Sunday, May 16, 2010
A deviation.
This is a turning point, the thought of which makes me sick to my stomach. I don't want to talk about it but I have to get it out, so this is where I'll put it. This is, after all, some form of a journal; a record of the traveling aspect of my life. Unfortunately, traveling doesn't consume my life and my life isn't always as sugar-coated as I'd like for it to be. Sometimes things have to be dealt with even when I don't want to deal with them, talk about them. Getting this out this way, writing this into existence, even if only a small amount is extracted from my brain and left here instead, will be something.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Who said traveling was fun?
Ok. Traveling is fun. Mostly. But it is also A LOT of work. And sometimes a lot of sitting on your butt. I think I tend to write about the fun stuff in my blogs. Because the purpose of my blog is to inspire you, as the reader, to take your own little (or big) adventure and I wouldn’t really be inspirational if I complained all of the time. Nevertheless, I suppose I should share some of the hardships that go along with traveling so you’re not surprised when you have to spend a ridiculous amount of time on a plane, train, car, bus, terminal, etc. to reach your destination. Below is an hour-by-hour recount of my not so adventurous but absolutely necessary journey to reach the Philippines. See end for a few photos.
Hour 1
(7:00) Alarm goes off. Get up. Finish packing and last minute to-do items.
(7:30) Eat breakfast with family: scrambled eggs, fried potatoes and fruit salad thanks to chef Dad.
Hour 2
(8:00) Scheduled departure time. Get dressed.
(8:18) Commence stress-induced bickering and game of “hurry up and wait” while completing puzzle of “fit three large suitcases, one box and two carry-on bags into back of Prius”
(8:30) Depart for SFO 30 minutes behind schedule.
Hour 3
En route to SFO. Butt begins hurting in preparation of 15-hour flight to Hong Kong, 2-hour layover and 2-hour connecting flight to Manila.
Hour 4
(10:30) Arrive at SFO. Say goodbyes.
(10:50) Check-in and check bags.
Hour 5
(11:05) Go through thankfully painless security (I ♥ SFO).
(11:20) Arrive at departure gate. Wander terminal. Resist buying “In Defense of Food” and current “National Geographic” magazine.
Hour 6
(12:20) Grand finale to game of “hurry up and wait:” passengers madly queue to board plane as if seats are limited and not pre-assigned.
(12:25) Two-thirds of queued passengers are told to sit down and wait until they’re boarding group is called. Said passengers complain and reluctantly take a seat.
Hour 7
(13:03) Plane pushes off from gate (two minutes early).
(13:23) Airborne. (Houston, we have lift-off!)
Hour 8
In-flight entertainment begins; Watch “Everybody’s Fine” (Meh.) Snack and beverage service begins.
Hour 9
Lunch served. Vegetarian meal consists of steamed mixed vegetables, cubes of baked potato, bread roll, lettuce salad with no dressing and fruit for dessert.
Hour 10
Continue in-flight entertainment with “Love Happens.” Turbulence begins.
Hour 11
Begin hourly trips to the lavatory. Lights out.
Hour 12
(18:05) Nap.
Hour 13
Nap.
Hour 14
Nap. Develop kink in neck. Turbulence strengthens. (Wee!)
Hour 15
Lights on. Fiddle with netbook. Begin a game of Scrabble with Mom.
Hour 16
(22:20) Dinner served. Vegetarian meal consists of penne pasta with mixed vegetables and marinara sauce, dinner roll, lettuce salad with lemon dressing and more fruit for dessert. Begin to think Cathay Pacific Airlines thinks all vegetarians are on diets. (I like apple cheesecake and passion fruit mousse just as much as the average omnivore…)
(22:40) Begin time-logged journal.
Hour 17
(23:15) Lights out.
(23:17) Turbulence resumes. Fasten seat belt signs turn on and announcement of turbulence made. In-flight attendants wander aisles reminding passengers to fasten seat belts.
(23:22) Man in next seat begins snoring. Butt still hurts. Watch “Into the Wild.”
Hour 18
“Into the Wild…”
Hour 19
“Into the Wild…”
Hour 20
Nap.
Hour 21
(3:05) Touch down at Hong Kong International. Wander slightly confusing airport looking for departure gate. Figure out departure gates are on the second floor while arrival gates are on the first.
Hour 22
Find departure gate. Eat vegetable noodle soup and onion cakes at ramen house. (Yum!)
Hour 23
(5:35) Begin boarding flight to Manila.
Hour 24
Fall asleep. Wake up to beverage and snack service. Vegetarian snack: fruit plate (Woo. More fruit.)
Hour 25
(7:55) Touch down at Manila International Airport. (Hooray!)
Hour 26
Go through immigration, retrieve luggage and box and go through customs. Meet family.
Hour 27
(9:05) Arrive at Tita and Tito’s house. In bed and asleep within the hour.
Total time of travel (doorstep to doorstep) = 23.5 hours
Departure gate view at SFO.
My Tito and Tita's backyard.
Navidad en Torres del Paine
Our small first aid and emergency kit lacked an ace bandage or a good supply of ibuprofen. I took what we had of ibuprofen to keep the swelling down and slept with my ankle raised at night. The next day, I wrapped it as best I could with gauze and quarter inch tape but ended up rolling it again on our way down from a morning hike to the Frances Valley. Luckily this time, I only had my day pack on. Unluckily, we had a whole day of hiking with our large packs ahead of us to our next destination and another two days after that to reach our final destination.
Even without an injury, "The W" was by no means easy and the weather was definitely a contributing factor. We encountered relentless wind like I had never experienced and rain that made backpacking and sleeping outside not fun. The climate was cold enough to have to wear layers yet the terrain was exhausting enough that we were usually sweating through those layers. It snowed one afternoon and was so warm the next that I was sweating with shorts and a t-shirt.
I felt extremely privileged to be experiencing a beautiful place and accomplishing such a trek. However it was also Christmas and I was feeling a bit homesick. Needless to say, "The W" was challenging and an injury only added to its physical and emotional demands. It was the kindness of others that kept me positive and allowed me to finish the trek. Laura carried extra weight so I wouldn't have to put so much pressure on my ankle, Mike and Erin, a couple we met, gave me their only bandage out of their first aid kit and a few Aussies showed me how to wrap my ankle differently to provide it with more support. Even some of the park staff turned a blind eye and let us use staff facilities to cook and gave us free food and hot chocolate. I guess generosity is more abundant during the holiday season, but I'm pretty sure everyone who helped in some way would have done the same had it not been Christmas.
Below is the video journal Laura and I kept while on our trek through "The W." In less than 5 days, we walked about 45 miles, by far the longest backpacking trip in duration and length I have ever done. Given the above circumstances and knowing what I know now, would I have still done it? Absolutely! And I'd do it again in a heartbeat!
Pre-departure packing.
Day 1 in Glacier Gray Refugio.
Day 1 at Glacier Gray.
Day 2 on our way to Campamento Italiano.
Day 3 in Valle Frances.
Day 4 on Christmas Eve at Refugio Chileno.
Day 5 Our last day!
Note: Draft begun on January 26, 2010.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
¿Dónde está la palta?
While in Valparaiso, Chile, I found an avocado (o palta en español) under the table of a small restaurant where I was having lunch with Grace and Megan. I happened to look down after eating and saw it sitting on the ground. Strange? Yes. I can't remember exactly why I decided to take it, but I think it had something to do with Grace daring me to. Or maybe it was the thought of putting it in a sandwich at some point. Either way, it's not as if the Palta (the name we gave it and as it shall now be called) were of extreme value (I saw them for as cheap as 8 for the equivalent of US$0.90 in Chile) or I was so poor that I had to resort to picking up random produce items from the ground.
Soon after eating lunch, we began taking pictures with the Palta. Again, I can't recall exactly why, it just seemed like the thing to do. The following is a series of photographs with the Palta. Each photo, whether obvious or not, contains the Palta. Can you find it?
¿Dónde está la palta?
Grace and the Palta
Me, colorful houses and the Palta
Megan, more colorful houses and the Palta
An artistic tree and the Palta
Street sign and the Palta
Street art and the Palta
Valparaiso hillsides and the Palta
Chilean firefighters and the Palta
Old photograph and the Palta
Our rented chairs and umbrellas and the Palta
Me and the Palta at the beach
Vina del Mar clock and the Palta
For more photographs of Valparaiso and its neighboring town, Vina del Mar, go here:
The Palta, Valpo and Vina del Mar
Soon after eating lunch, we began taking pictures with the Palta. Again, I can't recall exactly why, it just seemed like the thing to do. The following is a series of photographs with the Palta. Each photo, whether obvious or not, contains the Palta. Can you find it?
¿Dónde está la palta?
Grace and the Palta
Me, colorful houses and the Palta
Megan, more colorful houses and the Palta
An artistic tree and the Palta
Street sign and the Palta
Street art and the Palta
Valparaiso hillsides and the Palta
Chilean firefighters and the Palta
Old photograph and the Palta
Our rented chairs and umbrellas and the Palta
Me and the Palta at the beach
Vina del Mar clock and the Palta
For more photographs of Valparaiso and its neighboring town, Vina del Mar, go here:
The Palta, Valpo and Vina del Mar
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Starting from the end...
As mentioned previously, Laura and I kept a video journal while traveling through Patagonia and beyond. I'm in the process of uploading and editing those and will post them when I'm finished.
Until then, I've posted my last video journal entry below. It was taken on the fifth night after coming back from waiting for a standby flight at Santiago International airport.
A lot of people wondered how I became "stuck" in Santiago. Before I left for my trip, I bought a buddy pass from a friend who is a flight attendant for Skywest, a United and Delta Airlines affiliate. A buddy pass is simply a heavily discounted ticket that allows me to fly coach, first or business. The catch is since the buddy pass is considered non-revenue, I had to fly standby. Flying standby means I get a seat only if there are seats available and the plane isn't over its weight restriction for passenger and cargo loads. Sounds easy enough, right? It was definitely easy enough flying to South America so I didn't consider the system in which buddy passes operate under until I had problems flying out.
There is a ranking system for non-revenue standby passengers. Non-revenue passengers include those who work for the airlines, retired airline employees and their friends/family who fly with buddy passes. If there are seats available for non-revenue standby passengers, those seats first go to active employees and then to retired employees. Only after these employees are offered a seat are buddy pass passengers offered seats, assuming there are seats left. Furthermore, buddy pass passengers are ranked according to the start date of when their friend or family member began working for the airlines. Basically because I was a buddy pass passenger and my friend's start date was in late 2006, I was always at the bottom of the standby list. Unfortunately for me, because it was summer in Santiago, it was also peak travel time for Chileans meaning passenger and cargo loads were consistently heavy.
Fortunately for me, I have friends and family friends in high places; They are pilots and former airline employees. (Get it? Friends in high places, airline employees?) I was able to get on as a guest traveler for American Airlines. Their non-revenue passenger system works a little differently. Active and unactive employees still get first priority. However, priority of friends and family guest travelers is determined by how long the guest traveler has been waiting for a flight out. It basically became a waiting game for me on American Airlines.
I won't lie. Repeatedly being denied a seat home wore on me a bit. It was depressing because I had put myself in the mind frame of "I'm going home" so I was ready and prepared to do that. It was also frustrating because everything was absolutely out of my control. The only thing I could do was show up every evening at the airport to wait for a seat. (Contrary to popular belief, I wasn't actually living at the airport. I had a hostel bed and took public transportation to the airport.) After the first night, I put my game face on and did well at not worrying about it. I figured it'll happen when it happens and all I could do was make the most of where I was. It was not until the sixth night when after talking with family and friends who were sure I'd get on that evening that I'd set my hopes high.
I can't remember the last time I cried besides while watching a sappy movie. I am either blessed or cursed with rarely feeling sorry for myself, remembering how insignificant my problems are compared to others and knowing how small I am in this massive universe. But on Sunday, my sixth night, I opened the floodgates and it all came pouring out. I was at a loss. It was the first night I seriously considered forking out the two grand to purchase a one-way ticket home. I also looked into flights to Lima, Peru for $700 where I felt more confident about flying out on a buddy pass because the passenger loads appeared less heavy. After mulling it over, I decided to give Santiago International one more try and on my seventh night, I escaped.
Thanks to everyone who helped, sent words of encouragement or said a prayer on my behalf. I am incredibly lucky to have so many friends and family who care about me!
PS For those who are curious, all 3 bottles of wine made it to Sacramento.
Until then, I've posted my last video journal entry below. It was taken on the fifth night after coming back from waiting for a standby flight at Santiago International airport.
A lot of people wondered how I became "stuck" in Santiago. Before I left for my trip, I bought a buddy pass from a friend who is a flight attendant for Skywest, a United and Delta Airlines affiliate. A buddy pass is simply a heavily discounted ticket that allows me to fly coach, first or business. The catch is since the buddy pass is considered non-revenue, I had to fly standby. Flying standby means I get a seat only if there are seats available and the plane isn't over its weight restriction for passenger and cargo loads. Sounds easy enough, right? It was definitely easy enough flying to South America so I didn't consider the system in which buddy passes operate under until I had problems flying out.
There is a ranking system for non-revenue standby passengers. Non-revenue passengers include those who work for the airlines, retired airline employees and their friends/family who fly with buddy passes. If there are seats available for non-revenue standby passengers, those seats first go to active employees and then to retired employees. Only after these employees are offered a seat are buddy pass passengers offered seats, assuming there are seats left. Furthermore, buddy pass passengers are ranked according to the start date of when their friend or family member began working for the airlines. Basically because I was a buddy pass passenger and my friend's start date was in late 2006, I was always at the bottom of the standby list. Unfortunately for me, because it was summer in Santiago, it was also peak travel time for Chileans meaning passenger and cargo loads were consistently heavy.
Fortunately for me, I have friends and family friends in high places; They are pilots and former airline employees. (Get it? Friends in high places, airline employees?) I was able to get on as a guest traveler for American Airlines. Their non-revenue passenger system works a little differently. Active and unactive employees still get first priority. However, priority of friends and family guest travelers is determined by how long the guest traveler has been waiting for a flight out. It basically became a waiting game for me on American Airlines.
I won't lie. Repeatedly being denied a seat home wore on me a bit. It was depressing because I had put myself in the mind frame of "I'm going home" so I was ready and prepared to do that. It was also frustrating because everything was absolutely out of my control. The only thing I could do was show up every evening at the airport to wait for a seat. (Contrary to popular belief, I wasn't actually living at the airport. I had a hostel bed and took public transportation to the airport.) After the first night, I put my game face on and did well at not worrying about it. I figured it'll happen when it happens and all I could do was make the most of where I was. It was not until the sixth night when after talking with family and friends who were sure I'd get on that evening that I'd set my hopes high.
I can't remember the last time I cried besides while watching a sappy movie. I am either blessed or cursed with rarely feeling sorry for myself, remembering how insignificant my problems are compared to others and knowing how small I am in this massive universe. But on Sunday, my sixth night, I opened the floodgates and it all came pouring out. I was at a loss. It was the first night I seriously considered forking out the two grand to purchase a one-way ticket home. I also looked into flights to Lima, Peru for $700 where I felt more confident about flying out on a buddy pass because the passenger loads appeared less heavy. After mulling it over, I decided to give Santiago International one more try and on my seventh night, I escaped.
Thanks to everyone who helped, sent words of encouragement or said a prayer on my behalf. I am incredibly lucky to have so many friends and family who care about me!
PS For those who are curious, all 3 bottles of wine made it to Sacramento.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Stuck in Santiago
It's day number 8 in the Santiago area. With more energy and cooler weather, I probably would have only needed 5 days here. Unfortunately, my departure date is no longer controlled by me; I am at the mercy of Delta Airlines.
I am experiencing the joys of flying standby. While I am optimistic about being able to fly home tonight, I won't know for sure if I'll get on until less than 30 minutes before my plane is scheduled to leave. It was a madhouse last night at Santiago International. I've never seen so many people with their fingers crossed. The anticipation of getting on the plane was akin to playing BINGO, but instead of waiting for my last number to be called, I was waiting to hear my name. And like BINGO, it never happened.
I guess some people have been trying to fly out of the city for over a week. If I don't get on by tomorrow night, that will be me. Apparently, all major South American cities are experiencing an overload of non-revenue passengers and cargo, so there's not much point in seeking a different departure airport. But like I said, I'm staying optimistic. Perhaps the fates would like me to develop a better attitude about Santiago before I leave. Things can always be worse, right?
I am experiencing the joys of flying standby. While I am optimistic about being able to fly home tonight, I won't know for sure if I'll get on until less than 30 minutes before my plane is scheduled to leave. It was a madhouse last night at Santiago International. I've never seen so many people with their fingers crossed. The anticipation of getting on the plane was akin to playing BINGO, but instead of waiting for my last number to be called, I was waiting to hear my name. And like BINGO, it never happened.
I guess some people have been trying to fly out of the city for over a week. If I don't get on by tomorrow night, that will be me. Apparently, all major South American cities are experiencing an overload of non-revenue passengers and cargo, so there's not much point in seeking a different departure airport. But like I said, I'm staying optimistic. Perhaps the fates would like me to develop a better attitude about Santiago before I leave. Things can always be worse, right?
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Careful What You Wish For
Santiago is hot. This is what I wanted, so I can't complain. It's actually not too bad, a dry heat like Sacto. The weather is completely different from Patagonia. Funny how a few degrees of latitude and the world's third largest ice field can change things.
Laura and I partied like animals on New Years Eve. We spent the remaining hours of 2009 with a friend wandering the tourist town of El Calafate to find dinner. I kid you not, we were turned away from every single restaurant in that town except one because we didn't have reservations. The one that didn't turn us away did not have any vegetarian dishes. (You should feel sorry for me.) I didn't think I could go any lower than instant mashed potatoes for Christmas Eve dinner and frozen vegetables for Christmas dinner in Torres del Paine. My last dinner of 2009 consisted primarily of cheese and crackers that I bought from the equivalent of a convenience store. (Now you should feel really sorry for me!) Good company helped a lot and we rang in 2010 with fellow travelers in our hostel common room and with the fireworks of strangers on the streets. We considered going out afterwards, but the bars and disco didn't open until 2am and I'm a senor citizen when it comes to staying out late.
Laura and I left Patagonia sometime between January 1st and the 5th. No, I didn't go through some sort of time warp during those days, I am just unsure if Bariloche is considered to be in Patagonia. Some say it the northenmost point of Patagonia while others consider it solely in the Lakes District. Maybe the Lakes District is in Patagonia? Whatever. We spent our first day in 2010 waiting at the airport for first a cancelled flight and then a delayed flight. We arrived in Bariloche around 11pm and wandered the streets going door to door looking for a hostel with open beds. Not fun, especially with all of the tacky souveniers, I mean goodies, I've accumulated. Finally someone took pitty on us and offered to call around to hostels so we no longer had to wander. We checked into one of the dodgiest hostels I've ever slept in and promptly checked out the next morning.
After being active hikers, backpackers and even ice climbers south of Bariloche, Laura and I settled into a somewhat lazy routine and became normal sightseers. Neither of us are big shoppers, but in the 3 days we spent in Bariloche, we mostly shopped; chocolate, t-shirts, artesenal crafts...the usual. In the spirit of doing something strenuous in every town we've been to, we did manage to hike up to Cerro Campanario for what was rated by National Geographic as one of the top 10 vistas in the world. It was definitely an amazing view. (See video at end of blog.) There were lakes as far as my eyes could see. But one of the top 10 vistas in the world? Maybe National Geographic meant one of the top 10 vistas in the world accessible by mechanical means rather than soley by foot. Laura and I attempted to sneak onto the chairlift for a free ride down. The man assisiting people onto the chairlift wasn't checking tickets, but he took one look at us and banished us to the dusty steep path back down the mountain. I realize we didn't look like the "see Patagonia from an expensive tour bus" type of tourists, but I didn´t think we looked like grungy empty-pocketed backpackers either. We're simply budget travelers looking for a good deal. And if that means hiking up a mountain to see a world renowned view rather than paying $AR30 for the chairlift, so be it. With that being said, after our mountaintop ascent and descent, instead of taking the bus, we hitchhiked back to town. (Mom and Dad, you didn't read that last part.)
Bariloche was a taste of the warmer temperatures to come. From there, we moved from t-shirt and jeans weather to shorts and tanktop weather in Santiago. Except it's too hot to wear tanktops because the sun is so strong. I've chosen my walking paths around the city according to shade and spent one afternoon with Laura and Grace sitting at a cafe and another with Grace playing Scrabble rather than exploring because we were so hot and lazy to do anything else.
I don't feel like I've given it my all as far as exploring Santiago. There are four reasons for this; 1) I don't have a guidebook so I have no idea what I'm missing out on. 2) While traveling, I met two Chileans on two separate occasions who both told me there's nothing to do in Santiago. 3) It feels and looks like LA. Been there, done that. 4) Did I mention it's hot? I have seen what I think to be all the major points of interest; Cerro San Cristobal, Santa Lucia, the Precolumbian Museum, Central Market, Constitucional Square, Plaza de Armas and La Moneda Palace. I even went on a day excursion to outlying wineries Vina Cousino Macul and Concha y Toro as well as a weekend excursion to Valparaiso and Vino Del Mar where I neglected to apply sunscreen to certain parts of my body and learned firsthand of the "big-ass hole" in the ozone layer (as one Chilean on the subway described it).
So I've had my share of sun and I'm ready for the cold and rain of Sacramento. In fact, I'm dreaming of cutting through fluffy white stuff with sharpened and waxed skis. If only flying home were as easy as it sounds...
PS Laura and I took a video journal regularly during our trip. I plan to upload all of them and post them for your viewing pleasure when I get home and they have been edited. Stay tuned!
Laura and I partied like animals on New Years Eve. We spent the remaining hours of 2009 with a friend wandering the tourist town of El Calafate to find dinner. I kid you not, we were turned away from every single restaurant in that town except one because we didn't have reservations. The one that didn't turn us away did not have any vegetarian dishes. (You should feel sorry for me.) I didn't think I could go any lower than instant mashed potatoes for Christmas Eve dinner and frozen vegetables for Christmas dinner in Torres del Paine. My last dinner of 2009 consisted primarily of cheese and crackers that I bought from the equivalent of a convenience store. (Now you should feel really sorry for me!) Good company helped a lot and we rang in 2010 with fellow travelers in our hostel common room and with the fireworks of strangers on the streets. We considered going out afterwards, but the bars and disco didn't open until 2am and I'm a senor citizen when it comes to staying out late.
Laura and I left Patagonia sometime between January 1st and the 5th. No, I didn't go through some sort of time warp during those days, I am just unsure if Bariloche is considered to be in Patagonia. Some say it the northenmost point of Patagonia while others consider it solely in the Lakes District. Maybe the Lakes District is in Patagonia? Whatever. We spent our first day in 2010 waiting at the airport for first a cancelled flight and then a delayed flight. We arrived in Bariloche around 11pm and wandered the streets going door to door looking for a hostel with open beds. Not fun, especially with all of the tacky souveniers, I mean goodies, I've accumulated. Finally someone took pitty on us and offered to call around to hostels so we no longer had to wander. We checked into one of the dodgiest hostels I've ever slept in and promptly checked out the next morning.
After being active hikers, backpackers and even ice climbers south of Bariloche, Laura and I settled into a somewhat lazy routine and became normal sightseers. Neither of us are big shoppers, but in the 3 days we spent in Bariloche, we mostly shopped; chocolate, t-shirts, artesenal crafts...the usual. In the spirit of doing something strenuous in every town we've been to, we did manage to hike up to Cerro Campanario for what was rated by National Geographic as one of the top 10 vistas in the world. It was definitely an amazing view. (See video at end of blog.) There were lakes as far as my eyes could see. But one of the top 10 vistas in the world? Maybe National Geographic meant one of the top 10 vistas in the world accessible by mechanical means rather than soley by foot. Laura and I attempted to sneak onto the chairlift for a free ride down. The man assisiting people onto the chairlift wasn't checking tickets, but he took one look at us and banished us to the dusty steep path back down the mountain. I realize we didn't look like the "see Patagonia from an expensive tour bus" type of tourists, but I didn´t think we looked like grungy empty-pocketed backpackers either. We're simply budget travelers looking for a good deal. And if that means hiking up a mountain to see a world renowned view rather than paying $AR30 for the chairlift, so be it. With that being said, after our mountaintop ascent and descent, instead of taking the bus, we hitchhiked back to town. (Mom and Dad, you didn't read that last part.)
Bariloche was a taste of the warmer temperatures to come. From there, we moved from t-shirt and jeans weather to shorts and tanktop weather in Santiago. Except it's too hot to wear tanktops because the sun is so strong. I've chosen my walking paths around the city according to shade and spent one afternoon with Laura and Grace sitting at a cafe and another with Grace playing Scrabble rather than exploring because we were so hot and lazy to do anything else.
I don't feel like I've given it my all as far as exploring Santiago. There are four reasons for this; 1) I don't have a guidebook so I have no idea what I'm missing out on. 2) While traveling, I met two Chileans on two separate occasions who both told me there's nothing to do in Santiago. 3) It feels and looks like LA. Been there, done that. 4) Did I mention it's hot? I have seen what I think to be all the major points of interest; Cerro San Cristobal, Santa Lucia, the Precolumbian Museum, Central Market, Constitucional Square, Plaza de Armas and La Moneda Palace. I even went on a day excursion to outlying wineries Vina Cousino Macul and Concha y Toro as well as a weekend excursion to Valparaiso and Vino Del Mar where I neglected to apply sunscreen to certain parts of my body and learned firsthand of the "big-ass hole" in the ozone layer (as one Chilean on the subway described it).
So I've had my share of sun and I'm ready for the cold and rain of Sacramento. In fact, I'm dreaming of cutting through fluffy white stuff with sharpened and waxed skis. If only flying home were as easy as it sounds...
PS Laura and I took a video journal regularly during our trip. I plan to upload all of them and post them for your viewing pleasure when I get home and they have been edited. Stay tuned!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
