I want to ride my bicyle

Just across the Andes exists Mendoza, Argentina. Last weekend I took a trip and now I'm dying to go back. It started with an 8 hour bus ride that is made worthwhile by all of the stunning views, I think it was one of the best parts of the trip. The border crossing however was no so spectacular. It took a while for the customs office to go through everyone's documents and send us on our way, but eventually I was standing in Argentina with another stamp in my passport.

Above: Chilean Side

Left: Crossing the border

Right: Argentinian Side

I just absolutely loved Mendoza, it seems like I say that about every place that I go, but my trips just keep getting better! We stayed in apartments that were converted into hostel rooms. Each had it's own kitchen too, so we got to make our own omelets for breakfast :) We were staying right in the heart of the city, just steps away from Plaza Independencia. You would never guess that Mendoza was located in the middle of the desert because there are so many trees! Everything was super green due to the intense irrigation system that they have, bringing water straight from the Andes.

Plaza España with Claudia, Bonnie, and Shubha

Parque San Martin

The day after arriving we got a tour of the city, which included a little saunter through a chocolate factory! It wasn't nearly as cool as Willy Wonka's, but I think it's the closest I'll ever get. The city tour was actually really nice, we got good recommendations on where to eat and what to do in the city, and learned a ton about the city. I never would have known that there was a 10.0 magnitude earthquake that killed 70% of the population, or that all the plazas were created as places of refuge in case there was another massive quake. After the tour, it was time to relax in the plaza. The entire trip had absolutely gorgeous weather with lots of sunshine and we reminisced over the line in Ms. Congeniality when one of the contestants is asked to "describe her perfect date".  That day in the plaza was really fun. It is lined with tons of artisans selling their work. I think I walked those stalls like 15 times, stopping to talk to them about their gorgeous, and ridiculously cheap, creations. There were also all kinds of performances going on at the little amphitheater so I got to listen to a local cumbia band and watch a puppet show. A part of me wants to learn a craft, move to Mendoza, and become one of the vendors in the plaza, just soaking up the sun and listening to live music.

My new friend! Yet to be named

The next day was Sunday, and literally everthing is closed. Restaurants are open, but only for certain hours and lunch an dinner. The original plan was to rent bikes and go on a tour of the local wineries by bike, but since the wineries were closed we went to the park instead. Parque San Martin is massive and really pretty, I totally felt like I was riding through Golden Gate Park. Inside the park, on top of a deceptively steep hill, was the Zoo. So, that's where we rode. Even though I made friends with a monkey, the zoo was really depressing overall. I'm not a big fan of seeing animals kept in too small of cages with obnoxious children taunting them.

YUMMY!

 Clearly I'm not that big of an animal rights activist though, cause that night I had a big fat juicy steak for dinner and it was amazing. Argentinian steak is as fantastic as it is rumored to be, super delicious and cheap! Everything in Argentina is cheap so it was a good place to travel to. By the end of the day, it was time to head back to Santiago. After being accused of stealing the towels provided by the hostel and having to pay for the hostel to buy new ones, we were back on the road. That night, the bus was converted into a sauna and it was impossible to sleep. Add going through customs at 3 in the morning to that mix, and maybe you can understand how tired I was the next day. It was all worth it though. Mendoza, I'll be seeing you again soon.

Are we in California?

Some familiar views

Obviously my future house in Zapallar

The inside of the house we stayed in

Daniel, Courtney, Moi, Gabe, Michele (Hannah, not pictured)

     Last weekend was a time to celebrate Fiestas Patrias, Chilean independence day! It was a pretty great weekend, filled with lots adventures and plenty of laughs. Like most Chileans, me and some friends decided to head to the beach to celebrate. My friend Courtney's host mom rents out cabanas about 3 hours north of Santiago, so on Saturday we were off! We bought our bus tickets for Zapallar, thinking that's where we were going. Well, not exactly. Courtney told us we needed to get off at La Laguna and so that's what we told the bus attendant( not quite the same ring as flight attendant). Three hours later we pull into an adorable little beach town and basically the entire bus get's off but of course the 4 American's don't. As we start driving away, the attendant comes back up to us and asks us where we are headed, when we respond with "the lagoon" he looks a little confused and tells us, oh, ok, next stop. We start up a hill driving along the coast. It was absolutely GORGEOUS! It reminded me so much of making the drive from home to sb along the 101. I take a look back at where we just came from and say to Hannah, "That looks like a lagoon..." Sure enough we were supposed to get off back in the little beach town, but instead we take the bus all the way to Zapallar which was about 20 minutes further north. We weren't fully convinced that we were in the wrong place, until we asked for directions to the address. So what did we do? Stuck out our thumbs and hitched a ride back down to the lagoon. The first car that stopped was nice enough to take all four of us back down. We all hop in, really excited to make it back to the right place, and sit in complete silence. The driver didn't think we spoke Spanish, and only motioned to Gabe to roll up the window. It had already been a long day so we went straight to the mini mart to buy some beer and then headed to the beach! I'm not sure if drinking on the beach isn't illegal in Chile, but either way no one bothered us. It was sooooo nice relaxing in the sand, the atmosphere was really peaceful watching the waves crash while people flew kites up and down the beach with the smell of asado in the air. We ended up staying in Courtney's host mom's aunt's house, I know confusing, but it was really adorable and super cozy! The town reminded me a lot of IV, the gridwork of streets leading to the beach, the main drag with nothing but places to buy food, and the sun warming the cool ocean air. Even the night's activities reminded me of being back in IV: Playing games, taking ridiculous pictures, wandering down to the beach, midnight snacks (Unfortunately there was no good breakfast burrito place). Strangely enough, the weekend of Chilean independence was the weekend when I felt the most like I was back in California.

THE BEACH!!!! <3

Cultural Activities

Craftsmanship

I am actually a fan of the cultural activities that EAP puts on. Yes they can be extremely boring at some points, but they really do expose aspects of Chilean culture that I otherwise might not get to experience. Last Saturday I had the opportunity to visit the pottery village of Pomaire and yesterday I went to the old mining town of Sewell and the actual El Teniente mine.

Pomaire- A couple extra decorations at a flower stand

 Pomaire was just really freaking cool! The entire town revolves around the art of making pottery. It is a tradition that is passed down through the generations in each family. One of the families opened up their home and pottery workshop to some 30 American students to share their craft with us. It was really neat, we all got to make out own pinch pots (ones that you just make by hand) AND we all got to give the pottery wheel a go. I'm definitely no ceramic connoisseur, but it was really fun to get our hands dirty and do some crafts. Everyone still loves doing crafts, even 20 year olds (I know I am still 19, but it's close enough). The family even provided us with a great breakfast and a 3-course lunch! Which by the way was absolutely delicious! Hand made empanadas, cazuela (typical chilean soup), and fruit for desert! I was so full, that I didn't eat dinner that night. After eating and making our pots we got to explore the town and obviously do a little shopping. I have never seem so much pottery in my life, all hand made and painted and just lining the streets of this little pueblito.

The master, Don Pedro, giving me some tips

The town of Sewell

Just a giant ass crystal

I got to visit the mining town of Sewell and the copper mine El Teniente yesterday, again thanks to EAP. Sewell is this adorable little mining town set in the heart of the Andes. All of the homes and buildings are painted with brigt colors, partly to combat the depressing life a miner. It's abandoned now, but has been converted into a historical site with a museum. Seeing pictures of the town back in the day was a little sad. There was one of a schoolhouse with all the students, and it's strange to me to think that mining was all they really knew. Generations grew up in that town without the hope of really changing their life. Think "October Sky" expect copper not coal mining. After visiting the town, we actually got to go into El Teniente, yeah underground! We got to wear actual miner's equipment too! I felt like a member of the Village People, it was strange. El Teniente is the largest underground mine in the world! Chile also produces almost a third of the entire world's copper. Not gonna lie, when I heard that we were going into the mine I was picturing having to like descend via elevator, or propel down on ropes, and to arrive seeing people with picks just hacking away at the wall. Well, it was nothing like that. We just drove right into the heart of the Andes via tunnel. It was crazy being down there though, and knowing how much was above us. It was absolutely massive down there! The miners that work there are pretty hard core. Most of them work crazy long hours and 6 days a week. When we were down there, we got to talk to a couple. They are all really friendly and are extremely proud of their job. Some of the miners work such insane hours that they will not see the sunlight, they head into El Teniente before the sun comes up and their shift ends after the sun has gone down. I literally could not imagine a life where I didn't get the see the sun. I guess one of the perks of a job like that is discovering MASSIVE crystals just chillin in the earth, ones that took some 4 million years to form. We got to see them too! By the time our tour of the mine was over I was ready to sleep. This was one of the longest days of my life, well at least that's what it felt like. By the time we loaded onto the bus to head back to Santiago I was ready to knock out for the 2 hour journey. 

Leaving El Teniente in all our gear

Return to Normalcy

This week was so normal! It seems strange to say, because all my other weeks have been filled with some kind of craziness. All my classes met this week and the real work is starting, mixed feelings about that one. It's nice though, to have a routine, I like routines. The sun came out too this week! Bonus! I know it seems like I always talk about the weather, but that's because it seriously affects my mood, and I just really love the sunshine! I haven't gotten enough of it and I am getting paler by the day! I am really ready for summer.

Mosaic over the original entrance to Villa Grimaldi

Even though my weeks are pretty boring, my weekends are still interesting.Last weekend I went to Villa Grimaldi and the National Cemetery. Villa Grimaldi was a torture center during the 35 year Pinochet dictatorship. It is basically the Auschwitz of Chile, and we got a tour of it. Our tour guide experienced torture at Villa Grimaldi first hand. Naturally, he was super emotional when he was recounting his personal experience. It was really moving to hear him talk about his experience and I commend him for being able to do so.

Mosaic at the center of Villa Grimaldi

Most of the original buildings were destroyed when the dictatorship fell, but the original layout was kept intact. Although Villa Grimaldi has been converted into a beautiful park that is open to the public, there is still an eerie feeling when you're there. After Villa Grimaldi, we continued on to the National Cemetery. The cemetery was beautiful but it was really, really hard for me to be there. I felt really uncomfortable and just wanted to wander the cemetery by myself with my own thoughts. I'm not ready to be in cemeteries yet, it still seems too soon. On a happier note, we got to see President Salvador Allende's tomb, which was really cool. Strangely, it was placed in the richest part of the cemetery and was pretty grand, all things opposite of Allende himself. Regardless, it was impressive to see. My favorite part though was seeing the "poorest" section of the cemetery. Yeah, they were just tombstones in the ground and were ridiculously close together, but it had so much more character. Each grave was decorated with flowers, wind-catchers, stuffed animals, pictures, you name it. It was comforting for me because it seemed more like a celebration of life, rather than a mourning of death.    

Allende's tomb, the family crypt was below

Flowers!