Hasta La Vista, Chile

Recent weather: low 70s and sunny Friday-Monday in Iquique; low 70s and sunny during the day, lows in the 30s at night Tuesday-Friday in San Pedro de Atacama; current altitude: 7800 feet above sea level.

Recent reads: Ezra, Nehemiah; "Ernesto Che Guevara" by Marcos A. Alvarez.

Long post here but it has been the best week of my whole trip so far so forgive me for gushing. I won't be offended if you just skim through the photos. Well, mostly, I just won't know.

I arrived in Iquique, Chile mid-day on Friday. If Iquique sounds familiar to you, it's probably because an 8.2 magnitude earthquake hit Iquique just a little over a month ago which made world-wide news. The city is no stranger to earthquakes and reacted quickly but there still a major highway that is down to one lane as they continue to clean up the rubble that tumbled down the mountain.

Still not tired of these.

Follow the boardwalk to the casino!

Random petting zoo.

A couple of fishermen

Highlights of Iquique include:

1. Paragliding! I've wanted to go paragliding for some time now and Iquique has a reputation as being one of the best places in South America to do it. Once the pilot got the parachute under control, he called out for me to walk and then run until I'm sprinting towards the ledge. Just when there's no more ground to run on, the chute picked us up and we were off! I'm pretty sure I was still doing the running man for a bit even after we were in the air. Once we're up, it was time to sit back and enjoy the amazing views of the city. While most of the air time we're gliding about smoothly like a baby in a bassinet, we do follow thermal wind currents which can take us in circular patterns. I didn't get motion sick at all, but I can see how some would with the circular motions. Towards the end of the ride, the pilot did some acrobatic twists and twirls which brought me back to my Six Flags Great America days. We landed on the beach with a less than graceful finish, not surprisingly.

Ready for action!

Running off a cliff. Everyone was doing it. 

This girl gives paragliding 2 thumbs up!

2. The people! After spending 3 weeks with a family in Arica (don't get me wrong, I liked it), it was nice to hang out with other travelers my age again. The hostel had a pool table, table tennis, an epic playlist, and several balconies with ocean views which set the scene for socializing. The hostel seemed to be overtaken by Australians but with the regular smattering of Europeans and a few Americans. One sweet Aussie, knowing where I was headed and knowing how cold it was going to be, even lent me his llama fur jacket for my upcoming trip to Bolivia!

3. Sushi! I've been seeing sushi a lot lately but haven't tried any yet since I consider that to be a sharing type meal. We had a few rolls and salmon sashimi which was obviously very fresh-yum!

On Monday, a New Zealander and I discovered we were both heading to San Pedro in the Atacama Desert so we set out together, taking an 8 hour overnight bus to Calama and another 2 hour bus ride to San Pedro. San Pedro is a small village, mostly just tourist agencies and restaurants along the main drag. Just two days ago, San Pedro got a foot of snow and not all of it had melted yet. (P.S. Is it supposed to snow in a desert?)

Main street in San Pedro

That afternoon, fueled on pancakes and good coffee, the New Zealander and I hit some of the local sights. First, we went to Valle de Luna (Valley of the Moon). We hiked up huge sand dunes to get a 360 degree view of the national park. Even though it was late afternoon, the sun was still fierce. (See, I do know what a desert is like.)

Next, we went to Tres Marias, a 3 pronged stone structure that they say looks like Mary in different poses. Finally, we went to Valle de la Muerte (Valley of the Dead) where we watched the sun set and the mountains change all different colors proving that God truly is the ultimate painter.

Yes, that's snow. 

On Wednesday I went swimming in Laguna Cejar which is 40% salt content so you despite your best efforts, you just float at all times. (The Dead Sea is 30-35% salt.) The water was "refreshing" to say the least but completely worth it. Afterwards, you are caked in salt so a shower is a must.

All this could be yours for 3 easy payments.

Just floating...

Typical Wednesday.

Our tour continued on to Ojos de Salar, two round bodies of water next to each other like two eyes. No one is exactly sure how these were formed, perhaps by indigenous people looking for water, entrepreneurs looking for oil, or just maybe even an alien invasion! These little lakes were much less salty but also much colder. For some reason I was the only person out of the whole group who was brave (read: stupid) enough to swim here but as soon as I jumped in, I understood why. Brr. But hey, when in Rome!

No, I'm not wearing pants.

Our last stop was Tebinquiche where we watched the sun set and the mountains change colors. The mountains reflecting in the 10cm of water in the forefront made for an amazing sight! We capped it off with a pisco sour (okay, two) and headed back to San Pedro.

Snow on the mountains, salt in the foreground.

I'll cheers to that!

I had an incredible last week here in Chile, so much so that, despite the cold, I almost don't want to leave. But Bolivia calls! On Thursday I relaxed in San Pedro, resting and mentally preparing for what's next. Friday morning I head out on a 3 day, 2 night 4WD trip to the salt flats in Uyunia, Bolivia. Most say that the trip is almost as difficult as it is breathtaking with the rustic conditions, high altitude, and bitter cold but that it's all worth it. As always, I'll keep you posted on my travels as I see it.

Adieu, Arica

Recent weather: 70s and sunny every day.
Recent reads: 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain

Happy to say that this work exchange was a great success! Batting .666 aint half bad...But, after 3 weeks here in Arica, it's time to continue on my way.

Some highlights from the past couple of weeks:
1) Surfing. I have attempted previously in San Diego last summer but it never fully came together. It seemed I couldn't really keep my lanky limbs in check and I usually just flailed about on the board for a bit like a baby giraffe learning to walk, before somersaulting into the water awkwardly.  But after 3 lessons here in Arica with the legendary, quintessential "surfer dude" Yoyo Sepulveda, one day it all just came together and clicked! Since then, I've been trying to surf as often as possible. The waves here in Arica have been great for learning, small but long, so once I pop up, I can ride the wave practically all the way to shore. Of course, when I triumphantly ride the wave for as long as possible, I am humbled by the task of paddling all the way back out. Fortunately, after a good ride, I'm so stoked that I can't wait to get back out there and ride another! It's hard not to be in a good mood when I'm sitting on my board in the middle of ocean waiting for the next set of waves with sea lions playing on the rocks nearby, sea turtles popping up here and there, just watching the sun set off the coast of Chile!

2) The Circus. We noticed some activity going on in the empty lot across the street and it turns out the circus has arrived in Arica! I went to El Gran Circo de Ruperto on opening night with the two boys. I haven't been to a circus in forever so I was pretty entertained. My favorite act was the hula hoop girl who lit her hoop on fire and then lifted herself up in the air and back down, all while keeping the hoop going! The circus was hosted by, of course, Ruperto. The character Ruperto portrayed the typical drunk Chilean with an intoxicated stagger about stage, slurred speech (which made it even more challenging to understand what he was saying), and a goofy laugh. During the comedy bits, I would say I generally understood what he was talking about but missed a lot of the punchlines. Overall, the circus was a huge success in my book!

3) Festival de Independencia. Last Saturday night I went to a music festival where 3 groups performed. The music was mostly pop with a little bit of rap tossed in. The headliner seemed like a big hit with the teenage girls. Or maybe they were just jealous of his bedazzled jean vest. I wouldn't say they are my new favorite boy band (can you have a favorite "boy band?"), but I enjoyed the energy and was certainly entertained. The headliner was a 2 man duo that went all out with 5 dancers, 3 backup singers, and 5 band members. Throughout the performance, they blasted confetti, glitter, clouds of fog, had 2 guys in glow in the dark suits on jumping stilts doing flips, and for the last and final attempt to win everyone over, the lead singer brought out his infant daughter dressed in a pink leopard print outfit with a matching headband. I don't think the baby had any ear protection but I applauded the overall showmanship nevertheless. Or maybe that was just the pisco sour talking.

There are definitely a few things I will miss about Arica:
1) Mornings with Magdalena. Señora Magdalena and I leave the house everyday at about 10am to do computer repairs in clients' homes for a few hours. We do a lot of walking about town so we have ample opportunity to talk about pretty much everything including, but not limited to: futbol, painting, did you see what that girl was wearing?, books, ugly dogs, international travel, why she only has 2 kids, life goals, what's up with Bolivia?, religion, taxes, how our grandparents died, nuclear power plants, rap music, etc. There was one day when I told her that my stomach didn't quite feel right and I needed to go home immediately to use the bathroom; I think we bonded because I felt strangely close to her after that. Magdalena is open to talking about pretty much anything and regardless of the topic, she'll usually make some kind of irreverent joke at the end and we'll share a good laugh.

2) Siestas. After lunch I usually take an hour snooze and it's amazing. Traveling, I usually leave my hostel late morning and don't return until evening time since I'm seeing all the sights non-stop. But my love affair with naps has now been rekindled.

3) Someone else cooking for me. I guess the last time I had someone making all my meals for me was high school? And even then I ate lunch at school. While the portions here have been ginormous and meals are generally carb-heavy, I've gotten pretty used to someone else doing all the work in the kitchen.*

4) Francisco/Francesca. Franny is the neighborhood tranny. He/she stops in the store here pretty regularly to use internet for a few minutes. Then, he/she will spend twice the amount of time that he/she was on the computer asking me how much services cost (photocopying, scanning, etc.) but never actually needs anything photocopied or scanned. Sometimes he/she goes all out on her look and really tries to sell it and some days she just throws on the same pair of white, super tight booty shorts and calls it a day. But considering Francisco isn't supposed to be into me, he/she is strangely friendly to me in particular, and almost always buys me a Fanta or brings me cookies or mangoes.

My next stop is Iquique, Chile, as I make my way to Bolivia in the next couple of weeks.

*Note to self: Must hire personal chef.

Happy Mothers' Day from Arica, Chile!

Recent weather: 70s-80s and sunny all week.
Recent reads: 2 Samuel, 1 Kings; "The Right Wrong Number" a short story by Barbara Delinsky

I arrived in Arica, Chile, on Sunday and have spent the last week living here with a family. Arica is almost as north as you can possibly get in Chile, right on the border of Peru and Bolivia so Arica is a cultural melting pot. The mother runs a local computer repair/internet/printing business and the father is starting a non-profit volunteer program in Huarmey, Peru. Their home is behind the computer business.

Every day I go with Magdalena for a few hours to visit clients in their homes and diagnose/fix their computer issues. Once you finish laughing at the idea of lil' ole me fixing computers, continue to read on. These in-home visits are usually pretty simple. Mostly we just reload ink cartridges or install anti-virus software or do basic diagnostics. For example, I diagnosed that a client's printer wasn't working because there was a barbie shoe stuck inside it. I removed the pink pump and it printed perfectly. 2000 pesos please. These visits have given me the inside scoop on Chilean houses. My biggest observation is that Chileans like stuff. Their homes are packed full of useless gadgets, old clothes, things they don't use or need but for some reason still continue to hold to. And yet the markets and stores are still full of people every day wanting to buy more. This goes along with what Magdalena has said, that Chileans are obsessed with buying things and buying them now and that the introduction of credit cards has changed the middle class forever.

For an hour each day, I teach the 12 year old English. This was something the mom just sprung on me the first day but I felt like I certainly couldn't say no. However, it's definitely more difficult than it sounds. Teaching kids is challenging enough but keeping this kid interested in English (which he is not at all interested in) has been really, really challenging. I've definitely stretched my imagination in thinking of ways to make the the longest hour of our lives go by faster which include a hand-drawn board game, Simon Says, and, of course, bribery. (We learned directions and I told him if he gave me proper directions in English to the ice cream shop, we'd go there and get a cone.)

My little board game invention, patent pending.

While Arica isn't on most people's must-see list, it's been a pretty great spot to chill. Magdalena making me 3 home-cooked meals every day doesn't hurt. I had to build up a few days' worth of courage to politely ask her to cut my portions in half. The highlights here have definitely been my time at the beach. Every other morning I run on the beach and use the exercise equipment conveniently located right on the sand (genius!) and every afternoon I take a walk on the beach too. There are always tons of people out running, walking, working out and Arica is very safe. I also had a surf lesson with local legend (everyone knows him or at least of him) Yoyo Sepulveda.

You say there are no sharks, but this makes me think otherwise!

You know what they say, "Let sleeping dogs lie..."

No membership fee but the pool's a little cold.

Watching the sunset.

I spent Mothers' Day climbing the Morro in downtown Arica which has an amazing view of the whole city. I spent the rest of the afternoon at a sports bar downtown, sipping beer with the local men as we yelled and screamed and chanted "Chi chi chi le le le" at the futbol matches going  on.

Just thought it was a pretty church.

The flag marks the Morro which juts out into the ocean.

Quite a hike up... 

But worth the view.

Arica

Me and Arica

From the Morro

Cristo de la paz at the top

From the top.

 My stay here in Arica is open-ended so I'll probably leave sometime this week. Gotta love the spontaneity of backpacking!