Helen Wears an Eagle Hat & Walks in the Clouds

Knocks at our door at 5am got us out of our warm lumpy beds and into the cold room with no heat. The prices of the 2 day 1 night Colca Canyon circuit are based on the quality of the hotel you get dropped in for the evening - budget for us. It's 2 hours to the Cruce de Condor where we hope the weather allows views into one of the world's deepest canyons (still debated) and we get a glimpse of Condors that make their nests in the steep walls. Chances are slim for both this time of year, it's the rainy season and the big birds retreat to the coast for seafood.
The Colca Valley is beautiful this time of year with the terraced land and plots divided by ancient rock walls full of blooming potato plants and corn. The potato originated in Peru and there are over 2000 varieties of potato here. We make a brief stop in Maca for bathrooms and much needed coffee as our budget hotel only searved tea with our bread and marmelade this morning. As usual the locals are selling trinkets, bright colored clothes and photo ops with llamas. Today's rareity is a trained eagle and Helen is quick to take advantage. Meghan isn't feeling her best, affected by the altitude and the early start. We are back in the highlands. Yesterday we cleared a pass at 4900 meters (16,000 feet) and we are still at 12,000 feet, I feel it too.
As we head west the land gets steeper and cactus plants replace the produce and the clouds start to thicken. Just as we reach our viewpoint everything turns white and we are socked in. The cross is visible but we won't get to see much else from here. Helen keeps the mood positive, excited to feel what it is like to be in the clouds... wet and white. Our tour guides take us back to a second mirador in the valley that we passed earlier and we sit for half an hour with our eyes to the sky. Other than fun with condor pupets we pile back in the van to make the 4 hour trip out of the valley and over the pass to Arequipa. We do get to see a lone condor sailing high above the valley and the van stops on the side of the road but it was way up there.
We might have to make a return trip here.... 6 hours from Cusco.

Daddy Dresses as a Woman and Smelly Boiling Water

We are on a two day, one night tour. The tour was to go to the canyon called Colca Canyon. We got up early and ate breakfast. The tour guide came at 8:00, her name was Dina. When we were driving we learned the difference between llamas and alpacas. The llamas have their tail upward and the alpacas have their tail downward (and the llamas have much less fun). The town that we are staying in is called Chivay.

Chivay is up in the mountains where the hot springs came out. We were going to the hot springs in the afternoon. We fiddled around in our hotel room, dad took a nap, mom was reading and Meghan and I were playing. Finally, it was time.

We took our bathing suits and a towel. Everybody in our tour was coming. We all took the bus up to where the water came out. Our guide gave us a tour of the place. Dina showed us where the water came out. The water smelled like rotten eggs, I mean H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E! It smelled so bad that I called it the smelly boiling water. We went to the last pool. It was shaped like a circle and it had an arch that said Chivay.

My feet were burning when I put them in. You get used to it after a little while. We met a family that spoke no spanish and were going to walk down into the canyon. That night we went to a special dinner and people were dancing and you also got to dance if they picked you. The dancers were a man and a woman and there was a band. After the dancers had finished their dance, they would go around asking someone to dance. The woman came over to our table and asked dad if he wanted to dance and he said 'yes'. I couldn't belive my ears, daddy dancing?

When he got on the dance floor, the woman gave him a skirt, a cape and a hat. He danced around in a circle as more people joined the group. When it was over, he took off his outfit and sat back down. And, if I ever see him dress like a woman again I would call him a weirdo.

Arequipa, Arequipa, Arequipa

We've spent a few days here, so far, in Arequipa and we just love the atmosphere. The so-called "White City" (La Cuidad Blanca) is white for a number of reasons. According to all of the tour books, its because most of the buildings are built with a stone called sillar that is mined in volcanic areas and is made of compressed volcanic ash. I've been told it is impossible to paint, so all of the buildings constructed with it are white. Also, because the city is constantly hit by small and large earthquakes, there are very few buildings in the city above 3 stories (most are just 2). In places where you find more than 3 stories, there is a beautiful view.

The other reason this city is known as the White City we heard from our guide in the Conven. She told us that the city is named the white city for all of the white people who lived here after the Spanish created the city. That the city got its nickname long before they ever started using the sillar stones for buildings. In fact, she told us, there is not a single recorded building or other structure that the indigineous ever used the sillar as a building material. It was discovered by the Spanish and they used it for all of the buildings they built.

The city is on the high plains and abuts the Andes. It sits at 2380m (7808') with towerin mountains within a couple of hours to the base. El Misti 5822m (19,101') is an active volcano that last erupted in 1985. The very top of the moutain, for the week we've been here, has not been clear of clouds. It almost seems like something could be brewing over there right now. The other mountain is Chachani 6,095m (19,997'). A hulking mountain refered to in indiginous folk tales as the wife of Misti. (In between them is a small volcano in the exact shape of Misti that is supposed to be their child - we haven't seen it yet, it hasn't been clear enough for us).

Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru. They have over a million people that live in this area. From what I've learned of their history, they have several times considered dividing themselves from Lima - to the point that at one point they designed their own money and passports. The city is knows for its diverse society and for some really yummy cooking. My mouth and belly have never been so happy to have returned to Peru. The food here is fantastic!

We have wandered the streets and the guy at the tourist office gave us a couple of little urban neighborhoods to check out. These areas are super quiet, away from the noisy streets of the city - but just steps away from the main square and other bustling avenues. All of them have old metal lampposts and huge urns on their sides with flowers everywhere. I had to keep turning back to the street, and seeing the constant flow of people and cars just past the stairs to believe I was really in the middle of a big city.

I'm trying really hard not to purchase more stuff. :) It's not going to fit in my suitcase anyway, so I'm not sure why its so difficult. We are just days away from returning to Cusco and moving in to our new apartment. I'm ready, I think, to settle down for a while. We'll see, I guess.

Nuns and Parsley Soap

The Convent of Santa Catalina was amazing! I had been to another convent in Cochabamba, Boliva but nothing could have prepared me for this. The convent takes up two blocks and inside the 10 foot walls is almost like a miniature city! Nuns still live there and are in a modern building, separate from the museum.
We had a very nice guide and she gave us loads of information. The first room we saw was the "Locutorio", which means place where there is a phone. The nuns did NOT have phones but their families could pay visits to them and talk through two sets of wooden bars. That meant; a. they couldn't touch each other, and b. they couldn't see each other very well.
All of the rooms in the convent had arched tops because somehow arches stay strong when there are earthquakes. Usually the whole room had an arched ceiling and a smaller arch were over the beds, altars and drawers/chests. The altars usually had a painting or statue of the nun's favorite saint. The rooms were very bare because the nuns could only own less than 25 items. I was very surprised when some of the items included laborate tea sets (shown in picture). The parents could only give the nuns clothes, books or food. Things that they could share. Brushes, mirrors, perfume or any type of make-up was banned because they thought it was a sign of vanity. I couldn't imagine going all my life without being able to see myself.

We saw the dining room, where all of them ate their meals. We also saw the kitchens. Most nuns shared seperate little kitchens but for big meals they used the huge one. The nuns also sold cakes and cookies to make money for restorations. the most popular cookie cutter was a penguin because the nuns wore white and black! They also made a type of bread that they also sold.
My favorite place in the convent was the Orange Tree Cloister. It had a few cool orange trees in it but that wasn't the best part. All of the columns for arches, at the top had beautiful paintings of birds, fruits and vegetables (other picture). That wasn't the only pretty thing though. All around the walls were paintings of different saints. After mass the nuns would walk around the courtyard in procession. The "line leader" of the day would look at every picture and say "Pray for us Catalina, saint of sorrow".

The coolest was the laundry. The water flowed into a channel that had clay pots beside it. There were holes on each side of the channel that were just above the height where the water flowed. When the water was blocked just behind the hole, the water went into the hole, flowed through a pipe and came out in the clay pots where they washed the clothes. The drain was stopped with a carrot, but I am not sure if they ate it afterwards or not!
After the tour we went to the shop and bought rose scented body cream, a rosary and parsely soap made by the nuns. The parsley soap actually smells realy good!!!! The convent was beautiful and if I had to be a nun, that would be the place to stay.

Rotten Teeth and a Metal Pin

Today we went to a museum named Museo Santuarios Andinos. It was a museum that had a frozen child on display. How they froze the child was simple. This is back when the Inkas lived in Peru. Sometimes the mountain gods got angry. They would make eruptions or earthquakes in Peru. So the Inkas had only one choice to make the earthquakes or eruptions stop in Peru. So they would take a popular child, or a princess, and they would get them drunk and everybody would hike to the top of a mountain with the ruler and the chosen child in the front. The mountain was called Nevado Ampanto, a snow covered volcano. The whole time the people were walking, the ruler was carrying a big long stick with a big rock on the end that was shaped like a star. When the Inkas stopped at the top they built a fire and the child was given a drink that put the child asleep. Then the ruler would raise the big stick and bash it on the child's head. Then they burried the child on the mountain and walked back down the mountain hoping that the child would make the gods happy and they would stop the earthquakes and eruptions.

Well I guess I should now tell you a bout the musem we went to. They found about 20 children on the many mountains in the Andes, the most popular one was named Juanita. She was a maiden and a princess of the Inkas. They were not showing her because she was being studied. Inside the musem ther was mostly the stuff that they burried with Juanita. Inside there was alot of clay pots with beautiful old designs. In the Inka's time the king and the queen would wear special clothes than everybody else. The queen would wear a dress and a shawl with a big metal pin that would fasten the shawl together. The king would wear the sam, but with pants and a shirt. The pin was sharp at the end and had a curve at the other end. They could be gold, copper, silver, and bronze. The frozen child we got to see on display was the oldest girl of the lot. She was 16 and she had ice all around her. But her teeth were rotten. They were brown and white teeth.

I had learned alot about the museum and I was glad.

Goodbye Iquique & Chile

Iquique, the Miami Beach of Chile, is sandwiched in between walls of sand to the east and the Pacific. An odd town brought to life during the nitrate boom and now surviving on beach and extreme sport enthusiasts. Old Town where we stayed was full of historic buildings all framed in douglas fir from Oregon and painted in a mix of bright and pastel colors. The trim work and details even had a hint of the Pacific Northwest architecture. The main pedestrian street even had wooden sidewalks down the entire length - very exotic and proof of the wealth (long since gone) in this desert region.

Today is a travel day, full day on buses with a border crossing (not our favorite) but we are excited to return to Peru. The trip from Iquique to Arica on the border is not along the rugged coast but inland a bit through the vast wasteland. The climb imediately out of town up through the coastal range was a site, through huge sand mountains and dunes. We passed the abandoned nitrate mines, steel structures that look like they came right out of Mad Max's Thunderdome and a crazy web of train tracks that appear and disapear under the sand... erie. The Andes were far off in the distance on the right side of the bus as we head north, Meghan, Helen and I in the front window and Debby a couple rows back. Riding on the top floor of a bus feels a little like flying in a very turbulent plane just above the highway... it's a great view. Six hours later we were in the Arica bus station trying to figure out the best route across the border to Peru.

For one reason or another the buses to Tacna leave from a terminal across the street so we wheel our bags in that direction and once inside are barraged by taxi drivers wanting to ferry us the 40 minute trip. Hungry and still not sure of the best move, bus or taxi and tired of being hassled we retreat to the first terminal for a bite of lunch. Over completos (sliced beef, tomatoes and avacado on a bun) I rationalize that a public bus, with safety in numbers will be our best bet, a private taxi in the desert sounds similar to a taxi at night. For the third time we cross the street and half block looking like a stripped down version of the Partridge Family in Peru, penetrate the line of taxi drivers at the entrance and find our way to the buses. These buses list the destination in the window but no specific travel times... they leave when they are full. We were the first 10 on the bus (no prize) so we wait about 15 minutes and we are off. During that time we read through the border crossing section of our travel book and learn that the taxis are listed as the safer and quicker method. Oh well, you can't always be right, and I am writing this now so it couldn't be too bad.

The border was a non-issue, as they all have been, still we have much anxiety at and around the frontera. Only one more border to cross before we head home as our Peru Visa expires in 120 and we have to leave for a day or two. Tacna is a small town with a fountain designed by Gustave Eiffel in the plaza was quiet except for a band rocking the restaurant below our hotel. It was incredibly loud and not very good so we asked what time they would finish up and headed out for some chinese food.

Beach and Belly Dancing

Today was awesome! We hadn't been to the beach in a while but today was a good day to do it. Before we left we had to go crazy with the sunscreen because the last time in Bahia Inglesa we were fried. Helen and I both rented boogey boards, but the water took some time getting used to: a) the water was freezing, and b) there were tons of jellyfish. The "medusas" didn't sting but they felt really weird on your bare legs. Finally, I went out there and rode a few small waves in. About five minutes later I went out with Dad and rode some huge ones. The waves were totally over my head but it was fantastic. Before I turned into an ice cube I had to get out of the water and dry off. We played ball to warm me up and then headed back to the hotel to take showers, change, then go to the main plaza.

Iquique was having a really cool festival where all different countries from all over the world were participating. The countries were: France, Itally, Argentina, Columbia, Peru, Brazil, Saudia Arabia y Ecuador. Every country had a booth on the Plaza. In the booth were things you buy from that country and foods that country ate. We had fondue from France, filled potatoes from Columbia, pizza from Italy and granizados from Peru. The iceys probably weren't from Peru but they were good.

In front of the theater was a big outside stage where the countries showed there national dances. That night was all Arabian. At first they showed some of the important dances, but then they moved on to the story of 1001 nights. The clothing was beautiful. Most of the women wore floor length skirts of long genie pants made of silk. The tops were usually bikinis except they had beads hanging down until about the stomach. The dances were really cool except I'm not sure I would call it ballet. Everyone was barefoot except the men. I wanted to stay until it ended, but Mom, Dad and Helen got tired and we had to leave. After a long and good day it was easy to go to sleep.

I love Iquique!

Long Heads and Beautiful Fountains

The most beautiful place in Iquique is the square. All around the square were lots of tents that were reprasenting each country. For example: There was a French tent and they were selling chocolate fondue. In the middle of the square was a tall white building that might have been a cock tower. In two straight lines were beautiful fountains splashing into a small pool. There was a walkway. When we first saw the square there were people swimming in the pool.

Right in front of the tall white building was a stage and a fat, white, short building. We decided to go see what was in that building. So we walked inside and asked the guy at the desk what this place was. He told us that it was a theatre and if we would want to look inside, and Mom and Dad exchanged looks and Mom nodded. Inside was huge! Pretty much the only thing there was the stage. Seats were lined up in front of the stage and they looked like they were going to spring to life and start dancing. We got to go up on the stage and it was amazing! Just going up there made me want to sing and dance all at the same time. Upstairs was much funner than down stairs. There were lots of box seats on either side of the theater.

The next place that we were going was the regional museum. Inside was alot of clay things like people (that were naked), and animals, and pots and plates. There were alot of mummies that were older than the ones in Egypt. There were children, women and men and boys. The skulls were weird too. They had long heads that stuck up at the end. There clothes were cool too. The women wore shawls with a really cool design. My favorite things in the room were the tokens. They were made of cardboard, metal, silver, copper, bronze and gold. Each had the same design on it, a trolly.

Iquique was a place for tourists, and I was definitely one.

All Good Things Must End - or Do They?

After 4 beautiful days on the beach in Bahia Inglesa, we took an overnight bus to Iquique further north in Chile on our way back to Peru. While waiting in the bus station, we met a very nice young woman who spoke English and came to sit with us to wait for our bus - which was an hour late because of a flat tire further south.

I tend to prefer the buses, when riding for 12-14 hours, that leave around 8:00PM or so. I find that I can sometimes fall asleep early and we arrive around time to wake up. Leaving at midnight didn't put us there until almost 2 in the afternoon. The sun is HOT by noon - its already burned off all of the clouds blown in from sea - and the buses are never quite cool enough. By the time we got to Iquique, Helen was feeling ill and we were all a little out of sorts.

We arrived to a blazing sun and a blue blue sky. On our way to our hotel, the taxi driver told us the hotel we had booked was in a perfect location, 5 blocks to the Market, 5 blocks to the pedestrian street into town, and 5 blocks to the beach. Things were already looking up!

Once we got to our hotel and checked in, we took a walk down the street to have a late lunch at the Central Market. This is usually our favorite place to eat in any South American city. Since it was so late, we stopped outside on the sidewalk at the first restaurant that we saw. The food was ok, but we were much happier later, when we actually made the trip inside the market and had lunch there.

After lunch we strolled back to the hotel and had a nap to recharge the batteries. This always seems to make the girls unhappy, unless they actually fall asleep and then they wake up happy. Mike was happy. Debby was not. Helen was happy. Meghan was not. Sigh, you can't win them all.

In the late afternoon we walked out to the beach and then to the downtown central square. This is probably one of the more picturesque squares we've been to in Chile. Iquique was having a festival to celebrate the residents from different countries that live in their city. There were several booths set up around the main square selling traditional foods from their countries. The countries that participated were Argentina, Columbia, Peru, Italy, Arabia, & Spain. On a side note, there are a group of Chinese restaurants (about 6 of them) on a corner within about 4 blocks of the main square - but they were not represented in the festival. My conclusion: there must be a scandal in there somewhere.

After cruising the square and checking out all of the booths, we decided not to wait in line for food. So we walked back down the pedestrian street to have dinner at a little restaurant with tables set up outside. They snagged us with their 2-for-1 happy hour Pisco Sours. Only, drat our poor Spanish skills, we didn't realize when we ordered them that we ordered 2 and ended up with 4. The fortunate part was that, of course, this made the final bill for them a little easier to swallow :)

It was a fine day in Iquique. I look forward to having a few more of them before we leave Chile.

I Get Soaking Wet Even Though It's Fun

Bahia Inglesia is tiny for two reasons. One is that the beach is 150 yards apart from one another. The second reason is that there's only one market and no post office in Bahia. We stayed in a little cabania that was right next to the beach. At 3:00 we were going kayaking on a diffrent beach that had really bad sand. Mom wasn't going because of her bad shoulder. Dad Meghan and I got into our swim suits and a T-shirt and sun hats. Mom walked us down to te kayak place to watch us take of and take pictures.
Our boat was dark green. We had two-headed paddles. The guy who had brought us the boat explained where the boundaries were and told Meghan and I how to paddle. He gave us life jackets and the paddles. Then he and another guy lifted up the boat and carried it over to to water. We hugged Mom goodbye and followed them down to the water. Dad was in the back, Meghan was in the front, and I was in the middle. Meghan was the one that got to steer. She would steer anyway she would want and we would have to follow. We steered over to a big lump of rock with thousands of pelicans on it. There was so many that we called it "pelican island". The water was so bumpy that the boat lurched from one side to another. We saw many jellyfish in the water with cool stripes that were red and white. Left, right, left, right, the words kept dancing across my mind while I paddled. As we turned around again Dad said it was time to back so we begged him to stay longer but her said "nope we're going back" so we sadly paddled back.
After we got it on the shore adn took off our life jackets and everything was wet except my top bathing suit and the middle of my T-shirt was dry. We took a quick swim in the sea and on the way back we bought ice-cream and while I was eating I was thinking about what happened toaday and if it was not real, I wished it was a dream and that I would never wake up.

Mas Ceviche Por Favor!

Saturday we bused North from La Serena to Caldera with a brief fuel stop in Copiapo, the site of the minning accident and rescue last year. This is deslate country here, and without treasures undergound I am sure there would be just a few small fishing ports along the North coast. At the times when the Panamerican leaves the rocky shoreline for an inland stretch there is only sand and rocks for miles and miles and miles.

Caldera is a small fishing port but our destination is the white sandy beaches of Bahia Inglesa, just a 10 minute collectivo ride South. We hopped off our bus and headed right out of town. Bahia has pristine white sandy beaches and clear water where the seaweed has been cleared away, probably by the town. The water is still cold (kids in wetsuits) and you have to get used to the jellyfish in the water. They are very colorful and we were told they don't sting but but it is hard to discount years of experience.

Bahia is nice and we will be here 4 nights but the services few and expensive so we headed back into Caldera first thing Sunday morning for supplies. We made our way straight to the pier along with everyone else, Sunday must be the day to stock up on seafood. Our friends the lobos grande (fat sealions) were in the harbor moving at only the necessary speed to keep afloat as scraps headed there way from the mongers. From a vendor under an umbrella we picked up some ceviche mixta (mussels, clams, squid, octopus) spooned into a plastic cup out of a big red cooler, as we walked around eyeing the sights and sniffing the scents. We have been enjoying the seafood since crossing the Andes into Santiago. Pastel de jaiba (crab caserole), ostiones (scallops), corvina (sea bass), pejerrey (kingfish): congrio (conger eel) and sopa de mariscos (shelfish soup). We have been getting our fill, aware that it will all fade as we head into the hills of Peru and the food with fins are replaced with clawed feet. Not having a plan for cold fish and with a few more errands to run in Caldera we didn't purchase anything but commited to returning later, if for nothing else but more ceviche.

Back in Bahia we break out the umbrella, paddle balls and convert our mate bag into a perfect beach cooler!

Pisco, Aguardiente & Me

We took a day trip out to a small town in the Elqui Valley called Vicuña. Just outside of town is one of the largest producers of Chilean Pisco (a grape brandy) named Capel. We stayed at an old Pisco estancia in Peru and walked through their old equipment - we thought it would be interesting to see how it all worked. So, we took the tour.

The first part of the tour was in an underground room where they stored many oak barrels of pisco and their original processing equipment. We saw some of the same pieces there that we had seen in Ica (which was kind-of neat). I was surprised to see the process and how close it is to making wine (although they do use different varieties of grapes).

Our guide explained how they squeezed the grapes (almost exclusively Muscat grapes)and saved the juice only (in wine they save the skins - that's where they get the wine taste from - to make pisco, they don't need it.). They test the amount of sugar in the juice and only the juice under a certain level of sweetness is sent on to make pisco (the other is used to make a product called aguardiente - which uses the same process but the extra sugar makes it a lethal alcohol level). Then they boil the juice and syphon off the steam produced.

After the steam is put into a stainless barrel, they add a yeast that is found on the grape skins (or they put it in oak barrels). After a short period of time, the pisco in the large stainless storage tanks are ready for bottling. Some of the pisco they store in the barrel for up to 6 months - then they bottle it.

When they move the now pisco to the bottling phase, they test the alcohol level of their product. All bottled chilean pisco can only have an alchol level of between 30% - 43%, so they pour the bottle full of pisco according to the alcohol level found and then add water to fill the bottle. This seems so strange to me. I mean, you do all the work and then you age it in oak - why would you want to mix that with water? If the issue is alcohol consumption, why not sell smaller bottles? I mean, it has to taste pretty good before you mix it with the water if people are going to drink it, right?

Anyhow, after our tour we visited the tasting room. They had a couple of premade mixed drinks (ie Pisco Sour, Pisco Mango, etc) they sell in grocery stores here and a sample or two of the pure thing. It knocked my socks off! And that was WITH it mixed with the water! I guess I'm just really not all that big on alcohol shots. They had a pretty extensive company store to walk through before you could leave the tasting room (sort of like those rides at Disney World that exit through a store full of the items from the ride you just got off of). We were able to hold-out though, so none of us are toating around a Capel shirt or hat - or multiple bottles of pisco - sometimes its good to have limited space in your luggage.

The walk back to town was hot, but not too far. We spent a few minutes walking around the central square. The park had venders selling their wares on blankets on the ground. We saw a lamp made from a cow skull, plastic light-up fairy wands direct from China, and very large earrings. Again, we were able to abstain from walking away with any of those beauties and we made our way back to the bus station to get a bus back to the beach.

Mamalluca and Stars

We were the first ones picked up for the Mamalluca star expedition. I was going to sleep on the bus but it was a little early so we talked with the driver. We had a group of about 16 people but not everyone spoke english so we were divided in two groups. Once everyone was picked up from their hostels/hotels we headed for Vicuna, the town right near the Mamalluca telescopes. We picked one person up from Vicuna then started heading up the hill. The moon was almost full so we could only see the brightest stars but it was still beautiful. We waited on a little pavilion for our guide and talked to a lady from Seattle that had been to Cusco and gave us a volunteer group to look into.

Once the guide came he led us into the big observatory room that had a telescope that magnified things 300 percent. He moved the wall (it acctually was a moving wall) and then moved the telescope to the moon. Before he let us look he explained some things. My favorite fact that he said was that the moon will dissapear in 4 billion years because every year it gets further away. Now I don't know that many people that have looked in a super big telescope to see th moon, but its awesome. A-W-E-S-O-M-E. He had moved the telescope so we could see the biggest crater on the moon called Copernicus, (I might not be in school but I am learning some things!).

I got to look in the telescope second. The moon was so close I felt like I could reach out and touch it. The crater was huge! After everyone had a look he did the cool thing with the walls and the telescope and we came to the famous constillation Orion. "The Hunter's" belt is very easy to see but if the sky is clear and the moon isn't to bright then you will be able to see his knife. The middle star in his knife a.k.a m42 is a galaxy where there are thousands of baby stars, all blue and ready to live for centurys!!!

The last thing we saw in the huge telescope was Jupiter and four of its moons. The other 48 moons are somewhere out there though!!! Jupiter is supposed to be a yellow planet with 2 orange stripes but just in the last 6 months the second stripe has dissapeared and scientists are stilll trying to find out why. After all that the next group was ready for the tower and we went outside to talk about patterns.

I think my favorite thing about the sky is Orion, his dogs, the bull "Taurus" and the seven sisters "The Pliades". From right to left, first come the dogs helping helping Orion hunt the bull thats guarding the seven sisters. Our guide called them the seven sisters but theres actually 6 dots because one of the is supposed to be in love with Orion. Thats my favorite thing but I also marvel at whoever first started naming the stars. I definately do not get how seven dots can be seven sisters, and how two stars can be two boys and how another two stars can be two dogs. I guess I dont have the immagination!

After we saw all that we headed inside for a short presentation. He had a really cool program on the computer where you could say the date and time and where you were in the world and it could show you the exact sky you were seeing then outside. It was really cool. By then it was 1:30 and we were definately ready to go home and sleep. We got a little snack on the bus. Helen and I had a pack of "Mini Kuky" (thats really how it was spelled!) and then we headed home to get a good half night of sleep.

P.S. The star program on the computer is called Stelarium. You can look it up and download it if you'd like.

Link: http://stelarium.com/

Return to the West Coast

After 2.5 days and 3 nights poking around Valparaiso and Vina del Mar we are bussing it to La Serena for some more beach time with less people. The beaches in Vina del Mar were packed. Lots to keep your eyes occupied but more of a scene than we prefer, and the water should warm a bit as we head north. Valparaiso, the port town was our favorite of the 2 cities side by side. Much older and a unique layout of streets, walks and funiculars used to manuver the hills. Public art, commissioned and unwelcomed everywhere, along with the colorful buildings make it worth the steep climbs exploring the neighborhoods. We stayed in a hostel in Cero Concepcion, just above the port and mostly hung around the old section of town. There is still evidence of the large earthquake that hit this area a year ago, vacant buildings, closed businesses and only about half of the funiculars in operation.

It's nice to be back on the Pacific, tasty seafood, cool breezes and beautiful sunsets.

After 6 hours on the bus we were surprised at the size of La Serena, not the quiet town on the ocean we had hoped for. There was no seperation from the neighboring city Coquimbo and the beach scene was just as crowded as Vina. Oh well, maybe our next coastal town as we head north, there are other things to see here so we will limit the beach to one day of our 2.5 here. We are now traveling with a small beach umbrella on the buses, trying to fit in with the locals on summer vacation. After picking a spot and setting up the umbrella we picked up a set of Maui paddles and ball (local favorite) from one of the many vendors walking the beach. It's like the lot at a Dead show except much more sand and less dreads, everything for sale - clothing, sunscreen, snacks, kites, buckets, boogie boards. Just lay on your blanket and wait for it. Blankets, umbrella, paddle balls.... I think all we are missing is a cooler full of cervesas!

We aren't just beach bums though and try to hit the museums when they are near by. Chile seems much more respective to its indigenous peoples than Argentina and it has been nice to visit museums in Santiago and Vina celebrating the Mapuche stronghold of central,southern Chile that succesfully resisted invasion by the Incans from the North and were thorns in the side of Spain during the colonial years only to be slowly smothered by population increases and economic policies of the New Republic. The Fonk Museum in Vina and the Archilogico Museo in La Serena in addition to mainland history each had exhibits on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), the giant Moai figures and the history of those peoples living over a thousand miles from Chile.

As we head north in search of the perfect beach I am sure there will be plenty more history as well.

Big Heads and Big Waves

Today had warm weather and wind. We walked down several stairs to get down the hill. Once we met level ground we looked around for a place to get a bus that would take us to Vina del Mar. Soon the bus came. We sat down at teh end of the bus. The trip was 15 minutes or more, not that long. I was glad when we finally got off the bus. The Fonk museum that we were going to was pretty far becaouse we walked a lot to get there. We got to the bilding soon and walked up the front steps and into the museum. Downstairs was alot of things that were carved by men and women. There was a really good carved man that was naked and he had a smaller man next to him that was also naked.
Up stairs was nature life. Pretty insects were everywhere on the second floor, butiful colored beetles and butterflys hung every where. In the next room there was a two headed lamb that only lived one week. Other animals that were stuffed were in the room too. There was a black bear that was standing up and was growling so you could see it's teeth. In the last room there were shrunken human heads. The people would have war then they would take the people that they killed and chop off the head. Then they would take the toungh and the eyes out. Then they would fill the head with hot sand and hang it over the fire. Soon the head began to shrink intill it was the size of a grown up's fist. It was really weird.
Outside dad took our picture in front of this enormus head that was poking out of the ground. It was from the island Rapa Nui that is in the Pacific Ocean next to Chile.
After that we walked toward the beach that was calld Playa El Sol (which means The Sun Beach). We walked a long way to the beach. Soon we got there and went to the bathroom to change. After that Dad wanted a umbrella to keep us in shade. When he walked off everybody else put on sunscreen. Finally Dad came back and he had to put on sunscreen. He told us where the place was and how much it cost, so we picked up our bags and headed in the direction.
Any way the waves were huge! They were so loud almost as loud as the water falls in Iguazu. Meghan and I couldn't wait to to get in the water. Finally we dove in it was freezing! I could only go down to my waist because the waves were two feet above my head. We had a lot of fun at the beach, I was very sad to leave. We took the bus back and ate pizza for dinner. When it was time to bed I looked at the ceiling feeling very sad that I had to leave Valpariso tomorrow.

Valparaiso and La Sebastiana

Valparaiso is beautiful. I can tell why the famous poet Pablo Neruda decided to stay there. Today was hazy so you couldn't see the ocean very well but the hills were pretty. The best part about them was that all the houses on the hills were painted all sorts of obnoxious colors taht were awesome!!! My favorite house was a light blue one with purple shutters on one side, green on the other and a bright red door. By the way our hostel is bright pink, you can't miss it! After dropping off our bags we headed out for some chow. Lunch was delicious. Stuffed squid rings followed by pork chicken and sauteed vegetables topped off with tiramisu, cherries and strawberry sauce... I don't think anything gets better than that. After lunch, a quick zip up to the hotel to change then to one of the many houses of Pablo Neruda, La Sebastiana. Good thing: We got there. Bad thing: We walked up like ten hills. I do think it was worth it though. The house was five stories tall and would of been spacious but stuff was cluttered everywhere. When I mean stuff I mean everything you could imagine. We got audio recorders to guide us through the house since there weren't that many staff and tons of people. There were so many things that it took forever to walk through. Every collection I'd seen put together wouldn't be as big as this one. The reason why was because he didn't have to collect just one thing. He saw something he liked, and he took it or found out a way to get it. Some of his crazy objects included: Merry-go-round horses, gold pillars of angels, lots of plates, a cow bowl used to serve punch, big old maps of the americas, stone murals and much much more. The top floor was my favorite floor, with veiws that could best even the highest skyscraper. I loved it. You definately don't get views like that everywhere!!! Finally the "guide" said it was time to go. We went to the information office and played on the playground a little before we started the long walk back to the hostel.

I really like Pablo Neruda and this was the first poem I ever read of his. Hope you enjoy!!!

Mara Mori brought me
a pair of socks
which she knitted herself
with her sheepherder's hands,
two socks as soft as rabbits.
I slipped my feet into them
as if they were two cases
knitted with threads of twilight and goatskin,
Violent socks,
my feet were two fish made of wool,
two long sharks
sea blue, shot through
by one golden thread,
two immense blackbirds,
two cannons,
my feet were honored in this way
by these heavenly socks.
They were so handsome for the first time
my feet seemed to me unacceptable
like two decrepit firemen,
firemen unworthy of that woven fire,
of those glowing socks.

Nevertheless, I resisted the sharp temptation
to save them somewhere as schoolboys
keep fireflies,
as learned men collect
sacred texts,
I resisted the mad impulse to put them
in a golden cage and each day give them
birdseed and pieces of pink melon.
Like explorers in the jungle
who hand over the very rare green deer
to the spit and eat it with remorse,
I stretched out my feet and pulled on
the magnificent socks and then my shoes.

The moral of my ode is this:
beauty is twice beauty
and what is good is doubly good
when it is a matter of two socks
made of wool in winter.

Pablo Neruda

Cerro Santa Lucia y Dinner with Shepard!

When Santiago was established in 1541 - all of the city blocks created were around the central square (Plaza de Armas). Within 5 blocks of the Plaza de Armas to the East was a huge rock formation they called Cerro Santa Lucia (Hill Saint Lucia).

The top of Cerro Santa Lucia is at 629m (2063 ft). It stuck up higher than our 19th story apartment but not taller than our 22-story apartment building. Because there are no tall buildings built close around it, the view is beautiful. And best of all, FREE! The only caveat is that you have to be willing to climb all of the stairs to get to the top.

The park was created when a neighbor decided to change the 'face' of Santiago in 1872. The mostly rock hill was transformed (with prison labor, no less) by trucking in loads of dirt, planting trees, and moving the dissident cemetary on the hill (typically, in this country, this means Protestants). Then there were things built - a chapel, beautiful fountains, gorgeous stairs - and the original fort (Fort Hidalgo) was restored.

The work that must have gone it to creating this park was astounding. We approached the park from both entrances and a couple of sides as well. The paths were well marked, most were paved, and there was even a more gentle climb up a paved road to the center of the hill. We spent a couple of afternoon hours climbing to the top - but we returned a couple more times while we were there to take more pictures. :)

That night we went to dinner with Shepard. Our tour guide had pointed out to us a restaurant not too far from our apartment that served "Chilean cuisine". We headed there to taste a bit.

Mike and Helen split a pork roll - the outside of the "roll" was a thick piece of pork fat, the inside a bunch of different pork pieces. Shepard got a pastel de choclo (corn cake). It was a good size, which was good because Meghan ate half of it after the first sample was offered. Meghan and I split a tuna, but it was not the best fish I've had on this trip - so I can see why the corn cake was tasty to her.

After dinner we walked to have ice cream at a place Shepard knew. It was super creamy and the perfect end to our meal. While we were sitting outside eating, a guy dressed up as a clown entertained the kids for a while without saying a word (foreigner friendly clown - no difficult Chileno accent to translate). He was kind enough to take the family photo above. It was a great night and a perfect send-off after our week in Santiago.

Mercado Central y La Vega

Santiago's Market is HUGE. Its divided into two parts. One part is for eating and one part is for buying. The part for eating is much smaller than the part for buying because all it has in it is restaurants and fish shops. I am so glad we are near the coast again because seafood is one of my favorite foods. The fish shops sell all sorts of things from white sea bass to pink and purple things that I would not want to eat!!!
Right across the street from the smaller market was the huge buying market. There they had rows and rows of beautiful cherries, bright red peppers, big bags of potatoes and much much more. Everything was really cool but the spices were definitely my favorite part. They were in big brown cloth bags that were open so when you walked by the smell was one of the best things in the world.
The funniest things about markets is that all the garbage ( cherry pits, corn husks, bad cabbage leaves, bean shells...) goes on the floor. Well... I guess its good fertilizer for the cement floor!!! The only thing I wonder about is what they do with the leftover food. I'm sure they eat some but, who knows???
Markets are definitely one of my favorite things on this trip. Everyone is yelling, trying to get us to buy their products or in deep conversation with a local or a friend. While you walk through the beautiful vegetables and fruits you start feeling less like a stranger and more like a local. Now I've been feeling like a stranger for a little over six months and trust me, it feels REALLY nice to not stick out.
After doing a pretty full tour we decided that we couldn't leave without buying some things. Helen and I were set on getting cherries because they were so pretty. There were two kinds of cherries, the red ones and the red and yellow ones that were kind of like ranier cherries.
I wish I could have stayed forever but very soon it was time to leave. I hope we can return soon!!!

Museo Chileno De Arte Precolombino

Today we went to the Chilean museum of art that was before Columbus. The museum was super cool, it was filled with all sorts of thousand year old statues that were made by the tribes before the Inkans. There were masks that were copper and stone and they would wear the masks to partys or dances. Some of the sculptures were weird, like there was a pot that was big but it had what looked like clay pointy daggers all around the surface of the pot, it was really cool. The last room was very different from the others. It was not sculptures it was cloth very pretty cloth, made out of llama and alpaca fur. Once we were finished in that room we walked to a tiny gift shop. The shop had a lot of books on Chile and some were about the museum. I walked over to a book about the museum it was filled with all sorts of interesting facts. There were key chains that had the museums name on it. I picked up a book about Santiago and read a few lines before I realized it was in Spanish. I put the book down quickly and just at that time I heard my name. I turned and saw Dad waving at me as I ran over. "What" I asked. "We're leaving" he said. "Where are we going?" I asked. " To the market to eat lunch" he said. We crossed the street and passed some buildings and found the entrance to the market. We walked inside and then the smell of fish met my nostrils "yuck". Inside were loads of people selling all sorts of fish. We walked through the open door into a room full of restaurants. We chose one and sat down. When our food came we stopped talking as she put the food on our table. I got meat and french fries because I don't like seafood. We ate our good food and we payed and got to our feet.
Meghan and I both begged to eat Chinese food that night. Finally Mom and Dad agreed and we decided to go to the place that was right across the street from our apartment. As I walked in silence fell. The good thing about Chinese restraunts is that everything goes quiet once you are inside. Music was playing softly in the corner and the walls were painted red and gold. We walked over to the desk and asked the lady if we could order take-out. She said yes and handed us a menu. We chose chow mein with vegetables and pork and vegtables with rice. Mom and Meghan sat down on the sofa and waited for our food and Dad and I walked around the block. We saw a couple people selling honey roasted peanuts and almonds. We all met in the apartment and had a wonderful dinner.
Dad and I finished the 4th Harry Potter book and I fell asleep feeling glad I was in Santiago.

Remembering Boxers & Peaches

Our apartment for the week is on the corner of Merced and Miraflores, just 4 blocks east of the Plaza de Armas and a block west of Cerro Santa Lucia. From our window we get a great sunset every night, and also a glimpse of some fires burning on the western hills. It has been warm (but not humid) highs in the mid to upper 80s, and that southern hemisphere sun is hot!
I tossed out one of my 3 pairs of boxers today - 6 months to go with only 2 pair remaining. Somewhere between Mendoza and Santiago the entire backside just evaporated (must have been on that hair raising, seat slidding bus ride through the Andes).
At 10am we took a walking tour of the city for 4 hours today picking up some useful knowledge of the many museums to visit later in the week, tips on local food and where to get the best ice cream in Santiago. We started in the Plaza de Armas where workers were busy disasembling the giant fake christmas tree adorned with large red Coca Cola ornaments. We ended near the base of Cerro San Cristobal and took the opportunity to ride the funicular to the top, paying respect to the giant white Virgen and getting a birds eye view of the city. Our normal snack while peering down on cities in South America with a large white Cristo or Virgen looming overhead, would be pre-packaged helado from a vendor under a red Coca Cola umbrella. Today, we stepped out a bit and ordered a Mote con Huesillo as instructed by our tour guide this morning. Peach halves in juice with wheat/corn kernals in the bottom of a cup, served with a plastic spoon. I think I am the only one of us who will order it again and the girls are glad it's only a Santiago thing.
Closer to our apartment we met up with Shepard Daniel, cousin of a friend of Debby's that is finishing up 2 years of graduate school in Santiago, for an early dinner. Picked up more tips on the city and our next stop in Valparaiso.
Around 8 we headed back to the Plaza de Armas to see a parade of drummers, 15 foot tall opera singers, violinists and a rock band circus on a truck. Helen and I got separated from Debby and Meghan in the crowd but luckily were reunited about 15 minutes later in the plaza. The streets were packed and it was loud but fun. Ice cream on the walk back, not the best in town but good none-the--less.

The Route to Santiago

Having met a fantastic family from Queens also living a life abroad for a year, leaving Mendoza was a little sad. On our last night in Mendoza (and in Argentina as well) we celebrated meeting one another and spent the evening together having dinner and ice cream.

The alarm clock woke us early. We were out to almost midnight and had to get up at 6:30. Thank goodness we had packed up most of our things before we had left to go out. We called for a taxi and actually had it all put out front before he arrived.

Our bus traveled the same route the High Andes Tour had taken us - so we were able to gauge our progress by the monuments we'd seen before. I was anxious to see the ruins of an Incan house where the runners for the tribe slept or changed shifts to deliver messages. I was all excited because we were on the second floor of the bus and I was sure that this time I would be able to see it over the edge of the canyon walls. Unfortunately, the only photo I got was blurry (the bus was flying) and the ruin disappeared into the canyon before I could get a better shot. The ruin is the blackish object to the right of the small stream. Fortunately, we are headed back to Cusco - land of the Incas - and there were be ruins galore in my future.

Once we arrived at the border, we were uncertain of the protocol. We'd made border crossing to Uruguay on an overnight bus which involved us handing our passports to the bus attendant and sleeping until he returned them to us. This was much more hands on. The bus company had prepared us by handing us 6 different forms to fill out before we arrived. While filling out the forms on the bus, I had checked the box about the fact we were carrying honey and some souvenirs.

We were asked to disembark the bus. Noone mentioned we needed to bring all of our bags (we left our lunch and our traveling thermal case with food inside) on the bus. We waited in line to have our passports stamped. The first line was to get stamped out of Argentina, the second line was to get stamped into Chile. The border agents worked behind the glass sitting side-by-side.

Then we crossed the other building where they took our claim forms. The customs officer noted we had honey and we told him it was on the bus. In this room, they had removed all of the baggage from the bottom of the bus and put it through a xray machine. They waited until our entire bus full of people were all in this room to ask who the bags they pulled from the the xray machine belonged to and had them empty their bags onto a table. I am, at this point, a nervous wreck - did we forget to claim anything? I'm sick at my stomach and woozy from the altitude. I can't think straight.

While all this was going on, a second customs officer had Mike return to the bus to retreive the jar of honey we had. When Mike got to the bus, the first customs officer was there and there was some problem with Mike handing it to the first officer, the second officer had to verify that he had given the jar to the first. Next thing we know, they are bringing the bag down anyway to be put through the xray machine.

Surprisingly (or not, if you ask Mike) nothing happened. He gave up the honey - and we crossed into Chile. I blew out a big sigh of relief when we returned to the bus and drove away from the border.

The trip down the other side of the Andes was breathtaking. A small 2 lane road with switchbacks took us most of the way down. Steep hills and hairpin turns (17 of them) took us down to the rest of the windy roads passing ski resorts on the way to Santiago. I'll tease you with a pic, but it really was more spectacular than the photos can relay.


We arrived in Santiago at 4:00. The city is smaller and more managable than Buenos Aires and Meghan and I are so thrilled to be back in the land of lucious seafood. Our apartment here is brand new and on the 19th floor. I'm not sure anyone has ever used the kitchen (we'll be breaking it in for them) I'm looking forward to exploring the city for a few days after a shower and a good night's sleep.

Happy New Year!

Water Park! Water Park!

Today we went to a really fun water park. Thermas Cacheuta was 40 minutes away from town because it was near a hot spring where they got all their hot water. We took a bus there, but sadly without our friends Gaby and Laura. Once we got there we went through the gates to the water park and tried to find a place to sit and leave our stuff. We couldn't find one so we stopped to put on sunscreen before Helen and I could automatically get into the water.

First we went one loop down the lazy river which was really fun but it wasn't very warm. We saw Mom and Dad on the second lap but they still hadn't found a table. Finally they rented one to set up on the grass in the middle of the river. Also in the middle of the river was a section of pools that were all different depths and temperatures.

Next to those pools was the wave pool. There were no waves but there was a big white slide that was really fun and really fast. There was also another slide except it was covered and curly. When you lied down you went really fast and we found out that Helen and I could go together.

Up top there were lots of other pools that were also different temperatures except they were much deeper than the ones below. We didn't spend much time up there, we were mostly down below. My favorite thing to do was go inside the cave on the lazy river and when you came out you went under a waterfall.

Finally it was time to go get lunch at the restaurant. I got a milanesa which was really good but I think that I like the chicken milanesas better. After we ate we left our stuff with mom and dad and went to swim more. I started talking to some kids while Helen went back to mom and dad.

We met up together back at the lazy river after I had gotten another dose of sunscreen. Unfortunately I was already burned and now my shoulders HURT!!! Oh well it was worth it. We all had so much fun.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!