AMK's Travel Blog

Shuttle to San Jose

2010-02-22T15:47:00.000-08:00

Last day at Los Altos :( We take a shuttle at 4 pm back to San Jose and by this time tomorrow we'll have gone from hot and humid back to clod and snowy.

Pool Day

2010-02-21T14:45:00.001-08:00

Another lazy day. This one reading books at the pool.

Sunset

2010-02-20T22:48:00.000-08:00

We finally took the time to get a good photo of the sunset we've seen each night from the pool.

Private Beach

2010-02-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

We usually are all about exploring but our condo has a great beach at the base of the hill below it. This week we are just lazy Americans. This place is so great that aside from one trip to the grocery store and a trip downtown, we have been just enjoying ourselves here.

Manuel Antonio

2010-02-17T17:01:00.000-08:00

Left early from Monteverde and took a shuttle to Quepos/Manuel Antonio. The views on the way down the mountain are just amazing. The road runs directly from the mountains at a couple of thousand feet to the Pacific Ocean. We stopped at a rest stop once we reached the coast and it was 10 or 15 degrees warmer. We also had a chance to see some crocodiles at the mouth of a river leading out to sea. They are some of the largest in the world, biggest are about 15 feet.

We made it to our hotel, which is just down the beach from the park. It is amazing. It's actually luxury condos that owners can rent out for secondary income, but because of the downturn, very few are selling and we rented an unowned own for crazy cheap. They gave us a larger 3 BR condo (we booked a smaller own but I guess this was what was available) and it's nicer and larger and has more bathrooms and a nicer kitchen than our house. If anyone wants to come down to Costa Rica, send me an email and we'll put you in one of the spare rooms :)

Zipline!

2010-02-15T18:20:00.000-08:00

Today was great. Warm, sunny weather with a breeze. We headed up to La Selvatura park and took the zipline tour. We ended up in the back of the group with all the guides, which gave us lots of time to talk with them and look around. It was amazing. The longest zipline was over a kilometer long and took at least a minute to go down.

In the evening, we headed up to the Treehouse B&B for tea. We almost stayed there but couldn't get a reservation. It was amazingly beautiful and modern. I can see why so many Americans and Europeans love it. The porches have an amazing view from the mountainside all the way to the ocean 20 miles away.

On to St., Elena para el dia de San Valentino

2010-02-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

Clouds stayed and rain came so we never got to see the lava at night. We did manage to hike essentially every trail on the property and saw plenty of interesting foliage. We left after and took a colectivo to a boat to another colectivo through zero visibility in the cloud forest to St. Elana. So far our accomodation seems nice and conveniently close to town. Tomorrow, we go ziplining in the cloudforest. Lacey's quote of the day is "The ride wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't next Mr. Blubberstein and the Von-Blumberton family."

Clouds

2010-02-13T14:03:00.000-08:00

Made it to the Observatory Lodge. Great spot,right across the river from the Volcano with an amazing view. It's American and German tourist central, and expensive by Costa Rican standards, but for the access to the Volcano, it's definitely worth it for one or two nights. We are hoping we have photos of glowing night time lava to post...if only the clouds would clear.

Volcano

2010-02-13T07:05:00.000-08:00

We got to see the Volcano from La Fortuna pretty well last night when the clouds cleared. There were some nice views from a great little park in the center of La Fortuna. Later today we will head to a hotel that used to be a geologic obsevatory and is located on the other side of the Volcano where we will hopefully be able to see glowing lava at night. This morning is cloudy with all of the volcano completely obscured.

La Fortuna

2010-02-12T12:39:00.000-08:00

Long ride through the mountains to La Fortuna. Roads are better than I expected. Tomorrow we are off to the Arenal Volcano looming over the town, hopefully to see some lava.

Last day of Surfing

2010-02-11T11:37:00.000-08:00

Last day at the surf camp. We leave early tomorrow morning for Arenal. Lacy's been under the weather, but I hope she feels better soon. I've been out past the break now and today even caught a few waves but don't have the control to stay up for long. I never had any idea how much more difficult surfing is then snowboarding.

Surfing

2010-02-09T09:52:00.000-08:00

Actually made it up on the board, but bruised my foot, my toe specifically, getting the hang of standing up. Surf camp is good. Mostly younger people and actually mostly Austrians. I think we are the only Americans with a few Canadians and Swiss mixed in. It's right on the beach and relaxing,but also very tropical, hot, and humid.

We've had rain, unusually much for the dry season, at night, but we can still only surf in the morning and late afternoon. Mid-day is just to hot.

Surfcamp

2010-02-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

Made it to our surfcamp in the middle of nowhere,monkeys, cows, and the beach is 60 feet away. Exciting landing in a prop plane on the only airstrip I've ever seen that goes up the side of a hill. Rest of the airport consists of a fence and a parking lot.

We made it :)

2010-02-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

We woke up late this morning, but luckily we made it to the airport on time and Juraj and Mitzi helped us out with our car. Other than the late start, everything went well. We landed uneventfully, got cash, a SIM card, through customs, and a taxi in 30 minutes. We made it to our downtown Holiday Inn (lots of American brands) and head out to the coast for surfing early tomorrow morning

Agra via Delhi

2008-10-13T16:49:00.000-07:00

We woke up early to the imam, grabbed what we had packed the night before and left for the bus station. We found the 7 AM Volvo and took off for Delhi.

We met Jesse with Babalu (our driver) in Delhi at the bus stop. We relaxed at the Varma house for a few hours, had a wonderful lunch, and took a shower. Then we took the long, crazy, traffic filled drive to Agra. Our Hotel was beautiful, fancy, and filled with foreigners. It was definitely the most opulent place we stayed.

Lost in Jaipur with no Hindi

2008-10-12T22:17:00.000-07:00

We woke up to the imam calling people to prayer at 5 AM. After tea and biscuits, we went with Sanjay to see his silver shop and buy our tickets for the bus tomorrow. The shop was great!

Sanjay dropped us off at City Palace, but it wasn't open yet. The Palace was oppresively hot and OK but not fantastic.

We had an hour of madness, noise, and begging before we found an ATM and someone who could help us find a place for lunch (LMB). We also had fun paying a shop keeper with a quarter in place of 16 rupees. He was very excited when he saw the quarter in Lacey's change purse and after we paid him, he showed it to everyone in the shop. LMB was great and cost about $15 for lunch for two which was swanky by Jaipur standards.

After lunch, we found an autorickshaw outside and negotiated a decent price. We even convinced our driver to actually take us to our destination instead of the first place he tried to leave us.

When we got home, Anu wanted to know what Lacey's freckles were. She wondered if they were scars and was shocked when I showed her that I had freckles too but that they were harder to see because my skin was darker. While Lacey napped, I walked about a bit. I saw pigs, goats, and cows in the street and cows sleeping under shady corner trees. I can honestly say I never stood out so much my entire life before that moment.

In the evening, we relaxed on the veranda and had some beer, before heading out to buy takeout for dinner. That was a wonderful adventure. While we waited for our food, our hosts took us to a street vendor to buy food. He would take mashed potato, stuff it into a tiny pastry shell, dip the whole thing in butter and hand it to you in a bowl made our of leaves. As fast as customers could eat these things the guy could make more. He just counted as everyone ate and when folks had their fill they generally drank the butter from their bowl and paid him 5 rupees (about 8 cents) per 6 pastries. Lakshayta must have eaten twenty!

Jaipur!

2008-10-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

I slept more than Lacey with the time change, but we both woke up early, probably 5 AM local time. After a quick bite to eat we caught the 7 AM bus to Jaipur. We experienced the standard foreign confusion as we tried to buy tickets and find out whether to pay before or after we got on the bus. Lacey didn't feel great but the bus ride was OK with the exception of some bad Bollywood at the end and when the bus driver forgot to let us off at the right stop.

Luckily, another passenger, Ubikesh helped us out, because the taxi drivers were on the two of us like white on rice. Sanjay was at work so we met Anu at home. She was wonderfully welcoming , gave us tea, and sent us off to a nap to recover.

After our nap, we walked to the store to get water and snacks. We were clearly an oddity, with friendly little children shouting hi and following us. After Sanjay came home, we bought beer and groceries and relaxed on the terrace. Anu made dinner, which was fantastic and Lakshayta (their daughter) ran amok with her friends before we went off to bed.

Landed in Delhi

2008-10-10T23:18:00.000-07:00

We landed in New Delhi about 8 PM with Kanik and two of his freinds, Anchul and Rodika. It tooka couple of hours to get luggage, buy gifts at duty free, get cash, etc. Kanik's family met us at the airport and we rode back to his house. We talked for a bit, ate some dinner and crashed.

Going to India

2008-09-13T09:31:00.001-07:00

For those of you who I haven't told, Lacey and I will be headed to India for two weeks next month. A friend is getting married and it was too great a deal to pass up, so despite not having much vacation accrued yet, I plan to use it all up! Photos and stories to follow when we get back.

Visiting Friends in Syracuse

2008-06-29T06:18:00.000-07:00

Lacey and I drove to Syracuse to visit some friends, Mike and Jill, and their new dog Nacho. Mike and Jill moved there about a year ago from Boston and are enrolled in grad school. It was a real Boston renunion as Jeremy and Marla came in too.

I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed Syracuse. One of my favorites was this gas station covered in quilts.

We also tried out Mike's new smoker. The ribs were so good, Mike and I ate them until we felt a little queasy. Everyone else was smarter. We also went to a local music fest and heard Chaka Khan sing.

On the way back, Lacey and I stopped at some wineries and checked out Lake Geneva. It was really, really nice. We even drove by Geneva Falls, where my grandmother was born.

Northern Michigan

2008-06-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

Lacey and I spent the weekend in Northern Michigan. It was a great chance to see a side of Michigan I'd definitely never seen.

We saw the Mackinaw Bridge and stayed on Mackinac Island, ate pasty's and fudge and generally spent as much time on the water as we could.

Buenos Aires Recommendations

2008-04-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back home and this will be last travel blog for a while. But I wanted to give everyone some links to things to do in Buenos Aires, the last stop on my tour. It's affordable and fun compared to any other city it's size in the world.

First, there is a recent New York Times article that a lot of you sent me with plenty of recommendations. My favorite way to find restaurants in BA, aside from asking friends, is the Guia Oleo Restaurant Guide. www.whatsupbuenosaires.com) is a bilingual guide to the city’s arts, music and cultural offerings. www.bue.gov.ar), the city’s official tourism site, has event listings, useful tips and directories. Another expat blog I found in the NYT article is www.tangospam.typepad.com.

If you want to learn Spanish, check my earlier posts for the two schools I've used.

Hopefully, you'll all hear from me soon on another adventure.

In Houston

2008-04-02T05:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I made it. I had a relatively good flight and managed to sleep a full 8 hours. I sat next to a guy who grew up in California and Mexico and we talked off and on for a couple of hours in Spanish, which was a nice reminder that I can keep up what I've learned. I've got a few hours and then I'll be in Cleveland. 24 hours from now I'll be at work!

Last Day

2008-04-01T05:24:00.000-07:00

Last night I went over to Ceci's new house for a cup of tea. I got to meet her son, Andreas, who is 11 but already a head taller than her. The new house is great. It's way in the back of the complex and has 3 private patios. There is probably moore outside space than inside.

After Ceci's, I met Sofia and David at the house of cheese, which, as you can imagine, has a ton of cheeses to choose from. After dinner we wandered to a nearby bar and sat outside while we had a couple of beers.

Today I did a bit of shopping and had a nice traditional Argentinian lunch at the Querencia. Now I'm justing waiting for the bus. By the time most of you read this I'll be in the US

Ice Cream

2008-03-31T09:39:00.000-07:00

I went back to Belgrano lasr night, to the Sunday night fair. It was a perfect night, warm but not humid and two guys were performing traditional Argentian music. I even found the belt I wanted to buy.

I also spotted a Persicco ice cream shop. The ice cream in Argentina is amazingly good. I can't decide if Italian orr Argentian is better, but they are the best in thee world and quite similar, ice cream here is a product of Italian immigrants. Most of the Argentines I know believe Persicco is the best but I say Volta has them beat. The lemon tart flavor was good at Persicco, but the dulce de lech (the test of any local ice cream) was too bitter.

After the park, I went to the Viruta and took another lesson, before catching the bus home. Can't believe I'm almost home.

Today I need to look for a pair of brown shoes aand don't have much else in the way of plans.

Bust

2008-03-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

Was supposed to meet up wiith friends last night for some music but somehow I go the address wrong and nobody was there when I showed up...better kuck tonight.

Couchsurfing Party

2008-03-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

I hung out with Andreas and Sofia at a relaxed bar (think Argentian interpretation of Cheers or an Irish bar) before meeting Martin at a couchsurfing party. There were a ton of people. I only wish I had come across theem sooner.

Pool

2008-03-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

Martin and I went to Jobs Bar last night. Martin is another porteño (native of Buenos Aires) that I met through couchsurfing. I'm still badat pool, but I had a great time having a night out with only Sspanish, listeniing to Martin speak fast about politics and traveling.

La Viruta

2008-03-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

I went to La Viruta last night with Eric and Julietta. I think I'm getting the hang of the basic Tango. On the way home, it started pouring rain wwhile I waited for the bus and I got soaked before I could fiind a cab.

Where is the beef?

2008-03-26T14:31:00.000-07:00

Farmers, who traditionally are one of the wealthiest and most poweful groups, are protesting a hike in crop taxes. At the moment, agriculture is Argentina's primary industry. The strikes have started causing shortages in beef and milk.

Last night, there heaated speeches by both the agriculture union head and the president and people took to the streets to support the union with pots and pans. It's interesting to me because I think most of the protesters are economically better off with the taxes they are protesting. Here are some news stories about the protests:

Story 1

Story 2

Story 3

Peruvian Food

2008-03-25T23:46:00.000-07:00

Cecilia aand I went to El Rey (the king) last night to have Peruvian food. It was great and cheap and spicy. It's the first spicy food I''ve had in weeks. Argentina normally has nothing remotely approaching spicy. The restaurant even had Inca Kola, a Peruvian soft drink that I remember Cathy telling me about from her Machu Pichu trip. After dinner, I just went home. There wan't too much going on because of all the farm tax protests, whhich I'll havee to post about later.

Out Late

2008-03-24T04:31:00.000-07:00

I managed to have a proper night out in Buenos Aires, but I needed 4 cups of coffee and a red bull to make it. Nicolas and I went to a damcee club called Palacio Alsino. His cousin was kind enough go put us on the list at the door. It was a sort of techno modern club but actually reminded me a lot of dance clubs I went to in College in Gainesville and Daytona Beach, TJ Morrisey's anyone. We got there at 2, it didnn't get busy until 3, and was going strong when we left at 5. By the time I got to bed, the sun was rising, definitely the first time I've seen that here. My favorite part was the number of people wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night.

I have to say I'm still thoroughly American. As hard as it is for my Argentinian friends to imagine, I'd still rather go to bed st 10 most nights.

Belgrano

2008-03-23T22:09:00.000-07:00

I went for the first time, I thought, to Plaza Belgrano, a leafy suburb in the NW part of the capital. Once I got there, I realized that it's not too far from where Stefan and Malin and Ii went to aa free outdoor cooncert last year. We walked through the park and then Chinatown last year to get to the concert.

The park is pretty nice, but a bit rundown like pretty much all the parks. There was also a nice little outdoor craft fair where I found a belt. While I'm on the subject of parks check out the photos one of my Chilean classmates took.

Belgrano is still close to things but there are much quieter streets there and I nnoticed a lot mmore families living there and a lot more trees. I'm glad I made the effort to go check it out.

After the rain

2008-03-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

The rain, which was unseasonably strong, with tornadoes, cleared up today and I had a great dinner at Miranda with Pall, Julietta, and Julietta's boyfriend Eric. Miranda was great and Ii had my best steak so far in Buenos Aires. After dinner, we hung out at Olsen, a Scandinavian bar that's also in Palermo.

Earlier in the day, I went back to thee Ecological Reserve for a run. I couldn't get the photos to come out the way I wanted, but I came across a column of leaf cutter ants. They cut leaves into pieces a couple of times largger than themselves and then carry the pieces back to the colony. I don't think I've ever seen them before except on TV, but I remember my Mom telling me about some ants that would infest her home as a kid annd thhe whole family would have to move out for a couple of days until they left.

Hispanaires

2008-03-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I went by the school where I took classes last year, Hispanaires and said hi to the owners, Flor and Carina. Wher I'm taking private classes that I absolutely love and are perfect for me this year at N, but if you want a physical space and to meet more students, I liked Hispanaires.

Other than class, I spent the rest off the day catching up on the blog and organizing my last two weeks.

Lacey is off

2008-03-18T21:43:00.000-07:00

Lacey and I went to Shopping Palermo this morning to check email and buy some jewelry at a great store we had found before. I think it's my favorite mall in BA. It's nice, but not over the top like Galería Pacificos.

We took a hot subway ride (the bus is so much better during summer) to grab lunch at Pizza Guerin before my class with Sofia at 2. After clas, we packed up and then headed to the bus station. Seeing Lacey off, really has me thinking about how soon I'll be back. I know exactly what myjob will be Progressive (same group, same boss, just a bit of change to help me grow) and part of me can't wait to be back. At the same time, I want to make the most of my last two weeks and before I know it, I'll be sitting on the same bench where Lacey and I waited for her bus, waiting to head home.

Boca San Telmo

2008-03-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

We went to Boca this morning to wonder about and look at crafts. We found some inexpensive wallet and bombillas (metal straws for drinking mate) right away. Then we walked up to San Telmo, stopping on the way for a McDonald's dulce de leche ice cream. It's strange, but Mcdonald's is much more upscale, eith espreso and real tableware.

In San Tellmo I found a belt, probably need to go back and get more. We stopped for lunch at el nivel, which was only so so and slow even for Argentina. Still it was nice to escape the midday heat. Closer to the Pink House, we saw more hand made crafts and jewelry.

We took the bus home and then went to Volta, our favorite coffee/ice cream parlor.

Amazing Sunny Day

2008-03-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

Lacey and I had a great day outside today. We walked/ran through the ecological reserve and then checked out a small craft fair before havng lunch at a sidewalk cafe in Puerto Madero

After our standard nap, we watched Inside Man. We also watched the sum of all fears and it was a lot of fun watching it in English and trying to read the subtitles. I especially enjoyed the scenes in Russian where I had to translate the subtitles innto English for Lacey.

After the movie, we headed to a party. The first ever DST time change was during the party, which was interesting to hear the Argentinians talk aboout. We had a lot of fun talking to people, bur they were shocked when we left at 2 AM!

Goodbye Mullet

2008-03-15T21:24:00.000-07:00

I took Pall's recomendation and had Gustavo cut my hair so goodbye mullet, I'll miss you. It was with great trepidation I cut my hair after three months, especially giving instructions in Sppanish, but Lacey insists it worked out. And at least for now I caan pass for Argentine or American, at least until I speak:)

Confiteria Ideal

2008-03-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

Lacey and I took Tango lessons at this amazing famous Confiteria. It's the same place that several movies were filmed, including Evita. It was good but learning a new dance is always frustrating.

Afterwards, we went back to Pizza Guerin, which is definitely our favorite Pizza place. We've had great luck with restaurants so far. Now we are relaxing in Volta, a great coffee and ice cream restaurant with Wi-Fi...next stop plan out another great night.

Social Paradise

2008-03-13T15:14:00.000-07:00

Lacey and I went to a fantastic restaurant calleed Social Paradise in Palermo tonight.

Milonga!

2008-03-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

We went to grocery store this morning to do some shopping. Funny how prices and common foods vary by country. Here red meat and alcoohol are cheap and soda is expensive whle whole grain anything or skim milk is hard to find.

We were planning to take Tango lessons at Confiteria Ideal but took the wrong bus and walmed through through Pueerto Madero instead, which was beautiful on such a sunny day.

We grabbed lunch at La Querencía (empanadas, corn pie, and rice pudding) before taking a nap.

Afterwards we went to the Armenian Cultural Center for aTango lesson and bought some fantastic music. All my dancing friends, get ready for crazy electronic Tango remakes of The Police and Depeche Mode!

More Live Music

2008-03-11T23:20:00.000-07:00

Lacey and I successfuly navigated the Argentine banking system this morning to get change. It's difficult for American's to imagine but change is valuable here. It's used for a lot of vital things, like thee bus but some businesses won't give change because of it's scarcity. To get some, Lacey and I stood in line for about 20 minutes to get the equivalent of a roll of quarters.

Then we want to a sidewalk cafe and people watched before taking a nap. After the nap, we went shoe shopping (think Ian euro style) and music shopping at a great store, Zivals, right doown the street.

We finished up with some live music at the Tasso Torquat Club Cultuural annd made it home soo early, 1 AM, that we walked by people finishing dinner at neighborhood restaurants.

Lacey made it!

2008-03-10T23:26:00.000-07:00

Lacey made it to Argentina this morning with all the standard delays but she's here. Sorry for the lack of posts lately but I've been having lots of connectivity problems. I have a backlog I should put up soon.

After getting aettled in Lacey and I went in search of lunch and some shopping.shopping. We bought a couple of things in Palermo and walked through some of the great parks there. I also introduced Lacey to the wonders of the BA bus system.

We checked http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/ to find a spot for dinner and found Teatriz, which was fabulous. We had an interesting waitress who explaiined to us that they always keep the door locked because one time a drunk guy ran in with a knife!

awesome door locked knife

Boca San Telmo

2008-03-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

I took the 152 colectivo down to Boca this morning. I never made it last time. It was nice but very touristy and small. From Boca I walked to San Telmo, past a Boca Juniors game. The game was neat, more local. I passed a lot of street vendors selling sausages and steak and I had to remind myself about getting ill in Mexico to not to eat the street food.

After the stadium I walked on to San Telmo, which had a lot more people. Found a great parilla...can't remember name have to take Lacey. Now I need to crash after a long day out

walked onn to

Ecological Reserve

2008-03-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

The party was great last night. Julietta brought by 6 or 7 Argentinian friends and Pall came by with some Icelandic friends. We went out at about 2 and met up with Nicolas annd hung out at a local bar until 5 AM.

When I woke up it was finally sunny and I went for a run through the riverside park.

Party

2008-03-07T06:45:00.000-08:00

I managed to watch television in Spanish while waiting fo folks to come to my party

The rain continue, very unseasonably, but the party was great.

So different from Chile

2008-03-06T23:10:00.000-08:00

Class is good, but I'm at the point where I learn much more slowly.

I feel settled in to my apartment and doing OK with the schedule at at the moment, I sleep for a few hours in the afternoon and then go to bed again at 2 AM. Getting change is even worse this time and, surprisingly I'm having more trouble with internet connection and phones here than in Chile or Mexico.

I'm going to throw a party this Friday in hopes of meeting some locals.

Found an Apartment

2008-03-05T01:15:00.000-08:00

The weather continues to be unusually rainy and chilly, but still better than winter. I managed to get more sleep last night and felt better in class. Today is one of those mornings where I feel like I can actually speak Spanish.

Like always, the third day seems to be when eveything comes together. I found an apartment to rent near Santat Fe and Callao, which is a good location, not exactly where I was looking but close enough. The apartment is very modern, which isn´t too common here and it has a pool and a gym. Excited to get settled in and try to enjoy the city more. Going to have a party Friday night, I think to try and meet more Argentines.

I also met up with Sofia. She has a friend singing in a Tango show so she invited a bunch of friends and students to come watch. It was a very local place with relatively few tourists. I also ran into Pall, a guy from Iceland who lives here part of each year. Turns out this year he´s living within a few blocks from me.

After the show, I managed to stay up until about 1:30 (which is still early here) and talked with Sofia and two of her local friends, then I came home and crashed.

Nicolas

2008-03-04T20:52:00.000-08:00

Nicolas was my couchsurfing host in Argentina. I stayed with him my first two days in BA while I looked for a place. He's a great guy and speaks amazing English, having lived in DC. I'm hoping we catch up more before I leave.

Made it

2008-03-03T17:34:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody. It´s raining and muggy in Argentina but I made it!

I had to take two buses early to get to the airport and then wait for the standard craziness that is Aerolineas Argentinas but I sat next to a cool Swedish guy who spoke several languages on the flight an had a great view of the Andes which are still snow covered even in the peak of summer.

I met a cool couple from England and we shared a cab to get into the city. After the standard trial and error I met up with my couchsurfing host, Nicolas, and now I´m safely ensconced trying to buy a cell phone chip and find a place to rent.

Surprise Maud and Felipe made it!

2008-03-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

So I was settling in for a relaxed night when Maud and Felipe made a surprise return from the South to send me off. I had planned on settling in for a quiet evening but managed to stay up until 2 with everyone until I set an alarm for my 7:00 bus and collapsed.

Can't believe I'm leaving tomorrow!

2008-03-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

I woke up fairly early this morning and took a nice long run in the sun and smog along the river. The smog is supposed to be awful but it seems OK right now, maybe because everyone is on vacation. I was even happier that my knee didn't bother me anymore than normal.

I tried to get in touch with my sister ho just moved, but didn't catch her. Hey Layne call me and tell me about Orlando/Melbourne.

This evening Damian and I cooked an arab dish called Tajine boulettes de boeuf...no idea what the name is in English or Spanish, but I liked it. You can check out the recipe at http://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette.cfm?num_recette=32379

I'm feeling pretty tired so I don't think I'm going to go out late tonight. I have to take the bus tomorrow at 7:30 AM, not something I'm going to enjoy, but in 2 days or so I'll be safely ensconced in Buenos Aires enjoying my last stop before Cleveland

Everybody Smokes in Chile

2008-03-01T15:19:00.000-08:00

About 1/3 of the adults in Chile smoke, supposedly the most of any country in the Americas. I can say that without exception every young Chilean I've met smokes regularly or occasionally. Instead of the surgeon general warnings that we have in the US they use this photo in Chile to discourage smoking.

Last Day of class

2008-02-29T13:56:00.000-08:00

As usual the last day was anticlimactic, but today it was even more so than usual. I was dead tired and forgot to even take a photo. I ran into Susan who was passing through on her way to Viña and looks like she´s going to be in . I´m supposed to go to a dance show with the school tonight but I am so tired I don´t know if it will happen or not. I have to get everything organized with my trip and then go take a nap.

I got my first clue that Argentina hasn´t changed one bit. I got an email today that my flight to Argentina (on Aerolineas Argentina) was changed to earlier, early enough that it will be hard to take a bus to get to the airport in time and I don´t want to take a taxi. Anyway, I need to work on figuring that out and organizing the apartments I am going to see in Buenos Aries. We´ll see if I have energy to make it to the dance show or not.

Longest Day Ever

2008-02-29T04:27:00.000-08:00

Today was the longest day ever. I was up until 4:30 this morning and now I am just dead tired, but I got to see a lot of really local places and Damian made it back about 24 hours ago from the South and I think Maud and Felipe will be back Saturday.

I even started off the day tired at school, but I don´t know why because I slept plenty the previous night. I can really feel the days ticking down now. It´s hard to believe that soon I´ll be in my 3rd country and then I´ll be back and Cleveland.

Diana and I went to the Mercado Central for lunch. It was crazy today with tourists, everyone and their brother was trying to get us into their restaurant (there must be 20 or 30 lining the market). We picked one that looked more local on the fringe and head a soup of shellfish and quiche like pie (pastel de choclo) of crab. It was OK but not great.

Afterward I managed to take a nap and hit the gym before Damian and I left to meet Diana and Tania to see some truly local places. First we went to a bar/restaruant/place to watch soccer called the techo....or something similiar that means roof tile. We had terramotos, which means earthquake. It´s a drink of ice cream sweet wine and juice. Pretty good.

Then we met up with more of Tania´s friends and went to this communist bar in Barrio Brasil. It was great because we were all a little buzzed by this point and Tania was geniuinely worried that I wouldn´t be comfortable in a communist bar. I guess I seem quite capatilistic....anyway, I told her that as long as I diddn´t leave with tatoos of red stars it was fine.

I took some great pictures of the bar and we had a fantastic time. I of course couldn´t understand everything but it´s awesome to me that I have these nights were I speak nothing but Spanish for hours. It really makes me feel like my trip was worth it.

Anyway Damian, Diana, and I caught a cab back to our neighboorhood at 2 or so (after agreeing with Tania not to start class until 10 the next morning) and I was ready for bed but when we walked Diana home she invited us in to have wine. I wasn´t interested in more alcohol, but potato chips seemed great. We finally made it out of there and back to our apartment at about 4 AM at which time I promptly collapsed.

Full Day

2008-02-27T22:51:00.000-08:00

Today started off pretty relaxed. I ran a bit after with less trouble with my knee but only sprints. Hopefully I will be able to take a longer run tomorrow. I went back to the park Las Esculpturas and took some photos. I think it´s one of the best parks for just relaxing and taking in the view.

In the afternoon I took a long walk through Providencia and Las Condes. The map showed several parks, a shopping area, and the United Nations headquarters. It was really dry and the parks were mostly off-limits and almost a desert with some dry grasses. The UN headquarters was mostly obscured by heavy security and I decided it probably wasn`t a good idea to take photos anyway. The shopping street was interesting. It`s called Avenida Alonso De Còrdova and was almost American with Starbucks and Anne Taylor and people dressed in very European and American styles.

In the evening I met up with Rodrigo and Gaby with some of their friends at an Irish pub called Flanerty´s. As always superbien to be with them. I met Jean Bernard, a frenchman who works with Rodrigo and speaks perfect English, French, and Spanish. It`s crazy how many people I meet who speak so many languages. A couple also came by with their daughter and they both speak English, Spanish, and Japanese!

After the pub, Rodrigo and Gaby gave me a ride home and said that I should tell everyone in Cleveland hello. They also told me to orchestrate a deal so that Progressive could buy a company in Chile and we can spend our North American winter/South American summer in Chile the opposite time in Cleveland. Probably not, but I sure hope I can return and see more of the countryside and the South one day.

Maybe being South American is sinking in

2008-02-26T21:50:00.000-08:00

No sign of my roommates but I trust they will be along in the next few days. The cat is getting a little bit crazy with only me around, but so far I can halfway keep her under control.

Class is good. It's almost like a private class and Ihave only one other student, Diana from the US. We only talk in Spanish. After class today I went with Diana and one other students to help them get and use local cell phone chips. I really enjoyed how much better I could function in Spanish now than even 3 weeks ago when I tried to do the same thing.

After a nap, I was going to take a shower but discovered there was no running water, hot or cold. The North American in me, thought what do I do?

1. Check in with the building and see if there is a larger problem?
2. Email my roommates to see if they remembered to pay the water bill?
3. Try and see if I could find a valve or some ther spot where water wasn't flowing?

The answer came from the South American. Don't do anything. So I took a long walk ran into a couple of friend and watched some people play rubgy in the park. When I came back the water was magically working. Problem solved.

My walk was through Bellavista (thanks for the recommendation Lacey). I eventually stumbled across the place that Filipe and Damian took me for beers my second day in the apartment. I might go back with friends tonight or I might just stay in.

Quiet Day

2008-02-25T20:06:00.000-08:00

Didn't do a lot do. After school, I helped a neighbor with her computer, went to they gym, and played with the cat a bit. I'll have to make sure I either head out tonight to catch a film or do something interesting after school tomorrow.

Park of Statues/Soccer Game

2008-02-24T22:54:00.000-08:00

I went for a run this afternoon, but I hadn´t run in a few weeks so I had to take it easy on my knee. Hopefully it will get used to running again fairly quickly.

While I was running, I found a really cool park near my house. It´s called Las Estatutas, which literally means the statues. If you find yourself in Santiago, it´s on the north side of the river just east of Pedro de Valdivia.

In the afternoon I went to a soccer game between Cola-Cola and Nublense. Cola-Cola are the Yankees of Chile, but they lost because their best players were in Mexico for an international match. It was pretty crazy, lot´s of people going nuts that we were foreigners and someone stole two tickets from a couple of students that had them out. Worth going but definitely glad I had Chilenos with me.

Empanadas al Juanco

2008-02-23T23:41:00.000-08:00

I went over to Gabriel and Juan Carlos's house today to learn to make empanadas from Juanco (Juan Carlos). Juan learned from his mom and makes the completely from scratch. It took us several beers a few trips to the corner market and a couple of hours but we made about 30 pino (onion and beef) empanadas. I told Juanco and Gabriel that Lacey and I would have an empanada bake off when I got back, so get ready!

The hardest part is making the dough, which you can see Juanco and I doing. To make the pastry ou need:

Pastry:

1.5 kg flour

2 tbsps baking powder (optional, Juanco was out)

1 liter warm milk

3 tablespons salt

For the Filling:

3 tablespoons oregano

1.5 pounds beef, chopped into very small pieces

5 large onions

4-5 tsp. cooking oil

3 tsp. each of alino completedo, oregano, and paprika

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

salt to taste

5 hardboiled eggs

25 black olives

50 raisins(soaked)

First, make the filling by sauteeing the onions under low hear for about 15 minutes, until they are translucent, Next add the spices, salt and meat and cook under low heat for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. While the meat is simmering you can go ahead and slice the shelled eggs into wedges.

To make the pastry, mix the flour and salt and then add the warm milk until you have a tough pliable dough. Warning, this part seems to be an art and there was a fair amount of milke left over. Once the pastry is ready, you can tear off piece and roll them as thinly as possible. Keep the dough you are not currently working under a towel to keep it warm and pliable.

To make an empanada spoon out the filling (with as little liquid as possible) along with 1 piece of egg; 2 rasins and 1 olive. By this point David and his boyfriend Claudio had come by so David showed me his method for folding empanads in addition to Juanco's

Juanco's method (two at a time): Fold over the pastry and push it together to form two empanadas. Cut away the excess with a pastry wheel, fold over the crusts and press the edges together firmly by hand. This style is suitable for frying or baking.

David's method: Carefully paint the rim of each piece of pastry with water, then fold the empty hemisphere over to enclose the filling, press the rim down. You should now have a semicircular turnover: paint the outer rim with water and fold it down again towards the center of the empanada. These can only be baked.

Bake the empanadas in a preheated oven at 400 degrees until the empanadas are nicely browned (about 20 minutes). Just before placing them in the oven, paint them with egg yolk to darken and crispen the crust.

Serve hot from the oven and eat with a napkin.

We also made pebre, a classic Chilean salsa that has cilantro, meaning that I love it.

Ingredients
fresh cilantro leaves
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1/4 cup water
fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
1 teaspoon powdered hot red pepper
salt to taste
3 garlic cloves , minced

And here you can see a finished product. Towards the end of the evening Gabriel's niece and her boyfriend, who are both Swedish, came by and we talked for a while, mostly in Spanish. Then David gave me a ride home and I was asleep 5 minutes later

Plaza de Armas y Catedral Santiago

2008-02-23T07:19:00.000-08:00

I walked to the Plaza de Armas and Plaza Congreso today. They were both nice places, not spectular but interesting. The Cathedral of Santiago in the Plaza de Armas is the most elaborate building I've seen in Santiago and worth a walk through. Today was
quite hot with tons of sunshine. I can only hope the weather is as good in Argentina.

School is out for summer

2008-02-22T08:39:00.001-08:00

At least that's how it feels. I finished my classes with Susan and Tawny today and our teacher Luis. They are both leaving this weekend. Susan is travelling a bit before studying at the University of Santiago in Valparaiso and Tawny is headed to Peru (hopefully to get some sandboading in via Andrew from Cleveland).

They've been great to take classes with. Just yesterday Tawny and Luis taught me to trill my "r" It's still not correct but it's a lot closer. Maybe by the time I make it back to Clevland :)

Well tonight is a party at the school followed by a relaxed weekend here and then I have 1 week of "advanced" classes, which are reading and vocabulary not grammar, and then I'm off to Argentina, my final stop!

Rodrigo y Gaby

2008-02-21T23:28:00.000-08:00

I finally caught up with Rodrigo y Gaby. It was awesome! We talked completely in Spanish, so tonight I feel like I can speak Spanish. Tomorrow I´m sure I´ll run into someone who I can´t understand at all. I have so much respect now for their English. It´s so good that it´s easy to forget that they had to learn it and they have to be able to switch back and forth between English and Spanish (at least they have both learned other languages).

We had tons of traditional Chilean food, pastel de choclo (kind of corn pudding or corn bread with different meat and vegetables and hard boiled eggs), a kind of appetizer with crackers, cheeze, and shellfish, tomatoes, avocados, pisco, and Chilean wine. It was the best meal I´ve had in the country.

Their apartment is awesome. It´s on the top floor of their building with a great view of Sanhattan (Santiago + Manhattan) which is so named because although it´s much smaller than Manhattan it has several new high rise buildings.

They say hi to everyone at Progressive and you guys should call or write them. I´m quite certain that they would love to practice their English on the phone (use Gizmo or Skype and you can call for $.02 per minute) or via email.

All right, Got to go to bed and then wake up early so I can study for a couple of hours. Fingers crossed.

Quinta Normal

2008-02-20T08:44:00.000-08:00

My class is wrapping up. Assuming I can pass the test, I will be on to more practice but probably no more new grammar. The rest of my trip will just be practice and trying to correct errors or things I forget.

This afternoon I went to the Quinta Normal Park near Gabriel and Juan Carlos's house (the guys I stayed with when I first got into town). The park was OK but very ordinary. It has several museums but they were all closed when I got there.

I also walked down to the Estacion Central train station (in the photos). It's a pretty dangerous neighborhood at night but seemed OK during the day and the architecture of the train station is cool.

After my walk I had beers with Gabriel and Juan Carlos and talked for a while with a new couchsurfer that's with them from Germany. He speaks great English and German but no Spanish. He's been travelling for months without being able to speak to most people in their native language...kind of crazy.

Alright, off to bed. I need to find time to study and meet up with Rodrigo and Gaby tomorrow.

Taking in a Movie

2008-02-19T23:25:00.000-08:00

Haven't done much today. I'm going to go hang out with Rodrigo and Gaby on Thursday, it will be wild to try and speak Spanish with them. I wonder how I'll seem with so much less to say?

I want to try and catch a beer with my hosts from couchsurfing my first night here and take in a film with my friend Francisco between now and then.

I also have to fit in some time to study. I need to make sure I pass my test this Friday so I can spend my last week here in the next level.

Tonight turned out to be the night I watched the film "El Camino de los Ingleses." It was in Spanish from Spain and I could only understand about 10%...well hope for better luck next time.

Concho y Toro

2008-02-18T14:09:00.000-08:00

I went to Concho y Toro Vineyard today with 3 friends from school. It was a long subway ride and then a short bus ride to get there. Getting there was in itself pretty interesting as we ended up in a part of town where we clearly drew attention and had to switch from the train to the bus in what is supposedly a dangerous neighborhood after dark, but we didn't have any problems aside from stares.

The vineyard is beautiful and huge. It turns out the Concho y Toro is the 3rd largest producer in the world. We got to see vineyards, taste wine, and visit the bodegas or wine caves. The tour was in Spanish and our guide spoke really clearly and slowly and I was just amazed because I could understand essentially everything he said. For anybody in the US, I highly recommend Casillera del Diablo Carmenere, it's a Concho y Toro brand that sells for about $8 here, not sure in the states. It's a great wine and it's a breed that only grows in Chile because it's the last country in the world free of a particular fungus that attackes grapes.

On the way back, we figured out that Eva and Susan should be in Argentina the same time as Lacey and I so we will have to get together and check out the city.

Long Day in Valparaíso

2008-02-17T01:11:00.000-08:00

I had a great, but long, day in Valparaiso today. First thing after I woke up, Ably and I headed to the ascensor at aduana. The ascensors (literally elevators) are devices over a 100 years old built to help people get up the extremely steep hills, or cerros, in Valparaiso.

Next we took the buss to Cerro San Sebastian where I took a photo from the balcony of
Pablo Neruda's house after wandering around inside. It's really an interesting house with weird architecture and all kinds of stuff the poet brought back from all over the world.

Next I took a boat tour in the harbour and some seals playing on the keel of a cruise ship. Then Ably and I had a lunch of seafood empanadas and pastel de choclo (kind of a cornbread pot pie with chicken and eggs inside).

After lunch I met up with César, a guy I met through couchsurfing. He was awesome and we walked all around town. He showed me all kinds of places I never would have found on my own including a really quirky magic store and lots of interesting grafiti/murals. We stopped to get fresh juice at a jugeria and I had a nice fresh Tuna Juice. Don't worry it's not fish. In Spanish, tuna is a fruit from a cactus and tuna fish is atun.

That night, I went over to Salomón and Laura's house. They are friends of Laurie's from when she studied in Santiago and now live in Valparaiso (They say hi Laurie). They had just returned from vacation in Brazil and Uruguay so we traded photos and talked about what Lacey and I might do if we take the ferry from Buenos Aries to Uruguay.

Then we went for pizza on Cerro Alegere. Went to a famous little bar, J.J. Cruz casino social club and had chorillana (french fries covered with eggs fried onions and beef) and a local microbrew. If you are in Valparaiso, head east from the NE corner of Plaza Victoria and within 2 blocks you'll see a tiny alley on the North side of the street. The bar is at the end of the alley and has a sign that is visible if you look down the alley from the street.

I got home around 1 AM after a long day of walking the hills and passed out. Traveling to Valparaíso was awesome and I highly recommend it and Chile to all of you if you have the chance.

Traveling to Valparaíso

2008-02-15T23:08:00.000-08:00

Going by bus this afternoon to Valparaiso, I realized it's a bit nuts how much better buses function in the Americas other than in the US. I remember using the greyhound in college to go to Atlanta or NC. It was relatively expensive, dirty, and mildly scary or at least sketchy.

Buses in South America are, by comparison, cheap, clean, efficient, and go everywhere. I'm going to Valparaíso for about $7 to travel 75 or so miles. In almost every way the US is an easier place to live with better infrustructure, but not buses or trains.

Took a farewell photo with Helen and Maud. I probably won't see Helen and Maud together again as Maud is leaving by bus and Helen will be in the South on vacation with her dad, when Maud gets back.

I met Mario, a friend of a friend at the bus station in Valparaiso. It turns out he's an English professor, which explains his perfect English and his desire to speak to me in English. Mario took me to his sister-in-law's, Alby. Alby is incredibly nice and teaches philosophy. We walked around the plain of Valparaíso saw the port, old buildings, a free concert, and lots of people. Alby cooked us an amazing dinner of pork baked with mustard. After dinner we talked for a long time in Spanish, and one on one we talked very easily. I think the accent is easier away from Santago. We watched TV a little bit before bed and I could understand almost all of the news but only 30% of reality shows.

I absolutely have to find a way to speak Spanish regularly when I get home. I'm going to be good enough that if I keep practicing I'll be functional.

Off to the Beach

2008-02-15T14:53:00.000-08:00

Finished another week of classes. Things are going good, I think that I'm begining (just beginning) to get the hang of the Chilean accent. Had a great BBQ after class today and now I'm going to work out before I shower and take the bus to Valparaiso. Probably won't have internet access so I'll post my pictures when I'm back.

My first reservation in Spanish

2008-02-14T17:09:00.000-08:00

I succesfully made reservation ever in Spanish, to go with 3 other students to the Concho y Toro vineyard outside Santiago. I have a huge fear of speak Spanish over the phone because it's even harder than in person. Admittedly it wasn't the most elegant conversation in the world but I'm excited nonetheless.

Schol is good. I'm talking more and with slower speakers I'm understanding more. I'm hoping to go out with my roomies (Maud and Helen) tonight as I haven't done anything at night in a few days. Looks like Maud is going to head South for vacation too so I'll have a week to myself to try and hang out with other Chilenos until Damian and Felipe get back.

Now I should really study, I have to memorize lots of verbs that require specific prepositions and there's no way around it...pure memorization. I also have to give a 10 minute oral presentation in Spanish tomorrow that I'm not ready for.

Tomorrow I'm taking the bus down to Valparaiso for the weekend. It's supposed to be a bit like San Francisco in climate and geography. I'll be sure to post photos.

Futbol

2008-02-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

Finally played soccer again for the first time in 4 years. I played with other students after school today. It was a good time. Class is still going well. We are now on vebs with prepositions as part of their stucture. Pure memorization, which I don't really like, but it's something I need.

Went to all you can eat sushi with another student from my class, Susan, and got some information on a local winery, Concho y Toro, so that I can go take a tour with some other students next week.

Now I need a shower and a nap!

Quiet Day

2008-02-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

Today has been a pretty quiet day. I'm enjoying my class. I'd like it to go a little faster, but it's been good at forcing me to talk more. I feel a little bad for one of the other students because she's so advanced that I think it's a bit boring for her.

Took a nap when I came and then swapped rooms in the apartment (into the room Shawn was using) to get a harder bed. I love the view in my old room but the soft bed was killing me.

Ran some errands and came home to do my homework and update the blog. Maybe I'll go out with the roomies tonight. Saw Francisco, Maud's friend, again when he came over around lunch time. He's really cool and speaks extremeley clearly which I find to be an amazing quality these days.

There are a few vineyards nearby that are accesible without a car so I plan to check them out tonight to see if I can visit one after school.

Back to San Cristobal

2008-02-11T23:00:00.000-08:00

Enjoyed first day of new class. Same two students. class is a little slow but I'm speaking more which I like.

After class I went to sushi with several students. Then Even and I walked to San Cristobal and took the Tereferico (gondola) up to the top. It was really an a,azing view. It's like a ski lift and at one point the lift stopped and we were suspended, way up, just drifting in the breeze. It was a little crazy. After looking around, we went down to the bottom on the other side by Funicular (like a train track but no motor, you just ride down).

I came home afterward, tired, and napped, worked out and then made dinner with my roommates. I corresponded with some folks via couchsurfing and email to try and coordinate my weekend trip to Valparaiso.

Some other folks came over and we had some wine and talked for a while. Met another friend of Maud's, Francisco, who does freework AV work. He gave me some more music recommendations so have to go later this week and buy:

Los Tres

Los Tetas

Bajo Fundo Tango Club

Los Hivas

I also saw Pato and Negro again. They are super cool but they talk so fast it's crazy. The promised to take me longboarding one day (skateboarding downhill on a really long board).

Long Hot Day in the City

2008-02-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

Turns out the party was at house last night, well at least I understood enough Spanish to know it was a party. Parties go late here. I went to bed at 230 and woke up at 630 or 700 to get so,e water. The party was still going and the power had been cut to our floor in an attempt to quiet us, which oddly enough is apparently common. In the afternoon the elevator guys told us hoz cool we are (can't operate the elevator by yourself here)...good example of different culture.

Got up for good at 10 AM and zalked to see a rugby match with Helen and her friend Rowena but the pub was closed. Helen bought flowers to placate an angry neighborand I headed off to explore.

I walked through a bunch of parks and then went to the Bellas Artes Musuem, check out the photos. Afterwards I went to a large fish and produce market, Mercado Central.

By the time I was done there, I was hot and sweaty. It took me forever to get home because I couldn't find the bus I wanted and the metro wasn't working near me. So I walked to a

different line and came home.

Helen had made chicken curryand by the time we finished, Felipe came by with Maud and Diana and we all went to "Cerro San Cristobal" to drink beer and watch the city. It's a giant hill with a statue of the Virgin Mary and an amazing view. I could see the mountians all the neighborhoods my apartent and all the places I went today.Fabulous!

Came back and while I was talking with Lacey everyone was running around the house. Damian and Felipe left by bus for the south of Chile for 2 weeks for vacation and Diana left for Germany. I'm not sure how long Maud is around, but Helen is leaving in about 5 days for 3 weeks vacation with her Dad when he gets in from England, probably the same day I'm planning on going to Valparaiso for the weekend.

I enjoyed all the things my roommates showed me this weekend but ready for a couple of days of just going to school, sightseeing, and studying.

Great photos from the top of Santiago, San Cristobal

2008-02-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

Felipe and I in the front seat, believe it or not the other five people are in the back.

At the top of the hill with Maud.

Me with Damian, Helen, Diana, and Maud.

Finally, the amazing view of Santiago.

Woke up late and remembered shopping in South America is impossible for me

2008-02-09T14:23:00.000-08:00

We didn't go out last night until about 1 AM. Which sounds completely crazy but is very normal for Chile or Argentina. Damian, Felipe, Cathy, Maude, Diane, and I went to Ile Havana, a salsa club (or salsateca here a version of discoteca). It was fun, but I was beat when we got home and slept until 10 AM this morning.

Helen announced she was going to make "eggy bread" for breakfast. I was quite intruiged and planted myself in the kitchen to watch. Turns out that's British for french toast. The only weird part was that Damian and Helen ate theirs with ketchup and hot sauce. It's another world here folks.

Anyway, I finally got motivated after a nap and went to a big mall out in the northeastern edge of town, Parque Arauco. Went via bus, which is always an adventure, but always worthwhile. The mall is in a neighborhood called Las Condes and it's very American in appearance. The mall was huge and nice. Bigger and more impressive than anything I can think of in Cleveland. Anyway, there were huge end of summer season sales at the mall, so it was packed and there was less inventory than normal.

The good thing is now I have more summer clothes to use when I get back to the States. The bad news is that I remembered:

I have to buy the largest shirts for sale in Chile and Argentina. They just make the people different here. I tried some larges and mediums and the results were ridiculous. They hardly cary any XL's bought I think I bought the 4 shirts they had in the mall.
I also remembered that all the pants are either too small or too large. Apparently while there a few rare folks on the continent with my torso, no one has my waist or legs. I finally found an outdoor/rock climbing shop and managed to get a pair of pants and shorts.

So now I can put off laundry for a few more days and I have more clothes as I was running low. The joy of travelling with just a carry on backpack is how little you have to carry, but it's periodically annoying because you have so little and over time things get lost or destroyed. I managed to destroy a pair of pants on Monday (no wonder it didn't seem as hot the first day, I had a giant hole in pants) and was down to one pair.

More non-fashion related news tommorow. I'm going to nap before I head out with the roommates to a going away party for Diana (from Germany) tonight.

Passed my test and started seeing the city

2008-02-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

Passed my test today, which is good because it means I am on track to finish all the grammar normally taught to foreingers before I go to Argentina and then I think I'll take private lessons there. If I hadn't passed , I would have had to retake the test.

After the test, we had a farewell lunch for the students who are leaving (they have one every Friday). We had hotdogs with gaucomole and salsa (called completos aqui). So far the food isn't blowing my mind but they have empanadas which raises any country in my book.

My friend Eve, from the school, and I went to Santa Lucia after the test. It's a park that consists of a hill with a castle and tower and a great view of the city. I really enjoyed the park. It was the first time I had time to just walk around and be a tourist.

After the park, before I came back to the apartment, we went to the University of Santiago and checked out a quaint little nieghborhood behind the University at the intersection of Paris and London. Damian had told me about it being a different world and he was right.

OK, now I'm going to workout take a nap and then go out with my roommates after Lacey calls me.

My Furry Roommate

2008-02-07T19:58:00.000-08:00

So my apartment always has a lot of people, there are 5 of us living here right now (Shawn, Helen, Maude, Damian, and me) plus Mariposa, our cat (the furry roomate) and a couple of other friends are often over in the evenings, so it makes for a full house. I'd say we speak Spanish 95% of the time which is pretty good and definitely helps me. There are a couple of native speakers that are really hard for me to understand when they speak to each other because of the speed and slang, but hopefully that will be better by the end of the month.

School is fine. I changed classes yesterday to a harder class and I have a test tomorrow. I should probably be studying instead of writing this blog, but oh well. I know I'll do fine as long as I can remember the irregular conjugations and understand the Chilean vocabulary that's new to me. If I don't get a 75 I have to repeat the same course next week. I haven't failed test in a while but I also haven't taken a test in a while. We shall see.

Life in the city is pretty different than at the beach but in some ways it's easier. I only have a 4 walk block to school. I joined a gym in the ground floor of my building and there are tons of stores, restaraunts, and bars in walking distance. Since I live on the 20th floor, I probably spend more time in the elevator than I do walking to some of the nearby shops. I do miss the beach but I'm planning on going for the weekend in about a week (next weekend). It won't be Tulum but we'll see how it stacks up. OK, off to study.

Adam

Found an apartment

2008-02-05T19:02:00.000-08:00

I've decided that the first two days in a new country are always difficult, but two days isn't bad. I was pretty tired on Monday after flying all night and arriving in Chile at 5AM. Then I spent all day searching for an apartment and running errands. But now I'm feeling much better.
I'm settled in my apartment with roomates that I like and tonight we are having crepes to celebrate Fat Tuesday. Plus, my apartment is great. It's on the 20th story, close to a metro station, and walking distance to my school. It has a great view of the city and the Andes. You can see both in the photos I took tonight from the apartment.

Made it to Chile

2008-02-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

Hey everbody. Haven´t gotten settled yet with good web access, so I have a big backlog of posts for you, but I made it to Chile. Big city, more difficult accent but so far so good. I looked at rooms for rent yesterday and should be renting one today. More good stuff to follow.

Day 1

2008-02-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I made it but it was a long day...very long. I got in at 5 AM and promptly lost $8 US in a vending machine.

But I did make it. Took the bus to the metro to my school. School was good. My class is a little easier than I would like, but we shall see.

I met another student, Eve from Austria and we went together to buy SIMS which took a while but was successful and involved lots of Chilean Spanish. Turns out it's hard to speak even after month in Mexico.

I also ran all over town and saw 3 apts to rent. I need to pick one tomorrow and move in. Tonight I'm staying with Gabriel y Juan Carlos who are in the photo with me above. They are awesome and super nice. I found their place through www.couchsurfing.com a website I highly recommend. We had dinner and met a couple of their friends, Daniel and Julio. Daniel gave me a ride to the last apartment I checked out and then I bought metro card and rode back to fall fast asleep.

Super tired. Don'tnow how I'll get homework done in the morning. Homesick bbut thinking it will pass in a few days

Flying from Mexico to Chile

2008-02-03T17:23:00.000-08:00

I woked up and felt much better. Thank goodness for antibiotics. Lacey and I discussed that you know somethings up when the pharmacies have bulk deals (buy 4 get 1 free) on anti-diahreal antibiotics and they sell antibiotics over the counter.

We walkded down Quinta and had breakfast. Probably our best breakfast n Mexico and then checked out of the hotel and walked down to the bus station. The bus is always interesting in Mexico. I´m always a bit on edge trying to listen to the announcements and get on the correct bus.

We got off at the internatonal terminal, which I was very proud of since I had asked the driver and we were the only non Mexicans who knew to stay on the bus to the correct terminal. Unfortunately, we then discovered that Panama is not considered international so I took another shuttle to a different terminal checked in (they don´t speak English in the domestic terminal so that was interesting), Lacey and I said goodbye and I was off.

Flight was uneventful. I got upgraded since I was on a Continetnal partner. I got to the Panamian international airport and learned that there is essentially nothing there. I watched the 1st quarter of the Superbowl with another American who sat down next to me before getting on my flight.

I was lucky and got upgraded again, took an Ambien and passed out until 5 AM when we arrived in Chile.

Food Poisoning

2008-02-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

Lacey and I had a relaxing morning after our dinner at the Monkey Cave last night. We went across the highway to a famous fish and shrimp taco stand/restaurant, La Floresta. The same one that I went to a couple of weeks ago. It was good and I always enjoy (afterwards) when I have to speak Spanish when no one speaks English.

Unfortunately, this time I got food poisoining. I thought my stomach was made of steel after a month in Mexico and that I could eat fresh salsa. Mistake. I think that not even Billy´s stomach could handle Mexico.

Well before I got sick we managed to get together all the information for our trip and check in for our flights. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon taking antibiotics, water, and trying to move to much.

Whew - Busy Day

2008-02-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

After Adam and I went to Achumal (which helped me to semi-get over my fear of water/swimming), we visited Carolina for the last time that evening. It was so neat to see Adam and Carolina interact . . . I think Adam will miss her very much, but I hope they can keep in touch. She is so sweet.

We then checked out Le Cueva Del Chango (I hope I got this right as I apparently kept getting Chango confused with a swear word in Spanish). It translates to the "Cave of the Monkey". Anyways, we were pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere and the delicious food that was so cheap in comparison to the US. I had a piece of Tuna with an asian type dressing and potatoes. However, Adam had a very mild fish with a chocolate sauce on it - I believe it's called Mole (he can comment more on it). He said he only had it on chicken before but it tasted better on fish. Le Cueva Del Chango is up for sale by the way if anyone wants to move there! See pictures above.

After Le Cueva, Adam and I went to Aluxe (pronounced A-loosh). It's this underground cave that he wrote about before earlier in the month. I was blown away by the cave, but even more so by the fact that it's a bar!!! There is no way you can get away with that in the US!! It's really cool, but there are some creepy stories behind A-loosh that you will have to ask Adam about. You can see the stalactynites (sp??) behind us in some of the photos. I also took a picture of the ceiling so you can see the water dripping off the limestone.

After Aluxe, we walked down to the beach in Playa Del Carmen and checked out an amazing fire show that is put on at midnight. Adam had seen it before, but the pictures don't do it justice - you have to see it in person. Absolutely amazing. It was a crazy busy day and we were tired, but it was definitely all worth it.

Took the bus to Akumal

2008-02-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

Lacey and I took the colectivo down to Akumal today. There was a nice bay with some reefs really close to shore. I swam out, maybe 2000 meters, and the water gets really shallow at the reef line. As in dangerously shallow, where you have to pay attention to avoid the waves pushing you into the reef.

I saw a good mix of fish and coral but the reef is fairly dead from all the pressure on it. I have to tell people that Tulum is better, probably because the town is harder to get to and the reef is farther offshore (we had to use a kayak to get there). I'm glad we went, it was a nice place to chill for a day.

Day of relaxation

2008-01-31T17:23:00.000-08:00

I can't really remember what we did today. Lacey, if you have any photos from this day. You should post them and maybe we'll remember what we did.

Day of Relaxation

2008-01-31T06:21:00.000-08:00

We left Tulum yesterday and decided to have a nice relaxing day today. The sun seemed to take it out of us, so we napped for part of the day. While Adam napped, I took pictures of our hotel courtyard. It looked like a jungle (as you can see from the picture above). It was so neat to hear the birds all day chirping away.

That evening we went to an Italian Restaurant on Quinta called Antica. It is owned by a gentleman who moved from Italy to purchase it. He takes lessons at Adam's school so we went with his friend Alejandra and Sarah, since they recommended the place. We also ran into two more people from the school. The picture is of Adam and Alejandra in front of Antica.

Sad to leave Tulum

2008-01-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

Lacey and I left Tulum today. We relaxed in the morning and wondered around on the beach a bit before catching the taxi (supermafia) and then the colectivo back to Playa. I highly recommend you try the colectivo when you are in Mexico. It's an experience.

We were sad to leave Tulum and I have to tell you we highly, highly recommend it for folks who want to see amazing natural beauty, but hurry I think it´s going to be overrun by Americans and Europeans in a few years.

Tulum may be the most beautiful place in the world

2008-01-29T22:17:00.000-08:00

no text yet but wanted everyone to see these photos in the meantime.

Mezzanine

2008-01-29T17:54:00.000-08:00

We stayed at Mezzanine in Tulum, which was pricy but fantastic.

Mayan Ruins in Tulum

2008-01-29T14:27:00.000-08:00

Lacey and I had a fantastic day today! We got up early and took out a sea kayak to check out the ocean. We paddled out to the closest reef and found a small wreck. The prow of the the boat just stuck up above the waves.

Then we paddled a few hundre meters down the reef to find a reef ball where we could tie up and I did a little snorkelling. The reef was really nice, shallow with plenty of coral and fish.

We had breakfast at the hotel restaraunt when we got back, eggs benedict and huevos rancheros, before getting cleaned up and heading off to the ruins.

The ruins were small but really neat, right on the ocean with an amazing view. The color of the water looking down the cliffs from the ruins is just indescribably beautiful and blue.

We had a long hot walk back to the hotel before we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and reading on the beach. I actually managed to study a bit. It's been different because I've been speaking a lot of Spanish but not thinking about grammar which means more mistakes but more practice. Today I even noticed someone using the the past subjunctive after cuando to express future past time, I think it's the first time I've heard that from a native speaker.

We had more thai food for dinner and then watched the stars from the beach. It's really amazing how much better we could see them. The Milky was literally a dim white band across the sky.

Tulum!

2008-01-28T22:43:00.000-08:00

We made it to Tuluum todday. Wow, this place is amazing. It's definitelly more expensive to stay on the beach ($40 for an average room in Playa, more like 2-4x ). it's so desolate and beautiful here.

The day started out a little rough as Lacey was sick. She of couse pulled through it. I was particularly impressed that she made it through a 45 min van ride with 15 other people.

Speaking of whuch, the colectivo was pretty cool. It's a local van, common in Mexico, that for about $2 runs betwwenn cities about an hour apart. It doesn't have degined stops, other than at the beginning aand end. Instead, you just stand on the road annd wave. If there's room, they stop and you pile in and off you go.

While the colectivo was awesome, the taxi driver we took from the Tulum grocery store to our hotel was a jerk. He tried to overcharge us, and although he lowered his price when he discovered I spoke Spanish, he still overcharged us. Then to make it worse, he got lost and couldn't find the hotel. For anyone who sees just how small Tulum is, you'll understand how ridiculous this is. We tried saying our hotel name in three languages and spelling but got nowhere. Lacey thinks he was illiterate, he even tried to drop us off at a national park, saying itt was our hotel. We finally got out next to an abandoned shack, got help from some locals picnicing at the beach, and walked to our hotel.

Our hotel, mezzanine, is awesome. We highly recommend it if you want to pay more and get more. The photo of me is 5 min after we arrived . We were so happy to be here.

After we got here, we sat on the beach and relaxed. There's a picture of Lacey with someone's pet turtle, Quita. If you look, you'll see his owners painted his shell with nail polish. We turned in pretty early, but not before seeing the stars. It's so dark here (the beach is off the power grid) that the stars are amazing. I only wish a picture of them would come out.

El Nativo

2008-01-28T11:02:00.000-08:00

This is our absolutely favorite restaurant in Playa. I highly recommend it!

Leaving my first South American Home

2008-01-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

Lacey and left our first South American home today. We left Carolina´s for our hotel and tomorrow we´ll go to Tulum for two nights. They don´t have reliable power in Tulum so we´ll have to tell you about it when we get back.

Carolina´s house is fantastic and she taught me tons of Spanish. I know my next few stops we´ll be fine but it always makes me nervous to venture off to some new place. Check out the photo of Frida giving Carolina a kiss.

Drinks with Daniel and Alejendra

2008-01-26T23:57:00.000-08:00

Lacey and I went to Deseo to have drinks with Daniel and Ale, but it wasn´t nearly as cool as Basico. I think they have the same owners but Deseo is targeted at Americans and I don´t recommend it. We left so that we could find a quieter place to talk.

Ale went home because of her headache, but the three of us had a beer at the Establo Grill. Daniel told us all about his trip to Cuba. I think he lost 5 or 6 pounds in 15 days because of the food, but he wanted to see the country before it changed.

On the beach with my toe

2008-01-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

Today turned out fine, but started out a little rough. After school, Lacey and I were headed to the beach, when I kicked a piece of metal embedded in the sidewalk. Didn´t work out well for my toe, but we managed to bandage it up and I think it´s going to stay closed without stitches.

Bummer that I have to stay out of the water and sand for a few days but should be fine. No trip to Cozumel, but Carolina advised us against going anyway.

Lacey is here!

2008-01-25T21:18:00.000-08:00

Lacey arrived yesterday afternoon and we want to basico last night and enjoyed the weather and the view.

Cool Rooftop Bar

2008-01-24T06:55:00.001-08:00

Janet came back from Cuba and we met up with her at this cool rooftop bar at 5 avenida and 10 calle. I highly recommend it...definitely have to go back with Lacey.

Starting to get it

2008-01-23T13:36:00.000-08:00

I still make errors in almost every spoken sentence, but it's getting better I think I should at least know all the grammatical rules by the time I finish in Chile. Hopefully by the time I'm in Argentina I'll be focussing on speaking and listening without talking like a child. Vamos a ver.