Hello readers,
I am currently at my hostel in Santiago taking advantage of the free internet offered here (and the fact that apparnalty im the ONLY Person in the hostel.)
Just to update you since my last entry.
I left Easter Island on Saturday. THe flight was somewhat unpleasant since they arbitrarily decided only to give some passengers headphones and not others. Clearly, I was not among the privileged.
Arrived at Santiago, but only briefly. Spent the night there, but I didnt really get to see anything becuase it was already dark (by 7 pm), and I had left the next morning to Valparaiso.
Valparaiso is a smallish (about 250 k) city 90 minutes outside of Santiago. IT was a pretty cheap bus ride.... and Chilean buses happen to be exceptional. Valpo (as it is commonly called) is a UNESCO port city, well known for its steep hills, its colourful houses, and its quirky funiculars. These things were of course all there, and were in fact the highlight of my time in Valpo. Basically, Valpo can be divided into the downtown area (El Plan) and the many hills surrounding it. El Plan is nothing special.... reasonably modern, pretty EUropean looking, a little bit dirty..... but nothing worthy of note for the visitor, excepting a few museums and some pretty buildings. THe hills are mostly residential..... a few of them are touristy, but most of them are just residential (read: low income.... and kinda sketch). THe touristy hills (such as Cerro Allegre) are REALLY touristy.... to be fair, they almost succeed in their mediterranean feel. But as interesting an atmosphere as it is, I found it rather boring..... certainly didnt justify the 3 days I spent there. Perhaps it was made worse by being the ONLY Person in the hostel on the 3rd day (on the first two days there werre these two american guys I could talk to). Oh and on the first day, I met this American guy in a cafe. HE used to work with Lehman Brothers in New York... and ever since, hes been living in Buenos Aires. Kinda cliche, eh?
ON my 2nd day in Valpo, I did a day trip to Vina del Mar. Vina, is about the same size as Valpo, and is literally 10 minuts away. It is a upmarket touristy beachside place.... with a ritzy casino and stuff like that. Interestingly, it caters more to Chilean tourists than to Westerners.
Today I returned to Santiago (otherwise known as Santiago de Chile.... in order to differentiate it from other Santiagos out there). THe people I have talked to all told me to avoid spending much time in Santiago.... that it was boring and not meant for tourists. I have found it to be a pleasant change of pace from Valpo. True, its still pretty depressing being alone. And there arent that many tourists around here. There were more in Valpo, even though its low season (half the touristy restaurants were closed there!). But so far I have quite enjoyed my time here.... Santiago is a very nice city. I have only seen the main downtown neighbourhood (called El Centro), so maybe I shouldnt generalise. After all, the city has its not so good areas, some shantytowns, and more than its fair share of stray dogs. But at least the centro is quite nice.... I certainly dont feel like Im in the third world (if I am at all). Its full of shopping arcades, malls, haute shopping, and, best of all, is mostly confined to pedestrians! Its full of people watching opportunities.
I really have to pinch myself to remind myself that Im in SOuth America, and not Europe. That is, of course, until I see the prices for everything!
I have tomorrow and Friday to see some of the sites and the other neighbourhoods. Saturday (very early) I start back up to MOntreal, with a dreadfuly long itinerary (stops in Lima, San JOse, and New York).
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
´Lana = ¡Greetings from Easter Island!
Hello everyone. I am in (or on... dont know which is correct) Easter Island. They say that it is geographically the most isolated place on earth. The nearest inhabited island is some 2000 km away. The nearest city (Santiago) is some 4000 km away.
This geographic isolation makes it an appealing destination for many tourists. Add to this the fact that Easter Island has probably more archaeological sites per sq. km than most other locations in the world, let alone islands.... and it is quite stunning geographically.
This of course makes it a great destination for almost anyone.... but as much as Ive enjoyed all of this, its something else that intrigues me the most about this place. Given the how geographically isoalted it is, it is astonishingly connected to the rest of the world, particularly to Chile. There are (cheap) internet cafes everywhere.... the stores are well stocked with pharmaceutical items, potato chips, and beer - all of which must clearly be imported quite often. My Canadian cell phone even gets service here! The people here.... on paper and in brochures they have a polynesian culture. Geographically, it is part of the polynesian triangle, and its polynesian heritage is a big part of its tourist drawl. In fact, in early February there is a crazy traditional festival that traces its roots back to ancient times. This aside, you feel much more like youre in Latin America. It is Spanish, not Rapa Nui (the indigenous langauge) which is heard most often. Signs are almost exclusively in Spanish, with more English than Rapa Nui. Food is more influenced by Chile than by Polynesia.
Anyway, I have found it to be an incredible destination.... possibly my favourite ever. The downsides include a dearth of available food (I´ve lived on white bread, cheese, and empanadas - a variation of white bread and cheese, with shrimp mixed in). The restaurants that exist are VERY expensive. My first night here I ate in one.... had a (admittedy reasonably nice) shrimp dinner, with a Pisco Sour (official drink of Chile = AMAZING) and a glass of water.... came out to close to $30 US!!!!!!
What have I done here? Cycled around (as lonely planet says, its a two wheel playground!) and read alot... nights are pretty quiet and lonely.
Pictures from EI will be on facebook upon my return to Montreal (a week from this Sunday), along with the pictures I have from Southern California, and my 3 hours in El Salvador.
Other updates: After not hearing much about my Washington internship, I sent them an email a few days ago, asking when I might expect to start, etc. I got a reply (yay!), which told me they didn´t yet know when they would know (oi!). Given that I´m due in Singapore by 29 July, it seems more and more likely that this internship will fall through. A shame, as it would have been a great experience, but not the worst thing in the world. I can probably just go for it later.... this summer was a bit tight anyway. I will keep my loyal readers updated on that front.
For now.... goodbye from Easter Island.
This geographic isolation makes it an appealing destination for many tourists. Add to this the fact that Easter Island has probably more archaeological sites per sq. km than most other locations in the world, let alone islands.... and it is quite stunning geographically.
This of course makes it a great destination for almost anyone.... but as much as Ive enjoyed all of this, its something else that intrigues me the most about this place. Given the how geographically isoalted it is, it is astonishingly connected to the rest of the world, particularly to Chile. There are (cheap) internet cafes everywhere.... the stores are well stocked with pharmaceutical items, potato chips, and beer - all of which must clearly be imported quite often. My Canadian cell phone even gets service here! The people here.... on paper and in brochures they have a polynesian culture. Geographically, it is part of the polynesian triangle, and its polynesian heritage is a big part of its tourist drawl. In fact, in early February there is a crazy traditional festival that traces its roots back to ancient times. This aside, you feel much more like youre in Latin America. It is Spanish, not Rapa Nui (the indigenous langauge) which is heard most often. Signs are almost exclusively in Spanish, with more English than Rapa Nui. Food is more influenced by Chile than by Polynesia.
Anyway, I have found it to be an incredible destination.... possibly my favourite ever. The downsides include a dearth of available food (I´ve lived on white bread, cheese, and empanadas - a variation of white bread and cheese, with shrimp mixed in). The restaurants that exist are VERY expensive. My first night here I ate in one.... had a (admittedy reasonably nice) shrimp dinner, with a Pisco Sour (official drink of Chile = AMAZING) and a glass of water.... came out to close to $30 US!!!!!!
What have I done here? Cycled around (as lonely planet says, its a two wheel playground!) and read alot... nights are pretty quiet and lonely.
Pictures from EI will be on facebook upon my return to Montreal (a week from this Sunday), along with the pictures I have from Southern California, and my 3 hours in El Salvador.
Other updates: After not hearing much about my Washington internship, I sent them an email a few days ago, asking when I might expect to start, etc. I got a reply (yay!), which told me they didn´t yet know when they would know (oi!). Given that I´m due in Singapore by 29 July, it seems more and more likely that this internship will fall through. A shame, as it would have been a great experience, but not the worst thing in the world. I can probably just go for it later.... this summer was a bit tight anyway. I will keep my loyal readers updated on that front.
For now.... goodbye from Easter Island.
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