The Intrepid Leopard Blog: August 2011

Another week on my Spanish has somewhat improved. I can half understand what people are trying to say and I can respond with a yes or a no. Travelling solo as I understand it, is supposed to be a time of self-reflection, a chance to explore oneself. I think it is a load of bollocks. As a person who usually lives quite independently I am finding it rather boring and all I am learning is that I am tired of being alone and crave some co-dependence. Unfortunately it seems, I am travelling in the wrong direction- Chile is the last location one should visit on their tour of South America.

I think I am finally coming to the end of my culture shock, I am finding it a lot easier to adjust in the North as the population is a hell of a lot smaller and it definately feels a hell of a lot safer. What I do find incredibly strange though is that Chile doesn{t smell. Half of it I assume is the horrific cold I have and am being ravaged by but the other 50% I am unsure of. In New Zealand, when you are at the beach you smell salty air. Here you do not, even the salt flats lack a certain saline air. The bush doesn't smell green and the rain doesn't smell fresh. It is the most peculiar sensation.

Since being in Santiago, I have visited three locations: Valparaiso, La Serena and San Pedro de Atacama. Visiting the first two, every situation had the same response "this is fun but boy wouldn't it be better in the summer ". Quite clearly I have travelled in the wrong season but coming from a mild climate I do not think I could handle anything above thirty degrees. San Pedro I am struggling.

Valparaiso

The "culture capital" of Chile would alas be fabulous in Summer. Narrow, cobbled streets stretching up through the many Cerros. Each house painted a different colour; murals lining every spare wall. It certainly has a charm about it but travelling alone I didn't feel overly safe in this town.

I visited "La Sebastiana" Pablo Neruda's second house which like La Chascona was fabulous. He certainly lived a life of obscure opulence and I think I could have fitted right in with his way of living. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to his third house "Isla Negra" where he is buried. Not enough time and couldn't actually figure out where it was located :l.

Valparaiso- house front

Valparaiso

Valparaiso- back alley

" I want my freedom, my human love"

La Sebastiana

I popped out to Vina Del Mar for an afternoon and had a wander around. A seaside resort that would have been lovely in the Summer.

Vina del Mar

The hostel I stayed at was a beautiful house just very quiet. I have come to the conclusion I am better off in a more social situation so will try for the rest of my journey.

Hostal Caracol

La Serena

Seven hours north is La Serena, again another resort town. I really liked La Serena, it had a small town centre with a big market. I felt quite comfortable having a wander down to the beach and through the shops etc. Despite being the same size of Wellington, it did feel a lot more provincial which I thought quite hilarious.

View of market from top of hostel

Bell tower (La Serena is full of them)

Walking to the beach

The lighthouse at La Serena

A dog having a snooze

The beach at La Serena

I took an observatory tour in the Elqui Valley. Chile is one of three locations in the world where you can see the night sky the clearest due to the high altitude, dry air and lack of light pollution. In fact, the entirety of Chile has changed their lighting system from Mercury to Sodium to decrease the light pollution. The tour was amazing, I had picked the right day as it happened to be a new moon. I'd never seen the sky so clear. I saw Saturn and two galaxies, star clusters and nebulas.

The next day I went on a day trip to Isla Damas and saw the only colony of Humboldt penguins. It reminded me a lot of New Zealand except for the cacti. There were sealions, pelicans, boobys, shearwaters, oyster catchers etc. I didn't see a sea otter which saddened me somewhat.

Pinguinos de Humboldt

San Pedro de Atacama

An eighteen hour bus ride later, I arrived in San Pedro de Atacama (where I am currently located). Thank god I paid double and got a cama seat on the bus (the upgrade 34000 peso versus 17000) I had so much room to spread out and have a snooze. I had caught a clasic to La Serena which was fine until the lovely man in front of me (who by the way looked at porn the entire trip) reclined his seat. San Pedro is an amazing town, it looks just like something out of a Western. The town centre is made up of small cobbled streets, the buildings made of clay. It is thirty degrees by day and drops to -10 at night. I've never seen the sky so blue.

San Pedro de Atacama

San Pedro church

Street side San Pedro

In my dorm there is a lovely Brazillian named Renato and yesterday we took a bike ride to the Valley of the Death- A huge canyon with amazing views. We even had three lovely guides of the canine variety. I don't think I've mentioned much of the dogs here in Chile. They are everywhere, in packs on every street corner. Half of them mangy half I think or hope are pets. They have a very different personality to dogs in NZ. I guess it is because they are free and can do what they want. I love them.

Biking through the Valley of the Death

A tunnel in the middle of the desert

Snow on the Andes in the middle of the desert

Mi tres amigos

Too pooped needed a nap

In the afternoon, we went to the Laguna Cejar. A giant salt water pond you can float in. It was so beautiful.

Laguna Cejas

Sunset at the lagoon

Tomorrow, I begin a very scary tour to Uyuni in Bolivia. The tour is notoriously shit but I have no expectations, I am taking all my own food and water and I know I will enjoy the scenery. It will also be my birthday and I will be so old. Pretty sure I am supposed to be rolling in it by now and one year from marriage. Ah adolescent dreaming!

Till next week. Ciao.

Well I certainly come from a small town to say the least and at that a very expensive one.

I think it is a fair assumption to make to say I hadn´t really considered what I was planning to do once I was in Chile. I was definately not prepared for its size or the implications that come from a city so big. It totally confuddled me the need for three metre tall gates, security guards, security cameras, dogs and bars on all doors and windows. Surely you can trust your next door neighbour; apparently not. That was the first thing I noticed when I arriveds in Santiago. That and the fact everything is Terracotta coloured.

Secondly, I have no idea why food is so expensive in our country. Meat two bucks a kilo, cheese and butter a couple of dollars for a big slab. Booze- a bottle of Tanqueray 10 $40!, the most amazing wine for no more than $15-20! six pack of beer less than 60c!!!! its outrageous! (although yes I can understand booze) There is no clear reason in my mind why we must pay so much for fresh food!

View from apartment by day

View from apartment by night

Officially, I have decided that my first week was my transition period as effectively I didn´t do much. Luckliy, Santiago is more of a city you live in rather than one you visit so coveniently there wasn´t much for me to do. I spent my week attempting Spanish, recovering from jet lag and generally mucking about. Thankfully I had Carlos to rescue me from most horrific language situations (Topshop changing room- not ideal) and he showed me the Chilean way of life.

We spent some time outside of town in Curacavi at his friend´s ridiculously huge multi-million dollar homestead whilst eating the most delicious (and highly likely cheap) barbequed meats- yum! He also took me to the reception of his friend´s sister´s wedding. Chilen weddings are just how I´d imagine American weddings. Over the top frou, fabulously terrible dj (however this time mostly in Spanish (rigaton babes), although I did note as the night progressed so did the English) and the most delicious baked treats. Understandably, the Piscola flowed and so did my dance moves. The fabulous thing about Chilean weddings is they all get out these huge foam hats and parade about. My hat was a lovely version of Maggie from the Simpsons.

Chileans are very passionate people which I think is nice to see since I come from such a passive society. You kiss when you meet and when you leave (which I have just managed to get used to). You express how you feel which is rather refreshing. Evident through the continual protests about education policy. People go out and fight for what they believe in. 100 000 in Santiago! Even after the protest (riot) people were alone on the footpath every few blocks banging on potpans. (Leftover from the Pinochet days when the Americans conveniently wouldn´t allow food exports to Chile. People would gather on the streets and bang for their supper.

Of the touristy things I did, I visited La Chascona, one of Pablo Neruda´s houses. Shaped like a ship it was created for his lover turned wife Mathilde. He had absolutely imaculate taste and was a great lover of collectables notably shipping goods.