Shout-Outs

Hello again! I'm not as disconnected as one may think all the way down here in the corner of the world, and I'd like to spend this blog focusing on the many people in my life doing wonderful things. I am surrounded by incredible people, even if it is currently a virtual circle.

First and foremost, family:

My mom: For gathering a fantastic care package, including a prescription that was a pain in her butt to get, FOUR BOXES of CheezIts, real salad dressing (ranch AND bleu cheese), chocolate chips, red pepper flakes, and other marvels. Two boxes of CheezIts have already met their match, and no, I did not share.
Anne, my older sister: For including in said care package the most delicious cookies ever, whose crumbs my friends and I ate with milk and a spoon once the larger pieces were gone. I am guarding three in the freezer.
Tessa, my younger sister: For recently getting a job as Belle at Disneyland Hong Kong! I never thought I'd visit China but now I just might have to.

Impressive accomplishments:

Jeremy Sharp: For recently completing the largest scale project of his life after years of planning and work, and resulting in what I can only assume (since he has as yet not sent me pictures, ahem) is a magnificent - and mammoth - art installation at the new Harborview hospital in Seattle.
Jacob Stone: For his ten-year anniversary with Punch Drunk Productions. He is my only and longest-running self-employed friend, and his company does great things.
John Salvo: For being the first of my friends to get promoted to a job with "senior" in the title.
Nathan Fowler: For being one step closer to getting his fantastic young adult novel published.

Friends going to graduate school in the fall:

Elizabeth Ruzzo: Duke in Durham, North Carolina to study Genetics and Genomics.
Mark Wehrenberg: University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin (his second UW, I love it) to study Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (and Sarah for going with him!)
Sean Schneider: University of Washington in Seattle to study Genome Science.
Evan Morrisey: Georgetown in Washington, D.C. for Security Studies (look for him on the presidential ballot in 2028).
Clare Brown: Evergreen in Olympia, Washington to study Environmental Studies, and specifically migratory birds of Patagonia.
Jacob Gaboury: who will be getting his PhD at NYU in NY, NY in Media Culture and Communication (ahhh, the arts).
(I have really smart friends, okay?? Don't ask me how a liberal arts girl got so many science-oriented friends. Even my liberal arts friends do annoyingly smart things like get their phDs. Let me say this now: I am just fine with my measly BA and have no plans of going back to school any time soon, but I do plan to live vicariously and visit all you crazies scattered around the country.)

Miscellany:

Nick Crimp: For staying in the best e-mail contact with me since I left, for starting the most recent interesting blog I read instead of doing work, and for staying sober (huzzah).
Amber Casali: For staying in amazing e-mail contact despite the fact that she lives in an electricity-free yurt on Orcas Island, which deserves a shout-out in and of itself.
Casey Sagisi: For staying in best IM contact, for making brave and bold decisions with his life, and for being "in my head."
Adam Munson: For trying to quit smoking! I hope it sticks, dude.
Meagan Demitz: For tirelessly helping me plan my vacation, and for making me laugh a lot. (She is also already in grad school, and will be living abroad next year. w00t.)
Robyn and Matt: For coming to South America to take a vacation with me, and for also tirelessly planning parts of the trip. I can't wait!

Last but not least:

Janet Eaton: This is a sadder shout-out, as a fellow teacher and friend of ours here, Lucas, had to leave early to go back to the Pacific Northwest (his parents live in Mukilteo) to be with his mother, Janet, who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. Janet gets a shout-out for being one of the few to post a comment on my blog, and for keeping such an interesting and honest blog herself. I ask you all to send as much positive energy her way as possible.

I apologize if I left anyone out of the shout-out list. Please post comments with your own shout-outs! I hope all is well. Stay tuned for up-to-the-minute vacation details, and a final "best and worst of Chile" blog. Also, I promise to update Flickr, one of these days.

Solstice Weekend

While you were all busy celebrating summer solstice in the northern hemisphere (I can't tell you how I missed being in Fremont with the naked bikers and all of my friends having the party of the summer), those here in the south paid very little attention to the winter solstice. Although it should have been June 20, apparently they consider the first day of winter June 21 here, so I just counted my entire weekend as one long solstice event. It started Friday, which this incredible sunset:
On Saturday I woke up to sunshine and decided not to lose the day. Well, okay, I woke up at noon so I guess I decided not to lose the rest of the day. I had never ventured past Viña del Mar but I kept hearing about Con Con and Reñaca, two beach towns north of there, and I knew I had to see them before I left. So, I caught a micro (local bus) to Con Con and figured I'd make my way back south from there. It cost $1, like all transportation here. Here is a self-portrait taken on the micro:

The ride ended up taking an hour, and when I got off the bus, I was sort of like, is this it? I did buy a first-of-its-kind (for me) wheat and vegetable empanada which was fantastic (allegedly Con Con and Reñaca are famous for their empanadas). Seeing that there was nothing going on in this tiny, sleepy town, however, I made my way down to the beach:

Of course, it being the first day of winter (albeit a beautiful one) there was also not a lot going on shoreside, so I started walking back south toward Valparaíso, about 30 kilometers away (no, I did not walk the full way). I knew Reñaca was about 10 kilometers away (roughly 5 miles), but there were also micros running on this ocean road, so I figured I'd walk until something compelled me to stop or I didn't feel like being on foot anymore. The walk ended up being beautiful and fraught with sights, tourist-related and otherwise. It sort of felt like Malibu meets Maui. For those of you who have been to both places, observe:

There was a small pedestrian path between the road and what was at times a cliff plummeting to the ocean, but I felt surprisingly safe despite the fact that at times the path was washed or landslided away and I had to walk closer to the road with cars whizzing by at top speed, despite it being relatively curvy and narrow. I definitely felt safer than the bikers who had no choice but to ride on the road (the path was way too small and trecherous for bikes to risk the cliff) and many of whom - I'm assuming tourists on rented bikes - looked miserable.

I should note that condos here are skyrocketing (pun intended). There must be at least 100 buildings under construction in the Viña-to-Con Con region (Valpo is gloriously void, except of course for the one I live in.) Everywhere you look there are cranes, half-finished buildings with rebar sticking out, and signs proclaiming the sale of thousands of condos I doubt will ever be filled. I did my best to keep my eyes on the ocean to the right and not on the construction sites to my left.

After about an hour I arrived in a small strip of land filled with trendy restaurants and a large, posh Saturday crowd. It's worth mentioning that Chileans aren't very good at anticipating other people. In a crowd, no one moves out of the way for you, and no one waits for you to move out of their way, either. There is a lot of shouldering, bumping, foot-stepping, and generally inconsiderate behavior. It drives me mad. The same is true on sidewalks: groups walking four abreast do not seem to notice that they leave no room for anyone else, and maybe, imperceptibly move a fraction of a hair out of the way as you flatten yourself against whatever structure you are now up against in order to pass. I have taken to shouldering with glee, especially once I figured out that if they size you up for a gringo, they expect you to move. I mention this because I know this particular instance will always stick out in my head: in this crowded, bustling, high-falooting strip of beach, an oldish-trying-to-be-youngish woman wearing the ugliest, gaudiest fur I have ever seen was sauntering toward me and actually moved to be IN MY WAY, assuming, of course, I would move for her. Instead, I gave her a great gringo body check, and when she said something I will not translate due to my varied readership, I turned, smiled sweetly, and said, "hay que dejar que otras pasan, señora." (You have to let people pass, lady.) It was a particular burn to use "señora," I think, since it's generally reserved for older women. I bet she'll remember it for a while too, as yet another example of why foreigners should be shot at the border rather than let cross, or at least that seems to be a prevailing mentality. (A recent poll showed that more than 70% of Chileans do not approve of foreigners living in Chile. Ouch.)

Anyway, I continued on my walk and soon found myself admiring a lot of pelicans, which was cool. There were great rock formations all over the coast, and, as you can imagine, some incredible houses. Here's an example of one such house built into one such rock formation:

Here it is from the other side:

I think it might be famous and will have to ask my tourism students when I see them on Tuesday.

Further south, there was a random area dedicated to Pablo Neruda, which means I have now been to all three of his houses and a fourth special park just for him. It was lovely, but my legs were starting to protest so I didn't stay long. Since the whole area sits on a bay, it had a nice view of Valparaíso, so it was fun to see my own city from a distance since I've so long had these towns as my distant view. Here's Valparaíso from Pablo Neruda's park:


Next up on the walk was what I'm assuming is North Reñaca for lack of another posted name, but it was literally just a collection of brand-new condos an a few open-air restaurants. Did I mention that a lot of rich Chileans live in this area?

I finally made it to Reñaca about 2 hours after I started walking. Things were really bustling and apparently they know how to enjoy a sunny day, regardless of the season. I sat down at an outdoor restaurant since so far I had only eaten a vegetable empanada, and ordered a strawberry milkshake, seafood empanadas (since they're famous there, too!) and seafood stew.

My view was this hilarious set of trampolines rigged with body harnesses that let kids jump really high and do flips and the like. It was actually fun to watch. The sun set just as I finished my soup, and I noticed that a couple sitting in front of me didn't bother to turn around and look even once at the glowing landscape. I'm often surprised by how little people appreciate their natural environment.

When I got back on foot I was surprised how much my heels in particular were aching, so I hobbled to the closest bus stop and hopped on the first micro heading to Valparaíso. When I got home, I watched a dubbed version of Jaws on TV, napped, and then went to meet two of my favorite students, Ivan and Elizabeth, at a crazy party held at the old Italian embassy. (Eli is well connected due to her fashion-designer sister and puts me on the list for all sorts of fun events. Thursday I went to an opening of a club, complete with a fashion show with none other than Miss Chile herself. More importantly, there was free booze and food, including a full sushi bar. Wicked.) Anyway, at Casa Italia there were three different rooms boasting a variety of music and I danced for several hours with Ivan (who is blessedly gay), while he encouraged me to dance with this other guy, who also turned out to be gay. Not my night for straight men. I made my way home at 4 a.m., and I have to say, I do love the transport system here, with 24 hour busses and shared taxis that literally drop me off at my door, come frequently even in the middle of the night, and cost $1.

Today I woke up at 2 p.m., and was happy to be greeted by a gray sky, since clearly it was going to be an "indoor" kind of Sunday. I tried to stand up and promptly doubled back onto the bed from the pain in my calves. Apparently my legs don't take well to long walks and dancing in heels on the same day. So, naturally, I stayed in bed and watched a movie (The Fifth Element) until hunger forced me to hobble onto the streets in search of pasta (since they don't believe in greasy breakfasts here at any time of the day and let alone at 5 p.m.).

And, that pretty much brings us up to speed. It's now 7:00, I haven't planned my review session for class tomorrow, and I'm behind on my work for Apex. The first of many finals (both oral and written) start this week and I know this will be a long few days, but at least I had a fantastic weekend to lead into it!

I hope summer solstice treated you all equally as well. Please post comments - ahem - telling me how you celebrated the longest day of the year. (p.s. while the days are now getting shorter for y'all, they are getting longer down here. Suckahs!)

The Wanderlust Strikes Again

I know I haven't made good on the guest-filled blog yet; the truth is I started writing it a week ago and just haven't finished it. I've been pretty busy with school - the end of the semester is nearing - working for Apex, and also doing lots of other, more fun things, so blogging has taken a back seat. I will post it soon!

In other news - this may come as a surprise to some of you - I recently decided not to return for the second semester here in Valparaíso and (most likely) move to Buenos Aires for the rest of my time here. Phew!

It's no secret that haven't been totally enamored of the Chilean culture. Honestly, I've been somewhat bored here. The language barrier is extremely frustrating and even after 3 months I still don't understand most of what comes out of Chileans' mouths. I mean, other Latin Americans have a hard time understanding them, so I was doomed from the beginning. And, the Spanish I have picked up are modismos - that is, words or phrases that will serve me in Chile and nowhere else in the world.

I do enjoy teaching and, after recently conducting class in a bar, I've connected with some of my students who could be theoretical friends once the semester ends. However, the though of teaching for a second semester isn't entirely appealing; English is sort of the ugly stepsister requirement at my school and as such I am a low priority for most of my students. Also, my schedule this semester was amazing because it was originally intended for a teacher with seniority who took extended maternity leave. I have gotten used to waking up at 10 and having three day weekends, and I know my schedule next semester would not be so appealing: most gringo teachers at my campus have class until almost midnight and then again at 8 a.m. on Saturdays! Not that this was really a deciding factor, just one more drop in the bucket.

Although Valparaíso is amazing and I have had a lot of fun here - admittedly I will miss this city and the few friends I've made - I want to take advantage of this time while I have it to do as much as is humanly possible. This will also allow me to travel a great deal more , so by the time I get back I will have done much more than if I stayed put.

So, timeline: I'll finish the semester here, of course, which ends on July 11. Then I'll travel for a month from July 13ish to August 11ish to northern Chile, Bolivia, and Peru, and come back here to Santiago in August to collect my giant suitcases and head to Buenos Aires, probably around August 15. (Speaking of, I'm so excited for this long vacation and can't wait to see Robyn and Matt at Lake Titicaca and then head to Cusco! Inca Trail, high altitude and coca leaves to treat us for it, here we come.) I should note that if I fall in love with anywhere in Bolivia or Peru, I will consider moving there instead. But when I visited Buenos Aires, it was love at first sight, so it will be hard to top.

Buenos Aires is a very happening city, I understand Argentinians when they speak, and I already have a friend and therefore a social network there; all good things. I can support myself working for Apex from there since it's a much cheaper country than Chile (also a good thing). All in all I'm really excited about this chance to do something totally different.

I still plan on coming back to Seattle on or near December 19 unless anything else changes. And... that's my news! Everyone I've told here has been really supportive, especially our incredible TeachingChile director, Bruce. This is us at an amazing wine tasting he and co-coordinator Andrea organized for us a few weeks ago:


Did I mention he's great?? He calls me Arch. I love it.

Also, today I finally sucked it up and told my "buddy" (i.e. it is a constant struggle to convince him that he is NOT my boyfriend, or pololo as they say here, but he's such a fun guy it's worth the effort to keep him as a friend, especially having so few of them here) that I'm leaving in a month. He sulked, left, and called me 30 seconds later to ask me how I was, which is not entirely uncommon among Chileans and drives me insane. I mean, you just saw me less than one minute ago. I'm exactly the same as I was then. They also have a habit of constantly asking if you are having a good time, which to me is an obvious 'fun-killer' question, especially when asked a dozen times in the span of a night out. But, I digress...

Now the only person left to tell is my landlady, who I am meeting tomorrow so I can hand over the majority of my paycheck. (This is a picture of one month's pay. Guess which stack I get to keep?)

I hope she is understanding and refunds me the security deposit (equivalent to what you see in the big stack here, or about $500) since that cash would go a long way in Argentina. She's a great, sweet woman, so I don't think it will be a problem.

So, in the next month I just have to finish the semester, pack my stuff (which I will store in Santiago at friends' houses while I travel), get rid of the equivalent weight of what I've bought here, and be on my merry way. I'm trying to do everything once or one more time before I go, and I suddenly feel quite busy since I only have one month left to do what I originally thought I'd have five more for. I definitely haven't had many lazy nights on the couch lately, that's for sure.

I promise to post again soon and update my Flickr photos. One final note, after I wrote the last blog about the drought, it POURED RAIN for five straight days and has rained on and off since then. To wit, it is raining as I type. I heard a news report that Chile got 1/3 of its annual rainfall in three of those days. I can now add 'flood victims' to the list of national crises, but the urine and its corresponding smell are gone!

Various National Crises

Where to start? It would be easier if any news had reached the upper hemisphere, but Latin America is eerily absent from the media in North America. I suspect this stems from the U.S.’s less than savory “investments” in the continent stemming back decades, or perhaps we are genuinely uninterested so news networks don't bother. At any rate, allow me to update you from my semi-local perspective.

First, I do know that some news of the volcanic eruption here – even amid cyclones and earthquakes in Asia, admittedly much more impactful events – has been publicized. The volcano in question, Chaitén, is in the Lake District in the south of Chile and was considered dormant before it started spewing ash on May 3 (its last eruption was 9,000 years ago). It has been erupting constantly since then, and most experts predict it will collapse any day – in fact, it’s incredible it hasn’t already. The ash is blowing southeast, so Argentina is also being hit pretty hard, and it has reached as far as Africa. This is an actual NASA image taken a few days after the eruption started:

This next one has become a famous image of a little-understood storm phenomenon that often happens during an ash-only eruption:

All local residents have long since been evacuated, of course, but the sad truth is that they will probably never be able to go back. The ash is not the soft, melty kind that falls off incense sticks or cigarettes; it’s more like concrete, and the pouring rain is not helping. The region may not be habitable again for decades, if ever.

It’s harder to evacuate animals but most of these people are farmers to some extent, so plenty of cattle and sheep – not to mention the pets that weren’t allowed to be evacuated with their owners – are slowly being transported from the area, though a great many have died and will continue to die. Unfortunately these are some of the poorest people in the country and they have lost everything. No amount of government aid will help them rebuild their lives, though the government, as far as I can tell, has been pretty committed to helping out, suspending all taxes and interest on debt in addition to providing stipends until they can get back on their feet.

Like all tragedies, the best of human nature has been put on display, with complete strangers opening their homes to one or more displaced families, but there are always those who try to profit, and many have unfairly inflated rent in safe areas for those who need a place to live.

While it’s raining on the least convenient sector, the rest of the country is parched. The drought and energy crisis continue unabated. It has rained only twice in this region since December, and a large percentage of the country’s energy comes from hydropower. Unfortunately Chile has vast potential for solar, wind, and other renewable energies, but as yet has left them practically untapped. Other countries are having their own issues, and Argentina (which would merit a whole post on its own) recently cut northern Chile off, so to speak. So, the climate here is conserve, conserve, conserve, though not in as many ways as it could be done (cutting back on plastic bag usage, for example, which need a ton of oil and energy to create). It recently became painfully obvious that there is no heat in our classrooms, and my students sit shivering while I teach in fingerless gloves (so I can still write on the board) and my coat. I may start bringing my portable heater to school…

Speaking of school, holy protests! I knew that Latin America was gung-ho about demonstrating, but Chile has blown me away with its endless capacity to protest. Lately it’s been mostly students – common this time of year, I’m told – and they’re specifically fighting against an increase in their public transportation fare, among other system-related issues. It started weeks ago with daily walk-outs and marches, and last week reached a new level when students started taking over schools (also, apparently, common). Valparaíso is pretty much school central, and there are about six universities a stone’s throw from my apartment that are en toma, or “taken” by students. Apparently, if students decide through a democratic process that they want to take over the school, university officials pretty much let them. There’s no police force or interference, and you wouldn’t really know there was anything different except for the banners hung from windows and the fact that no classes are in session. Students eat, sleep, and hang out inside the school; they have the keys, and they choose who to let in and who to keep out. Negotiators frequent the schools, trying to strike a favorable compromise.

In the meantime, bus drivers are angry because the increased fare means more money for them, which isn’t totally unreasonable considering the rising price of oil, and THEY have started staging their own day-long strikes here and there. If they strike for more than a day, by their union agreement they are fined, but this week it looks like they’re going to start a strike and continue indefinitely. My school is private and therefore not greatly affected by protests, but when the bus drivers strike, attendance is meager. I’ve been told the protests will come to a head on Wednesday, which is Día de los Héroes, the anniversary of a naval battle in the northern city of Iquique. I’m not exactly sure what it has to do with student protests, but it’s a national holiday, and it will be interesting to see what there is to see from my excellent vantage point above some of the most protest-filled streets. Also on this day, president Michelle Bachelet will visit Valparaíso in honor of the holiday (not sure why she isn’t going to Iquique…) and as a result there has been a local crisis regarding street animals. To make the city as ‘clean’ as possible for the national spotlight, there is widespread belief that local strays will be rounded up and euthanized. This idea has been mostly condemned by the general population, and stencil graffiti proclaiming animal amnesty is abundant. We will see what ends up happening.

I’d like to close with what I consider a crisis of national decorum. Chile’s motto might as well be “the world is my bathroom.” At first I tried not to let it get to me, but the constant and shameless urination, at all times of day and in all parts of the city, not just shadowy corners or dark alleys, has become a major sore point for me. There is no attempt to hide what one is doing even in broad daylight. Having to step over streams and puddles, sometimes as they are being generated, is, in a word, foul. I live in fear that someone will catch a scowl and turn the stream on me. I admire New Orleans for really only enforcing the one law that matters when there are thousands of people in the streets, and that is absolutely, unequivocally, NO PUBLIC URINATION. Lest you have forgotten that it has barely rained here in months, every square inch of sidewalk that I walk on every day has, at least once and more likely a dozen or more times, been peed on and not washed off. Does this city smell like urine? Yes it does. Is anyone the least bit embarrassed or sheepish about it, not to mention completely disgusted? Seemingly not. While this is by far the least important (and least perceived) national crisis, it nonetheless speaks volumes about the culture, both in the sin verguenzas who engage in the activity, and the rest who don’t make a peep about it.

Next week’s blog will be lighter, I promise, with zero toilet references, as I highlight the impressive stream of visitors I will have had by then. I hope all are well! I’ll leave you with a renewed call for comments. I love reading them and get so few, so if you’re a long time reader and no time commenter, please give a shout out.

**Editor's note, 12 hours later: It's pouring rain.

San Pedro de Atacama, a magical place, or: pictures and a super long post

In the rest of the world, May 1 is not May Day, but rather Worker's Day, which equated to a 5 day weekend for me. I took advantage of this time by buying very last-minute airfare to Antofagasta, Chile, which is the northernmost port in the country and the biggest in South America (on the Pacific coast). The purchase was arbitrary and based on price, plus the fact that it's still warm in northern Chile. I arrived late at night on Wednesday and was dropped off in front of a budget hotel by a shuttle driver with a death wish. Unfortunately it was full (despite my alleged reservations) but a few blocks away I found an even budgetier hotel. I paid approximately $25 to lay awake in possibly the skeeziest place I've ever stayed, including the semi-condemned hostel in Amsterdam. It was in the middle of the city on a night of celebration and faced an open-air courtyard where people continued to party long after the bars had closed. Luckily the sheets were clean, but the bed slanted so I spent about 7 hours at an angle. Here is the main plaza of Antofagasta, with "Little Ben" in the middle, apparently the only replica of Big Ben in the world (I have my doubts).

Since there's very little to do in Antofagasta, I bought a bus ticket to San Pedro de Atacama for that afternoon. In the meantime I wandered the streets and wound up at the central market where I ate two fried eggs for breakfast, which they mix with bread and eat with a spoon. When I asked for a fork the woman rolled her eyes... oops. I then walked to the beach and crawled around on some rocks, checking out the sea life. They have these crazy creatures called sea squirts that are mixed among the mussels, clinging to rocks, squirting water. I was chastised by a crazy fisherman who was shucking and eating raw mussels for wearing chacos, possibly the best shoes for crawling around on rocks, and I told him, "Dude, I've spent my life on rocks like these. Chill." (Is anyone impressed that I could say this in Spanish?)

The bus to San Pedro took about 5 hours and was quite lovely, crossing the Andes and then the desert with some random ruins and colorful housing developments thrown in for good measure. (I could have flown into Calama, one hour from San Pedro, but it was pricey.) We arrived in the tiny oasis town just after sunset. While during the day the town isn't much to look at, at night it was quite magical and I'm glad my first impressions were after dark. Everyone is out and about trying to plan their stay, and for every one local there are about five tourists, many South Americans but also plenty of gringos from all over the world. Every other establishment is either a tour company or a restaurant situated around an open-air fire. There were also plenty of kitschy shops and minimarkets selling the essentials, while on the 'outskirts' (aka one block away) there was an abundance of places to stay. I wound up at a great hostel called Rayco, where we had an asado (barbecue) on Friday night and I met an awesome girl from Holland who is coming to stay with me in a week. My friend Amber Casali may also be here at the same time (ironically coming from San Pedro), so it'll be a party in my apartment. This is the desert at sunset, taken from the bus:


I had travelled quite a ways for only one day, and I wanted to make the most of it. Unfortunately no one offers a 'full day package' which I thought was odd, but I could have hired a private guide for the bargain price of $150,00 pesos, about $375 (!!). Instead I opted for a three-hour horseback tour in the morning and a salt flat/lakes tour in the afternoon. I've had a strong desire to go horseback riding for as long as I can remember and yet for some reason never had before Friday. I have no idea how I ended up on a private tour but it didn't cost any extra. My guide was extremely nice and helpful, but I should have told him I was married because he asked me out for that night. (He gave me his card. I forgot to call.) I wasn't nervous or scared, really, and I even managed to gallop a bit. We went to this incredible place called, alternately, Valle de Marte (its real name) and Valle de la Muerte (its more common name). The horses sweated it up the hill while I was still comfortable in my fleece - nice to let them do the work - and at the top was a view I've never imagined and couldn't capture with a camera. We sat in silence - pure, amazing silence - for about 20 minutes before heading back. There was no one else there, although we passed some sandboarders on the way back (think snowboarding on sand. Dirty but fun). Here is the Valle de Marte:


On the return trip his horse got impatient, which made my horse nervous. It was annoying having to hand over the reigns to Bernardo to lead both horses at the same time, since my leg was the unfortunate intermediary and is now covered in bruises from being jammed against ropes, saddles, and the other horse. I don't think they liked it either. It took some convincing that I could do it myself, but he finally let me go, I think realizing that his horse was making it worse. Apparently he'd been on vacation for a month so the horses were kind of miffed to be working again.

I walked funny for an hour or so but I was surprisingly not sore afterward. Good thing, because the next tour took off just two hours later - leaving enough time for me to eat llama! I saw it on the specials menu of one restaurant and couldn't resist. It wasn't great, sort of beefy with an odd taste of liver, but I ate it all and even scraped the marrow out of the bone (mmmmm).

After accidentally getting on the wrong tour van (they aren't super organized and all the tours leave at the same time, but I luckily had the foresight to confirm with another passenger where we were going, who confirmed otherwise), I was connected with my right group and we took off on a bumpy cross-desert trek to the first of three destinations: floating lakes. I've heard of floating on the dead sea but never gave it much thought. Once there, however, I was so glad to have chosen this from among many different options. I will never forget the sensation of floating - it's like being weightless. I was doing yoga moves, was able to stand stock still, and spent a good bit of time just relaxing on my back. It took the Venezuelans a long time to get in since by their standards it was cold, but eventually the whole group was floating. Once out, the salt stayed behind as the water evaporated, and we were all white messes by the time we got back into the van. (I've never enjoyed a shower so much, and my skin has never been so smooth.) Don't I look happy?

The next spot wasn't that amazing, two small lakes - not as salty - in the middle of the desert called Ojos del Salar (eyes of the salt flat). Had we gotten there earlier I would have swam but the sun was already low in the sky, so we took off for the next spot, a small salt flat where we watched the sunset. I really, really wanted to see flamingoes - the salty waters support three species of them, as they enjoy the tiny organisms that live there - and I was thrilled to see some in the distance. Unfortunately I could only get close enough to discern that they were, in fact, pink. Otherwise the salt flat was extraordinary and the sunset was gorgeous, another unique experience to add to the day. Here is the salt flat and the surrounding mountains, some of which are active volcanoes, at sunset:


There was so much else to do that I'd consider going back: thermal baths, the highest geyser field in the world, high-altitude lakes where the flamingoes live, star gazing in the clearest skies in the world (literally- there is a multinational project to build the world's biggest radio to listen to what's going on in the universe just a few kilometers from San Pedro since it was deemed the clearest sky anywhere), and more. I wish I had more than a day but I'm glad to have gone at all. It's one of my favorite places I've ever been.

Unfortunately I had take a bus back to Antofagasta on Saturday morning to make a 7 pm flight to Santiago (where I then took another bus home, arriving at about midnight). It was way cheaper to fly on Saturday and it's always nice to have a day between vacation and work (right now I'm still in my pajamas and it's after 7:00). The ride was uneventful, and I had a few hours to kill between bus and flight, so I went to se La Portada, an ocean-created arch a few kilometers north of Antofagasta. It's the most famous image of north Chile and is constantly appearing on the covers of tourism-related books and brochures. I can't understand why with all the amazing natural wonders in the Atacama desert, because after seeing it - a 40 minute bus ride and a 25 minute walk later - I was vaguely disappointed. It didn't help that beach acccess is closed due to renovations to the path destroyed by a 2003 landslide (things move slowly here). Nevertheless, I took the obligatory pictures and had a delicious meal at the adjacent restaurant. I then started the walk back to the highway to flag down a bus, but I was picked up by a group of miners headed home for the day who dropped me off closer to town, where I then took a colectivo (a taxi with a specific route) back to where I had stashed my bag at the skeezy hotel, which I have to say at least had nice people working there and was conveniently next to the bus station. La Portada and its crazy cool cliffs:


I then tried to take a colectivo to the airport, but there was a misunderstanding and as the meter started to run I asked how much it would cost: 12 mil ($30)! I said, no, let me out, and searched for other options. Finally, after about 20 minutes of back-and-forth, a bus company agreed to let me ride on a bus that was passing the airport. It was sweet, since it was free AND I got to ride in the seat next to the bus driver. I was dropped off, as is so common in Chile, on the side of the highway just before sunset. It would have been about a 10 minute walk down an isolated road, the only one that goes to the airport. Of course, after two minutes the first car that passed picked me up and dropped me in front of 'departures' at the tiny airport before pulling up 50 feet for 'arrivals'.

I arrived in Santiago at 9:30 and caught a shuttle to the bus station, where I luckily made it onto the last bus to Valparaíso at 10:20. I got home at five minutes to midnight. What a weekend! I slept for 12 hours last night and haven't left my apartment all day, except to do laundry in the basement (all my clothes smelled of salt and campfire).

It makes my head swim thinking about all the transportation I utilized in four short days, which doesn't help my carbon-footprint conscience, but I figure that I didn't use any mode of transport that wouldn't have occurred without me aboard, which makes me feel a little better.

This is possibly the longest post so far, but it's nice to write it down and I hope you enjoyed reading it (if you made it this far). Maybe the pictures helped? (There are more on Flickr too!) The main point is, if you ever find yourself in a position to visit San Pedro, do it, by try to budget more than one day and two nights if you do.

Happy Earth Day

On April 22, 1993 – Earth Day 15 years ago – I went to Taco Time with my family for a delicious crispy burrito and mexifries. That day, my meal also came with a tiny evergreen sapling of a tree that I named Herb and planted in my parents’ backyard. Today, Herb must be 100 feet tall and growing. That is my earliest and most lasting memory of Earth day.

Sometimes I get the impression that people think I take things too seriously, that the little bits I obsess over every day don’t make a difference. I think that’s too bad, because they do make a difference and even if they ultimately don’t (which I will never concede because they do) they make a difference in that I feel good doing them, feel good caring about something that is bigger than me. So here it is, borrowed from David’s popular blog method, my top five things we can do to make the world a better place. They are all things I do (or have done when my life permitted it) that make me feel good about myself, and that you can easily add to your daily routine.

5) Compost.

This is really easy for those of you with yard waste, since anything you can compost you can put in the yard waste bin. In fact, in most areas, if you pay for yard waste service you can pick up mulch made from the area’s combined compostables for free! If you don’t have access to this service, never fear; it’s a bit more work for you but nonetheless relatively simple to build or buy a compost bin from which to make your own rich compost. See www.howtocompost.org for help.

Lots of the things we toss into the garbage are compostable: to wit, about 40% of landfill material could have been composted instead (which also would have cut down on the methane that landfills emit). Paper products (napkins, tissues, paper plates, paper towels), egg shells, any and all parts of vegetables and fruits, cooked and raw rice and grains, stale breads, chips, crackers, and baked goods are all compostable. Pretty much the only organic items you can’t compost are meat and dairy products. So, have three receptacles instead of two: garbage, recycle, and compost. It’s fun and easy!

If you can’t commit to composting, you can do one very easy thing differently with these compostable items: don’t put them in your garbage disposal. Adding solid waste to liquid waste pollutes our water resources. It also increases the cost of treating water in sewage systems, uses unnecessary electricity, increases our water use, and in general costs more - environmentally and fiscally – than simply throwing that waste out or composting it instead. If you don't believe me, think about this: some cities have already banned the installation of new garbage disposals.

4) Use fewer paper goods.

Each U.S. citizen uses, on average, 749 pounds of paper products per year (!!) (for other paper- and recycling-related facts, go here: http://www.resourcefulschools.org/facts.html). This figure is mind-boggling to me, so I’d like to invite you each to take the Paper Product Challenge. Spend one week actually thinking about each paper product you’re going to use before using it. This includes: grabbing a napkin at a meal – can you get by using only one? Wiping a counter clean – might you really only need half a paper towel? (I often rip paper towels as small as fourths, if that’s all I need.) If you must use a paper plate, is there only one plate or have two or three stuck together? And yes, even going to the rest room – most of us are guilty of using more than is necessary most of the time. I’m confident that after seven days you will have altered your paper product consumption, which will ultimately save you money on paper product purchases. Ppppp.

3) Bag it.

In the U.S. it is estimated that we use 60,000 plastic bags EVERY FIVE SECONDS. Worldwide, we use 1 million bags each MINUTE. Is anyone else appalled by this? (For other interesting facts about plastic bags, including how some countries have combated them, click here: http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php?id=4) Here are a few things we can do to help out the plastic trees.

First, bring your own bags whenever possible. Whether you reuse old bags or buy cloth or mesh bags, the most important thing is to bring your own to avoid adding new bags to landfills. Second, be very aware of how your items are bagged. Sometimes you might not even need a bag. Most of the time you only need a single plastic (they’re sturdier than they look), and even more of the time all of your items can fit into fewer bags. Don’t be afraid to speak up during the bagging process and say ‘make them heavy’ or ‘please don’t double bag them.’ In fact, I usually bag my own groceries, which is sort of a fun puzzle and reduces the number of times I have to request they not give me 7 bags for 5 items. Finally, bring plastic bags back to grocery stores or other participating outlets and recycle them – believe it or not, you can recycle plastic bags, but you have to take them to a designated bin, usually at the back of most grocery stores.

2) Turn the water off!

This is probably my biggest shudder-inducing wasteful behavior. Despite this being the Number One “Save the Earth” provision taught to us from a very young age, it is disturbing how many people discard such a simple rule of thumb, so I think it bears repeating: Shut the water off between uses. The water doesn’t need to run while you’re sudsing up a plate, brushing your teeth, or washing your face. We don’t need to shower ever day (shock!), and we certainly don’t need showers that last longer than 10 minutes (15 for those of us who observe the ‘don’t shower daily’ rule). If you think there isn’t a water shortage, think again, especially those of you in drought-prone areas (is anyone else concerned about the Southwest?). Furthermore, heating water uses electricity, which is a huge contributor to – yes, skeptical readers, here it comes – global warming. Any effort you can make to reduce your electricity use – including switching to incandescent light bulbs, unplugging appliances when not in use, and turning lights and other gadgets off when not in the room – will help you do your small part to save the world (not to mention save you money on your electricity bill). Here's another Web site I like that gives 50 tips to help adjust your lifestyle to be more Earth-friendly. Even if you only do one or two of them, it's better than doing nothing: http://globalwarming-facts.info/50-tips.html

And, now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, my number one way to improve the world:

1) Smile at people.

If you thought these would all be environmental tips, you were right! This is the tip that will have the most noticeable and immediate effects. Smiling at one another greatly improves our shared environment. Now, before you write this one off as far too corny, consider this: how often does a stranger smile at you, and how does it make you feel when it happens? It gives me a tingly feeling, like all is right with the world. On the other hand, when people project their anger onto others, it can ruin an entire day for no good reason. Think of the concentric circles our actions, both positive and negative, can create among one another. If you think no one is paying attention to you and how you behave, you’re wrong. This goes doubly, I think, for ‘poor people’: just because you aren’t going to give them money doesn’t mean you can’t give them respect and a smile.

I really tried to write this without being preachy, and instead offer practical, useful solutions to the “What can I do to help?” question that seems to be increasingly on a lot of people’s minds. Here’s your chance to get the warm fuzzies by being a good global and local citizen.

Finally, I would like to dedicate this post to Justin Hellier and Matt Roberts, two people who care more and do more for the Earth than almost anyone I know:

Happy Earth Day!

First visitor, Argentina, and photos (finally!)

My friend Jacob Stone is in town at last and about halfway through his visit. So far we've been getting along remarkably well considering we're both strong willed and sharing a small apartment. We've been telling everyone we're cousins because it's a much easier relationship to understand than "Friends. Yep, friends. Yes, we really are just friends." I met him in Santiago last Saturday and we spent a good day exploring the city, plus a night of drinking with my Santiago friends. It was pretty hot there so it was nice to get back to Valparaíso where the sun was shining but there was also a nice ocean breeze. So far he's been able to spend a day at the beach and is hooked, but I keep warning him that the weather will turn any day.

This past weekend we were in Buenos Aires and it is an incredible city. The weather was mostly good and we were on foot for a lot of it, wandering through its many neighborhoods and sampling a variety of Argentine cuisine (read: beef). We did a few obligatory tourist things - took in a tango show, during which I was involuntarily made to dance - and also got around to a few off-the-beaten-path activities like biking around a lovely ecological reserve that was built on top of a landfill. We went shopping - he found a store called Stone and bought merchandise branded with his last name - and I got two pairs of shoes made from genuine Argentina leather. We were also able to meet up with a friend of mine, Paula, and it was nice to get a local's perspective. To us it felt like Europe meets New York, two places I love. All in all it's definitely a city I want to revisit. I can see why so many people choose to move there, although I do have to say the accent got on my nerves... all Ls become Js in Argentinianease.

By pure happenstance we were there for the arrival of the Olympic fire, so we saw the running of the torch through downtown on Friday April 11. I heard there have been some crazy protests in other cities - London, Paris, San Francisco - and there were definitely some demonstrations, but the police kept them confined to a small area and completely surrounded with riot-gear-clad officers. For our part we weren't sure if we were pro or against until we were forced to move from our perfectly staked-out spot (two hours in advance!) because the local Chinese organizers demanded the police relocate any non-Chinese to less than choice spots, presumably for the newscast but also for posterity I'm guessing. It was sort of a bummer, especially considering it was the only stop the torch made in South America and locals weren't even welcome to watch it from their own sidewalks (not that we were locals, but plenty of Argentines were moved as well).

Anyway, the actual torch running was pretty intense, once it finally came through. I had no idea it would be preceded by busloads of media, athletes, and school-age youth, though I could have predicted the abundance of police enforcement, many of whom seemed to have gone completely insane on four-wheelers, often driving against traffic and into pedestrians. The athlete with the torch was surrounded by a human chain - literally twenty or so people running with arms interlinked - to protect him from the masses, plus an additional outer circle of various athletes, plus a crush of military and police officers. The word 'mayhem' seems appropriate to describe the two minutes or so it took for the torch to move by and past where we were standing. We were lucky to see the fire actually passed from one athlete (apparently a famous soccer player) to another, which was pretty cool. For the video Jacob was able to take of the torch, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5hWDpEV7p0

We didn't have much time in B.A. and spent pretty much an entire day on the torch, but ultimately it was worth it for the unique experience. I can always go back to B.A., but probably not when the Olympic torch will be passing through it.

We spent today lazing around, giving our feet a break, doing laundry and uploading photos. Speaking of, exciting news! I finally have a way to transfer photos from my camera to my computer, and they are posted on flickr for your viewing pleasure: http://www.flickr.com/photos/vidadesconocida/

The shots date all the way back to my birthday and include my apartment here as well as Santiago and Argetina (plus a bonus shot of my sweet bruise), so be sure to check them out. I am still working on finding photo resizing software, and once I get that settled I'll start posting pictures to the actual blog. Imagine that, more than just me rambling on in text format!

Speaking of photos, Jacob has done an incredible (read: obsessive) job of documenting his trip thus far, so if my photos don't quite satisfy that photo urge, feel free to check out his: http://redorangeyellow.smugmug.com/gallery/4651652_K2Erc#274663129_z6fSr

The weather here is still holding out, though today was quite windy. Fall is definitely upon us, which makes me especially jealous that you are all about to enter spring.

I don't have much else to say so I'll make this a (relatively) short post. As always I hope everything back home is well, and I encourage you to post comments on my blog so I know you're reading. Questions, comments, concerns are all welcome!