Day Tripper Parte Numero Dos...

My next day trip from from Valparaíso was to Isla Negra to visit the house of Pablo Neruda. Neruda is the famous Chilean poet, diplomat and political figure that won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. The award was a bit controversial because of his activism in the communist party. The only knowledge I had about Pablo was in regards to his stay,in 1952, in Capri, Italy. The foreign film Il Postino is about his stay in Italy while he was in excile and although the film is fictional, it has the facts right about his poetry and his activism. I had seen Il Postino when I went through a foreign film netflix phase so, I wasn't completely ignorant as to his life's journey.

I took a 2 hour bus ride to his house on the sea where it has been turned into a museum. He was a collector of all sorts of things from all over the world. He had collections of different globes, bottles, masks, model ships and so much more. The house is still furnished much like it was when he lived there. He loved the ocean and had the house built to model a ship. He and his wife Matilde are burried on the property. He died in 1973 at age 69. Again, it was an overcast day with a lack of sun, but the property was beautiful and the house was very unique. I chilled out for a while by the ocean...can't beat that! One thing though, why is it called Isla Negra when it's not an island...don't know...hmmm...

I hopped on the bus back to Valpo and organized myself for my trip back to Santiago the next day. Valpo - cool city!

We Interrupt the Regularly Scheduled Program...

Ahhh....where has the time gone? Oh yeah, I've done about a million things over the last few months, claro!!!

I am a few weeks behind on the documentation of "The Amazing Adventures of Patricia" (amazing that I am here anyway...)! I want to get it down right and not rush so, I am sure that I will have to finish up after I get home. I am currently making my way back to Buenos Aires where I will be catching my flight home. I arrive in the beautiful San Francisco Bay on Thursday, December 11th. I will be home for about a month before I hit the road again. I miss everyone and I am looking forward to spending Christmas at home. It doesn't feel like the holidays to me at all - well, other than the occasional Christmas tree sighting which reminds me what time of year it is!

I am looking foward to seeing you, hoping that you are enjoying the holidays! Sushi, holiday eggnog, movies, excercise (I am in desperate need of regular excercise - I have indulged way too much in Argentina), Christmas caroling (ah yeah, no), etc. let's do it...I want to see you!

Felice Navidad!
Abrazos y Besos a todos!

ps - many have asked about my legs (that sounds really odd...)...anyway, they are better! Thank you for asking. After over a month, I still go through some major itch attacks where I feel like I could scratch my skin off (I know, I know...but it's really hard not to scratch). I am hoping not to have permanent scars. My ankles have become like balloons - with the night buses and the heat, they expand and contract regularly, but no more infection! Yahoo!

Viña del Mar...Daytripper...

I was awakened by one of my favorite sounds, the fog horn! The fog horn reminds me of the little place where I used to live in the Marina and of my 1st taste of freedom! I love hearing the fog horns of the SF Bay! It was an overcast morning which wasn't ideal for my day trip to Viña del Mar, but whachya gonna do? Viña is just a short train ride from Valparaíso and is a city beach resort that offers a beach respite for the locals. When I arrived, I arrived in the main square of town and walked the main drag. There were many many modern shops and you could pretty much find anything you need. There were so many beauty salons offering hair extensions, I was amazed. I saw the salons but, didn't see anyone sportin them - where did all the extensions go? I saw a protest march. The signs were about fair wages for hospital workers - some things are the same no matter where you are from! The dogs here are fearless. They camp out right on a busy sidewalk, passed out, not really caring that the entire population has to step over them. Of course, there's a hotel O'Higgins...Dave...

Again, walking and walking was on the agenda! While doing all this walking, I find myself practicing my Spanish with signs. I read all the signs - street, shop, flyers, etc. If I don't understand a word, I write it down and look it up later. It helps expand my Spanish vocab! I made my way to the water and the beach and lingered at Wulff and Ross Castles taking in the seaside air. The sun was missing so, there was a definite chill in the air. I enjoyed Viña for the day, but I think I would have enjoyed it more had there been some sun. I can see the potential! I headed back to Valparaíso and decided to splurge on some good food. I just couldn't choke down another empanada de pino (meat filled turnover with harboiled egg and an olive) or eat anymore fried food. The empanada de pino has been my food of choice because it's baked, not fried like almost all the food here. One of the main staples here in Chile is the hot dog, not just a hot dog, but a hot dog smothered in mayo, cheese and avocado or hot dog cut up and mixed into greasy french fries with melted cheese...yikes! I found a vegitarian restaurant, EPIF Limitada, near my hotel and splurged on am amazing tofu burrito. It was so good, I stayed and had a glass of wine and dessert! I needed that! I am missing the food variety and veggies from home!

Valparaíso...A Marinero Town...

I arrived in Valparaíso around 8 a.m. I decided to walk to find a hotel. I walked and walked and noted that the town is full of hills! Upward with my bags I went. Finally, I found a passable place with a great view of the water. I decided that I would stay in Valparaiso for 3 nights and use it as my base for day trips.

Once I got situated, I was off to explore the town. The views of the water and the surrounding port town made me shutterbug happy. Valparaíso is a crazy port city with houses upon houses. The houses are on hills that seem to be neverending. There are steep footpaths to get around and also, the famed Ascensors (lifts that take you up and down different areas of the city). The town itself is definitely more grungy than Santiago and for sure than Pucón, but it has a definite character to it. I walked to the end of town where I took an Ascensor to the Marinero Museo. There, they have everything Marine and I was educated on the liberation of Chile by Bernardo O´Higgins in the early 1800s. O´Higgins was the son of an Irish engineer and a Chilean aristocrat´s daughter and he played the primary role in Chile's liberation from Spain. Virtually every town I have visited so far has named the main street "O´Higgins" (Dave, I think of you all the time here!). Again, I walked and walked all day. I was pooped out and decided that I wanted to go see a show that night. I ended up going to see the new James Bond movie, Quantum Solace. It was between a movie and a tango show. I chose the movie since I knew that I would be in Argentina soon where tango is the thang. The movie was in english with spanish subtitles. I loved Casino Royal, but was a little disappointed with this one. That´s ok, Daniel Craig is still nice to look at!

My impression of Chile is that it is so underrated. At home, I never heard much about it. Now that I have visited a few places, I just love it here! Although, the food - I am so missing the food back home.

Pucón or Lake Tahoe...Where Am I?

I arrived in Pucón at 8 a.m. and was a little out of it. The night buses can be rough even if you sleep most of the way. I found Hospedaje Victor where the bed was amazing..ahh!!!

I wandered around town and walked to Lago Villarrica. This lake and surrounding town is a complete reminder of Lake Tahoe, almost (again, almost) better because there were less tourists. I, immediately, fell in love. I am going to move here (just kidding...well kind of...). This place is so peaceful and wonderous. From the town, you can see snow covered volcanos and mountains. I decided to book my tour for the next day. The main reason I went to Pucón was to hike Volcán Villarrica (as if I needed more hiking after Machu Picchu). When I was in the tour office, I ran into Shiobhan who I had dinner with in Santiago. She had just hiked the Volcán and gave me the run down on the day. I hit the mercado to buy my breakfast and lunch for the next day. I saw Jen´s favorite ceral in the store...Zucaritas, and Choco Zucaritas...ha ha Jen, I laugh because it took me back to Costa Rica! I met Shiobhan for a drink that night and then it was off to bed for me, I had a big day ahead of me!

The big hike was to take about 5 hours to get to the top of the snow covered volcán and about 3 hours to get down. Oh boy, here we go! I met my tour group at 7 a.m. and we were quickely outfitted for the hike - backpacks, pants, jacket, pick and boots. We were a small group. It was me, Steve and his daughter Jennifer from Austrailia and our guide, Pedro. We began our trek in the snow...step, step, step...whoa, this was going to be hard. It was pretty steep so, we had to zig zag up the mountain and walking in those heavy boots was not easy. I fell a couple of times and had to catch myself with my pick so I didn´t go sliding back down the mountain. We carried cramp on clamps in our backpacks, just in case the snow was too icy. It turned out, we did not need them. I brought a ton of food and ate it all! I think I was exerting a ton of energy with each step. Jennifer didn´t think she could make it up the hill so she turned back about 1/2 way and the 3 of us continued on. After about 4 1/2 hours, we made it to the top! The views were marvelous and I loved that you could see all of the surrounding lakes. Pucón is in the Lakes District of Chile. There are many many lakes similar to Lago Villarrica in the area. Can you imagine - a ton of mini Lake Tahoes all in the same area? Again, I am in love!

Coming down the mountain was the funnest part of the hike. We strapped on (sounds, well...anyway...) "sliding pants" and slid most of the way down the mountain. We used our pick as a brake. I was cracking up and had so much fun. I felt like such a kid. I crashed at one point and just kept going. Hilarious. We made pretty good time getting back down and were back by 4 p.m.

I received some great tips for my Australia trip from Aussie Steve and absolutely loved my experience in Pucón. After the hike, I was spent and headed to the bus station where I took another overnight, semi-cama bus to the ocean. I was off to Valparaiso.

On a Mission, A Wine Mission...

From Santiago, I decided to make my way south to visit more wine country. I hopped on a bus and headed to Santa Cruz. My first day there, I did absolutely nothing. I wrote a little, walked around the town and watched TV. It was great.

The next morning, I asked about taking a collectivo to Bisquertt winery. A collectivo is basically a shared taxi. The taxi runs a certain route and you hop on and off, kind of like a bus. The collectivos are very economical as compared to hiring a taxi straight away. I have been intimidated by the collectivos in Central and South America, I think because everyone already knows where they are going, how much and it can be a very intimate setting. Weird that I have been avoiding them, but not anymore. I took a 15 minute collectivo ride to the winery...no problema! When I arrived at the winery, I wasn´t even sure they were open. Everything was so quiet. The security guard let me in and had me wait in a very lovely "welcome" room where I later partook in my "welcome" glass of wine. I ended up getting a one on one tour from a really cool lady (her name has completely escaped me). She didn´t speak english so it was all en español! I learned a lot of wine related words in español.

Bisquertt is a family owned winery located in the heart of the Colchagua Valley in Chile. I toured the grounds, cellars and the different rooms of the estate. The family collection of old horse drawn carriages and saddles was a favorite of mine. About 1/2 way through my tour, a couple from France arrived and they joined the tour. They spoke a little spanish, but their english was better so we ended the tour with 3 languages. I would translate what I could from spanish to english, they would talk to me in english and then talk amongst themselves in french. We ended with a wine and cheese tasting - all befitting my longing for a wine tasting experience in Chile! The french couple was so nice. They gave me a ride back to Santa Cruz and we chatted about wines from France and the Bordeaux region of France.

Back in Santa Cruz, I grabbed some chow and asked about another collectivo to Viu Manent winery. A collectivo wasn´t so easy to get there because the winery is set back away from the highway. I decided to take a taxi directly to the winery because I was going to miss the 3:00 tour if I didn´t get there soon. I had a recommendation for this winery from a guy at the hostel in Santiago. I made it there just in time and took a tour of the vineyard in a horse drawn carriage and toured the winemaking facilities. This is the first time I had ever seen concrete tanks used for the production of wine...interesting. The winery only produced about 170,000 cases of wine in 2008 and exports the majority of what they produce. My favorite was their cab sauvignon. I met some folks from Chile who were traveling with a co-worker from South Africa. They gave me a ride back to Santa Cruz. I loved the wine tasting experience in Chile. I could have easily stayed and done more, but there were other parts of Chile that I wanted to see so, I picked up my bags and headed to the bus station where I hopped on an overnight, comfy semi-cama bus to go further south to Pucón.

Santiago, Chile...Welcome, Give Us Money & Enjoy Our Wine...

I arrived at the Santiago airport at 6:30 a.m., wiped out and 1/2 asleep. I got off the plane and found myself in line with other folks from the U.S and Canada. Upon entering Chile, U.S. Citizens must pay a reciprocity fee if you enter via the internati0nal airport. $131 - yowza - there´s always an entry or exit tax of some sort, but this was mucho dinero! My recommendation, if you can help it, is to come into Chile via the bus, then you don´t have to pay this huge fee. Good thing they take visa!

I took a shuttle to the hostel that Natasha had recommended and they were full. Boo! They walked me over to Hostel Forestal and they had a room for me. Yay! I napped for a while then headed out to walk around and plan the next day. I took a walk, walked and then, did some walking (just call me Kane from Kung Fu). I really liked Santiago. It´s a real city, reminds me of home. I booked my tour for the next day and I called it an early night.

Wine...ahhh...reminds me of home!

The next day took a wine tasting tour. We were picked up at our hostel and headed to wine country. It was rather funny, our first stop was a cosmetics company...huh? We were given a tour of a company that produces products from grapeseeds and rosehip blossums. Uh...why are we here? Oh, so you can try and sell us your products - next.

Our first winery stop was Viña Aquitania, a small boutique winery where they still put labels on their bottles by hand. We were educated on wine production in Chile. Approximately, 80% of Chilean wine is exported. Chileans don´t really drink wine as they are more into drinking Pisco Sours. We toured the cellar and production facility. Chile is the only country that has the carmenere grape which produces a wine similar to merlot. It was originally brought to Chile from France. In the 1870s, France suffered a plague of phylloxerae which virtually eliminated the grape in Europe. The carmenere grape is now the bordeaux of Chile. The Aquintania vineyard is small and relatively new with great charm. The founders consist of one Chilean wine maker and 3 wine makers from France.

After our first winery visit, we headed to a traditional Chilean BBQ restaurant for dinner. There, we encountered some really big steaks and very large portions - good stuff!

Our second winery visit was to Concha y Toro which is so different from Viña Aquitania. Concha y Toro is, what I would call, the Gallo of Chile - huge and mass produces it's wine. C&T is Chile´s oldest and largest winery. We toured the cellars, beautiful landscaped grounds, and the Casillero del Diablo (wine cave of the devil - named so to keep superstitious workers out of the high end wine cave). We tried a 2006 Chard and Cab Sav - both were ok, not great. Overall, it was a great tour.

I met some fun peeps on the tour and it is such a small world. When I got on the tour bus, I recognized a couple and their baby from the immigration line from when I was at the international airport in Mexico. They are from Venezuela and are traveling S. America now too. Who knows, maybe I'll visit Venezuela someday and get a tour from them...wouldn't that be quite a story?

After the tour, it was out to dinner with 4 peeps from the hostel, a girl from Switzerland, from Austrailia, and from the UK and a guy from Holland - 5 of us - similar to the U.N. I so enjoyed chatting with all of them!