Late last week I took an evening to ride a funicular to the top of a hill that overlooked the city. Too bad the pollution inhibited the view tremendously, but it was still beautiful considering it was sunset. You get a sense of how massive of a city Santiago is, with so many different neighborhoods with their own characteristics.
For the weekend, all the students in the program formed groups of 5+ that selected various cities all over Chile to go visit while gathering information to be presented to the rest of the class. My group elected to go to the incredible port town of Valparaiso about an hour north of Santiago and investigate the cannery and fishing industry that exists there.
From wikipedia...
"Valparaíso (literally in Spanish: Paradise Valley and also called "Valpo" locally) is a major city in Chile and one of that country's most important seaports and an increasingly vital cultural center in the hemisphere's Pacific Southwest. The city is located in central Chile, where it is capital of the Region of Valparaíso. Although Santiago is Chile's official capital, Valparaiso houses the National Congress. Built upon dozens of steep hillsides overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Valparaíso boasts a labyrinth of streets and cobblestone alleyways, embodying a rich architectural and cultural legacy. Valparaíso is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is often considered to be one of Latin America’s most intriguing urban areas."
We stayed in an amazing hostel that felt more like our own house with another group in the UC program who was studying the graffiti culture of the town. The weekend meals consisted of massive amount of seafood and simple breakfasts provided by the hostel. The town reminded me a lot of San Francisco with colorful, closely spaced houses across hillsides with narrow streets and a liberal-artsy vibe. They even have cable cars and "acensors" to scale the unique landscape. We also were able to visit one of Pablo Neruda's three houses he has in Chile, "La Sebastiana," coincidentally on his birthday. Amazing spot and definitely my favourite part of the trip. I wish I could be studying there rather than in polluted Santiago, but beggars can't be choosers. I will most certainly return a couple times in the coming months.
Above, Neruda's house. Below, el Membrillo fish cannery
I got a free classical music concert tonight(Bach) and the intial Spanish language class ends this Friday. My 21st birthday is this coming Wednesday, which thank the lord is a national holiday down here. I have planned an all day ski trip since we got some rain for the first time in almost a month. The nightcap will be the premier of the new Batman film and going out with practically the entire program. Should be a blast. No riding in cabs with people I don't know nor any other funny business. I learned my lesson and haven't been alone or outside my group much since. Should be able to get a updated post in by the start of the weekend. Roger, over-and-out.
