Protecting Chile's Ecological Resources

Over the course of my trips through this beautiful country, if there is one thing I realized, it's how amazing and often abundant Chile's natural resources are. However, it goes without saying that it doesn't take much to tip the scales in the opposite direction.

During my time working for the University of Chile's Law School's Center for Environmental Law, I've been exposed to a great deal of literature and research concerning the preservation of these natural resources. Though I realize that this is hardly interesting for most people, I cannot express how important it is for us to be conscious of the ecosystems in which we exist. I have noticed that the average Chilean lacks a great deal in their understanding of protection and conservation. 

Chile is a country torn between two worlds. On one side, Chile is the only country in Latin America to have a Ritz Carlton hotel, and will soon host a W hotel. Though this seems inconsequential, take into account that the various other Spanish-speaking nations in Central and South America don't have them. Chile also has more car brands than any other country, with the majority of these extra brands being luxury names. Within a ten-minute-walk radius of my apartment, there are three Starbucks'. In this way, Chile is very much emulating an American style of life and culture. However, on the other hand Chile has a large working and lower class that struggles to make ends meet. Here's an excerpt from a recent article in the Latin American Herald Tribune, an English newspaper dealing with a variety of Latin American issues:

"...The study found that the top 20 percent of Chile’s 17 million people receives upwards of 13 times more in income than the bottom fifth. Chile’s economy is also characterized by high unemployment and a proliferation of hiring on short-term contracts that further undermines job security, the ECLAC document says."

You might be asking what all this has to do with the environment. My answer is everything. I believe that many Chileans and Chilean policies are ignorant of conservation issues because the general view is to bring about economic improvement and advancement at the expense of anything else. The same can be said for Chile's energy policies; the HydroAysen project to build new dams in the South will have long-lasting and irreversible side effects on that ecosystem. Many support the project saying that the most important thing is for Chile to become independent in supplying its own energy; these people either do not care about the environment or simply are ignorant of those  effects. 

Here is an excellent article describing the salmon farming industry's effect on the southern lakes in Chile. Chile is one of the worlds largest producers of farm-raised salmon, and because of this, that industry has a great amount of power here among the citizens and the government. This is a perfect example of economic motives curtailing conservation efforts.

Now, why am I ranting on and on about this. Today I read an article detailing how various species throughout Chile are suffering (read it here). I was most impacted by the last part of the article discussing the status of Flamingo's in the Atacama Salt Flats. The article details how over 2,000 chicks died in their shells after their parents could not stay there for lack of food due to an unnaturally hot summer. This is a high number considering that there are only about 40,000 Andean flamingos living in the wild today.

In any case, I thought that as I am coming to the end of my stay here I might try and communicate a little of what I have learned during my time here. If you have been following my blog, you now have a proper frame of reference with which to read these articles and understand these issues. I hope you find this information interesting and that it might make you think about the world you live in. It is important that we take nothing for granted and that we continue to spread the word about these types of issues.

Weekend in the North, Part II

Balancing in the wind like a flamingo in 

the middle of the expansive Salar.

Flamingos in the brine lakes, with Volcán Láscar

in the background.

El Valle de la muerte on the way back

from San Pedro.

La Portada de Antofagasta, with the city

in the background.

With friends at the viewpoint of the Portada.

After reaching San Pedro again, Tefi and I checked out of our hotel. (A word about hotels here for those interested in visiting: Don´t bother shelling out a lot for a hotel here. You spend little time in it, the water isn't potable anywhere here, and water pressure sucks no matter where you are. Because of the number of gringos and other foreigners that visit here, there is a great deal of price inflation. Spend your money on tours and other things, save on the hotel and stay at a hostel.) We quickly grabbed some bottles of water and headed south on the freeway towards the Salar de Atacama. A salar is a salt flat; the Atacama Salt Flats are particularly well known in the area, especially for the various types of flamingos that inhabit them.

On the way down, we experienced an intense sand storm with winds reaching 70 m.p.h. We couldn't see very far ahead of our car and because the car was so small, we were constantly being tossed around the freeway. However, we did finally reach the flats, and they did not disappoint. Vast and stark white, the flats are not actually flat at all, but coral-like buildups of sulfates, mostly sodium chloride- table salt. In the middle lay several large lakes with hundreds of flamingos standing around in them. Apparently, they subsist totally on the tiny brine shrimp that live in the salty waters. 

The flats are actually formed by volcanic activity in the area. On the other side of the valley lays the volcano Lascar. Apparently, sulfates and other chemicals seep down from the active volcano, mixing with a small water table that exists below the valley, forming a brine that raises to the surface slowly. This creates the shallow salt lakes in the middle of the salt fields. 

After spending some time there taking in the sights, we drove back to San Pedro in order to grab a quick nap- we had been up since 3:30 in the morning. We then began the long drive back to Antofagasta, snapping pictures of the Valley of the Moon and the Valley of Death on the way back. 

When we arrived in Antofagasta, we immediately changed and headed to a friend of Tefi's, where we met up with a large group of her friends from her internship at BHP Billiton, in Antofagasta during the summer. I had a great time getting to know new people, and they were very friendly and inviting. After a night of dancing at a disco, I was exhausted and slept the next day until quite late. We then went and met up with two of the guys from the previous evening to eat at the central market. Similar in scope to the Mercado Central in Santiago, this market was much less of a tourist attraction. However, because it lay directly on the ocean, there was a freshness factor in the food that didn't exist in Santiago. We all had large plates of fish with fries, salad, ceviche, and beer. For four people the $25 price could not be beaten. 

Later on, Tefi went to spend time with her family, so I headed out to get to know Antofagasta with the guys I had met. Although I said the city was not very attractive and was rather boring, it still had very nice places and had a rather complete mall for a city of its size. I was explained that the average income in Antofagasta is the highest in Chile, higher than that of Santiago. This is due to the high wages paid by the mining companies, all of which had major operations in the area. While an average worker in a store, gas station, or restaurant in Santiago might make $1000 per month; in Antofagasta the same person with the same low level of education could work in a mine four or five days a week and make more than double. It is for this reason that the mining consortiums here are so well liked and have such pull with the Chilean citizenry.

In the evening, after we all met up again, we went to eat dinner at Tefi's grandmother's restaurant, Don Pollo. As I had said in the past, the most common street food in Santiago is probably the hot dog or completo. In the north, the quintessential meal is pollo con papas, or barbecue chicken with french fries. Tefi's grandmother operated a small chain in Antofagasta that is now quite famous, having recently been cited as the best pollo con papas by Fodor's Travel Review. After a tremendous and delicious meal, we went out again, very much in the same fashion of the night before.

On Sunday I awoke early to get my things ready to fly back to Santiago. On the way to the airport, Tefi and my new friends took me to see La Portada de Antofagasta. This large rock outcropping looks like a gate leading into the city, and is probably the only thing of beauty in Anotfagasta. After taking many pictures, I was dropped off at the airport and bid farewell to the north.

Though a sharp contrast to anything I had ever really seen before, the north of Chile, including the Atacama desert, has to be one of the most unique places on Earth. Filled with beautiful views, wonders unknown elsewhere, and populated by friendly and helpful people. San Pedro de Atacama and the surrounding area is a place that cannot be missed upon visiting Chile.

Weekend in the North, Part I

Me bundled up at the Valle de la luna.

Beautiful rock faces in the sunset at the Valle

de la luna.

Geysers near San Pedro.

The bleak and empty, but beautiful scenery.

In the middle of nothing.

This past weekend I took a four day trip to the north via an invitation by my friend Tefi. She actually group up in Antofagasta, the largest northern city and capital of the 3rd region of the same name. 

Antofagasta in the grand scheme of things is a rather unattractive mid-sized city of approximately 300,000 residents. However, the real reason for taking a trip there is to go visit the Atacama desert and, in particular, San Pedro de Atacama. Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful and intriguing places in chile, I simply could not pass up this opportunity. 

The Atacama desert is a small desert bordering Northern Chile, Southern Peru, and Southwestern Bolivia. It is notorious as being the most arid, or dry, place on Earth, often experiencing rain only once every fifty years in some parts. After an hour and a half flight, we landed on the coastal, port city of Antofagasta. We then proceeded to quickly stop by Tefi´s grandmother´s apartment, we then grabbed a car and began the four hour drive to San Pedro. Though rather unremarkable, the thing that impacted me most during the drive was how desolate and little-populated the region is. 

After stopping in Calama, the city most people fly to to get to San Pedro, the route began to indicate how high up into the Andes we were going. When we got to about 30 minutes outside of San Pedro, we stopped at el Valle de la Luna, or in English, the Valley of the Moon. The valley is aptly named for it´s resemblance to the surface of the moon. We arrived just before sunset, the preferred time to visit. After a quick climb up a sand dune/mountain, we arrived at the most popular view point. There we stood and took in the tremendous sunset, seeing an awesome array of colors, from orange to yellow to light and dark red. By far one of the most beautiful sights I have ever witnessed. We then quickly went down to the car so as to arrive in San Pedro before it got too dark. Once you reach the valley, the number of paved roads begins to dissipate and the trail becomes rather tough.  

We arrived in San Pedro and found a hotel to stay in. We then walked around the village that is San Pedro. Though very touristy, the village still evoked a sense of rurality and loneliness, tucked away in a secluded and depopulated part of the Atacama. We walked around in the frigid cold (San Pedro lays at 8,000 feet altitude) and found a restaurant with a warm fire to eat. We then set out to find a tour to go see the geysers the next day. After we booked one, the guides told us to bundle up because the tour picks us up at 4 am and we arrive at the geysers at 6 am. We were told to dress for about 5 degree weather, but that the winds had previously reached about 65 miles per hour. We bought a set of hat, gloves, and scarf and went back to sleep. In the morning we left for the geysers at about 4:30 am. We were told to try to sleep so as to ease an altitude sickness as we would be going up to about 15,000 feet of altitude. The geysers were located only about 90 km away, but because of the altitude and lack of roads, the trip took upwards of 2 hours. 

We arrived and quickly walked over to the area that held the geysers. I was expecting to see 5-10 geysers, but was shocked to see an enormous valley completely saturated with geysers of every size. Anyone is able to walk wherever they want, but our guide told us to watch our step as many careless tourists over the years have fallen in some of the larger ones, and some had even died during unexpected eruptions. The reason for arriving so early is that the geysers only erupt during the sunrise because of the temperature differentials that enable the bottling up of gases near the surface. Though we were all shivering from cold (I had three pairs of socks, two pairs of pants, two shirts, a sweater, a fleece, and a windbreaker on), it was easy to forget when you beheld the majestic, natural beauty of the area. 

After seeing the geysers, we traveled around the area, stopping to take pictures of Vicuñas, a relative of the llama known for it´s extremely valuable coat, and other flora and fauna, though there wasn´t much of either. We then stopped by a pool where you can bathe. The pool is the result of cold mountain streams intersecting with several geysers, creating a large temperate pool. Though we didn´t go in because of the cold, many people did, though they later regretted it.

After leaving the geyser plateau, we ventured to a village nearby called Machuca. This village lays at 14,500 feet and has no power or running water. With a permanent population of little more than a dozen people, the village was essentially a grouping of 10 buildings and about 600 llamas. After dining on shish kabobs of llama meat, which were actually quite delicious (I was told that llama meat is very lean and has no cholesterol), we ventured back down to San Pedro after another two hour drive.

Thus ended hour first day and a half in the north. Stay tuned for the rest of the trip!

Chile Update

Mom and the family at lunch. My uncle

promoting the restaurant.

My mom walking to the Jewish cemetery in 

an older part of town.

Autumn in Barrio el Golf, my neighborhood.

My gorgeous swing with a view of the mountains 

and a sliver of the ocean. 

I feel very lazy for not having posted in more than a month. I apologize to my readership, however limited it may be, for the delay.

It´s not that I haven´t been busy, rather, that I haven´t had all that much time to sit down, collect my thoughts, and post about something. I´ve also been lazy about taking pictures, which makes writing the blog more difficult because the most interesting part about this is seeing Chile through my eyes (and camera). 

For starters, at the beginning of May I took a short golfing vacation to Maintencillo, a small coastal town north of Viña del Mar. I went with my friend from Canada, Chris, who enjoys golf even more than I do. We were shocked to see how much the Marbella Resort dominated Maitencillo, occupying what seemed to be about 75% of the area. Though the weather was less than stellar (this time of year the coast can be cool, breezy, and foggy), we still had a great time playing. The course was not in great shape, but what it lacked in maintenance it gained in spectacular views of the mountains and the ocean. 

Prior to the trip, I decided to rent a car to travel to Maitencillo and to assist me for my mom´s imminent visit. I was given a tiny Toyota Yaris, but I have to admit that I loved it. It was perfect for driving here in Santiago and was still big enough to fit bags and golf clubs. Driving in Chile, and Latin America in general, is no small undertaking. Chileans are the most courteous and friendly people, but when they get behind the wheel of a car, they turn into evil, road-hogging, enraged monsters. Taxi drivers are the worst, having to regard for laws, speed limits, or the lives of pedestrians. However, it appears that my genetics fell in the right places, because I too turned into an aggressive, swear-spitting, finger-throwing, maniac.

A few days after I returned from Maitencillo, my mother arrived to visit. Although she came to see me for mother´s day, the trip was utterly dominated by friends and family visits. Most of these visits consisted of eating a great deal, and so by the time my mom left, I had probably gained about 5 pounds (though I´ve been quick to shed them again).  Our days consisted of visits, eating, and of course, shopping. I also made a large donation to the Chilean economy during our one night stay at the casino in Viña, much to my chagrin. For mother´s day, I decided to take my mom to try Peruvian food at one of Santiago´s most well known establishments, Astrid y Gastón. It was a wonderful experience, so much so that my next post will be discussing Peruvian cuisine.

If you´re wondering about my work situation during my vacation and my mother´s subsequent stay, don´t be concerned. I lost no time to work because I have had no work for the past two weeks. You see, I work for the University of Chile´s Law School, as I have previously indicated. The afternoon before I left for Maitencillo, a group of radical, left-wing extremists took over the school, demanding the resignations of almost the entire administration, namely the Dean of the Law School. As of today, the situation has still not been resolved, and both professors and students have been out of class for as long as I have been out of work. Hopefully the situation will be resolved soon, though each day that passes bears new escalations and forces each side to become more steadfast and less willing to negotiate.

Well, that´s the most general explanation of my life in these past few weeks. I promise to be more attentive to this blog and to keep all of you informed about my movements and what I´m up to. Stay tuned for a post tomorrow about food.

Argentina and Uruguay, Part 2

Old City of Monetvideo

Portal dividing the new city from the old.

Our group of mixed backgrounds.

After grabbing a quick nap, due to our extreme lack of sleep, we headed down to the bar that was in our hostel. There what was supposed to be a quick drink in order to get ready, turned out to be a several hour party downstairs with people from all over the world.

However, there is no doubt that the largest percentage of travelers at our hostel were Argentines on holiday. In general, I find the Argentines to be a very friendly people with whom I´ve never had a problem. However, in this case, I found the Argentines to be unfriendly, immature, and drugged out. As I may have indicated in the past, Chile does not always share the greatest relations with its neighbors. In fact, at most times in its history, Chile has had downright hostile relations with Peru, Bolivia, and Argentina. Recently, though, both Chile and Argentina have warmed up to each other considerably, as many Chileans vacation in Buenos Aires and Mendoza, while many Argentines head to Chile to spend their summers at the beach here. 

In any case, going back to my story, I was speaking with a group of the Argentines in Spanish when they noticed that although I was a gringo, I was also speaking in a Chilean accent. When I noted that I was half Chilean and that my friend and I lived in Santiago, they responded by saying that it wasn´t good to walk around saying you´re Chilean in Argentina or Uruguay, and that we were better off saying we were Americans. When I asked why they told me that they didn´t like Chileans very much and that they, in fact, looked down on them to a certain degree. This was shocking because not only had I just met these guys, but also I have rarely experienced xenophobia or a general dislike, least of all from being Chilean.

In any case, after a while my friend and I decided to head out and see what the night life was like in Montevideo. Though I knew the city was relatively small, I was surprised by how small and dense the bar area was. Walking not a block from the Plaza de Independencia, and extending in a half-block radius in two directions, the downtown bar area was a densely-packed district of pubs and discos. There we sat outside, joined by the most international group of people that I have ever drank with: three Swedes, two Colombians, two Chileans, and two Argentines, on top of my Canadian friend and I. We had a blast drinking Pilsen, the major Uruguayan beer, and talking about home, our travel experiences, and life in general.

After leaving the bar around 5 AM and heading back to the hostile, Chris and I woke up around 10 AM in order to make our 12 PM boat back to Buenos Aires. Being the Saturday before Easter and that Montevideo was so small, we easily traversed the city and made it to the port on time. After a relaxing and comfortable 3 hour ride across the Mar de Plata, we landed back in Buenos Aires. The rest of the day we spent shopping, considering that Buenos Aires has the best shopping and the best prices out of anywhere else in Latin America. Later on we took it easy and then went out for dinner to the best steak restaurant in Buenos Aires, located in Puerto Madero. There I dined on one of the best steaks I´ve ever eaten, what we call the "tomahawk" cut, which was the size of my upper torso.

After dinner, we returned to the hostel in Palermo where Chris and I met two Brits backpacking through South America. We became fast friends, drinking at the hostel. Later in the evening, around 2 AM, we headed out to the night life in Plaza Cerrano, also known as Palermo Hollywood (notice the constant fascination with all things American? There's also a part of Palermo, the fashion district, called Palermo SoHo!) Hanging out drinking beer with the Brits, I was able to ask all the questions I've ever wanted to of the Brits, ranging from the subject of Ginnies to learning to speak Cockney. 

After another boisterous evening out, we dragged our feet back to bed. We woke up lazily the next day, and headed back to the airport, hopping onto our plane back to Santiago. It was a busy trip full of travel, but I learned a lot. Best of all, I met tons of different and interesting people from all over the world. It's extremely cliche, but it made me realize how similar all humans are and how we all share common ground, no matter what.

Argentina and Uruguay, Part 1

The Mercado del Puerto in Montevideo

Old port canon next to an old Bug.

One of the streets leading to the port. Some 

awesome urban art to light our way.

La Plaza de Independencia, the center of 

Montevideo.

Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires. Previously a

commercial port built by an architect of the same

name that is now a hot stop for bars and dining.

Well I certainly apologize for the lack of posts recently. It´s not that I have just been sitting around doing nothing. Rather, I had been up to a great deal but nothing that was worth posting about. Mostly I was working and hanging out in and around Santiago, but I will touch on that in another post.

This past Easter weekend, my friend Chris and I, along with a coworker of his, took off from work and left Santiago, heading out to Buenos Aires and Montevideo. You might recall that I had already visited Buenos Aires in January, but the real purpose of this trip was to visit Montevideo and Uruguay. Our original plan had been to go to Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil. Though I can enter freely when I want as a Chilean citizen, my friend Chris, a Canadian, required a tourist visa and the process for obtaining one was too lengthy.

We left Santiago on Thursday night, but when we arrived at the airport we found out our flight was already delayed more than three hours. After negotiating with the check-in attendant, I managed to obtain three tickets to enter the lounge for free. This was important because the clubs here, unlike American clubs, serve unlimited free alcoholic beverages, as well as food and provide free internet.

We finally arrived in Buenos Aires around 1:30 in the morning. However, we did not reach our hostel in Palermo until about 2:30 because Ezeiza, the airport, is very far away from town. We decided this time around to stay in a hostel less centrally located, but in closer proximity to the night life. Since we had already both seen the sights on previous trips, we decided to leave Buenos Aires for shopping, eating steak, and going out.

In the morning we woke up at 6 AM, after sleeping for about 3 hours, in order to catch our 8 AM boat that would take us to Montevideo. However, about five minutes before reaching the boat station, we realized that our phones had not moved ahead by an hour and so therefore missed our boat by about 15 minutes. We did manage to get on another boat later in the morning that would take us to Colonia, another city in Uruguay, and then take a bus transfer over to Montevideo. After having a long breakfast nearby in Puerto Madero, we hoped passed customs and hopped onto the boat for Colonia. The boat ride was a great experience, as the seats were very comfortable, there was a full service restaurant, and a large duty free shop onboard.

When we arrived at Colonia, I immediately realized why this city had been founded where it was. It was a mere one hour boat ride to Buenos Aires. Colonia had originally been set up as a smuggler´s port by the Portuguese in order to smuggle contraband into Buenos Aires. Both Buenos Aires and the enter southern portion of Uruguay lay on the Rio de la Plata. This is an important estuary that is fed by the Paraná River, making it both large and very important for regional and international trade. In the early 19th century, Uruguay attempted to declare independence from Spain, but was eventually defeated. Later on, the country was annexed by Brazil, prompting the Argentine-Brazilian War. A succession of wars were fought by the two regional powers, and even included intervention by the French, British, and Portuguese. Therefore, the country is distinctly European in many ways, though shares the majority of its culture with Argentina, it´s most important neighbor.

In crossing Uruguay from Colonia to Montevideo, I almost felt at home again in Wisconsin. The countryside is characterized by mostly flat grazing land, dotted with cattle and milk farms all over. When we arrived in Montevideo, I was surprised by how picturesque the city was. It reminded me of a calmer and smaller Buenos Aires (BA has about 15 million inhabitants metro, while Montevideo has about 1.3 million metro; Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America). Our hostel was located in the central plaza, la Plaza de Independencia. If you walked east, you entered the old city, and to the west lay the new city. 

In the afternoon, we took a trip towards the port, and in particular, the central market. Similar to the central market here in Santiago, the difference is that opposed to serving a great variety of seafood, the market in Montevideo is famous for having giant grills filled with a variety of meats. We sat down at one of the numerous restaurants, one that had more Uruguayans eating there than the others, and promptly ordered a steak. Though it was not the best I´ve ever had, it was good and you can´t beat the $5 price.

After walking around the old city more, we returned to hostel to rest up for the evening. But for those details, you´ll just have to wait for my next post.

A Potpourri of Santiago

This is just a mix of some of the photos I´ve taken around Santiago. Thought I would take this time to share them. Enjoy!

Católica vs. Ñublense soccer match in San Carlos

de Apoquindo. In the second period the police

came in to stop a small riot. Then a fight broke out and

some guy was dropped in one punch to the face by this guy.

Keep in mind that they were both cheering for the same team.

A view towards the area of Santiago in which

I live, from Cerro San Cristobal, the mountain

that separates the city in two regions.

An idea of how expansive Santiago is, from Cerro

San Cristobal.

The virgin Mary atop Cerro San Cristobal.

The oldest building in Santiago still standing,

Iglesia San Fransisco. Built circa 1680.

Viña del Mar and Valparaiso

Naval Headquarters in Valparaiso.

Narrow, confined streets in Valparaiso.

The best shot I could get of the House of Rock.

The pool overlooks a 30 foot drop to the sea.

View northward from the Viña boardwalk.

View south towards Valparaiso from

the Viña board walk.

Two weeks ago, my good friend Daniel came to Chile to pay me a visit, see the sights, and take in some sun, a nice change from dreary Chicago in February.

In attempting to think of things to do, I realized that a visit to Chile is incomplete without at least a night's stay in Viña del Mar. Viña and Valparaiso a two cities, side-by-side on the Pacific coast slightly northwest of Santiago. Valparaiso is fairly well known in the world and is the main port and naval base of Chile. Viña del Mar is the city to the north of Valparaiso and is characterized more as a beach and party town. Together, the two cities claim upwards of 500,000 people.

As I have already mentioned, Santiago becomes a ghost town during the month of February, and if you were wondering where it is that all these people go, it is either to the south or to Viña del Mar, or other beaches to the north such as Reñaca, Con Con, and Maitencillo. During this time, the area swells to more than 1,000,000 Chileans, Argentines, and various other tourists. The beaches in Viña and Reñaca have lately become so packed that they are now referred to as "the cemetery" due to the miles of people closely packed together trying to get a small patch of sand.

Another famous landmark of Viña del Mar is the Casino Municipal, or the first casino in Chile. Back in the day it was elegant as any Monte Carlo casino, though today it is much more like Vegas. At night, though, you still see people dressed up in suits and dresses walking into the casino to gamble. Today the Casino also has an unbelievable hotel adjacent to it called the Hotel del Mar, which is considered the best hotel in Chile and one of the few 5 star hotels here. Because we chose to only go one night, Daniel, Hans, my friend Alvaro, and I chose to book a suite at the Hotel del Mar. Our beautiful room had a great ocean view (to explain the proximity to the ocean, on a windy day you can get wet on your balcony from the waves crashing on the sea walls). The weather, however, was not as warm as we had hoped and the sun peaked in and out through the two days we were there.

One of the best parts of arriving in Viña is the actual descent into the city, which is breathtaking. The majority of all the cities and beaches in this area are built into steep hills and cliffs, creating a scenario for interesting architectural styles. Apartments appear as staircases rising up the hillsides. Funiculars run up and down the sides, shuttling people higher up or to their own apartments. Valparaiso has its own distinct style, also including century-old funiculars that run to this day. Individual houses, all painted distinct collars, densely dot the hills of the city. The downtown buildings also reflect the interesting array of colors among the older constructions. Valparaiso was to be the original capital of Chile, but the country´s fathers feared invasion from the city and decided on Santiago, which lay more inland.

After arriving at the Hotel del Mar, we immediately noticed the strange air in the city. We happened to arrive in the middle of the Festival de Viña, a Summerfest-like music festival, claiming such stars as Marc Anthony, Carlos Santana, and Daddy Yankee. All the stars were staying at our hotel or at the Sheraton Miramar, the other nice hotel in town. The entrance was covered with fences and security guards could be found at every corner. Perhaps confusing us with some rock stars, a nice bottle of champagne was left for us in our room. 

We went out for lunch and then took a walk all the way down the beaches of Viña del Mar. Unfortunately, due to the weather, the beaches were not packed and we ourselves lost the desire to go lay out. Instead, we headed back to the hotel where I installed myself at the blackjack table for a few hours. Later that evening, we regrouped and prepared to go out. However, because it was Wednesday night, the discos were not open, so we opted for a well-known pub called Hollywood, probably because it is a favorite for musicians and other famous people to hit up when in town. Around 4am we headed back to the hotel, where I thought it would be a good idea to hit up the craps table. After launching the dice off the table and crapping out in my first two rolls, I gave up and headed back to the blackjack tables where I won $300.

The next day saw us off to lunch at a great restaurant well known for Chilean fare. We then took a trip out to Reñaca and Con Con to see the sights. The way is marked by curvy roads running along the coast, moving up and down the sides of hills and small mountains. Beautiful sand dunes can be seen up top, and below the road are numerous rock outcroppings. The most famous of these rock outcroppings is the House of Rock, a beautiful private home literally built out of the rock, laying directly over crushing ocean currents.

After taking in the sights, we head back south towards Viña and then onto Valparaiso. As aforementioned, Valparaiso is the main port in Chile and also one of the older cities. The city is characterized by narrow streets with decaying, colonial buildings along the sides. However, the most picturesque building is the 19th century, blue naval headquarters. Not only is it a beautiful building, but I was recently informed that it was built over a shipwrecked exploration vessel from the 17th or 18th century, and the ship has only recently been exhumed.

We did not, however, leave the safety of my cousin´s car because unfortunately Valparaiso is no longer a safe place to go wandering around. The downtown is considered much more dangerous than that of Santiago, harboring many delinquents and other such types of people. After tooling around in the car, we headed back up inland and began our trip back to Santiago. 

It was a lovely trip, and also a necessary one as a visit to Chile requires a visit to Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Weekend in Huilipilun

View of Lake Villarica from Villarica

Dock at the main house at Lake Huilipilun

View from the Barroilhet-Diez house

where I stayed.

Me climbing Gringo Mountain. Notice

the thickness of the foliage. It was about

10 am at this point but looks like it's 10 pm.

Well worth the climb up, a view half way down the 

mountain of Lake Huilipilun.

Hello everybody! It has certainly been a long time since my last post. Since January 16th, I went back to the US for three weeks. I had a great time seeing all my family and friends, but it was also great to get back to Chile where it is warm and there is no sign of snow.

I got back to Santiago on February 6th and quickly got settled back in. My first week back really did not bring forth anything of consequence- merely seeing friends and family here and enjoying the nice weather. However, last Wednesday I received a phone call from my mother's best friend's son, Jose Luis, inviting me to come with him and stay at his family's country home in the south. I immediately cleared my schedule and thanked him for the invitation.

Jose Luis' family have been longtime friends of my family, and twenty-four years ago my parents, recently married, came to Chile and went to Huilipilun to visit what was then a new country estate. The entire estate belongs to the Diez family. In 1984, the estate had one home on it, my mother's friend's parents home. Today, the estate includes nearly an entire lake, several small mountains, and five or six homes, not including those of the permanent caretakers and farmers who live there year round, belonging to various members of the Diez family.

The south of Chile is a beautiful zone composed of mountainous peaks, volcanoes, and temperate rain forests known locally as Valdivian Forests (think of Oregon or Washington State). Huilipilun is actually a small lake among many lakes, the largest of which called lake Villarica, which borders both a town and a volcano, all of the same name (you can see it on the map here). Villarica was a very provincial town, but was quaint with very friendly people and some spectacular views.

After a 10 hour bus ride, we arrived in Villarica where members of the family were waiting for us. After another 40 minute ride, we arrived at the Barroilhet-Deiz home where I was warmly welcomed, though right away I was swept up in the commotion. The entire extended Diez family were there for what they call Huili Week, a week of competitions between four groups of the family. This meant that at any one time there some 100 friends and family on the estate. The first day saw me head with one of the teams to the cow barn for a milking competition. Knowing I was from Wisconsin, several family members asked me if I had any experience milking cows, and when I replied that I had done it before they asked me to compete. I promptly declined the invitation knowing how uncomfortable and smelly a task this was.

Afterwards everyone dispersed and I took a swim in the lake followed by a little nap lakeside. However, it quickly grew cold and so I retired inside. This far down south, weather is comparable to summers in Canada or northern Wisconsin. In the evening, the families continued to compete with musical and acting skits. After the competitions, with the whole family in one place, we had a singalong and dance time.

Saturday grew to be a beautiful 80 degree day, and so everyone swam, walked, or boated to the beach where we spent the day in competitions and relaxing. The afternoon included an excellent lunch and more naps. At night I decided to stay in due to my worsening allergies, which had me suffering from a runny nose and sinus headaches.

Sunday started out ugly and rainy but quickly the sun came out. We had an excellent asado of fresh caught fish and typical Chilean meats, all accompanied with plenty of excellent wine. In the afternoon I decided to go take a little nature walk, which found me picking fresh wild berries, plums, and apples. In the evening were the final competitions, which consisted of a dessert competition and then a noodle bridge competition. The desserts were all delicious and every team's  noodle bridges held up more than 8 pounds. In the late evening everyone went back to their respective homes and we played a variety of charades-type games while drinking pisco sours.

Monday morning saw an early rise at 8:30 for a climb of Gringo Mountain. This mountain behind the estate plays an important part in the Barroilhet-Goodman history, as my father journeyed up the mountain in dress pants and leather loafers 20 some years ago with Jose Luis, then 12, and his younger brother, two dogs, and a caretaker. Upon reaching the top, the caretaker leaves them behind to go cook dinner. Nearly four hours later, they had not returned and my mother and the rest of the Barroilhets began to worry for their safety. Not soon after, though, my father returned with two dirty boys, two terrified and exhausted dogs in arms, and with his leather ruined, his clothes torn to tatters, and scratches all over his face and arms. Apparently they had taken a wrong turn on the way down through a steep, water-fall clad ravine, or quebrada in Spanish. Ever since, the story of La Quebrada del Gringo have been family legends and have inspired the naming of the mountain for my father.

In any case, I simply could not leave without attempting to take on Gringo Mountain, especially since it has since become a test of manhood at the estate. Let me say at this point that I have a newfound respect for my old man. I had a hard enough time making it up and down in hiking shoes, jeans, and a special trekking sweatshirt, let alone as a skinny gringo with a button-down shirt, dress pants, and loafers. I came back down the mountain covered in dirt and jungle-mess, completely soaked in sweat and water from the small river I fell in. It was one of the hardest hikes I've ever taken, and even as I write this entry a day later my body still hurts. It was worth it, though. Rarely have I ever been in a place so untouched by man. It was a spectacular view from the top and I saw some great examples of stunning wildlife.

After finally making it back 5 hours later, I immediately jumped in the lake one last time. After lunch and a nap in a hammock, I boarded the bus once again and headed back to Santiago.

It was an amazing trip that I will never forget. 

Buenos Aires, Part One

The obelisk at the center of Avenida

9 de Julio, the widest street in the world, at 144

meters across.

La Casa Rosada, the presidential palace.

It´s pink color originates in the mixing

of bull´s blood into the mortar to keep the

building cooler.

Colorful Caminito, at the heart of La Boca neighborhood.

An old club-turned-museum on the banks of the

Río de Plata.

Punta Chica, an old village near the BA. Notice

the South American humor here.

Well my friends, I am finally back in the US. I currently am writing this post from the lovely Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and will be back in Milwaukee in a few hours.

Regardless, I still want to post about my trip to Argentina, and furthermore I have nothing better to do for the next four hours.

Last Thursday night around 7pm, I got a call from my cousin saying we were going to Buenos Aires the next day at 7am. It was quite a surprise; we had been trying to book passage to Argentina all week and it was not working out. However, for about $120 round-trip, we did make it to Buenos Aires. We got in Friday morning to Argentina after an amazing beautiful flight over the picturesque Andes Mountains from Chile. Unfortunately, as I claimed my luggage, I noticed that the bag had been opened and that someone at one of the two airports had robbed me of my iPhone and camera chargers. It was disturbing but I also attempted not to worry because they were not very valuable items.

We were picked up by a tour guide and bus, and began the 45 minute drive into Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is actually a city of 3 million people in the Capital Federal, an entity similar to the District of Columbia. However, the province of Buenos Aires is home to 12 million more people, bringing the metropolitan population in excess of 15 million people. In a country of 40 million, it's shocking that more than 1/3 of a population can live in one city so large. People in Buenos Aires are referred to as Porteños, while people living in the province of Buenos Aires are called Bonaires.

My first reaction to Buenos Aires was of how old it looked. The city´s structures are all very old, and by far the vast majority of buildings are older than 70 years. There are very few new buildings besides shopping malls and the occasional tower. My second reaction to the city was how hot it was. Though Santiago usually makes it to about 88-92 degrees during the day, it´s a dry heat so by nightfall the temperature actually drops down to 65 degrees or less. In Buenos Aires, it´s humid and just as hot, so not only do the structures take a toll from this tropical climate, but also my body took quite a beating.

The first day we took a city tour, seeing eight of the neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, including: Palermo, Recoleta, La Boca, San Nicolas, and the Plaza de Mayo. The Plaza de Mayo is home to the Casa Rosada, or the Pink House, most famously seen in Evita or other photos and film reels of Eva Perón. It´s now the home of the executive branch of Argentina. La Boca is one of the older districts; it´s most famous feature is Caminito, a famous pedestrian street where the houses and apartments are all painted distinct colors. Recoleta and Palermo are both shopping and dining centers within the city. Recoleta is famous for it´s cemetery and for it´s arts and crafts fair. Palermo is an upscale part of town formerly comprised mostly of Italian immigrants. In Argentina, besides people of Spanish descent, the largest ethnic group is Italian, with as much as 25% of the Argentine population being of Italian descent. Italian culture, and especially cuisine, are an integral part of Argentine culture.

In the evening after our tour, we went to a local bar but didn´t last long due to how tired we were. On Saturday, we hopped on another tour which took us to a part of the province of Buenos Aires known as Ciudad Tigre. This area named for the puma-like wildcats that live in the area is located on the Río Plata delta. The Río Plata is an immense river which is the termination of the Pirana river from Brazil. It´s also incredibly wide, being a three hour boat ride from Buenos Aires to Montevideo, Uruguay. Upon arrival, we got on a big tour boat and took a tour through the delta. About 5000 people live in the delta permanently, with many thousands more owning seasonal homes. There are no roads connecting the hundreds of islands, so to get to and from you either use your own boat or hail down one of the cooperative "bus" boats.

After leaving the river tour, we went to a small village called San Isidro where they had an artesian fair and also sold antiques. It was rather boring and can´t reasonably recommend it to anyone visiting Buenos Aires. After San Isidro we went back towards downtown Buenos Aires where we were dropped off at the main shopping center downtown, Galleria del Pacifico. Normally I would not mentioned any shopping centers, but this one was built into an old galleria and was actually very beautiful inside, with stained glass domes and wall murals painted by famous Argentine artists. There is something to be said for shopping in Buenos Aires, though. It´s easily the latin fashion capital. Argentines are very concerned with style and also generally take care of their bodies and worry about their appearance. There´s great shopping to be had in Buenos Aires, with very unique designers and stores carrying things that you would not find in the US, especially at such low prices.

In the evening we went to a bar and then to a dance club. The nightlife in Buenos Aires is also known as the best in Latin America, and the bars and clubs in the city reflect that. We had a great time dancing and "carreteando," and generally found the Argentines to be friendly and attractive (they also really like gringos!)

Well those were the first two days. I´ll cover the rest of the trip later this weekend, and finish my Argentina posts with a posting about Argentine cuisine. Thanks for reading and hopefully I will get to see the majority of you in the next couple of weeks. Thanks and talk to you soon!

New Year's Eve and Stuff from All Over

At the gas station, 7 am. Light in the distance, it was awful.

Though I admit the mountains and dawn are beautiful.

Small view of the pool area at the house party.

Hans and I. 5:30 am.

Gettin' down at the Estadio.

My friend Isa and I at the Estadio. Notice my bling.

First I want to wish everyone a happy new year! I hope you all had fun and I wish you all the best of health and happiness in the year to come.

New year's eve in Chile is definitely a different animal than New Year's in the US. Everyone here spends the evening until about 1am with their families. I went over to my cousin's again and we had a big "asado" or barbecue at their home. As the clock approached closer to zero hour, I noticed quite a few interesting rituals that go on. First of all, they have you put twelve grapes in your mouth all at once, one grape for each month of the coming year. They also light candles and have a spice associated with each candle. Each spice and candle combination is for good fortune in a given area, from love to business, and health to long life. Finally, after the clock struck midnight, everyone gives everyone a big hug; however, the first hug you receive has to be from a woman. Though all this sounds quite superstitious and antiquated, I do admit that I rather enjoyed it. It was nice to be with people I love and enjoy rather than in some random bar with tons of random people who's only objective is to be drunker than the guy standing next to him.

That being said, after we went outside to see a huge fireworks show from the mountain behind us, you begin to see cars full of young people screeching down the road. We immediately began to make calls to our friends to get our plans together, however we found it difficult as cellular lines began to jam up with calls. After a few warm-up drinks, Hans and I went to the Estadio Español to meet up with some friends. The Estadio is basically a very large and nice community center; there we found two parties going on- one for younger people filled with blasting reggaeton, and one for older people playing gringo oldies. We opted for the latter, though we did visit the former a few times. We drank and danced for a while there. Aroud 4:30 am, we became bored and decided to leave the Estadio to go to a house party.

We arrived at the house party around 5 am. It was definitely one of the biggest and best house parties I've ever seen. We got in after paying about $2, and we found a back yard filled with 300 people while inside another 100 were dancing to a pretty good DJ. People were dotted in groups all over the yard, by the pool, and behind in this mini forest. Three of us arrived there and we met up with a couple others. After dancing, talking, and celebrating there for a while, we noticed that the party was starting to break up. We looked at our watches and realized that it was past 6 am. 

We left the party and went in search of a bar to top off our night. We found one but then it promptly closed around 7 am, so we decided to go get food. We stopped at a gas station where I finally realized that it was light out and the birds were singing. Damned birds, always ruining my good time... Anyway, we at the convenience store and then came back to my apartment where I made mini pizzas and we basically passed out. At around 9 am I finally kicked everyone out and went to bed. 

Later that day I woke up and decided to have a party at my apartment. It originally was supposed to be small, but soon we found we needed to go up to the roof. We talked about our nights, snacked, and danced until about 5:30 am. I went to bed utterly exhausted. Mind you this was last Thursday night, but the weekend was just beginning. Friday night was my cousin Alejandra's birthday, so there I spent another night out until almost 6 am. Needless to say come Sunday night I could barely move.

In other news, I finished the large project that I had been working on for the Universidad del Desarrollo. I handed it in on Monday and sat there as the Dean read it on the spot, not saying anything until he was done, by which point I was on the verge of a minor heart attack. Apparently he liked it very much and told me that they'll now be giving me much more work. Just my luck.

Finally, this will probably be my last post for a while, unless I go to Argentina. I'll be traveling back to the US next Thursday and arrive next Friday. I'll be home for a little over two weeks. I look forward to seeing you all and hope that I do get a chance to see a little bit of everyone. The one thing I do know is that the very first thing I will be eating up on my arrival will be a massive, bacon-filled Kopp's hamburger. With caramel milkshake. And onion rings. 

So enjoy not having to read my blog for a couple of weeks, because when I come back to Chile I'll be doing a lot of traveling, so be prepared. As always, thanks for reading and talk to you soon.