Santiago and beyond

It's a hot December night and I, recently apartment-less, am sitting at Nora and Wes's place, typing this on their laptop. All my stuff is either in a suitcase in the basement of my friend's Spanish school or in my backpacks, southward bound this Saturday morning when I head to Patagonia. Today was essentially my last day in Santiago, and most of the goodbyes and good lucks have already been said. I left Duoc today for the last time and just got back from an a great farewell dinner with Wes and Nora in Barrio Bellavista.

Despite the inevitably bittersweet nature of the thing, my final weeks here have been incredible in unexpected ways. Beyond all the isolated moments -- trips to the coast, goodbye parties thrown by students and plenty of farewell toasts -- it's more generally been a great time for quality reflection, present existence and foresight. Plus I've started an unplanned but quite serendipitous friendship / relationship with an English profesora named Holly, who just so happens to be from the midwestern U.S. as well. El mundo esta pequeño.

I´m incredibly excited about my upcoming trip, which will take me through Punta Arenas (which exists at the far southern edge of the Americas), Torres del Paine national park, Puerto Montt, Chiloé, Valdivia and Pucón. I`m planning to get in one more full day in Santiago on the 29th before heading back to the U.S. on the 30th.

Here are some shots from the last couple of weeks:



Kurt on his last night in Santiago, in the process of placing an absurd number of pisco bottles in our hallway. I'm pretty sure he and Tim kept the Capel company in business this year.



Holly and I at the Club de Jazz.



Tim enjoying one last fajita (a little too much??)



Holly in Valpo. We went on a beautiful, sunny Wednesday and spent the entire afternoon in a little cafe in the hills. One of the best Wednesdays I can recall!



Painted containers from Valpo`s container festival. A few days later I saw a performance here that incorporated rapelling, fire and lots and lots of foam. ¡Que bacan!



Holly took this picture of me in the cafe. It`s almost like she has a degree in photography or something...

Easter Island

I just got back from Easter Island-- yesterday. It was an incredible trip, and I expect it won’t be easy to top. More than 2,300 miles away from the South American continent, Easter Island (or Rapa Nui, in the Polynesian) is considered the most isolated populated place in the world. Getting to go there was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Before my trip I spent a great deal of time reading about the island and its history. The story is both fascinating and tragic. It’s the story of a people who, against all odds, navigated across the world’s biggest ocean to find an island that’s only 7 miles long and 14 miles wide. It’s the story of a civilization that developed a fully functional society, which included the world-famous moai statues and its own mysterious written language – without the benefit of contact from the outside world, horses or steel. And it’s the story of what happens when limited resources on a small, isolated place become limited. As I moved through the tragic story I couldn’t help but notice the implied lessons for planet earth.

While the weather wasn’t so great during my first two days, it eventually got sunny. I buddied up with some French and Canadian tourists and we rented a car, which allowed us to see most of the significant sites in one day. I also rented a bike and did another lap around the island solo.





1) This shot was taken in the Rano Raraku quarry, where all of the moai were carved from the same volcanic rock. When clan warfare struck the island work on the moai was stopped, and hundreds of them speckle this hillside and the surrounding area, never to make it to their final positions on the coastline.



2) A small lake near Rano Raraku.



3) With my friends Sebastian and Heather, in front of the Rano Kau crater, inside the Orongo ceremonial village.



4) Some palm trees lining the main street of Easter Island’s only town, Honga Roa.



5) A lone moai soaking up some sun.



6) A wood carving inside of a local shop. There are tons of finely carved wooden statues all over the island.



7) Heather, Sebastian and Sara posing by the ocean.



8) Relaxing in the midst of the moai.



9) The largest ahu (ceremonial platform) on Easter Island, sporting a hefty 15 moai. All of these were restored by a Japanese company in the 90s. All of them had been badly damaged by a tsunami that hit the island in the 60s, throwing some of the statues 100 feet inland. Each moia weights more than 50 tons.



10) Some of the local flowers.



11) Making friends.



12) These days horses are everywhere on the island and are an important part of everyday life.



13) My three amigos, taking it all in at Rano Raraku.



14) This distinctive moai was discovered fairly recently in the quarry. This was a big deal, because it is the only one to sport a beard and be in a squatting position. You can see the large ahu in the foreground.



15) One more shot of the large ahu and the big, blue sky.



16) Some dancers at a typical tribal dance. At one point or another I got on stage and danced with one of the island chicks.



17) Sunset on Easter Island – something I’ll never forget.

Teaching Chile rooftop party

Thanks again to Bruce and Andrea for the EXCELLENT rooftop festivities!!

Here are a few shots from the fiesta.




Scott, looking like the badass that he is.



The roommates and I pose for what might be one of our final shots together. :: ¡que triste! ::



Trevor and Nora. Nora and Trevor.



Yours truly with my old pal Lindsay Harnish.

Dennis and Rose Marie Kargol were here in Santiago -- for like a week!

I had a really good time with the folks. We went up to La Serena and otherwise hung out in Santiago. We talked, ate and walked around. I made them walk all the way across Cerro San Cristobal.

Here are two pictures to prove that I'm not making all of this up.



Pops, with Pablo Neruda.



Mom and I, in my parent's rented apartment.

Octobre: Una nota en español

Oye!

Hace mucho tiempo desde yo llege en Chile. Entonces, voy a escribiir esa articulo en español.

Bueno. La verdad es yo no hice mucho este mes. Muchas cosas de routina, como trabajar y estudiar el español. Pero yo salî unos veces y hice pocas cosas de mi lista de “to do.” Por ejemplo:

* Por fin, yo fui al famoso mercado, se llama “Bio bio.” Es una lugar igualamente fascinante y extraño. Es un mundo bizarro, donde es mas facil encontrar arpas viejas, y dinero desde siglos pasados que poleras y zapatillos. Fue un rato loco, con muchas risas y momentos raros.

* Tambien, yo fui a unos fiestas. He pasado un poco tiempo con mi amigo Scott, y él y su novia tuvieron una carete (Chileno para “fiesta”) en sus terazza de departamento. Tambien, fui a un asado con mi amigo Rob, y mi segundo cena de comida Cubana con Manuel y Silvia.

* Ademas, tuvimos un “cena aniversario” en Duoc, y lo pasé muy bien. Era buenisimo, afuera con clima perfecta – y aún mejor, con comida gratis. No voy a quejarme sobre eso.

* ¿Que mas? Yo fui “geocashing” con mi amigo Steven. Generalamente, yo tratará casi todo una vez. Basicamente, “geocashing” es un actividad que combina senderismo y buscando de tesoros escondidos. Excepto que en lugar de oro y plata, los tesoros son pegatinas y llaveros. ¡Fue interesante, y fuimos a la base de la cordillera de los Andes. Que bueno la naturaleza alla!

* Finalamente, la noche pasada era Halloween. Tenien Halloween en Chile, pero hace solamente 10 años desde sus primera vez, y no es tan popular todavia. Sin embargo, nos pusimos disfrazes. Mira las fotos abajo!!



1) Manuel y yo, en la cena aniversario de Duoc.



2) Kurt, en su disfraz de “Waldo.”



3) Radford y yo. Yo era Don Miguel, un hombre famouso de cajas de los cigarillos en Chile. Radford era Beyonce de la “All the Single Ladies” video.



4) Danny, en la forma del rey.



5) Yo creo el disfraz de Dan es bastante obvio. El hizo su gorro con “white out” viente minutos antes la fiesta. ¡Que impresionante!

Ahora estoy muy emocionado, porque mis padres van a llegar a Santiago en Viernes que viene! Entonces, hasta la proxima vez! Cuídate mucho!

Pichilemu

What a perfect weekend!

I just got back from Pichilemu, a quaint little surfing town three hours south of Santiago. Manuel, Radfod, Nora, Wes, Trevor and I headed down to the little peninsula on the sea for two days of fun in the sun.

The first thing that struck me about “Pichi” was the vivid color that painted the town. Houses, flowers, signs, and indeed the sky itself positively radiated light from every angle, and continuously dazzled the eyes. Even the garbage on the street had a certain aesthetic beauty. Needless to say I took a lot of pictures.

We all rented a cozy little house just off the beach, which emanated that lovely, cabin-in-the-woods smell of mildew and years passed. We spent a night chatting around the wood-burning stove, turning the house upside down in the eternal search for kindling paper.

We walked around town, snapped photos, rode bikes and strolled on the beach. We crammed into collectivos to and from Punto Del Lobos, a high, ocean-side cliff from which we saw an incredible sunset and watched surfers shred some of the biggest waves I’ve ever witnessed in person. We ate seafood empanadas and more than our fair share of ice cream.

It was intoxicating, peaceful and perfect. I couldn’t stop thinking about how beautiful the world is and what a gift our lives really are. I thanked God more than a few times. I felt humbled, and remembered how many people struggle each day just to make it to tomorrow. I remembered that it’s my obligation to help them in real and substantial ways.

My favorite part of the trip was the bike ride I took with Nora and Wes. We spent a couple thousand Pesos (read: a few bucks) on some charmingly weathered bicycles and cruised down the coast. We ended up pulling off the road and spending some time sitting on the beach, talking and executing our silliest yoga-on-the-beach moves. There were lots of flowing garments and leaps into the wind (I daresay some of them were springs and bounds).

Here are some of my favorite pictures.







Our house.














The coolest Chilean I know: Señior Manuel Antonio Henríquez






















Rad, awash in sunlight.

























Nora, snapping up a shot of the Pacific coast.






Graffiti and colorful beach houses.












Wes, Manuel, and one of the many street dogs who seemed to think all of our pockets were stuffed with prime rib.






Two little girls and the world's biggest ocean.






The crew, minus Manuel (who took the picture) and Trevor (who hadn't arrived yet).






The sun setting at Punto del Lobos.



Surfers, shredding the gnar at Punto del Lobos. Props to Grady, who used to come here all the time last semester, and is clearly more coordinated and graceful than I when it comes to riding waves.























A gull resting on a cross at Punto del Lobos.











This was the farthest south I've ever seen a sunset.























The sunset sky at Punto del Lobos.
























I think this horse is related to the horse from the cover of the Lonely Planet.













Trevor and Radford, looking as pumped as ever.

























Equipo bicicleta, getting ready to conquistar el mundo.

























I think these might be orchids (?)









Nora and Wes sizing up the swim to Australia.




















Nora and Wes positively rocking out on the swing set.





Wes and I enjoying the teeter-totter. I'm not sure why I look so sad!







Vividly colored flowers.

Lakes, Hills and lots of BBQ Sauce

A week ago I headed back out to the Cajon de Maipo to do a little bit of hiking. The weather was cold and overcast, but the air in the mountains was quite refreshing. I met up with some friends from my Spanish school and headed out on a guided tour. As it turned out, “a little bit of hiking” was exactly what happened — I had been expecting more time actually walking on trails. It was a good time, however, and while I was there I managed to get a few shots. I also got to see the giant, man-made lake that provides about half of Santiago’s drinking water.

* * *

Yesterday, with the help of my dear California friend Radford “Carolina” Lathan, I completed the much-anticipated “Gringo Asado”—a BBQ event which allowed us to showcase “American food” to some Chilean friends.

The menu:

Flame-roasted BBQ chicken
Baked, cut potatoes with garlic and onion
Corn on the cob
Grilled red peppers and beets
Warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream
Sangria

Alright, alright: Sangria is from Spain. But nonetheless, I feel that Estados Unidos was well represented!


* * *

I just got back from a lovely little walk on San Cristobal hill. The weather here is getting nicer and nicer and I love walking around the city and the parks and just taking it all in. I was able to get a few pictures of the Japanese Gardens, which, incidentally, were donated to Chile by – you guessed it— Japan!


* * *

This week I’m getting ready to start teaching new classes and begin organizing accommodations for my parents, who are coming in a month! I just got done planning my late December travels, which will be the last thing I do before I fly back to Michigan the day before New Year’s Eve. Man. Time flies….
























A trail running through the snowy banks of the Cajon de Maipo. Quite a contrast from the sunny pics I posted in March (then again, I was at much higher altitude this time around!)






















My Swiss friend and I, having forgotten our surveying equipment, taking a primitive gauge of the water table at the giant water reservoir in the mountains.










A girl from Seattle who I met on the hike. I can’t remember her name, but hey. It’s still a sweet picture.

















Two of Chile’s finest in the lovely Parque Forestal. Ironically, the photo was taken mere minutes before Radford and I bought enough food to feed every horse and police officer in Chile. There’s nothing quite like traversing a big city wearing a backpack full of vegetables while carrying four whole chickens! I’ll tell you what.



Me, gettin’ silly with the pollo.










Ms. Lathan, working the beets and the company.



































My friends from the Pedro Prado school in San Pablo, Santiago: Paz, Manuel and Silvia, enjoying a toast with yours truly.










And one with Radford, too.





Chicken and beets on the grill. I hadn’t tried grilled beets before this, but they are tasty. Props to the Lathans for their innovative grilling traditions!



The sangria bowl. Chilean wine + ginger ale + oranges = A fine spring beverage!





















My good pal Manuel, considering eating everything on the table.



Juan Carlos, mesmerized by his mom’s glass of wine.




















At the Japanese gardens.



The city from the gardens. In the mornings I work right across the street from the big building on the left.



Some flowers. (Or are they only buds?)



The first lizard I’ve ever seen in Santiago!