First leg of my two weeks in Peru! I will spare the long-winded commentary on this one, as I feel that the pictures themselves do a bang-up job of recounting this part of the trip. In the post to follow; Arequipa, volunteering, and a 3-day trek through the Colca Canyon.
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JSIS Bad Boys Reunite! Recorriendo el Sur de Chile
At the beginning of this month, I received my first visitor from the outside world to experience and get a taste of life down in the Chilean jungle. Together with Ashley, one of the other Quilpue volunteers, Kamran and I set out on an exploratory trek through the beautiful, cold, RAINY, wet, naturally lush, German ancestry-having, mate-sipping, mystical and folkloric Chilean South.
Our first stop on the tour was Valdivia, one of the bigger cities in the Los Lagos region of Chile, and well-known for its bohemian, student vibe, boasting a wide array of bars, pubs, and the like, the Rio Calle Calle which runs through the city and extends miles and miles westward, eventually filtering into the Pacific, as well as it’s title as home base for the Kuntsmann brewery. Upon getting off the bus, the three of us immediately took note of something else: we were no longer in the mild, breezy July of the 5th region, but had just descended into the depths of the true, unadulterated Chilean winter. In any case, we thoroughly managed to enjoy ourselves! Highlights of Valdivia include stumbling upon a very unassuming, hidden gem of a hostel, touring the Kuntsmann cerveceria and trying the immaculately brewed and limitedly available Torobayo Sin Filtrado, going on an impromptu nature walk through the marsh surrounding la Isla Niebla, and soaking up the sights and sounds of the central fish market, fully-equipped with seafood of every imaginable variation and surrounded by gigantic seals.
Next up, we hopped on a bus and headed south to Puerto Varas. The largest city among those that lay on the banks of Lake Llanquihue, the town is essentially the Chilean equivalent of the Whistler Village in Canada. Lined with designer outdoor boutiques, café’s, restaurants, and adventure sports agencies, it serves as an ideal home base for those looking to trek, ski, mountain-climb, or do anything of the sort involving the massive, hard-to-miss, snow-capped (and active) volcano perched on the other side of the lake. Unfortunately for us, we were quickly informed that in the winter months, most of the aforementioned activities were just about impossible. So, in lieu of getting our action sports fix, we decided to explore the offerings of downtown Puerto Varas. We dropped off our things at a hostel recommended to us by Ashley’s former Spanish teacher, a neat log cabin located a few blocks away from the center. The owner, a German expat who immigrated from Munich a decade ago, informed us what we already knew, that it was low season; as a result, this not startling information effectively gave us the whole hostel to ourselves. After getting settled, we headed into town and stopped at the Puerto Varas Casino. It was a strange realization for me that, despite being eligible for the last 5 years, I had not yet stepped foot into a casino or gambled in a proper venue until this particular day; and, even more so, that my first time doing so would be in another country, speaking another language. Crazy shit. Anyways, nearly an hour later on the blackjack tables, Kamran and I managed to come away with a bit more money than we put in; after a quick bout on the slots, the three of us celebrated accordingly back at the hostel with vino and snacks.
The next day, we decided to take in the landscape and indulge our gastronomic side in another little town along the lake, Frutillar. Known for being one of the first cities to receive the large swaths of German immigrants arriving in Chile starting in the late 1800’s, it takes very little time to note the very pronounced German influence in the city, from the Bavarian style facades on the houses to the notion of there being a German History Museum. We spent the afternoon taking in the beautiful views, most of which could hardly be fully captured with my point-and-shoot camera, strolling along the beach, treating ourselves to some delicious seafood, local beer, and copious amounts of my now-favorite pastry, the delectable and very German, Kuchen. To top off this seamless afternoon, we stopped by the Teatro del Lago, which hosts some of the biggest names in music throughout the world to its concert hall, and for good reason: it’s absolutely beautiful. We grabbed some coffee and checked out an art exhibition before heading back to Puerto Varas. Once back, we all realized that it was a rather important day back up in Gringolandia, July 4th. Accordingly, we went to the market and picked up some sausages and Lays, and had ourselves a nice little Chilean/American style feast to celebrate the day we gave it to those redcoats!
The next day, and last leg of our trip, we hopped on a bus and went a half hour south to Puerto Montt, the regional administrative center and fishing port. In the days leading up to the trip, particularly during the stint in Puerto Varas, several folks were telling me that Puerto Montt was negligible at best as a place to visit in Chile. Although it was painstakingly cold, and seemingly wetter than our three previous stops, I must say that it now sits high on my list of favorite places visited so far in Chile. We headed over to Angel Montt, a block which encompasses numerous artisanal good shops and one of the two seafood markets in the city. After stuffing our mouths with salmon and crab empanadas and purchasing some artisanal trinkets, we grabbed some beers and boxed wine and sat on the edge of the bay looking at the ships roll in. If only Otis had made it to Chile…
*(Included also in the photo gallery are a few pics from the dunes in Con Con, huge mounds of sand on the coast overlooking Valpo and Vina to one side, Con Con and the Andes on the other, and surrounded by sweeping views of the Pacific)
First Half in the Books: Thoughts and Ruminations
Dearest readers,
To the dedicated few of you that still exist, apologies for the lack of updates in recent weeks. I just finished a three-week stint out on the road, with the first week dedicated to the lush, wet, cold, beautiful, and intriguingly German-flared Chilean South, and the second and third to Peru, where I visited a rather well-known modern marvel in Cuzco (bet you can’t guess it), and did some canyon trekking in Arequipa. I’ll delve more into those adventures in the next installment! In any case, as your dearest gringo vagabond is officially reaching the 5-month mark as of Wednesday this week, I figured that some introspection and reflection on my time spent in this wonderful country was well-deserved.
In a nutshell, I have come to the full-on realization that, regarding just about everything in my life at this point, I am a very fortunate human being. I guess that’s what happens when you turn 23 years old smack dab in the middle of a 32-hour bus ride going through nothing but vast, endless desert; tiresome, restless, bored of listening to music, and finished with my one book, time to be pensive was certainly at my disposal.
First of all, my school is absolutely great. I’m starting to actually feel like an impactful teacher; yet, this impact has less to do with my students’ comprehension of the English language, and more with their excitement at just being present in my classroom (which, let me tell you, is much welcomed improvement from Day 1). I’m starting to take note that the whole experience of an out-of-towner like myself being in a classroom with a bunch of Chilean tykes transcends English language learning, and is more about a mutual exchange of viewpoints, perspective, customs, culture, and all that jazz. I’m starting to really forge some good relationships with my kids, almost to the point where I’m kind of already dreading the point where I will be forced to say farewell. Along those lines, as of late May, I have been conducting a weekly basketball taller, or workshop, where I teach the few and willing about the game, practice dribbling, do drills, run laps, play horse, around the world, and all of other forms of playground hoop. Fresh off vacation, we just had the first full day of classes today, and I must say that I’m beyond pumped for second semester!
Secondly, my host family has begun to feel like a genuine second family as of late. Going into this trip, I was initially keeping my fingers crossed for placement into a bigger family, as I thought it might be nice if there were lots of people around and always somebody to chat with. But, being just one adolescent in the household with two adults has really benefitted me, first with forging a solid relationship with both of my host parents as well as forcing me to be diligent and just about always be in Spanish-speaking mode.
Lastly, with respect to my host pops, starting in April I managed to finagle my way into his asado club, known colloquially around these parts of central Chile as a “Club de Toby”. Basically, somebody in the group of about 12-13 people brings steak, sausages, or whatever to throw on the grill, while everybody else brings some sort of vino, whiskey, coke, or preferred beverage to sip on. In the meantime, it’s pretty much good ol’ fashioned fuckery at its finest, with everybody sitting around, ragging on the next person about nothing in particular, swearing in the most indecipherable form of an already incomprehensible regional dialect of the Spanish language, and enjoying one another’s company. I will definitely be exporting this ritual back with me to the States…
…which brings me to my last bit. Chile, as a country, is quite amazing. Amid it’s particularities and quirky qualities, it’s managed to carve out a rather unique identity among it’s Latin American counterparts. As i’m quite fond of this place, I thought it’d be handy to highlight some pros and cons, as well as some things from home that are seriously missing from my life. So, here goes:
Things i’m diggin’ so far:
*ASADO, or anything that vaguely resembles this blessed ritual. The Latin American equivalent to a back-home BBQ.
*Mate, or ‘Yerba Mate’, has become my principal beverage in recent months. Sipped through a metal straw out of a gourd with mate leaves and piping hot water. Especially clutch as the coffee here leaves much to be desired.
*Chilean music in general, with special mention to Cumbia, traditional folk, and rock.
*Choripan
*Cheap eats and booze (probably more of a perk of living in a small town more than anything)
*Valparaiso: after a dozen or so romps through this lovely little port city, I think it’s safe to say that it’s probably one of my favorite places on earth.
*Chilean Spanish, otherwise known as pura wea, which has been formed and established on a national level gradually over the past few decades, is really fun to speak once you get past the fact that it can be ridiculous sometimes.
Things i’m not:
*Street dogs. I’ve really tried to take it in stride, but the truth is, I still think it’s a pretty repulsive thing that the streets here are crawling with dirty, abandoned animals.
*Chilean food. It’s not too terrible actually, just a bit bland and sometimes repetitive (just to be sure, my host mom’s cooking is exempt from this bullet point!)
*Coffee. Nescafe’s got a monopoly on the Chilean market, without a doubt. Although I’ve warmed up to it quite a bit since I arrived, at the end of the day it’s still instant coffee (see below).
Things i’m missing from the PNW:
*THAI FOOD. Words cannot describe the unrelenting hankering I have for this heavenly cuisine. Not surprisingly, nowhere to be found in this country.
*Good coffee. At this point in my Nescafe existence, would definitely not mind a freshly-brewed french press with Stumptown hairbender.
*IPA. Although Chile really has a nice beer scene, and has a wide variety of good local and national brewers, styles and types are a bit limited. Missing those dark, unnecessarily hoppy, double-strong Northwest IPA’s.
*Last, but certainly not least, my friends and family! No description needed.
And…that’s all I got right now. More coming soon! Peace, love, and saludos.
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Getting Profound on Top of Some Dunes
One of the most beautiful days weather-wise I’ve had the pleasure to be apart of, spent wandering around these neat dunes off the coast of central Chile, eating seafood empanadas, downing Escudo beers, and the whole lot. I was so wrapped up in the day that I didn’t even mind making a ridiculous video. Consider it a gift.
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Pancito con Palta
A Chilean delight which is so simple, yet, such an unbelievably satisfying staple of my daily routine that I felt compelled to take a picture.
Las Ultimas Notices Sobre la Vida Chilena: Viajes, Lluvia, Derechos Humanos, y Pura Wea
So, to take a break from my re-posting of Chile-related content in the form of music, pictures, and articles, etc, I figured I’d get a bit more anecdotal and give all of those in my readership, however little you might be, an update on my life in this oh so peculiar country. So, in no particular order, here are some recent events:
-Rains and Hurricanes: As I noted in a previous post, and may have alluded to on various occasions elsewhere outside the parameters of this blog, is rains very, very, very little in Quilpue. But when it does rain, it RAINS; as in, floods of biblical proportions and street-kayaking kind of rain. And because the city isn’t used to water, people literally lose their shit. Cars skidding out of control, metro lines cut off (the other two gringos can attest to this), and some strange bird food, chalk dust-mix thrown around the entrance of local shops. In any case, the weekend was anything but a bore. First, the three of us somehow managed to battle the elements and unite on Friday night at Ashley’s house for some Vino Navegado, a delicious Chilean concoction made with vino tinto, orange peels, brown sugar, and various spices, served hot and ready for those cold rainy days. That Saturday night, I accompanied my host parents to a party out in the countryside of Villa Alemana, which was a 80’s themed costume party (I know, RIGHT?!?!). Playing hits of this gleaming, golden decade of dance music from both the States and Latin America, as well as some salsa-infused Cumbia and Bachata, and accompanied with well-priced pisco sour and Chileans dressed like MJ in thriller, it made for quite the spectacular little rager.
-American Once: As any Gringo wandering around the world is probably aware, many foreigners have a very one-sided and narrow viewpoint of the cuisine that one finds in Gringolandia: McDonald’s this, Burger King that, Fried Kitchen with a chance of Meatballs, etc. Naaaaa Que Ver (a Chilean expression that translates like, ‘you’re nowhere close’). I, for one, am of the belief that au contraire, some of the most unique and tasty cuisine you can get your hands actually lies in our own backyard. It is with this mindset that I set out to prepare a proper, Grade-A, All-American meal for my host parents, and show them how we Gringos do Cheeseburgers. Along with the two gringas, we whipped up some burgers with lettuce, tomato, onion, mushrooms cheese & focaccia bread, pan-fried potatoes, beer, vino tinto, and vanilla ice cream with dolce de leche to top it all off. Needless to say, the result was all smiles and food comas (as well as grease stains; definitely ruined a shirt, but at least it was for a good cause!).
-La Serena & Coquimbo Trek: Alongside another teacher from my school, Yose, I went on a little last-minute trip up North to visit some EOD gringos stationed out of La Serena & Coquimbo. Immediately upon arrival we went to the local watering holes to get the night going. A bit later on, we went to a huge festival at the University, where a pretty gnarly Chilean group, Los Tres, was putting on a free show for the students. The next day while everybody in the town was recovering from the madness the night before (including us), me and Yose met up with Ren and hit the pavement to see some sites. We wandered around La Serena first, spending the majority of this time checking out the Recova flea market. Next we hopped on a micro to the take a lap through nearby Coquimbo. Due to the fact of it being a Sunday, we sort of just meandered around taking pictures: highlights include the Coquimbo port, where we dined on some premium seafood empanadas; Barrio Ingles, a very antique-like neighborhood that looks somewhat like a poor-man’s Valparaiso (but is aesthetically pleasing all the same); as well as an adventurous trek to the Coquimbo Cross, at which point we were rewarded with sweeping views of the city as it extended to the ocean. In planning the trip a few weeks prior, the plan was initially to continue a bit more North to “Valle De Elqui” for some pisco-ing, camping, and stargazing; however, with time not on our side, we decided to keep the asado close to home.
-Trip to Human Rights museum in Santiago: For “Semana de la Historia”, a week of paying tribute and homage to important events in the country’s past, my school spent the week sending groups of students on various trips to museums and places of historical significance throughout Central Chile. Of course, with trips like this, chaperones are required. Lucky for me, I was chosen to be a “chaperone” on the trip to Santiago, to see the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Human Rights. I think I was more excited than the students (I had tried on two prior occasions before to see the latter one, to no avail). The pain and suffering caused at the behest of the Pinochet regime during the 1973 coup d’état, with its ensuing wave of torture, kidnappings, disappearances, and several other forms of human rights violation, still has a lingering presence among most Chileans to this day. Recently, this pain was magnified x1000 when an extremely controversial movie paying homage to the dictator was showed this past weekend in Santiago. This gesture incited hordes of Chileans to take to the street of the capital and protest.
–Saturday Market: Finally made it to the “La Feria”, a sprawling, open-air market all-day, every Saturday out towards the end of town where Quilpue becomes countryside. Produce everywhere; asados and mini-BBQ’s teeming with all sorts of roasted goods; inexpensive clothes strewn over fold up tables; horses carrying said goods to-and-fro between vendors; and a nice, sunny day. Shit’s all good in the neighborhood.
That’s about it for now, check the pics below. Got some things stirring in the cauldron that should be bubbling come next week. Until then!
Saludos
Link
Patagonia Dams: The Polarities Of Hydroelectric Power And Environmental Preservation
Patagonia Dams: The Polarities Of Hydroelectric Power And Environmental Preservation
This article does a bang-up job of exploring the extremely multi-faceted issue of energy, economic growth, and environmental sustainability in Chile and the Patagonian North.
tochileandbeyond 