General Impressions of Chile

All I can say about this vacation is that it was simply wonderful and relaxing! I really enjoyed Chile--it is an extremely beatiful country, with diverse landscapes, and developed infrastructure. The Chilean version of the Spanish language was a bit hard to understand, with tons of slang and double-meanings, but by the end of the trip, I was able to navigate the language better. Most of the people we encountered were very friendly, and this, in combination with delicious food and magnificent mountains, made it an unforgettable trip.

Finally, the penguins

Well, on my last full day I got to see the penguins.

However, I must start from the beginning. We went to the early service at Sarita's church, which is part of the Vineyard denomination. After the service, we decided to have another completo (reminder: Chilean hotdog with various condiments). We were also hoping to get it from this one place that had been highly recommended to us. However, it turns out that Sunday in Santiago is a day-off for many eateries...I was about to pass out from hunger, but we walked for over a mile to find this particular hot dog place, and all to no avail. In the end, we decided to settle for another completo place, which turned out to be great. After finishing off with some delicious ice-cream and Chilean desserts, we embarked on a journey to the Zoo.

The Zoo is on a mountain overlooking the whole city, and various animals are located on various levels so you have to work to get to see some exciting creatures. After seeing some regulars (elephants, tropical birds, and other cute savannah animals), we finally reached the long-awaited place: the penguin area. Oh my gosh, I don't think I could ever describe the feeling of seeing these absolutely cute little birds who were chilling in the afternoon sun, swimming, and waddling around. It is hard to find words to describe this experience: in addition to their utmost cuteness, they were also very fun to watch---diving for food, playing in the water with an empty water bottle, just sitting watching the people, and being pushed over by the seagulls who were stealing their food. The pictures speak for themselves.



After about 30 minutes, we decided to see what else the Zoo had to offer, even though in my heart I just wanted to remain at the penguin area. We saw beautiful swans, cool-looking camels, sleeping polar bears, and some other animals. The other exciting thing was to see a white tiger: at first, he was just laying in the sun resting, but since it was getting close to supper time and there were many people hanging out by the fence, the tiger suddenly got up and started angrily walking back and forth right by the fence...and since the fence did not look too solid and the tiger looked clearly annoyed and ready to eat, we sort of backed out and decided to go somewhere else before becoming tiger food:).




Before the Zoo was closed, we decided to see the penguins one more time. This time they were mostly out of the pool, huddled together for the night. The ones that were more of night owls were still swimming; one took his time deciding whether or not to jump into the pool (after about 20 minutes, he decided not to go for it). We also saw a quick penguin fight, even though it resolved amicably.

After a very exciting evening, we decided to go home and pack (after buying some penguin souvenirs of course).

Concha y Torro

After sleeping in (reminder: a major late-nighter the night before), we got a call from Lisa saying that we would be heading to a nearby vineyard which was also in my desired to-see list for Chile. It turned out that the one that we went to called Concha y Torro is one of the oldest and most famous vineyards in Chile. This brand of wine is also known around the world. They have several vinyeards around Chile where different types of grapes are grown to make different types of wines.

Entrance to the vineyard

This particular location (in the cordillera near Santiago) is famous for its red wines, especially the Casillero del Diablo line. The legend has it that Don Concha y Torro, a Spaniard who started this vineyard, quickly became successful with his wine so the bottles began to disappear from his cellars. Suspecting his workers, he invented a rumor that one of his underground cellars was haunted by the devil...since then, not a single bottle disappeared.

Me in the Casillero del Diablo

Anyway, after snacking on some delicious empanadas, we began our tour of the vineyard. We walked around the gorgeous gardens lush with trees and bushes. We also went to the actual vine plantation, but since it is early spring, the trees were bare. We then proceeded to the cellars, including the one formerly inhabited by the devil, which was re-enacted for us. What I really enjoyed is learning about how wine is produced, processed, and stored, and is supposed to be drunk: almost right away we were handed a glass for the wine tastings, so beginning with white wine, we tasted several kinds of red wine, all of which made Sarita and I a bit giggly and wobbly:), but we utterly enjoyed ourselves and the tour.

Touring the vineyard and tasting the wine



Vine trees


Wine cellar

Santiago

Friday was our day to tour around Santiago. However, the adventures of the previous days had tired us out, so we spend the morning and part of the afternoon lounging around and napping. In the afternoon, we decided to finally go to the center of Santiago to look at some historical buildings. Our attempt to visit the Museum of History was futile since it was closed to renovations. After surveying the main plaza, we went inside the main cathedral. I have definitely seen many of them, but this one had a certain air of grandeur. We then walked a couple of blocks to the White House, the seat of the Chilean government. It was a site of the military coup on Sept 11, 1973 that brought Pinochet to power. We even walked by the outside door through which the dead body of Salvador Allende was carried out after the coup---he committed suicide once he realized that Pinochet's forces were taking over.

Later in the evening we took a bus to a fancy part of Santiago with a gorgeous mall which reminded me of a luxury shopping center in the US...it even had an Apple store. From where our friend Lisa picked us up and took us to her apartment where we were reunited with the rest of the Benetton crew. We ordered sushi and drank expensive Chilean wine...until about 5am!!! It was almost sunrise by the time we got home.

Chilean Coast

Just a day after the arrival from the south, we headed west...to the coast of Chile. Since the country is long, but very narrow, it only took us a few hours. Our principal goal for the day was to reach Algarrobo...a small village where there was an island where a clan of Humboldt penguins (or pajaros-ninos) have settled some years ago. Of course, for those who know me, I had pretty much become obsessed with seeing them.

Well, before we reached Algarrobo, we had an unexpected, but a welcome detour....we stopped at Isla Negra where Pablo Neruda spent a good number of his writing days. We visited his house to discover that he was really a lover of the sea and all nautical things judging by his collection of ships in a bottle, conch shells, maps, and other sea-related things. His desk was in a room overlooking the Pacific ocean (hm, I think I could be a great poet myself if I lived there). His grave was also there, along with that of his third wife.


Our next stop was Algarrobo....our excitement was building up, but was bitterly crushed when we got to the beach and realized that there was not a single boat that could take us to the penguin island since the local fishermen decided to take a day off after working the long holiday weekend. The matter was complicated by the fact that, even though the island was connected to the mainland, that part of the beach belonged to a private yacht club. Our last hope was to try to convince the guard to let us on the island...however, it was to no avail. We tried to climb the nearby hill and try to search for the penguins through our 12x zoom cameras, but we couldn't see any penguins. After inquiring around, we learned that since it was getting warmer and warmer (beginning of spring in Chile), the penguins were already underwater. Oh well, there was still the Santiago Zoo. In any case, we really enjoyed Algarrobo.

Our next stop was Valparaiso, the seat of the Chilean parliament and an important port. The city was distinctly different from Santiago and to Sarita and myself had a strong resemblance with La Paz with its hills and narrow streets. We visited the harbor, had a delicious lunch during which I even tried some sea critters, and visited several lookouts to see the whole city.



The last stop of the day was another coastal city Vina del Mar and its suburb, a beautiful beach called Renaca. We could smell the ocean in the air and enjoyed watching the huge waves crushing against the shore.

Trip to the South: Day 4

Finally, we get to relax and shop!!! We spend the morning hanging out with Elsie's family, looking and copying pictures from each others' cameras (about 2 gigs of them), and reminiscing about the adventures of the previous days. We then set off to Pucon, where we walked around, enjoyed a craft fair (and by enjoying I mean spending money), and finally, I had a completo. A completo is a special Chilean hotdog, made with a longer bread bun, sauerkraut, avocado, chopped tomatoes, and onions. I have been dying to try one since I got to Chile, so I finally had one (followed by some of the most delicious ice-cream).

But the adventures of the day were not over yet. We spend the evening chatting and packing, and then several of us went over to the house next door to visit Elsie's grandmother. Little did I know that I was being "conveniently removed" while there were party preparations underway for my own birthday...with all the excitement and adventures of the trip, I completely forgot about my birthday. When we returned from the grandmother's house, the house was dark, and when we walked in I realized that it was a surprise party for me!!! They had cakes and hors devours and lovely presents. It was truly one of the most memorable birthdays Ive ever had.



The next day was spent journeying back to Santiago...because we had left early, we were able to avoid all the traffic. Of course, upon getting back to Sarita's apartment, we simply crashed.

Trip to the South: Day 3

Monday was a more relaxing day. We slept in, chatted, and then set off to tour other nearby lakes and volcanoes. The first lake and volcano we saw was in another cute town. We then spent the whole day driving around the picturesque countryside, acting more Japanese than ever, and enjoying the lakes and volcanoes the names of which I cannot remember now. Many of these names are of indigenous origen---the south of Chile is Mapuche territory, an indigenous group that was not conquered and subdued by the Spanish. At one point, we were at a place where we could see one of the craters of the Volcano Villarica and were only about 70km away from Argentina---we could see the cordillera that separated the two countries. We also stopped by an outstanding country bakery and had the most amazing desserts (thought of you, Meg).




On the way back home, we stopped to take one more look at our favorite lake and volcano Villarica and despite the cold, were greatly rewarded by magnificent sunset views.

Trip to the South: Day 2

This was the busiest and the most eventful day of the trip to the South. We left the house after a delicious country breakfast (oh yes, there was country bread!), we headed off to Pucon, a nearby ski resport city. All the buildings were made of wood and it a unique style, with Volcano Villarica in the background. Of course, I have never been to Colorado, but Pucon had a feeling of Aspen or another ski resort, with numerous cute restaraunts, outdoor gear stores, and hotels.

On the way to Pucon, we stopped in the town of Villarica that is located on the bank of the lake Villarica and the volcano Villarica. It was still pretty foggy, so we couldn't see the top of the volcano, but we were still mesmerized by the solemnity of the lake and the volcano

Another detour we took on the way to Pucon was actually to climb the magnificent volcano Villarica. It took the poor 4x4 a while to climb up, but when we finally reached the mid-point where we planned to take a look, it started snowing. Yes, I know that I don't quite like snow, but it was something magical to be standing on a volcano looking at a pristine crystal blue lake and have the soft snow flurries falling down around you. It was still clouded when we got there, so we couldn't see the volcano, but for about 2 minutes it cleared up, so we were able to take pictures.


When we were almost ready to leave, we decided to see if we could take a ski lift up to the top....we succeded, and were rewarded by a beautiful ride that almost conquered my fear of heights.

However, what was waiting for us at the top was even more breathtaking---an amazing view of the lake, surrounding mountains, warm lunch, and another pleasant acquantaince: while surveying the surroundings and acting like the Japanese in Disney World (aka clicking a million pictures), we saw a snow patrol vehicle with a patrol dog. He was soo serious and official looking that we couldn't resist and asked his owner to snap some shots. The dogs name was Dante; he condescendingly allowed us to take some pictures and pet him.



We had a pleasant descent down to the parking lot enjoying the view of the top of the volcano.



We ended the day at the hot springs/thermal baths relaxing and warming up. After eating in Pucon, we went home to rest and recover.

Trip to the South of Chile: Day 1

So, on Saturday morning, the Benetton team was assembled: as in a true United Colors of Benetton commercial, our team was quite international: me, a Russian; Sarita, a Bolivian; Elsie, a Chilean; Lisa, a Paraguyan/US citizen; and Gustavo, a Paraguyan. Now, briefly about how the team came about: Elsie is Sarita's friend from church, Lisa is Elsie's friend, and Gustavo is Lisa's friend (and Im of course Sarita's friend). This is the team that traveled together for almost the entire week.

To back-up a bit: we were supposed to leave for the South really early, but Sarita and myself went out to eat the night before (night of my arrival) and talked till late at night, so we snoozed as long as we could in the morning, so when we got a phonecall from Elsie that they were close to our apartment, my mad packing skills kicked in....I left Sarita with an open mouth when I started throwing both of our things that I thought might be even remotely of use to us into my suitcase. The result was that in about 20 minutes we were packed, ready to go, and even had managed to have breakfast.

Upon meeting the rest of the Benetton team, we embarked on what turned out to be a 12-hour drive down to Pitrufquen, the home of Elsie's family. The reason this trip that usually takes 8 hours took this long was because it was a holiday weekend for Chile (Independence Day), and most inhabitants of Santiago leave the city for the picturesque South. Despite the numerous hours of traveling and several long traffic jams, we had fun listening to music, talking, getting to know each other, and bonding. We were rewarded by the sight of the snow-peaked volcanoes and mountains, and beautiful green lush fields with happy hereford cows peacefully grazing in the setting sun. Upon getting to Elsie's parents' house, we were greeted with a warm fireplace, delicious supper, and a welcoming family.

Daily Trip Recap

So, Im finally back on the US soil and slowly recovering from the trip. I had an amazing time in Chile, visiting Sarita, meeting really cool people, touring the country in a Honda, tasting Chilean wine, and hanging out with the penguins. Below is a day-by-day recap of the trip with some pictures.

Eventful vacation

From Sat morning until Wed afternoon we were in the South of Chile visiting a family of Sarita´s friend Elsie. Each day was full of adventures and good food. Yesterday we went to the coast and visited several coastal cities, including la Isla Negra, where Pablo Neruda spent a great deal of his writing time. I have taken an enormous amount of pictures, but those along with the updates will have to wait until I get back home...on Wed night, we accidentally spilled soup on Sara´s computer...needless to say, it is not usable and with an undecided fate at this moment. The remaining days will also be busy with touring Santiago, a day trip to a nearby vineyard, and more good food and fun times.

Im here

So, after a somewhat eventful flight (delays due to the unexpected Hurricane Humberto), I have arrived in Santiago. I spent all day resting and trying to recover from a cold that appeared on the morning of my departure. My friend Sara who Im visiting here had things to do at her university, so she should be coming home shortly so I can get my first taste of the city.

Overall, my first impressions of Chile are very positive. Despite the treatment that I received at the Chilean consulate in DC and the fact that I simply cannot understand what the Chileans are saying (they talk too fast), I was right away impressed by how organized, clean, and developed the city is. In fact,Chile has now been recognized as the 37th most developed nation in the world and is on its way to becoming the 1st first-world country in Latin America. Since it is early spring, it is pretty cold, but the sun shines brightly during the day making up for low temperatures. Tomorrow we are off to the Lakes District. Im not sure what the internet situation there would be, so I might be out of touch for several days (gasp).

Chile: Back to South America

On Thursday I will be leaving on a long-awaited vacation in Chile. I cannot wait since I not only have always wanted to visit this beautiful country, but will get to see this girl:

She was part of the family that I stayed with in Bolivia, and is now living in Santiago getting a Master's Degree in Dentistry. Both of us share a passion for discovering new places, so we are planning on going to several areas outside of Santiago and will finalize our plans once I get there. Who knows, I might even get to see the penguins!