Happiness

Everything is just so fantastic. The hostel we´re staying in now used to be a house and the architecture is amazing. It´s got high ceilings, beautiful crown moldings,and multiple courtyards. There is plump grey dove living in one of the courtyards and it has been very entertaining to watch it build its nest. It´s essentially a live version of Planet Earth. I got to witness the drama of an intruder. Apparently when doves are territorial they puff out their chests and extend their wings and hop in the direction of the intruder. The intruder, in turn, does the same. They get really worked up and tired out so they take rests in between bouts of pecking. They get so worked up that saliva falls out of their mouths every so often. I will happily report that the little dove defended his/her home beautifully. It was a quite fascinating and enjoyable way to spend the morning.

Shortly after the bird fight, Nora and I left the confines of the hostel to wander around downtown Santiago. Overall it´s a fairly clean city, although it varies from neighborhood to neighborhood. The area we´re in now is nothing special but it has some really incredible buildings. There are a lot of beautiful, bright colors and plenty of interesting shapes. It was utterly pleasant.

As for this afternoon we´re going to go to El Museo del Arte Precolumbiano which is supposed to be really good. And then we´re going to meet up with some of Nora´s Middlebury friends who are also studying in Chile.

The Calves

Ladies and gentleman I regret to inform you that when I return you might not recognise me. In fact, I doubt you will even be able to see me. Not to worry though, in my place you will find two giant calves. Yes, that´s right, after all of our excursions the only thing that´s left of me are my two giant calves.

Every step I take in the city, on our way to the beach, or through the vineyard I feel a residual soreness in my lower legs. This in part has to do with the lugging of luggage around town, up stairs, and up onto bunkbeds. I am never quite rid of the feeling of soreness becuase just as they begin to recover, we go on another epic hike or find ourselves stuck at the bottom of a valley with the only exit being millions of stairs under the light of millions of stars (not too bad when you consider that hot springs were the reason we ventured into the valley). The sum of all this though is that my calves have doubled\tripled\quadrupled in size which will be bad for recognition but good in terms of winning the speed walking olympics.

Pretty Chilly

Right now we.re in Pucon and it.s unseasonably cold. It.s been raining here off and on far a few which is super extrano. Due to the foggy weather, Nora and I are headed back up North to the big city that is Santiago (a third of all of Chile.s population live in and around it!). We had an opportunity to go hakie up the top of the snow covered volcano here but due to money and time issues we decided not to go and Im so glad we did since it.s all cloudy again today. Instead last night we went to an incredible hot springs and hour outside the city. They are called Los Pozones and it was really incredible because it looked like god was shining light through a tightly knit piece of navy blue fabric. The stars were so brilliant. I can.t remember the last time I saw that many stars. It was very cool.

¡Hasta luego!

Trading Plans For Dreams

Right now Nora and I are living on Cerro Castillo (Castle Hill) in a quaint little hostel. The owner is name Patricio and this hostel is both his business and his casa. Patricio has inspired to one day turn mi casa into a hostel. What better way to meet people from all around the world and return the favor of the kindness I've experienced while traveling to the world? The hostel is located in Vina del Mar which is two hours away from Santiago and roughly twenty minutes away from Valparaiso, the San Francisco of Chile. Both cities are litered with "mini bus"- 18 person buses that scury about the cities, bringing Chilenos to and fro. the mini bus is the best and the worst thing in the world. They are the best thing because they're very efficent and effective and they perferm a very important job. They are the worst thing in the worst though for me and Nora because they rarely take us where we want to go (on the first try anyways). "Vas a Vina?" we soon found out means many things. "Vas a vina del mar?" we attempted a more thourough question. Again, failure. "VAS A WINA DEL MAR?" We yell from now on "A RELOJ DE FLORES? ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE ARTISTS BEACH AND DOWN THE HILL FROM THE PINK CAFE? PLEASE TAKE US HOME!" And so we'll see where that takes us tomorrow.

Still though, despite the fact that we rarely end up where we'd planned on going- ConCon instead of Huron, Plaza Vina instead of Vina del Mar, Pajaritos instead of Mora- we've never had a bad time. On the countrary, we always discover something great- dilicious Pisco Sours, a small quiet beach or a beautiful view of the lights of Vina during an enjoyable ride through the hills of Valparaiso. I think that's the best part of going into your vacation with few plans beacuse whatever you get is always an adventure and never a disappointment.

On that note, I am happy to say that I have found the first farm I'm going to be staying on. I was starting to panic knowing that Nora would be going to start studying in a little over a week and I still have nowhere to go. A few farms looked promising but it just wasn't working out. So I picked up my thick wwoof list, covered in marks, stars, exclamation marks, and thick red lines crossing out farms that are too far away or just not what I'm looking for and as I held it in my hand I asked it to give me something good. Please let it work out, I hoped. And so I told Nora it was time I stared calling the farms that I wanted to go to but that hadn't responded to my emails. Nora sat on the edge of my bed offering moral support as I dialed. I took a deep breath and pressed send. For any of you who don't know, speaking a foreign language is hard enough, but speaking a foreign language on the phone is about five times harder. There is no body language to pick up on, no gestures to read, it's harder to pick up on verbal cues and just generally more overwhelming. All of that coupled with the fact that the Chilean accent is fairly difficult to follow made me very nervous. I had no idea what to expect, so I was shocked to find out that I understood exactly what Adriana was saying and even better, she was in Vina for the day and wanted to meet up.

Adriana is Argentinian and living on an avacado farm in a valley between Santiago and Valparaiso. She says there is not much work to do with the avocados- paltas, as they're called here- but that on a farm there is always plenty of work to do. She was very honest with me and told me that she's distrustful of North Americans becuase in her experience they are cold and flaky people. I'm looking forward to give her a different view of them. She's eager to help her wwoofers learn Spanish and equally eager to learn about where they're from. She lives by herself and gives yoga lessons on the weekends. She seems incredibly kind and warm and I can't wait to get to know her more!

Hasta proxima,
chao,
Isa

Two Gringas Too Much Luggage

Nora and I both agree that we brought way too much stuff. At the same time though, we agree that we brought practically nothing, especially when you consider how long we're going to be here. If nothing else, my huge backpack and Nora's medium sized but very stuffed suitcase, offer free entertainment for any Chileans. Watching us navigate the small, beautiful sidewalks is like watching a dolphin swim in the Rio grande- yes they can do it, but it's clumsy and clearly not their natural terrain. And while I'm sure watching us cracks the Chileans up (I know it does because I heard people laughing), it's also pretty funny for us too. It's impossible not to see the hilarity in watching (or being) a petite gringa with a giant backpack attempt to stay upright as the Santiago metro car throughs her around. Or as she tries to fit on a "mini bus" without maiming fellow passengers. And besisdes the entertainment value, having to walk around with that backpack on only makes me more grateful for all the times I travel without it. "I can fit anywhere!" I want to shout. "I can run if I want to!" (It's hard enough for me to stay upright with the pack on, let alone run). Thankfully though, now that we're in Vina del Mar, a popular vacation spot for Chileans during the summer, we're not the only tourists. People have even approached us asking for directions or for the nearest pharmacy. I flip my hair dramtically and say, "Ah, well I have no idea, but I appreciate it greatly that you think I would!" Really though all we do is shake our heads and say "lo siento." And we do feel sorry because we know how it feels to be lost in a strange city. I comforted by the fact though, that everyone always gets where they need to go.

Santiago Dia Dos

Heaven, heaven, heaven, oh my gosh I,m in heaven!
Even though we,ve done relatively little in this city so far, I,m totally in love. February, supposedly, is the month where the city clears out because all Santiagans are off in other places having their vacations. In March everyone will come flooding back. Meanwhile, Nora and I will mosey about babysitting thier city while they,re gone.

We read in our guidebook that Santiago is one of, if not the, safest cities in South America and it feels like they,re right. While it,s certanly a busy city, it feels generally relaxed. Mothers and sons, daughers and fathers, novios and novias and friends walk hand and hand or arms linked. It is the most endearing thing I,ve seen in a while. Lovers will spend long periods of time sitting on a bench hugging. They,re in no hurry, just content to sit and be together. It,s a beautiful thing. And even more impressive when you consider how freaking hot it is here. It is the strangest thing to dive head first into another season. When we left ABQ it was snowing and here it is hot and humid and (thankfully) breezy. The atomoshphere here is notably thinner than in most places which allows for incredible star gazing. It also means that there is more intense solar radiation. That basically translates to it feels like the sun is eating through to your bone. Okay it,s not that dramatic but it,s a scary thought.

There is a large Japanese population here which means that there is a lot of delicous sushi. Nora and I are on our way now to taste it. Then we,re off to Bellavista which has a lookout where you can see all of Santiago.

¡Hasta Luego!

¡Chicas Me Estan Sorprendindo!

Well considering we have no clue what we´re doing things are going pretty well! We´ve made it safe and sound and Santiago is even more beautiful than I expected. As if things weren´t good enough, there is a community guitar in our hostel. And thanks to a generous friend, I will be able to whip it into shape using my pitch pipe!
Things are looking good,
more later,
xo
Lissie