Thursday, January 10, 2008 Reflections on Chile
First, I want to thank all of you who read my blog. Many of you spent hours reading and since coming home, it has been wonderful hearing that you enjoyed my adventures. Oh I wish you could have been there to share them with me. A million thanks for spending your precious time reading and for all your love and support while I was away. I often felt homesick, but I never felt lonely because I knew I had amazing family and friends back home waiting to welcome me into their arms. I know at times my blog was tedious, but I am not apologizing. I'm so glad I journaled such details because I now have those memories forever.
I have meant to sit down and do a nice little reflection on my experiences in Chile, but I’ve realized that trying to shove five months of priceless moments, intense emotion (of every kind), and life changing experiences is not only impossible, but almost belittling. I've noticed that when people ask, "How was Chile?” I generally simply respond, "amazing". What else can I say? At times I hated it, at times I loved it. I felt some of my lowest lows and some of my highest highs. I'm not fluent in Spanish, at least by my standards. But apparently I fake it pretty well because the few times I’ve spoke, everyone is impressed.
I definitely miss Olga and my other friends and at many times I find myself wishing they were around so I could speak Spanglish, laugh at our inside jokes, and be just generally inappropriate. But I’m also glad to be back in a community that understands my faith system and encourages me to live out the faith I’ve professed.
Overall, I take home from Chile the general understanding that I have no idea who I am or what I want. At first that was scary, but I’m slowly becoming accustomed to the idea that I really must depend fully on God, who ultimately will provide. I don't know how or when or where, but all I have to do is keep loving and growing in Him and everything will be fine. Just like my revelation on top of Machu Picchu, "I'm going to be just fine."
Friday, January 11, 2008
What I’m going to echar de menos:
Here is the list I made on the plane ride home of things I would miss Post-Chile. Please excuse the Spanglish (mix of English and Spanish). That is the beauty of the list.
What I’m going to echar de menos:
Fruit y GOLD y cafecito con Olga in the mornings
Pan de la palabra before every meal
Time to think on the metro
Living IN the city
Food vendors every 50 yards
Not seeing/hearing English
Mass at San Joaquin, San Ignacio y San Lazaro
Packed lunch
Hour long almuerzos
Sitting in and working on my computer
Olga “?Tienes hambre?” Me, “No” and 5 minutes later brings me fresh strawberries
Ensaladas con limon y sal
Daily profound revelations por Olga at the dinner table
Getting nervous/excited to speak Spanish on the phone
18 year old drinking age
Not worrying about what to wear or that I have love handles
Si po, ? Gachi hueron?
Cold nights and always needing un chaleco
Constant traveling
Big Time gum
Having my laundry clean, room picked up, bed made, food cooked and dishes done
Olga
Spanglish
Getting excited to overhear a conversation on the metro
Being called Luli
Being Gringa
Having 4 classes, all liberal arts and no labs
Alejandro, Marie, Maria Elena, Nivaldo, Victor, Carlos at Nuestra Casa
Having family in the far corner of the globe
Appreciating good communication
Phonetic spelling
Being fascinated by something new everyday
Carette
TurBus, especialmente SemiCama
Monedas
Vivir tan cerca a la Moneda
Plaza de Armas
Bravisimo
Being ok with just listening
Being ok with no gacho nada
Picking experience over homework
Parque O’Higgins
4 day weekends
Having someone to check all my papers, CriCri
Manjar
Nescafe en cualquier y cada minuto
Metro on gamedays
Running out of minutes on my pre-paid phone
Taking a number everywhere
ALWAYS getting a receipt
No toilet paper = always an adventure
80s music
Ron cola
Olga’s “You’ve been out all night, welcome home” hug and giggle
Unexpected horribly racist comments and no such thing as PC
Tarjeta BIP!
What I’m going to echar de menos:
Fruit y GOLD y cafecito con Olga in the mornings
Pan de la palabra before every meal
Time to think on the metro
Living IN the city
Food vendors every 50 yards
Not seeing/hearing English
Mass at San Joaquin, San Ignacio y San Lazaro
Packed lunch
Hour long almuerzos
Sitting in and working on my computer
Olga “?Tienes hambre?” Me, “No” and 5 minutes later brings me fresh strawberries
Ensaladas con limon y sal
Daily profound revelations por Olga at the dinner table
Getting nervous/excited to speak Spanish on the phone
18 year old drinking age
Not worrying about what to wear or that I have love handles
Si po, ? Gachi hueron?
Cold nights and always needing un chaleco
Constant traveling
Big Time gum
Having my laundry clean, room picked up, bed made, food cooked and dishes done
Olga
Spanglish
Getting excited to overhear a conversation on the metro
Being called Luli
Being Gringa
Having 4 classes, all liberal arts and no labs
Alejandro, Marie, Maria Elena, Nivaldo, Victor, Carlos at Nuestra Casa
Having family in the far corner of the globe
Appreciating good communication
Phonetic spelling
Being fascinated by something new everyday
Carette
TurBus, especialmente SemiCama
Monedas
Vivir tan cerca a la Moneda
Plaza de Armas
Bravisimo
Being ok with just listening
Being ok with no gacho nada
Picking experience over homework
Parque O’Higgins
4 day weekends
Having someone to check all my papers, CriCri
Manjar
Nescafe en cualquier y cada minuto
Metro on gamedays
Running out of minutes on my pre-paid phone
Taking a number everywhere
ALWAYS getting a receipt
No toilet paper = always an adventure
80s music
Ron cola
Olga’s “You’ve been out all night, welcome home” hug and giggle
Unexpected horribly racist comments and no such thing as PC
Tarjeta BIP!
Monday, January 7, 2008
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 Se acabó
Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 Se acabó
Wow, my last day in Chile. I woke up early because I still had way too much packing to do and errands to run. Olga was out running errands so I waited till she got home to eat breakfast. She was so happy that I hadn’t eaten and when we sat down over our traditional cup of cereal, plate of fruit and cup of coffee, we reminisced about the many meals and hours we had shared together over this table. After eating our last meal alone, I headed over to campus to pick up my tests and papers from my Education class and to drop off another bag of clothes I wanted to donate/couldn’t pack. Then I stopped by a Christian bookstore to buy a beautiful silver crucifix to add to my collection. Walking home, I realized it would be my last time to walk the streets of Santiago, so I savored every sight, sound and smell. I then had a few hours back home to finish packing before Rino, Ivonne, Miguel and Mario came over for lunch. We were celebrating Miguel’s seventh birthday, which unluckily for him, happened to be on the same day as my departure.
I frantically bustled about because as always, it took way longer than I’d planned. Olga quietly cooked the famous Chilean delicacy Lomo a la Pobre, grilled steak, sautéed onions, French fries and fried eggs. A.k.a. heart attack on a plate. But a ridiculously delicious heart attack. Throughout the day, I would go into the kitchen to see how she was doing and give her a big hug. I could tell she was on the verge of tears and one time we both broke down crying.
By the time everyone showed up, I still had a little packing to do and my eyes were red and dry. We ate lunch quietly but happily, trying to be excited for Miguel’s birthday. Olga kept saying how she had cooked better Lomo before and it wasn’t very good. We tried to tell her it was delicious, but I could tell it was hard for her to cook what she knew would be my last meal. After stuffing ourselves, the adults napped and I played computer games with Miguel. Then while he played, I wrote Olga a letter telling her how much I loved her, appreciated everything she’d done for me and how much I’d miss her. I left the note on her bedside table, knowing I wouldn’t be able to give it to her while I was still there.
When I’d finished packing and taking everything done everything off the walls, I moved my two huge bags out into the living room. Then I packed up my cell phone into the box for Olga to give to Miguel for his birthday. About half an hour before we needed to leave for the airport Olga set out feast number two, which was supposed to be once but since everyone was still so stuffed from lunch we didn’t eat anything. But we celebrated Miguel’s birthday with singing, birthday presents, and a delicious Manjar cake with candles. We also managed to take a picture of all of us with my camera. The cake was delicious and a great last taste of the wonders of Chile! I also gave Olga the toaster I bought her for Christmas and she was quite tickled. Finally, the unavoidable hour game for us to leave for the airport. Everyone else went to pack up the car and Olga helped me check the house to make sure I had everything. Once we could think of no more reasons to delay the inevitable, Olga held my hand as I shut the door to my room. At that moment, I simply lost it. I broke down crying in her arms, thinking of all the memories and experiences I’d had the past five months in that room. Olga and I walked down to the car and we all piled in. In the car Ivvane gave me a small box with a bow on it and a small piece of paper with a note written on it about a boy who gave his father an empty box and told him it was a box of kisses. At this, we all busted out crying. We rode a good 15 minutes crying and all holding hands, with Miguel on Ivvone’s lap.
We got to the airport and once I got through the check out line (during which I had to take out 6 pounds from one pack to avoid the over weight charges). I had about 20 minutes before I needed to pass through customs. So I said my slow goodbyes to everyone. Eventually I decided it was time to go and after giving my last hug goodbye to Olga, I passed through the doors waving goodbye to my beloved Chilean family.
I passed through customs and told them that my wallet had been stolen and I’d lost my Chilean ID card. I was supposed to turn it in but I wanted to keep it as a souvenir. I think the guy knew I was lying, but I was obviously shook up and my Spanish wasn’t its best so just told me to go ahead. While waiting I found a few other kids from my program and we waited together, comparing our sad goodbye stories. Finally we were able to bored the plane and I sat at the window next to a Chinese man. I sat down and started journaling and writing down my thoughts, a thousand miles a minute. As soon as the plane’s wheels were off the ground I once again broke down crying. I watched the night lights of Santiago fade off into the distance, but not before I followed the main streets to find the apartment. Eventually I calmed down and sent the next 9 hours on the flight home thinking about my experiences; what I’d learned, who I’d met, what I’d struggled with, and where I’d grown. I made a list of all the things I’d miss in Chile, which grew to be quite long. I unfortunately watched Hairspray on the plane, and then tried to fall asleep as I grew farther and farther from my old home in Chile and closer and closer to my old/new home in the United States.
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 More Goodbyes, to the office and to Nuestra Casa
Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 More Goodbyes, to the office and to Nuestra Casa
Woke up at 10 am, breakfast with everyone, goodbye to Christan and his parents
To the office to pick up the rest of the donations, called Olga told her not to worry, went to noon mass at San Ignacio
After mass was praying and had a breakdown. Man who works there came to console me, brought me a glass of water, bawled into his arms, talked to him about my unpreparadness to leave, my fear of going home, my confusion of who I am now, what I want in life.
Tunic of San Padre Alberto Hurtado
Lunch with Olga, took taxi to Nuestra Casa to drop off donated clothes and say goodbye.
Alejandro walked me to the metro, cried when he said goodbye
Met up with Courtney to go to the Museum of Bellas Artes, the Fine Arts Museum. We spent two hours walking through the beautiful exhibits until the security guard kicked us out. Then we went to Bravisimo again and shared a delicious ice cream cup. Then we walked to meet up with our group of gringo friends. We walked to Bella Vista and shared a few pitchers and a chorriana. It was getting late and we wanted to take the metro back before it closed, so we walked back together, while I slowly realized it would be the last time I saw most of them. I sadly said goodbye to all of them, the hardest of all being Courtney.
Brandon, Calli and I walked together to Calli house so I could pick up the alfajores I ordered from Calli’s mom. After a short visit with her parents, I said goodbye and took a cab home.
Woke up at 10 am, breakfast with everyone, goodbye to Christan and his parents
To the office to pick up the rest of the donations, called Olga told her not to worry, went to noon mass at San Ignacio
After mass was praying and had a breakdown. Man who works there came to console me, brought me a glass of water, bawled into his arms, talked to him about my unpreparadness to leave, my fear of going home, my confusion of who I am now, what I want in life.
Tunic of San Padre Alberto Hurtado
Lunch with Olga, took taxi to Nuestra Casa to drop off donated clothes and say goodbye.
Alejandro walked me to the metro, cried when he said goodbye
Met up with Courtney to go to the Museum of Bellas Artes, the Fine Arts Museum. We spent two hours walking through the beautiful exhibits until the security guard kicked us out. Then we went to Bravisimo again and shared a delicious ice cream cup. Then we walked to meet up with our group of gringo friends. We walked to Bella Vista and shared a few pitchers and a chorriana. It was getting late and we wanted to take the metro back before it closed, so we walked back together, while I slowly realized it would be the last time I saw most of them. I sadly said goodbye to all of them, the hardest of all being Courtney.
Brandon, Calli and I walked together to Calli house so I could pick up the alfajores I ordered from Calli’s mom. After a short visit with her parents, I said goodbye and took a cab home.
Monday, December 10th, 2007 Bellas Artes, Fiesta de Despedida
Monday, December 10th, 2007 Bellas Artes, Fiesta de Despedida
So nearing the end of my 5 months in Chile, I realized I didn’t have much time left to do some of the things I’d wanted to do in Santiago. Its amazing the power of the mentality of “I’ve got time, I’ll go later”. So many of us say that everyday and never do what we’ve always wanted to do. And before we know it, we are out of time and can’t do it all. So with my few days left I swore to do everything I’d wanted to do. But first I needed to take care of some obligations. So I printed off my investigation for my Poverty class and a few photos of my friends at Nuestra Casa that I’d promised them. Then I took the bus to the CIEE office to drop off the paper, say goodbye to everyone and pick up some of the clothes people had donated. I took a few bags and instead of taking the bus home, I walked to the National Library. I’d wanted to see inside, so I passed through quickly; just enough to satisfy my curiosity. Then I walked to the Hites, the huge Dillards/Sears/Mall store that sells everything. On my way I passed by a Mote con Huesillo stand, the super popular summer drink of cold apricot juice, mote (a chewy oatmeal like grain) and a whole apricot. Knowing it was one of my last chances to take advantage of the delicious treat, I stopped and bought one. Then I went to Hites and picked out a nice new Toaster to replace Olga’s toaster that broke a few months ago. Finally I jumped on a bus home with arm full of gifts for my loved ones in Chile.
Olga had lunch ready when I got home and after eating we headed out to Rino’s house. When we got there I helped Miguel set up their Christmas tree. Words can’t describe the tree, so when I get my pictures loaded, I’ll post a picture. It was definitely a Charlie Brown tree, but it looked good when we finished and Miguel was very proud. When Rino got home we set up the Santa Clause climbing up a ladder outside their window.
Meet Courtney and Christian at Metro
Shopping
Everyone over
3 am cops come by because of the noise. No body allowed to leave.
Lay out mattresses, everyone crashes on the floor
So nearing the end of my 5 months in Chile, I realized I didn’t have much time left to do some of the things I’d wanted to do in Santiago. Its amazing the power of the mentality of “I’ve got time, I’ll go later”. So many of us say that everyday and never do what we’ve always wanted to do. And before we know it, we are out of time and can’t do it all. So with my few days left I swore to do everything I’d wanted to do. But first I needed to take care of some obligations. So I printed off my investigation for my Poverty class and a few photos of my friends at Nuestra Casa that I’d promised them. Then I took the bus to the CIEE office to drop off the paper, say goodbye to everyone and pick up some of the clothes people had donated. I took a few bags and instead of taking the bus home, I walked to the National Library. I’d wanted to see inside, so I passed through quickly; just enough to satisfy my curiosity. Then I walked to the Hites, the huge Dillards/Sears/Mall store that sells everything. On my way I passed by a Mote con Huesillo stand, the super popular summer drink of cold apricot juice, mote (a chewy oatmeal like grain) and a whole apricot. Knowing it was one of my last chances to take advantage of the delicious treat, I stopped and bought one. Then I went to Hites and picked out a nice new Toaster to replace Olga’s toaster that broke a few months ago. Finally I jumped on a bus home with arm full of gifts for my loved ones in Chile.
Olga had lunch ready when I got home and after eating we headed out to Rino’s house. When we got there I helped Miguel set up their Christmas tree. Words can’t describe the tree, so when I get my pictures loaded, I’ll post a picture. It was definitely a Charlie Brown tree, but it looked good when we finished and Miguel was very proud. When Rino got home we set up the Santa Clause climbing up a ladder outside their window.
Meet Courtney and Christian at Metro
Shopping
Everyone over
3 am cops come by because of the noise. No body allowed to leave.
Lay out mattresses, everyone crashes on the floor
Sunday, December 9th, 2007 Day at the Beach with Courtney
Sunday, December 9th, 2007 Day at the Beach with Courtney
I woke up early and headed to the bus stop to go hang out with Courtney in Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. She and I had planned on spending the day at the beach since November, so I was excited to go. I met Courtney in Valparaiso and we spent a while walking through the Sunday market. We both bought soccer jerseys and some delicious candies to share while we shopped. Then we took a bus over to Viña del Mar, the beach town on the other side of the bay. We walked around of a while and then found a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Don’t ask why, but we’d both wanted Chinese food, which is known for being good in Chile. After a yummy lunch, we walked along the beach until we found a nice spot to camp out for the day. We spent the afternoon laying on the beach even though it was pretty cloudy. After a while the clouds cleared and the sun shone through. Courtney, in her usual amazing, fun spirit asked if I wanted to go swim and we spent almost half an hour diving through and getting totally manhandled by the huge waves. I think the Chileans were giving us weird looks; the two gringas must have looked silly diving through the waves with the little Chilean kids.
When we’d gotten enough of the waves, sand and sun, we packed up and went to our beloved Bravisimo, the delicious ice cream shop that Courtney and I can’t pass up when we are together. We shared a fancy brownie Sunday sitting in the park. Then we took a bus back to Valparaiso. We got our bus tickets back to Santiago and headed home.
Olga welcomed me home and we had dinner together. Again I had a relaxing night at home and spent more time packing and getting ready to go home.
I woke up early and headed to the bus stop to go hang out with Courtney in Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. She and I had planned on spending the day at the beach since November, so I was excited to go. I met Courtney in Valparaiso and we spent a while walking through the Sunday market. We both bought soccer jerseys and some delicious candies to share while we shopped. Then we took a bus over to Viña del Mar, the beach town on the other side of the bay. We walked around of a while and then found a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Don’t ask why, but we’d both wanted Chinese food, which is known for being good in Chile. After a yummy lunch, we walked along the beach until we found a nice spot to camp out for the day. We spent the afternoon laying on the beach even though it was pretty cloudy. After a while the clouds cleared and the sun shone through. Courtney, in her usual amazing, fun spirit asked if I wanted to go swim and we spent almost half an hour diving through and getting totally manhandled by the huge waves. I think the Chileans were giving us weird looks; the two gringas must have looked silly diving through the waves with the little Chilean kids.
When we’d gotten enough of the waves, sand and sun, we packed up and went to our beloved Bravisimo, the delicious ice cream shop that Courtney and I can’t pass up when we are together. We shared a fancy brownie Sunday sitting in the park. Then we took a bus back to Valparaiso. We got our bus tickets back to Santiago and headed home.
Olga welcomed me home and we had dinner together. Again I had a relaxing night at home and spent more time packing and getting ready to go home.
Saturday, December 8th, 2007 Feast of the Immaculate Conception and Cerro San Cristobal
Saturday, December 8th, 2007 Feast of the Immaculate Conception and Cerro San Cristobal
Woke up around 7 am, ate breakfast with Olga and we headed out together to Cerro San Cristobal. We hiked up in about one hour and got there around 11 am. We waited in line about 1 hour before we could enter into the chapel. Inside we were led in prayer by a few nuns and after a few short minutes we were escorted out for the next group. We waited for the next mass to finish by the side and when the Bishop saying the mass walked out, Olga asked the Bishop to bless the scapular that she had just bought me in the chapel on the hill. The Bishop was very sweet and said a short blessing, which absolutely thrilled Olga.
We found a seat for mass and it was a beautiful service. After mass we walked a short way down the hill and found a grassy hill looking over the city and ate the lunch we had packed for ourselves. Then we walked all the way back down the hill and instead of heading home, we spent the afternoon walking through the city running errands and buying last minute things I needed before heading home. We also stopped by to visit a long time friend of Olga’s. Her friend lives alone in a small but nice apartment in the heart of downtown. For the first time I had mate, the popular Argentinean tea like drink. It’s hot water, sugar, and mate, a flavorful herb that they put in the cup and sip out the water with a straw with a filter at the bottom. Afterwards we walked through the clothes market looking for outfits for Miguel for his birthday, a cute “Chilean” shirt for me, and a small Chile soccer jersey for my cousin Brendan for Christmas. We went all over but didn’t find anything we were thrilled about. Right when we were about to give up on the jersey, we stopped by a small kiosk that happened to have one more, small, Chilean jersey for the right price. It was absolutely perfect. Then we went to the grocery store and finally headed home.
I was exhausted when we finally got back, but I loved the time with Olga. In the evening Calli came over and we watched a Chilean movie called Casa de Remolienda, drank wine, and ate chocolate covered strawberries!
Woke up around 7 am, ate breakfast with Olga and we headed out together to Cerro San Cristobal. We hiked up in about one hour and got there around 11 am. We waited in line about 1 hour before we could enter into the chapel. Inside we were led in prayer by a few nuns and after a few short minutes we were escorted out for the next group. We waited for the next mass to finish by the side and when the Bishop saying the mass walked out, Olga asked the Bishop to bless the scapular that she had just bought me in the chapel on the hill. The Bishop was very sweet and said a short blessing, which absolutely thrilled Olga.
We found a seat for mass and it was a beautiful service. After mass we walked a short way down the hill and found a grassy hill looking over the city and ate the lunch we had packed for ourselves. Then we walked all the way back down the hill and instead of heading home, we spent the afternoon walking through the city running errands and buying last minute things I needed before heading home. We also stopped by to visit a long time friend of Olga’s. Her friend lives alone in a small but nice apartment in the heart of downtown. For the first time I had mate, the popular Argentinean tea like drink. It’s hot water, sugar, and mate, a flavorful herb that they put in the cup and sip out the water with a straw with a filter at the bottom. Afterwards we walked through the clothes market looking for outfits for Miguel for his birthday, a cute “Chilean” shirt for me, and a small Chile soccer jersey for my cousin Brendan for Christmas. We went all over but didn’t find anything we were thrilled about. Right when we were about to give up on the jersey, we stopped by a small kiosk that happened to have one more, small, Chilean jersey for the right price. It was absolutely perfect. Then we went to the grocery store and finally headed home.
I was exhausted when we finally got back, but I loved the time with Olga. In the evening Calli came over and we watched a Chilean movie called Casa de Remolienda, drank wine, and ate chocolate covered strawberries!
Friday, December 7th, 2007 Back to reality
Friday, December 7th, 2007 Back to reality
Arrived in Santiago around 6 am, took the bus back to the city. Got home around 8 am, slept until 11ish, got up and finished my essay for my poverty class, sent it in and officially finished all my homework for the semester! In the evening a bunch of people met up to got to a bar, I went to say goodbye to Natalie and Nick who were leaving the next day for Buenos Aires. Headed in early because I was exhausted and had a big day the next day.
Arrived in Santiago around 6 am, took the bus back to the city. Got home around 8 am, slept until 11ish, got up and finished my essay for my poverty class, sent it in and officially finished all my homework for the semester! In the evening a bunch of people met up to got to a bar, I went to say goodbye to Natalie and Nick who were leaving the next day for Buenos Aires. Headed in early because I was exhausted and had a big day the next day.
Thursday, December 6th, 2007 Arica and the Playa
Thursday, December 6th, 2007 Arica and the Playa
Breakfast in Tacna, a huge meal
Taxi ride across the border, EF Cummings made it un detected across the strict Chilean customs
Dropped luggage off at the hostel we stayed at last time, Nick broke the bed when he jumped on it. Changed into our swimsuits, taxi driver picked us up again and drove us to El Moro, a huge, huge rock on the south side of town famous for its crucial roll during the War of the Pacific between Chile, Peru and Bolivia. (Chile conquered the rock from the Peruvians in less than one hour and by the end of the war, took all the land in northern Chile from Bolivia. Jerks.)
Driver drove us to the beach, spent the afternoon lying on the beach, swimming in the waves, I lost my sunglasses. When we got tired and a little sunburned, headed back to the hostel.
Changed clothes, went to walk around Arica. Shared a pitcher of beer, went to a market in the main square, then ate dinner, had a delicious hamburger.
After walking around a little longer, headed back to the hostel. Took a nap and at midnight the same taxi driver picked us up and drove us to the airport to catch our late night (3 am!) flight. Again made it through without once showing ID.
Breakfast in Tacna, a huge meal
Taxi ride across the border, EF Cummings made it un detected across the strict Chilean customs
Dropped luggage off at the hostel we stayed at last time, Nick broke the bed when he jumped on it. Changed into our swimsuits, taxi driver picked us up again and drove us to El Moro, a huge, huge rock on the south side of town famous for its crucial roll during the War of the Pacific between Chile, Peru and Bolivia. (Chile conquered the rock from the Peruvians in less than one hour and by the end of the war, took all the land in northern Chile from Bolivia. Jerks.)
Driver drove us to the beach, spent the afternoon lying on the beach, swimming in the waves, I lost my sunglasses. When we got tired and a little sunburned, headed back to the hostel.
Changed clothes, went to walk around Arica. Shared a pitcher of beer, went to a market in the main square, then ate dinner, had a delicious hamburger.
After walking around a little longer, headed back to the hostel. Took a nap and at midnight the same taxi driver picked us up and drove us to the airport to catch our late night (3 am!) flight. Again made it through without once showing ID.
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 I’m so sick of sitting on my butt!!! Aguas Calientes to Cusco, visit with Nici, Cusco to Tacna
Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 I’m so sick of sitting on my butt!!! Aguas Calientes to Cusco, visit with Nici, Cusco to Tacna
Again we woke up at 5 am, had breakfast, then headed down to catch the train back to Ollantaytambo. After the 3 hour incredibly beautiful train ride, we got to our stop and picked one of the many taxi drivers to take us back to Cusco, a little over an hour ride. Our driver seemed fine but when he turned off the main road onto an unpaved, middle of nowhere road, I got a little nervous. But all the other taxi drivers did the same, so I didn’t think much of it and Natalie and I fell asleep. Well, we tried, but with the unpaved roads it was difficult. Since we were all super exhausted we didn’t talk until we got out in Cusco. As soon as we paid the driver and he drove away, both Nick and Chris started ranting about how disturbing our taxi driver was. Apparently they were both quite concerned about the detour and about the fact that all the other drivers passed us and we were the only car for quite a while. Nick was worried he would try to rob us and leave us while Chris swore that he was going to take out our kidneys and sell them on Ebay. Come to find out, each one had developed his own plan on how to kill the driver in case he treid anything. I guess Natalie and I would have been SOL!
We had the afternoon in Cusco before we caught our bus back to Tacna. With the few free hours I wanted to go check out another museum and another church. Everyone else agreed but I could tell they weren’t as excited as I was. I assumed they were just tired. But when I couldn’t find my tourist pass that gets you into all the museums, they suggested just not worrying about it and relaxing in the city. Then they told me that they really hadn’t wanted to go to the museums but sinc I was excited about it they would go with me. Such good friends! But anyway, it work out for the best because when we went to check our email, I had an email from our friend Nicki who was also traveling and was in Cusco today. But she was really sick and couldn’t leave her hostel. So we decided to find her and go visit to make her feel better. After an epic search for her hostel b/c it wasn’t listed in any of the official tourist lists (sketchy right!), we found it and she wasn’t even there! The owner told us she had been picked up by the doctor and he’d brought her to the hosipta. So we decided to go get lunch at the same place we’d eaten at last time then come back afterwards. Lunch was delicious and when we headed back to the hoste she stil wasn’t there. But we sat down and played cards until she got back. She found out that she’d gotten Salmonella, probably in Bolivia. She’d gotten a perscription and was feeling better but as really weeak. Luckily she was traveling with her boyfriend so he was able to take care of her. The worst part was that because of her sickness and their schedule, they wouldn’t be able to go to Machu Picchu!
Again we woke up at 5 am, had breakfast, then headed down to catch the train back to Ollantaytambo. After the 3 hour incredibly beautiful train ride, we got to our stop and picked one of the many taxi drivers to take us back to Cusco, a little over an hour ride. Our driver seemed fine but when he turned off the main road onto an unpaved, middle of nowhere road, I got a little nervous. But all the other taxi drivers did the same, so I didn’t think much of it and Natalie and I fell asleep. Well, we tried, but with the unpaved roads it was difficult. Since we were all super exhausted we didn’t talk until we got out in Cusco. As soon as we paid the driver and he drove away, both Nick and Chris started ranting about how disturbing our taxi driver was. Apparently they were both quite concerned about the detour and about the fact that all the other drivers passed us and we were the only car for quite a while. Nick was worried he would try to rob us and leave us while Chris swore that he was going to take out our kidneys and sell them on Ebay. Come to find out, each one had developed his own plan on how to kill the driver in case he treid anything. I guess Natalie and I would have been SOL!
We had the afternoon in Cusco before we caught our bus back to Tacna. With the few free hours I wanted to go check out another museum and another church. Everyone else agreed but I could tell they weren’t as excited as I was. I assumed they were just tired. But when I couldn’t find my tourist pass that gets you into all the museums, they suggested just not worrying about it and relaxing in the city. Then they told me that they really hadn’t wanted to go to the museums but sinc I was excited about it they would go with me. Such good friends! But anyway, it work out for the best because when we went to check our email, I had an email from our friend Nicki who was also traveling and was in Cusco today. But she was really sick and couldn’t leave her hostel. So we decided to find her and go visit to make her feel better. After an epic search for her hostel b/c it wasn’t listed in any of the official tourist lists (sketchy right!), we found it and she wasn’t even there! The owner told us she had been picked up by the doctor and he’d brought her to the hosipta. So we decided to go get lunch at the same place we’d eaten at last time then come back afterwards. Lunch was delicious and when we headed back to the hoste she stil wasn’t there. But we sat down and played cards until she got back. She found out that she’d gotten Salmonella, probably in Bolivia. She’d gotten a perscription and was feeling better but as really weeak. Luckily she was traveling with her boyfriend so he was able to take care of her. The worst part was that because of her sickness and their schedule, they wouldn’t be able to go to Machu Picchu!
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 This one time when I went to Machu Picchu…
Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 This one time when I went to Machu Picchu…
We woke up at 5 am, got dressed and headed to our breakfast of coffee for me, coca tea for the rest, bread and jam. Then we headed to the bus to ride to Machu Picchu. On the bus ride there the battery on my camera died. Of course.
After the crazy ride up the mountain with some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen in my life, we met up with our tour group. Luckily we got in a Spanish speaking only group, with our friends from Wash U!! The tour started off with a general explanation of Machu Picchu, most of which is speculation as opposed to proven facts. Our tour guide used Chris as a “map” to show locations and apparently Cusco is located a few inches above his manhood, which she eagerly pointed out, full palm. Only a picture does it justice:
Anyway, we got a good laugh. Then we continued the tour by visiting the most important areas of Machu Picchu. The agricultural area with the terraces, then the entrance doorway, then the Religious sector including the Temple of the Three Windows, the Temple of the Sun, and the famous sun dial used to measure and determine the calendar year with almost exact precision.
[Funny side story: it was the only sun dial un destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadors (only b/c they never found Machu Picchu), It was in near perfect condition until about 5 years ago when a Peruvian beer company Cusqueña was filming a commercial on Machu Picchu and a crane fell on the sun dial, breaking off a chunk. All in the name of selling more beer.]
During this part of the tour I randomly met 3 KU students, all from Johnson County, Kansas. One is a now a missionary in South America and the other two were Young Life leaders. They knew a friend of mine from High School. When we figured this out, Natalie about barfed b/c she was so sick of hearing about people from Missouri! After the religious section we crossed to the other side of the plaza to the residential section. There they have the temple of the condor and also a room for star gazing/analyzing/research. I’m sure we saw more, but I can’t remember it all! The tour ended around 10 am and a when we asked a random man to take a group picture, I found out the man was from New Orleans and grew up down the street from Tulane! Even crazier, he graduated from Louisiana University, which later changed its name to University of Louisiana Lafayette, where I went to school after the hurricane semester! Small stinking world up there on Machu Picchu.
After the tour we took a quick bathroom break then headed over to climb Wena Picchu, the mountain on the far side of Machu Picchu. The tour books tell you to hold about 1-2 hours to climb but that the fit can do it in about 25 minutes. Of course Nick and Chris wanted to be “most fit” and of course, I couldn’t let to stupid boys beat me up a mountain, so we left Natalie with our Wash U friends and the three of us about sprinted up the mountain. We would have made it in 25 minutes (dead, but we would have made it), but we ran into some traffic on the way and couldn’t pass a group of old people. But we still made it in about 30 minutes. We climbed all the way to the tip top where a bunch of huge rocks are places precariously for people to sit, take pictures and recover from the climb. Amazingly my battery had enough juice for me to steal a couple shots from the top down.
We ate lunch on Wena Picchu with everyone (Natalie and our Wash U friends) and around 1 pm headed back down. Since we’d rushed up the first time we went down slow to really soak in the incredible view. Our friends had to leave to catch the train back to Cusco, so we said goodbye to them. Then Natalie had the idea that each of us takes about an hour of alone time somewhere on Machu Picchu. So I headed off trying to find a secluded place to pray and think and I ended up climbing the other mountain trail for about 15 minutes, which got me about half way up. I decided to stop since I was alone and there was no one else on the trail. I found a rock in the sun and sat down to say a rosary. After the rosary I spent time just thinking, praying and desperately trying to take in all the beauty around me. I felt and overwhelming sense of peace and I left knowing that I was going to be alright. I honestly believe that amidst the beauty of the nature and the human creation surrounding me, God was telling me that no matter what happens, I am going to be fine. I may not expect it, I may not understand it, but I’ll be alright.
With this renewed sense of peace and contentment, I begrudgingly (I know, ironic right?) headed back down the mountain to meet back up with my friends. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Machu Picchu, then we found a ledge looking over the valley to sit and laugh at each other. At one point a herd of llamas walked by, bringing with them a lovely stench and tons of tiny, merciless bugs that attacked any bare skin. The rest of the trip we were covered in ridiculous itchy bug bites on our legs and arms.
Around 5 pm we decided to head back before the sun set. Instead of taking the bus back down we decided to walk. It ended up being a long, steep walk and by the time we got back to Cusco, we were exhausted. For some reason, when Nick and I got to the bottom of the long hill that led to our hostel, he decided that he had too much energy left over and challenged me to run up the hill with him. So for some crazy reason, Nick and I sped up the hill, a good 3 minute run. When we got there, I sat down and felt like I was going to die b/c of the lack of oxygen (and the beign out of shape thing). Back at the hostel we showered then walked across the street to one of the thousands of restaurants in Aguas Calientes. We were tired and hungry and besides the fact that there was no one else in the restaurant, it looked good enough. We had a great dinner and drinks to celebrate our successful trip to Machu Picchu and after dinner I bought a deck of cards for us to play. We stayed up till 11 pm (which is incredibly late considering we’d woken up at 5 am and how much we’d done that day!) then packed up our stuff and crashed in bed.
We woke up at 5 am, got dressed and headed to our breakfast of coffee for me, coca tea for the rest, bread and jam. Then we headed to the bus to ride to Machu Picchu. On the bus ride there the battery on my camera died. Of course.
After the crazy ride up the mountain with some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen in my life, we met up with our tour group. Luckily we got in a Spanish speaking only group, with our friends from Wash U!! The tour started off with a general explanation of Machu Picchu, most of which is speculation as opposed to proven facts. Our tour guide used Chris as a “map” to show locations and apparently Cusco is located a few inches above his manhood, which she eagerly pointed out, full palm. Only a picture does it justice:
Anyway, we got a good laugh. Then we continued the tour by visiting the most important areas of Machu Picchu. The agricultural area with the terraces, then the entrance doorway, then the Religious sector including the Temple of the Three Windows, the Temple of the Sun, and the famous sun dial used to measure and determine the calendar year with almost exact precision.
[Funny side story: it was the only sun dial un destroyed by the Spanish Conquistadors (only b/c they never found Machu Picchu), It was in near perfect condition until about 5 years ago when a Peruvian beer company Cusqueña was filming a commercial on Machu Picchu and a crane fell on the sun dial, breaking off a chunk. All in the name of selling more beer.]
During this part of the tour I randomly met 3 KU students, all from Johnson County, Kansas. One is a now a missionary in South America and the other two were Young Life leaders. They knew a friend of mine from High School. When we figured this out, Natalie about barfed b/c she was so sick of hearing about people from Missouri! After the religious section we crossed to the other side of the plaza to the residential section. There they have the temple of the condor and also a room for star gazing/analyzing/research. I’m sure we saw more, but I can’t remember it all! The tour ended around 10 am and a when we asked a random man to take a group picture, I found out the man was from New Orleans and grew up down the street from Tulane! Even crazier, he graduated from Louisiana University, which later changed its name to University of Louisiana Lafayette, where I went to school after the hurricane semester! Small stinking world up there on Machu Picchu.
After the tour we took a quick bathroom break then headed over to climb Wena Picchu, the mountain on the far side of Machu Picchu. The tour books tell you to hold about 1-2 hours to climb but that the fit can do it in about 25 minutes. Of course Nick and Chris wanted to be “most fit” and of course, I couldn’t let to stupid boys beat me up a mountain, so we left Natalie with our Wash U friends and the three of us about sprinted up the mountain. We would have made it in 25 minutes (dead, but we would have made it), but we ran into some traffic on the way and couldn’t pass a group of old people. But we still made it in about 30 minutes. We climbed all the way to the tip top where a bunch of huge rocks are places precariously for people to sit, take pictures and recover from the climb. Amazingly my battery had enough juice for me to steal a couple shots from the top down.
We ate lunch on Wena Picchu with everyone (Natalie and our Wash U friends) and around 1 pm headed back down. Since we’d rushed up the first time we went down slow to really soak in the incredible view. Our friends had to leave to catch the train back to Cusco, so we said goodbye to them. Then Natalie had the idea that each of us takes about an hour of alone time somewhere on Machu Picchu. So I headed off trying to find a secluded place to pray and think and I ended up climbing the other mountain trail for about 15 minutes, which got me about half way up. I decided to stop since I was alone and there was no one else on the trail. I found a rock in the sun and sat down to say a rosary. After the rosary I spent time just thinking, praying and desperately trying to take in all the beauty around me. I felt and overwhelming sense of peace and I left knowing that I was going to be alright. I honestly believe that amidst the beauty of the nature and the human creation surrounding me, God was telling me that no matter what happens, I am going to be fine. I may not expect it, I may not understand it, but I’ll be alright.
With this renewed sense of peace and contentment, I begrudgingly (I know, ironic right?) headed back down the mountain to meet back up with my friends. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around Machu Picchu, then we found a ledge looking over the valley to sit and laugh at each other. At one point a herd of llamas walked by, bringing with them a lovely stench and tons of tiny, merciless bugs that attacked any bare skin. The rest of the trip we were covered in ridiculous itchy bug bites on our legs and arms.
Around 5 pm we decided to head back before the sun set. Instead of taking the bus back down we decided to walk. It ended up being a long, steep walk and by the time we got back to Cusco, we were exhausted. For some reason, when Nick and I got to the bottom of the long hill that led to our hostel, he decided that he had too much energy left over and challenged me to run up the hill with him. So for some crazy reason, Nick and I sped up the hill, a good 3 minute run. When we got there, I sat down and felt like I was going to die b/c of the lack of oxygen (and the beign out of shape thing). Back at the hostel we showered then walked across the street to one of the thousands of restaurants in Aguas Calientes. We were tired and hungry and besides the fact that there was no one else in the restaurant, it looked good enough. We had a great dinner and drinks to celebrate our successful trip to Machu Picchu and after dinner I bought a deck of cards for us to play. We stayed up till 11 pm (which is incredibly late considering we’d woken up at 5 am and how much we’d done that day!) then packed up our stuff and crashed in bed.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
