Our flight to Santiago went off without a hitch, and we arrived at 8am. I slept most of the way, but woke up just in time to catch the sunrise over the Andes Mountains from my window seat! It was beautiful. As we flew by the coast, we were able to see the tips of the mountains peaking through the clouds. It was absolutely unbelievable. When we got to the airport, we had to pay $140 American dollars to customs, and that took an eternity because we didn’t realize until we got up to the counter that the customs officials would only accept bills that were not ripped, not dirty, not folded, etc. So after they examined our money, we all made it through baggage claim, and got on a coach bus to head to our hotel. However, some of us learned the hard way that we need to be careful with our money, because an airport official came on to our bus and convinced some of my group members that they needed to pay him, and then left with our money. After that fiasco, we drove to the hotel. On the way, we saw the beautiful mountains of the Cordillera mountain range in the distance, and saw many dirt soccer fields, strange playground parks, and lots and lots of stray dogs.
Tonight we are staying in a hotel called San Sebastian, which is located in the neighborhood of Santiago called “A La Media” (in the middle). It is so called because the park that the road sits on divides the city between the old part and the new part. We ate breakfast at the hotel, took a walk around the park nearby (our tour guide was an adorable German-shepherd mix dog that led us through the whole park and back) and then took the metro to “La Plaza de Armas,” a local shopping district, where we got lunch and bought cell phones for the trip. For most of us, buying lunch was our first experience using Chilean money, and it was quite difficult! Chilean pesos are counted in thousands and ten thousands, so the extra zeros, the exchange rate, and the currency comparison make using Chilean money pretty confusing. But never the less, I managed to successfully order and pay for my Empenada de Queso and hopefully we will all get the hang of it soon!
In the afternoon, we walked from our hotel to a neighborhood about 15 minutes away where we saw one of the three historic houses that Pablo Neruda, the famous Chilean poet, lived in. The Santiago house was the home he lived in with his third wife, and also the last house he lived in before his death in 1973. He is so famous in Chile, that he is referred to by Chilean people simply as "The Poet." This says a lot, coming from a country of many talented poets! His house was so beautiful, tucked away in a back alley that had cobblestone steps, a waterfall, and lots of murals. His house was right in the city, but when on the grounds of his house, it felt like you could have been in the middle of the forest. His house was terraced, and many parts of the house were not connected to each other, so we had to walk up outdoor staircases to get from one room to the other. The house was very old, and had been added on to many times, so it had very low ceilings and even a hidden secret passageway behind a wardrobe in the dining room. Aside from his famous poetry and his status as a Nobel Prize winner, Neruda is known for his habit of being a collector, so his house was filled with all sorts of interesting (and sometimes creepy) artifacts ranging from dolls to giant shoes.
After our beautiful tour, we went to dinner at Restaurante Venezia, which was right across the street from a zoo! Villanova treated us to our first Chilean dinner, where we were served bottle after bottle of delicious Chilean wine. Tonight we may go and explore Santiago some more, it is such a beautiful city and we have so little time here! The streets are always bustling with people, and the buildings are very old and ornate (but not so tall) and for the most part the people here have been very patient with us as we have struggled to speak Spanish. They can spot from a mile away that we are Americans (considering most of the people on our trip have blonde hair) and many of the Chileans have walked up to us and started speaking English to us since they know we are foreigners. However, we've surprised a few of them with our Spanish skills.
Tomorrow we are taking a tour of the city in the morning, and will probably go to the Santiago market in the afternoon to do some shopping. It is absolutely beautiful, and I have taken way too many pictures today to post (my count so far is almost at four hundred) but I have included a few pictures below of our adventures thus far. Once I get to Valparaiso where the internet connection will be better, I will continue to post.
After our beautiful tour, we went to dinner at Restaurante Venezia, which was right across the street from a zoo! Villanova treated us to our first Chilean dinner, where we were served bottle after bottle of delicious Chilean wine. Tonight we may go and explore Santiago some more, it is such a beautiful city and we have so little time here! The streets are always bustling with people, and the buildings are very old and ornate (but not so tall) and for the most part the people here have been very patient with us as we have struggled to speak Spanish. They can spot from a mile away that we are Americans (considering most of the people on our trip have blonde hair) and many of the Chileans have walked up to us and started speaking English to us since they know we are foreigners. However, we've surprised a few of them with our Spanish skills.
Tomorrow we are taking a tour of the city in the morning, and will probably go to the Santiago market in the afternoon to do some shopping. It is absolutely beautiful, and I have taken way too many pictures today to post (my count so far is almost at four hundred) but I have included a few pictures below of our adventures thus far. Once I get to Valparaiso where the internet connection will be better, I will continue to post.
Viva la Chile!!
Julia Marie
The Santiago countryside, with the Cordillera mountain range fading into the distance
A view of the capital city, Santiago, which lies in a valley surrounded by mountains
Street art leading up to Pablo Neruda's home in Santiago
In the courtyard of Pablo Neruda's home
Kelly, Martin, Christine, Porter, Noelle, and I out on our first night in Santiago
Dirt soccer fields everywhere - this one's for you Dad!!
