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Finally Chile

March - June 2019
I continue my exploration of our neighbors to the south, this time visiting Chile—a country I’ve been meaning to visit since 1985. It’s about time! Read more
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  • Speak, WorldFinally Chile
    Day 68

    Excursions in Chiloé: Towns and Churches

    May 11, 2019 in Chile ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    During my two-week stay in Castro, I took a few excursions around the island. The small towns are lovely, the wooden churches are certainly amazing, and the bus rides there and back passed through countryside that looked a great deal like England. (A few English visitors concurred.)

    My first trip was to Dalcahue and its church, town, and waterfront, and another day I went south of there to Achao, with similar sights. One day I went to meet my friend Omar in the northern part of the island to Ancud to visit the Historic Churches Museum and eat THE local food, “curanto.” And lastly, I went from Dalcahue east with two guides I became friends with. I was their model “extranjera,” foreigner, to appear in photos advertising a tour the historian brother was preparing for the next tourist year. We visited six churches, and had a jolly time.

    Again, I let the pictures tell a bit more...    Read more

  • Speak, WorldFinally Chile
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    12
    Day 68

    In Chiloé: Hiking!

    May 11, 2019 in Chile ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    I am very enthusiastic about city and country alike in my travels. There is just something so wonderful about being on a trail (preferably totally alone) with my binoculars and all my senses—just walking and absorbing. Perhaps this and using my languages are my two greatest pleasures in life.

    So I first indulged myself to a guided hike to Parque Tantauco, a private park, made available to the people of Chile by the current president, Sebastian Piñera. It is a rain forest, with rare and wonderful trees that store water in their roots, which in turn are set in lush moss a foot or more deep. It is a magical place, endangered as all places are in Chile, by cutting cutting cutting trees for firewood. Even virgin old-growth forests are fair game. If you expand the map above to see the rest of the island, this will be more than evident. I weep to think of it. My guide, Felipe, was first-rate, and he and his historian brother became my friends.

    I also hiked in the wetlands section of Chiloé National Park, on well-made trails on many boardwalks. I saw birds of many kinds, and ate a great many “murta” berries, which resemble a cross between a blueberry and a sweetened cranberry, but with an acidic bite. A berry with character. The park is bordered by the Pacific Ocean, which was a thrilling sight, what with the breakers rolling in. I unfortunately remembered that some disastrous tsunamis covered the exact place where I sat to have my lunch, which wasn´t pleasant. Never mind, I’m OK.

    Please enjoy the pictures.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldFinally Chile
    111
    Day 74

    Concepción, Chile's Second-Largest City

    May 17, 2019 in Chile ⋅ 🌙 10 °C

    Concepción was recommended to me by two of her native sons, the Orellana brothers, my friends in Castro, Chiloé. After their promise of many places to see, as well as a contact number for their mother, off I went. It is a modern city on the banks of the Bío Bío River, rebuilt many times, first because of destruction by the marvelously brave original inhabitants of the land, the Mapuche people, and then by numerous earthquakes and tsunamis. Concepción also had trouble gaining independence from Spain in the early 1800´s, due to the powerful and numerous pro-Spain royalists. Nowadays, the buildings are government-sanctioned earthquake-proofed, there are evacuation routes from tsunamis, and a feeling—for me, at least—of some stability. That is helped by the fact that there are many public and private universities and technical colleges, and a student population that is both progressive and studious—mostly. For more information about the city and the war for independence, here are two articles:

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concepci&oacute…

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_War_of_…

    I took a one-day outing to Lota in order to descend into a Dickensian coal mine named “Chiflón del Diablo (I translate it as “The Breath of the Devil”) which was closed recently—in 1999. Roberto, our guide, was a miner there, and at my queries before the other two people in our group joined us, gave me a corporeal tour of his many injuries. Quite a scary place is this mine, and aside from a guard rail and many closed-off sections, there is nothing touristy about it. During my visit I prayed for NO EARTHQUAKE.

    Most of the time I walked around the city during the day, visiting the library, a gallery of dioramas by Rudolfo Gutierrez, the Pinoteca of the Universidad de Concepción, Parque Ecuador, and student haunts. I also attended a documentary film on campus (U de C) about seaweed forests off the coasts of Patagonia, close to where I just had been. All very interesting, and certainly different from other places of my trip so far.

    Please enjoy the pictures, and be sure to sign your first name if you leave a comment.    Read more

  • Speak, WorldFinally Chile
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    Day 89

    Santiago: The Capital At Last!

    June 1, 2019 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    I have a confession to make. My heart really wasn't in visiting Santiago. In fact, I became downright grumpy and even upset, so consequently changed my departure date from June 22 to June 2. What happened? First, I chose a neighborhood to live in that wasn't comfortable. Recoleta is old and tattered, but at the same time is gentrifying. But it's unsafe at night, and there are no places to go study or hang out in during the day. Then, my Airbnb property, while charmingly designed and huge, was always bitingly cold inside. Colder inside than outside, actually. I used two canisters of propane for my heater during my stay, which never did manage to cut the chill. So, I wore the same four layers of clothing as outside, including a cashmere sweater, a down vest and a down jacket.

    In addition, I grew weary of my traveling, slow though it has been. I didn't want to sightsee, or “explore.” I also didn’t want to feel guilty for NOT going out to see things. And, my very high-level Spanish ironically showed me how much I wanted and needed to improve my Thai, so I spent my days speaking one and studying the other. I even joined the Add1Advance Challenge40 to improve my Thai. So there we are.

    However, I did have a lovely time going out, and I had many interesting conversations with some curious, friendly, and well-spoken Chileans. The highlights were a visit to the superb Museum of Pre-Columbian Art, and a visit to my friends, the Guerrero family. I enjoyed the Gabriela Mistral Cultural Center for chamber music concerts, and the Moneda (Presidential Palace) Cultural Center for spectacular exhibitions. And I enjoyed, as always, walking the city streets, looking around, and studying in cafes with comfy seats. The exploring part of me seems as if it is never going to really go away!

    So, here are my “highlight” pictures. If you leave a comment anywhere, please leave your first name as well.    Read more

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