Dec 17- Early morning bus to Puerto Natales. This trip takes roughly two hours. Then, we will take another bus to Torres Del Paine National Park. There, we check in and spend the next 5 days in the park.
Dec 22- Leave the park in the late afternoon/evening and catch a bus back to Punta Arenas.
Dec 23- Flight to Santiago. We will arrive in Santiago in the evening and spend the night in the airport.
Dec 24- Flight to Easter Island in the morning. We spend the next 5 days exploring the island.
Dec 29- Flight to Santiago. We will arrive in the evening and stay in a hostel.
Dec 30- Early morning bus ride to Valpariso. We spend the next three
days celebrating New Year's and relaxing in Valpo.
Jan 2 - 5: Early morning bus to La Serena. We spend the next three
days touring around the coast.
Jan 6- Back to Santiago where we leave for the US!!! I will arrive in RDU around 12:30PM on Jan 7th.
Thats all for now! I will post pictures sometime this weekend so keep your eyes peeled. Love ya'll!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
To all my wonderful friends and family . . .
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
I hope you all had a great day together. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to celebrate with everyone :(
But, I'm off to Algarrobo tomorrow (a Chilean beach town). We changed our plans because Mendoza was turning out to be a little too expensive.
Until next week- que esten muy muy bien!!
I love and miss you guys!!
I hope you all had a great day together. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to celebrate with everyone :(
But, I'm off to Algarrobo tomorrow (a Chilean beach town). We changed our plans because Mendoza was turning out to be a little too expensive.
Until next week- que esten muy muy bien!!
I love and miss you guys!!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
VIVA ARGENTINA!
Hola todos!!
I'm ready to share some photos from Argentina!! I honestly didn't take very many because on the second day a pick-pocket tried to steal my camera on the metro and I was nervous about bringing my camera out after that. Luckily, a man saw the girl in the process and slapped her hand away from my bag. Then he started yelling at her and everyone was staring. I barely had time to react before she slinked off and got off the metro completely. Thank god for that man or I may not have had a camera anymore!
Except for that instance, Buenos Aires was fabulous. Probably my favorite city in South America thus far. Its so big and beautiful- the color and the architecture is so eye catching and different. Plus, its cheap and the food is to die for! The only thing I didn't like was the Argentinian accent. To me, they have some of the worst Spanish I have ever heard. I know Chilean Spanish is certainly nothing to brag about but in my opinion it is better than Argentinian Spanish. I couldn't understand half of what they were saying because the accent is so different. They also use "vos" instead of "tu" which changes all the conjugations I've gotten used to over the past 3 months. I really just didn't like it at all.
Anyways, we pretty much took the normal tourist track during out time there: we saw the government buildings (including La Casa Rosada), we traveled to different "posh" neighborhoods such as San Telmo, Recoleta, Palermo, etc. We also visited La Plaza Italia and the Zoo. We mostly just spent a lot of time walking around and discovering new places, etc. We also visited quite a few markets. Unfortunately, we never made it down to Puerto Madero or up to Tigre, so I would definitely love to return to Argentina some day and do a lot more sightseeing and traveling. Plus, I'd love to visit Cordoba, Salta and Iguazu Falls. The girls and I actually have plans to head over to Mendoza next weekend as a sort of good-bye trip/Thanksgiving celebration. Its only a 6 hour bus ride from Santiago and I've heard Mendoza is great.
On to the pictures!
A beautiful tree in Barrio Recoleta
La Casa Rosada
El Congreso
Statue in Plaza Italia
Another statue in Plaza Italia
Entrace to Zoologico Buenos Aires
Couple dancing the Tango in San Telmo
I'm sorry I don't have more to share with everyone!! I will try to get some pictures this weekend in Mendoza.
Today there is an asado to celebrate Franco's 6th birthday. Since most of you don't know, Franco is the grandson in my host family. His mother is my host sister, Lorena. So we are going to be celebrating with him this afternoon. The girls and I have also been invited to a party tonight by a friend of a friend. Next weekend we will be in Mendoza and the week after that its time to pack and get ready for finals. They will be leaving on Dec 10th and 11th to return to the US. And I will be staying here to begin my next adventure! They have been amazing friends to me and I know we will all keep in touch when we get back to the US. We've had so much fun here together and I am going to miss them a lot. But, I am already looking forward to a reunion with them sometime next year!
Tomorrow I will be getting back to work to finish the last of my assignments before finals. Que esten muy bien!!
I'm ready to share some photos from Argentina!! I honestly didn't take very many because on the second day a pick-pocket tried to steal my camera on the metro and I was nervous about bringing my camera out after that. Luckily, a man saw the girl in the process and slapped her hand away from my bag. Then he started yelling at her and everyone was staring. I barely had time to react before she slinked off and got off the metro completely. Thank god for that man or I may not have had a camera anymore!
Except for that instance, Buenos Aires was fabulous. Probably my favorite city in South America thus far. Its so big and beautiful- the color and the architecture is so eye catching and different. Plus, its cheap and the food is to die for! The only thing I didn't like was the Argentinian accent. To me, they have some of the worst Spanish I have ever heard. I know Chilean Spanish is certainly nothing to brag about but in my opinion it is better than Argentinian Spanish. I couldn't understand half of what they were saying because the accent is so different. They also use "vos" instead of "tu" which changes all the conjugations I've gotten used to over the past 3 months. I really just didn't like it at all.
Anyways, we pretty much took the normal tourist track during out time there: we saw the government buildings (including La Casa Rosada), we traveled to different "posh" neighborhoods such as San Telmo, Recoleta, Palermo, etc. We also visited La Plaza Italia and the Zoo. We mostly just spent a lot of time walking around and discovering new places, etc. We also visited quite a few markets. Unfortunately, we never made it down to Puerto Madero or up to Tigre, so I would definitely love to return to Argentina some day and do a lot more sightseeing and traveling. Plus, I'd love to visit Cordoba, Salta and Iguazu Falls. The girls and I actually have plans to head over to Mendoza next weekend as a sort of good-bye trip/Thanksgiving celebration. Its only a 6 hour bus ride from Santiago and I've heard Mendoza is great.
On to the pictures!
A beautiful tree in Barrio Recoleta
La Casa Rosada
El Congreso
Statue in Plaza Italia
Another statue in Plaza Italia
Entrace to Zoologico Buenos Aires
Couple dancing the Tango in San Telmo
I'm sorry I don't have more to share with everyone!! I will try to get some pictures this weekend in Mendoza.
Today there is an asado to celebrate Franco's 6th birthday. Since most of you don't know, Franco is the grandson in my host family. His mother is my host sister, Lorena. So we are going to be celebrating with him this afternoon. The girls and I have also been invited to a party tonight by a friend of a friend. Next weekend we will be in Mendoza and the week after that its time to pack and get ready for finals. They will be leaving on Dec 10th and 11th to return to the US. And I will be staying here to begin my next adventure! They have been amazing friends to me and I know we will all keep in touch when we get back to the US. We've had so much fun here together and I am going to miss them a lot. But, I am already looking forward to a reunion with them sometime next year!
Tomorrow I will be getting back to work to finish the last of my assignments before finals. Que esten muy bien!!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Past due for an update . . .
I'm sorry for keeping ya'll waiting for so long with this update. Things have been crazy busy since I got back. Seems like my teachers saved all my homework and assignments for the last month!! I am still in shock that I only have 2 more weeks of class left before finals. I can't even believe how fast the time has gone by!! Everything here is still going really well. I've been feeling a little bored and stir-crazy lately though. Probably because I've been stuck in the apartment working more than I would like to. Plus, I'm honestly just getting sick of Santiago. Its so expensive and everyone just does all the same things here that you can do anywhere else in the world- movies, restaurants, clubs, etc. I'm definitely ready to go and see some of Chile's real treasures aka Patagonia, Easter Island, and La Serena! Less than a month now until Colin comes and we start our adventure!! YAY :)
Meanwhile, I've got FOTOS to share. I'm going to share my fotos from San Pedro today and later on this week I will post my pics from Buenos Aires (which I have a lot less of), deal?!
So, a little bit about San Pedro de Atacama: this town and commune is located in El Loa Province east of Antofogasta and southeast of Calama. It has grown, over centures, around an oasis in the Atacama desert. The Atacama is one of the driest places on Earth, and is virtually sterile because it is blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes mountains and the Chilean Coast Range. The town lies at an average altitude of 7,900 ft and visitors often experience mild altitude sickness (I didn't have any problems except shortness of breath while climbing). In the past it was found that the town's water supply is naturally contaminated with high levels of arsenic (60 times the WHO recommended maximum for any ET peeps reading this)! Many people say the indigenous people have developed a tolerance to this metal and drink the water with little to no ill effects. Not really sure I believe that though. This area is also home to some of the largest volcanoes of the Los Andes cordillera.
Today, San Pedro's population is about 2,500. The main economic activity is tourism followed by small farming. The town itself is a very small area of restaurants, shops, tourist agencies and hotels/hostels. There is also a small archaelogical museum, a small central plaza, a clinic as well as a church and a few banks as well. The town is the main "hopping off" point to see many of the most popular sights in the north of Chile including El Tatio geyser field, La Valle de la Luna, el Salar de Atacama, Chaxa Lagoon, Puritama Hot Springs and many others.
Our first excursion was to see Quitor, a beautiful pre-hispanic fort and the breathtaking Valle de la Luna afterwards.
We also visited the small towns of Toconao and Camar, as well as Los Flamencos National Reserve (where Chaxca Lagoon is located). We also visited a small monument in the middle of the desert that marks the Tropic of Capricorn and part of the Inca Trail.
We also happened to be visiting this area when the Day of the Dead was being celebrated. These pictures are from the cementary in Camar. As you can see, it is a very special day and a lot of time and energy goes into decorating before the celebration. It was really beautiful to see!
During my trip we also visited the Puritama Hot Springs which was quite a treat. But, I didn't even dare bring my camera there for fear of it getting wet.
Meanwhile, I will post pics from Buenos Aires soon. Enjoy these for now!
Meanwhile, I've got FOTOS to share. I'm going to share my fotos from San Pedro today and later on this week I will post my pics from Buenos Aires (which I have a lot less of), deal?!
So, a little bit about San Pedro de Atacama: this town and commune is located in El Loa Province east of Antofogasta and southeast of Calama. It has grown, over centures, around an oasis in the Atacama desert. The Atacama is one of the driest places on Earth, and is virtually sterile because it is blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes mountains and the Chilean Coast Range. The town lies at an average altitude of 7,900 ft and visitors often experience mild altitude sickness (I didn't have any problems except shortness of breath while climbing). In the past it was found that the town's water supply is naturally contaminated with high levels of arsenic (60 times the WHO recommended maximum for any ET peeps reading this)! Many people say the indigenous people have developed a tolerance to this metal and drink the water with little to no ill effects. Not really sure I believe that though. This area is also home to some of the largest volcanoes of the Los Andes cordillera.
Today, San Pedro's population is about 2,500. The main economic activity is tourism followed by small farming. The town itself is a very small area of restaurants, shops, tourist agencies and hotels/hostels. There is also a small archaelogical museum, a small central plaza, a clinic as well as a church and a few banks as well. The town is the main "hopping off" point to see many of the most popular sights in the north of Chile including El Tatio geyser field, La Valle de la Luna, el Salar de Atacama, Chaxa Lagoon, Puritama Hot Springs and many others.
Our first excursion was to see Quitor, a beautiful pre-hispanic fort and the breathtaking Valle de la Luna afterwards.
We also visited the small towns of Toconao and Camar, as well as Los Flamencos National Reserve (where Chaxca Lagoon is located). We also visited a small monument in the middle of the desert that marks the Tropic of Capricorn and part of the Inca Trail.
We also happened to be visiting this area when the Day of the Dead was being celebrated. These pictures are from the cementary in Camar. As you can see, it is a very special day and a lot of time and energy goes into decorating before the celebration. It was really beautiful to see!
During my trip we also visited the Puritama Hot Springs which was quite a treat. But, I didn't even dare bring my camera there for fear of it getting wet.
Meanwhile, I will post pics from Buenos Aires soon. Enjoy these for now!
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