running with the horses!

Yesterday we had a slow day, which was nice. We went over to the all too bowl for a bit as well as walk around to find any last minute gifts. On the bus ride there we ran into an interesting form of begging for money, dressing up as a clown and aiming a fake gun at bus passengers. It was surprisingly effective.            

 

We once again dined at or favorite little empanada restaurant where now instead of saying goodbye to us, the waitresses told us they would see us later.

 

Today we got up and took the bus past the dunes we had been to earlier in the week to go horseback riding. Although I had been riding a few times before I was still quite nervous about the entire experience. I was placed on a very nice horse named Aguacella, typically rode by the owner of the stable’s three-year-old son. We practiced turning and stopping for a few minutes before we headed out on our excursion, not however before y horse was the first of any to pee while I was on its back.

 

We rode the horses through streams, over steep sand dunes, and weaved the through shrubbery on the way to the beach. They were all a bit stubborn at first, especially Cory’s which just stood in the middle of the river, but after time they got better at listening. The horses were extremely well trained, but really are pack animals running when the others run and sometimes getting ideas of their own.

 

When we got to the beach we were sort of let free to gallop as fast as we would like along the waves by Renaca. The weather had cleared up and it was a beautiful day, with some great scenery. We were able to take a few pictures, but being on horseback limited us. With a bit of light whipping my horse picked up a good deal of speed and although the gallops were not the most comfortable, they definitely were fun.

 

After about two or two and a half hours we headed off the beach to get our lunch at the farm. We passed some wild cows as well as horses on the ride back. After dismounting the horses we had been on for the past three hours all of us found walking a bit hard again.

 

Quite dirty, we were al extremely ready for the delicious lunch they had laid out for us. There were pisco sours, wine, chicken, meat, pork, the little sausages-Charipan, potato salad, lettuce salad, rice, and dipping salsa. Even if I had not been so hungry that meal would have been delicious.

 

This may be one of the last blogs from the McDonalds in Vina. It is hard to believe these two weeks are almost over. I never thought I would need to come back to Chile but now I want nothing more. I have learned many things far different from what I expected and even made a few Chilean friends. Still looking forward to coming home though for a reliably hot shower and salad dressing this country so lacks!!

isla negra

Yesterday night we ate dinner at our favorite restaurant near the hotel. I tried the empanada with meat, cheese, and tomatoes. Although we may not branch out restaurant wise I like to try something different every time we are there. When we went out we learned it was one of the French exchange student’s birthdays. We did our American duty and sang happy birthday in English after the others had sung in both French and Spanish.  Never did I think that my French would come in handy here. 

Today we headed over to Isla Negra, one of the multiple houses of the poet Pablo Neruda. This home was built for primary use as a place to go and work. He chose a prime piece of real estate overlooking the ocean, not an island at all. He and his last wife remain buried there today. Everything in the house seems to have been chosen deliberately and contributes to the idea of the house feeling like a boat including narrow stairways and curved ceilings. The views from his bedroom were positively gorgeous and made us all envy anyone who got the opportunity to live there. 

After Isla Negra we headed out to another fish lunch, this time one of my favorites; salmon. Once again it came with a host of appetizers, potatoes sides, and salads.  Having really fresh fish really makes all of the difference flavor wise. 

We did a bit of house touring and stopped at one of the upscale beaches for the remainder of the afternoon despite the cloudy and misty weather. The drive back featured the most beautiful sunset over the harbor reflecting over the water. 

weekend and Santiago

This past weekend we had the chance to go out on our own and explore via two very needed free days. On Saturday we walked over to the mall and bought a few shirts at the store Zara, I can guarantee no one at home will have them. On our walk back we strolled through the casino only a block from the hotel but restrained ourselves from any gambling.                                                                                                                                                                                                             Sunday was another free day offering the chance sleep in again. Then I finally sorted out skype and got a chance to talk to my family. After that Tara and I strolled down the beach to do a bit of shopping at the beachfront shops. Sunday ended with a group dinner at a local Italian restaurant that took their own personal spin on marinara sauce. Although it was not what I expected it was still tasty.        

 Today we went into the capital Santiago to visit my company Bolsa Comercio de Santiago that is the primary stock market in the country of Chile. After lunch we took a mini-tour of the city stopping at the Moneda, the Chilean equivalent of the white house minus the actual president living there part.

 After our chance to walk around for a bit we headed over to the Chilean Market Central where we got the opportunity to walk around the fish market, get begged to enter the restaurants, and eat some delicious fresh fish. They brought it out in courses, beginning with a seafood appetizer complete with mini-shrimp, muscles, and other unidentified things.  I was adventurous and found that I liked almost everything on the plate. Second came out a bunch of salads and potatoes including some tasty mashed potatoes and French fries. The main course of both fried and grilled local fish followed. Even without tarter sauce everything was delicious.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   After lunch we rode another incline up over the layer of smog to see Santiago framed by the Andes mountains as well as browse the shops at the top. Once again the top of the incline was loaded with dogs and I spoke briefly with Monica about what Chile has been doing to slow down the dog population boom. Apparently the idea of euthanizing them did not go over too well and instead spaying and neutering has been proposed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       It is hard to believe that the second week has already begun and that we will be going home Saturday. Tomorrow will be our trip to Pablo Nerudas house Isla Negra.           

picture post!

 view of the Andes from the airplane flying in

picture of Universidad de Santa Maria 

view of Valpariso and the harbor from campus

some of us at the University

Everton fans at the futbol game

wine aging in barrels at Vina Indomita

LAN planes in the hanger

update week 1

Lots has happened since my last post. It is hard to believe that we have already been to three company visits as well as had all of the lectures. I have learned more about Chile in these past few days than I ever could have imagined.

Every day I find the transition to this culture easier and easier. Other than special requests at restaurants, the Chilean people are highly receptive to our broken spanish and are more than willing to take the time to try and help us out. Lo siento and gracias have proven extremely helpful as well as some of the more fluent students. 

The whole group went out together Monday night and we got to try some local favorite drinks. We also pitifully sang some karaoke. Tuesday we went back to the university for some lectures learning about the business environment in Chile as well as the unexpected link between Pennsylvania and Chile. 

Yesterday we visited Codelco, the state owned copper company as well as attended a futbol game for the local team Everton. The fans were spectacular and we got some tasty churros. After the game we stopped at a small restaurant near the hotel for empanadas the most popular (as well as Chile's signature) food here. They we stuffed full of cheese, chicken, onions, and tomatoes and fired in a flakey and delicious dough pouch. Last night I got the chance to try out some of the salsa we had learned as well as check out if the reggaeton dancing was all that different from our dancing in the US when we went to a local club Sala. 

We started off this morning with a visit to Vina Indomita, a mid-sized winery outside of Santiago. We toured the factory and tasted some of the wines they produced. We all got adventurous at lunch ordering a special we did not really understand. Fortunately, it all worked out and we got back on the bus to LAN very full. We then toured the LAN Airlines facility outside the Santiago airport and learned about some of their expansion strategies as well as new fuel saving technologies. We even got to walk into the hangers to see some of the maintenance and tests going on. 

We ended the day with a nice long bus ride back to the hotel (perfect for a nap) with plenty of time to spare allowing me to make it back down to McDonalds to update the blog and check some e-mails. The wireless in the hotel comes in and out and while I have picked up some spanish, I still cant decipher the keyboard or the chilean webpages off the computer at the hotel. 

I am looking forward to tomorrow's day at the farm (a resort for us Americans) where I am told there will be free food and drinks all day as well as a pool. I mights just have to splurge and get myself a massage as well. This first busy week of travel might just warrant it. 

Pictures of some of the activities will follow shortly!! 

My Introduction to CHILE!

Posting from the end of a long weekend. It is hard to believe that I left yesterday morning, sleeping on the plane sure threw off my perception of time. The flight in had some breathtaking views of the Andes, I was happy that I followed Jo's advice and sat on the left side of the plane. 

We arrived in Chile around 7ish this morning, and proceeded through the three step entry process which went smoother than expected. We were required to pay our $131 entry fee in brand new untarnished bills, and then shuttled over to wait in the line to hand in our health forms. We were then taken to pick up and get our luggage scanned to make sure we were not bringing in anything prohibited. I threw out my bagel and jelly as a precaution and protection from a hefty fine. Never in my life had I wished I spoke spanish more than today!!

We all napped a bit on the bus ride to the hotel but unpacked quickly and hit the streets to explore. We walked along the beach and began to get our bearings around Vina del Mar. We settled on pizza (an albeit not very adventurous choice) which ended up pretty tasty and loaded with toppings. After a brief stop back at the hotel we trekked to the mall which was about 20 minutes from where we were staying. We walked through the more residential part of Vina which had some lovely properties. Upon exploring the mall we found multiple McDonalds and the store Zara that I had heard about, upon closer inspection it looked like comparable to a H&M. I have to say we stood out a as a group of fourteen Americans, and although the differences were subtle our English was a bit of a tip-off. 

We walked back along the beach and past some craft vendors as well as sand sculptors. I was sure to dip my toes into the Pacific. All quite tired from our long day we retreated to our rooms for naps before our group dinner at Margarita, a Mexican restaurant at 7. After a long but tasty dinner we grabbed our computers, bought some snacks at a gas station, and planted ourselves at McDonalds to write home and post some of our recollections on our blogs. 

Tomorrow we will have an early morning heading off to the university for some lectures on culture and business in Chile! Looking forward to day two of my first international experience. Will write soon!