Holiday Adventures.

I know I am a bit overdue on an update, my apologies!  The past week has been busy- there was no messing around when it came to the beginning of classes.  In just over a week of classes, I have already read half a book and given a 30 minute presentation, and in the next few days, will write a paper and read another book.  And tomorrow I have my first day at my internship placement here in Chile. ¡Ay de mí!

This past Monday was a holiday in Chile, the holiday of San Pedro and San Pablo.  I am still not really sure what the holiday is for or what people do, but I did find a parade this weekend!  Or maybe “stumbled upon” would be more accurate… some friends and I were trying to find a café and heard some music and noises and, naturally, went towards the sounds. And bam.  There was a parade.  There were a lot of dancers and musicians, and the parade seemed to grow as half the town joined and walked with it.

And while all you friends were celebrating the Fourth of July in the midst of some crazy heat, I was “celebrating” while bundled up in the cold.  A group of friends and I went out to dinner and went to McDonald’s afterwards for an ice cream cone (really logical when it’s WINTER here).  Nothing like celebrating America Day with McDonald’s.

In the past week, I have also gotten the chance to experience the lovely colectivos.  I may have mentioned that there are a few different forms of transportation available in Valparaíso and Viña del Mar.  Well, these colectivos are a bit of a cross between a taxi and a bus.  The colectivos have a fixed route, but they are shared rides.  You basically stand on the side of the road and flag one down, and get in with whatever other strangers are already inside the car.  And they are CRAZY drivers.  The majority of cars here are manual transmission, and as I have said before, these hills are unreal.  I truly do not understand how these drivers don’t stall all over the place.  But somehow these colectivo drivers have mastered the hills, and go flying through them at all hours of the day.  It’s quite an experience.

This coming week I have more fun adventures planned, so here are some things to check back for: Isla Negra (another one of Pablo Neruda’s houses- by the end of this trip, I will have seen 3 of his houses); artesian towns; beaches in the north (no, I will not be swimming. Hypothermia isn’t really my thing); neighborhoods and markets in Valparaíso; and San Pedro de Atacama (WAY north in Chile- I’m traveling with a few friends next week to see the desert!)

In the meantime, I leave you with some more pictures!

One of my landmarks during my walk to the Metro.  Contenedor de los monos.

My school!  PUCV, Casa Central.  And don't be deceived!  We may have  palm trees in Chile, but it's still SUPER cold!  Chilly in Chile.

From the Metro stop!  And can you make out the tiny people on the left of the photo?  That's the path I run on.  Along a 7 lane highway. And the Metro.  On my runs, I am accompanied either by the smell of car exhaust or fish from a local market.  Lovely.

View from one of the hills of Valparaíso, overlooking the bay and the port at sunset.