Santiago and Mendoza

Santiago, Chile

Centro

  At the bus station in Santiago there was the English guy I had met on my tour and I met another English couple at the bus station and we all ended up staying at the same hostel. I then spent the day walking around the main centro with the couple from England. The centro has a European feel and has many people playing chess and spending the day there. Santiago really made me feel the South American summer because it was so hot and I did not have any clothes for the warm weather!

Hula Hooper

   In Chile, there are many street performers that will perform while cars are stopped at a stop light and then will go around and see if anyone will give them a few dollars. It's pretty entertaining and I've never seen anything like it. I've seen stunts, hula hooping, jugglers, and tricks with fire!

     The next day I saw the changing of the guards ceremony for the first time which I thought was really interesting since we don't have anything like it in the United States. I realized at this time that I think when someone is traveling it is very important to not view everything in ethnocentric manner. In my opinion, this means to be present in the country you are visiting and try to not compare things to home because I do not think it should be a competition. Cultures are different, no one is better than an other and that's what makes the world so interesting to travel. I heard someone compare the changing of the guards to his country's changing of the guards and he said how disappointed he was and so on (this is just one example I have heard these types of comments many times), and I think that is the kind of situation to take a step back and appreciate the culture's differences. Just the anthropology major in me speaking. But, I also gained an appreciation for traveling alone because I think it would be very hard to find the perfect travel partner and someone who wants to get all the same things out of the culture as you and do all the same things as you. I love the freedom of traveling alone because I could spend a day with someone doing something but the next day if I want to do something that person doesn't I am free to without feeling guilty.

View from San Cristobal Hill

At the top of San Cristobal Hill

Top of San Cristobal Hill

Mote de Huesillo

    So after I spent the morning getting lost with this English man from my tour who would not accept that the museum was not where is tour guide book said it was, I decided I was ready to meet up with my friend from Santiago who I had met in Mancora, Peru. My friend showed me around Santiago and took me to San Cristobal Hill and told me to try a popular drink in Chile called Mote de Huesillo. Mote de Huesillo is made with a grain and cooked peaches. There are little stands all over Santiago selling Mote de Huesillo, it's pretty sweet but it was definitely refreshing in the Santiago summer heat. After, we went to help my friends friend buy stuff for his apartment and then we had a typical Chilean late dinner at almost 11 of eggs and bread.  Being shown around Santiago by a local was so cool and fun and I definitely think this day will be a day I will never forget.
   The next day I walked back to Providencia, through Barrio Lastarria and the many parks in Santiago, which is really pretty. The parks are full of people laying in them and enjoying ice cream and eachother's company.I think there is a lot you can appreciate when getting lost in a city. This was the day that I fell in love with Santiago. Santiago reminds me of a pretty clean and upscale part of northeastern city.
    At night, I went to the Venezuelan couple from San Pedro de Atacama's apartment and spent the evening with them, the Brazilians I met in San Pedro, and their other Venezuelan friends. We spent the evening talking and they told me all about Venezuela and Dubai (which is where they are moving to). Venezuela has more of a Carribbean vibe apparently and Salsa is very popular there. There, I tried Choripan for the first time which is a small thick sausage with bread. It was really good!

Mendoza, Argentina

Wine Country

    The next day was my last day in Santiago which I also spent just walking around and enjoying the town and then I was headed to Mendoza for a day. At my hostel before I left for Mendoza I met a few Israeli soldiers who were also headed to Mendoza so I shared a cab with them and met up with them in Mendoza. I spent the day walking around the town of Mendoza with them and their girl friends from Israel and we made fried rice with chicken for lunch. It was a really quick trip and I definitely want to go back because I had to leave that night for Buenos Aires!