good morning, HOME

Today, I woke up in my bed.  The one in Pennsylvania.  I haven't been home since mid-July, so it felt very different waking up here.  The bed was too big, the sky was too grey, and once I moseyed on down to the kitchen, I found that there were way too many choices for breakfast!

One of the most exciting changes since I've been home is the food I can eat.  Chile has superb produce and seafood - arguably the best in the world - but I've been missing variety in my cuisine.  Also, my diet down south wasn't the healthiest, so I've decided to make some healthful changes (at least until Christmas cookies come around).

For breakfast this morning, I took full advantage of the presence of peanut butter in the pantry.  Not only is peanut butter unreasonably expensive in Chile, it is also insanely unpopular.  Rachael and I bought a couple of jars throughout our journey, but it was a luxury because its price was far too high.

Also, while I was gone, Mom obtained a VitaMix blender - one of the high-quality commercial type.  We had blenders like that at Panera, and they will grind up anything.

Excited to have my first smoothie in far too long, I got creative.  I threw in a bit more than half a banana, about twenty raisins, maybe a fourth a cup of oats, a large splash of milk, and a helping of smooth peanut butter.  (Clearly, I was way too excited to wait around with measuring things, plus I was experimenting.)  Oh, and I threw in three ice cubes, of course.  

With a little scoop of jelly, this would be the perfect "TUB PBJ wrap smoothie."  Maybe I was being nostalgic after my campus visit last night for Christmas Vespers.

I paired this thick and salty beverage with some Christmas-themed eggs:  one egg from my aunt's farm, shredded cheddar, and a bit of chopped tomato and green pepper.  (Again, I was too thrilled to eat that I forgot to take a picture of my pretty egg masterpiece.)  

I guess one might say I'm happy to be home for the holidays.

Homage to my home girl

One of my most unique relationships.  We went from acquaintances to friends in a matter of two days.  All it took was a day of hectic travel mishaps, a sleepover in Cranberry, and the final departure at the airport.  From the Pain Train on, it was obvious we were going to be friends.

Living with Rachael every day for the past four months has been something I've gotten so used to.  Imagining not seeing her next week is a strange thing.  We eat all our meals together.  She has become my Chilean/gringa sister - NO ONE else holds that title in my heart! (Mostly because it doesn't make sense.)

I'd like this blogpost to be a nice little shout-out to the girl that has moved from Sligo to Valpo, from Recreo to Esperanza, back to Pennsylvania, and into my life.;.lp[=0- (the last few characters was contribution from Little Dumper.)

For always baking with me, for culinary successes and failures

For teaching these awesome kids with me

For dealing with these ones

And especially this one

For teaching me how to climb a mountain

For cuddling with me!

For sharing so many good times

For being there, formaking the most of the bad times

For traveling with me, for sharing the world's beauty

For becoming my sister

For Shiny Dog.

El SurReal - Last Stop: Pucón

After eight days of travel with my partner in crime, Rachael, we finally met up with the rest of the group in Pucón.  ISA included a big trip to this beautiful tourist spot for the whole weekend, and it was definitely worth it.  The rest of our classmates took a bus from Valpo all the way down to Pucón, and we met them there the morning of the 12th.

That day, we all went on a tour that showed us many of the facets of the town.  We spent time sightseeing the beautiful streams, waterfalls, and greenery that the south of Chile has to offer; we visited an indigenous Mapuche household, discussed culture and got to try homemade treats; and we finished the day by passing a few hours at the natural hot springs.

original sopaipillas (not donuts!)

On Saturday, I spent the day with friends at the National Park, hiking for a bit but mostly relaxing in the sun.  And on Sunday, we went zip-lining!  I wasn't too nervous because it was my second time. I actually felt more secure hanging from the line than climbing up the wonky ladders on the trees that were blowing in the wind.

Volcán Villarrica

took this shot whilst zipping over a river.

 A beautiful end to our trip, but after a 12-hour bus ride back to Valpo, I was ready to be 'home.'

El SurReal - Puerto Varas

I write this on my last night in Puerto Varas, a small town that reminds me of a western, though I've never really been to the west of the US other than San Fransisco.  There are lots of wooden houses, and the architecture shows heavy German influence.  I like the town because every few shops has something different to offer: coffee shops, chocolates, handmade crafts, restaurants, hostals, outdoor gear, even yarn shops.

Some sort of  carpety moss that looks like little sheep!

Rachael, Chad, and I headed over on a bus to Volcan Osorno.  It was a $4, one-and-a-half to two-hour bus ride, and we were ready to trek, despite the misty weather.  We packed a lunch of salami, cucumber, tomato -- and forgot the bread.  Instead, we made mini stacks and chowed down.  We hiked around through beds of solidified lava at the base of the volcano.  It was a beautiful sight, but the cloudiness of the day blocked the view of the top of the volcano. 

Later that night, we had a 'celebratory' dinner at a local hole-in-the-wall restaurant called "Donde el Gordito."  But it wasn't just some random restaurant, and I wasn't dining with just any old people.  This restaurant had been aired on Anthony Bourdain's show, "No Reservations," and I was chowing with two of his biggest fans.  I ordered a bowl of crab chowder (chupa de jaiba), and it was phenomenal.  Chad and Rachael shared congrio with jaiba sauce and white wine.  They were in Travel Channel heaven, I'd say, and it was wonderful to experience with them.

The next morning, Chad left to go back to his job in Bariloche, Argentina.  So it was just Rachael and I for the day, and we started off with a hearty breakfast at a cafe where we got a discount through our hostal.  Score for frugal travelers.  The best part was the fresh-squeezed orange juice.  I have really been missing real juice, and the fresh-squeezed pulpiness of this glass of jugo really hit the spot.

After breakfast, we bought a few gifts for friends and family at the big artisanal fair in town.  We celebrated this victory because we finally found llama sweaters (an obvious Chilean goal) and bought them for fairly cheap!  Next, we took a bus to two towns that a guide book had suggested:  Llanquihue and Frutillar.  The only mildly interesting thing in Llanquihue was a small park with a pathway that showed tall wooden sculptures that had been carved over the years from native wood (Parque de las esculturas).  Some of them were quite impressive, but it took us about twenty minutes to stroll through, and it wasn't really worth the trip.  We took a bus right on to Frutillar, which was a very eerie town.  It was almost deserted, and it had the feel of a nuketown - strangely perfect at first glace, but eerily vacant.  We sat on the beach and listened to the chickens squawking until we couldn't take it anymore, strolled past the two storefronts in town, and shared a piece of pie.  Then we got the heck out of there and headed back to the hostal.

Frutillar

We cooked raviolis for dinner and played cards for a while, and walked around the town for a bit.   Later, the men from hostal 13 Lunas in Ancud came to stay at our hostal, and we spent the evening with them, drinking piscolas, streaming the presidential election, and playing Jenga til the wee hours of the morning.

Today, Rachael and I headed to a town called Petrohue, to the Parque Nacional famous for its waterfalls (saltos).  Only upon entering the park did I realize that I had forgotten my camera at the hostal!  I don't think I could have picked a worse day to leave my camera behind, because this place was breathtaking.  After viewing a few of the waterfalls, Rachael's camera died.  Bad luck for us, but we certainly got to enjoy the views first-hand.

The waterfalls were beyond impressive.  The deep waters were a profound jade color, and the thinner rushing currents were a beautiful turquoise.  The splashes from the falls between the volcanic rocks showed a contrast of white water on charcoal-black stone.  I have never seen prettier blues in nature than I did in those waters today.  Afterward, we walked through the dense woods where we encountered lush greenery and calm lakes.  We ate our lunch on a giant rock that sat in a lake, surrounded by trees and pure nature.  We saw bamboo and different types of ferns... Everything was so green and smelled so fresh and alive.  It was a beautiful place and I'm so glad we went.

In the evening, after falling asleep on the bus ride home, we cooked up some vegetarian tacos - black beans, tomato and avocado.  We walked through town for the last time and stopped at the same cafe that we had had breakfast at yesterday.  We had coupons for $1.000 pesos off of a beer or a glass of wine, so she ordered a local brew and I had a glass of white wine.  We planned out our final project for one of our classes and also shared a classy blueberry muffin.

Tomorrow, it's good-bye to Puerto Varas and hello to a five-hour bus ride to Villarica, where we will spend our last night before meeting up with our program in Pucon for the weekend. 

El SurReal - Day 2 in Chiloé

Today was a fabulous day.  It started with a free breakfast of green eggs.  I couldn't help but think of good ol' Dr. Suess while feasted on these scrambled gems that are from a Mapuche breed of chickens in the south of Chile.  Unfortunately, ham was nowhere in the picture, but the eggs were quite good.

This was the beautiful view from our hostal, 13 Lunas.  It was a super nice building with wooden floors and a very cool staff.  

We took an excursion with them today to see the penguins that the island of Chiloé is fairly famous for.  It was fascinating to see penguins in nature, along with other native bird species, sea lions, and even two sea otters!

Magellan penguins hangin' out on a rock! The grey one at the bottom is the bebe

Two li'l pengies swimming in the surf

After the tour, we settled down for lunch at the only restaurant on the beach to try some quality seafood.  Rachael and I shared some fresh salmon ceviche, which was delicious.  Ceviche is, essentially, uncooked seafood that is safe to eat because it is cured by the citrus juices and onions that give it a strong, fresh flavor.  Rachael and I also shared an empanada whose contents were cochayuyo - a type of tubey-looking seaweed that is abundant and often found on the beaches of Chile.  It tasted bland, and that's all I can say about that.  We slathered aji (hot sauce) onto the empanada so that it would taste like something.

Playa de Oro

Later, after exploring the town of Ancud for a bit, Rachael and I went to the mercado with a guy we met from our hostal, Chad.  We got to try a free sample of a shellfish called piure.  The woman at the market stabbed a spongey clump of sea-thing with a knife, and after prying it open, plucked a slippery, slimy pink thing from its center.  She squeezed a lemon over the thing, and said, "pruebalo."  Try it.  Somehow, we choked them down, but we chose to buy salmon for dinner instead of the strange shellfish.

Just carrying a slab of frozen salmon through town

 We prepared salmon, rice, zucchini, carrots, and red peppers for dinner and had a great evening of cooking followed by wining and dining.  Later, I learned the blessing/curse of a hostal that gives out endless free piscolas and how dangerous of an offer that can be.  What a great last day in Chiloé, y qué lata es irse.

The fruits of our labor!

El SurReal - Ancud, Chiloé

I woke up to Rachael asking me if I'd like a cup of tea, and a horde of roosters cock-a-doodle-dooing outside the window.  I had to tear myself away from the warmth of the bed to rejoin the chilly morning of Puerto Montt.  We feasted on leftover tomato-cous-cous-soup and biscuits for breakfast.  Same as dinner, except tea instead of wine.  (I had to convince Rach that we should save the second half of the bottle for another night, instead of breaking our fast with it in the morning...)

We took a colectivo back to the bus terminal area, passed some time at the artesanias with some pups and cats, and at last boarded for Ancud.  Only an hour and a half into the bus ride did we wonder how a bus would transport us over the sea to the island of Chiloé.  Well, folks, this is what happens.  Your bus, along with a dozen and a half other motor vehicles, climbs aboard an enormous barge, and that barge scoots you across the water to Ancud.  Duh.

Well, if the weather in Puerto Montt was undesirable, the weather here was wretched.  As soon as we dismounted the bus at the terminal, the rain went from pitter-pattering to dumping right on our heads.  We ran around in the rain with our bags, lost, cold, wet.  Instead of finding our hostal right away, we parked ourselves in a restaurant to get dry and fill our growling stomachs.  And did we do it right.  We ordered burgers and fries:  Rachael's was filled with palta (avocado), tomato, aji, onion, ham, mayo, ketchup.  Mine, believe it or not, was decked with a fried egg, tocino (bacon), mustard, ketchup, aji, and tomato.  All that and a heaping helping of fries.  And somehow, I left my plate clean!

We remained in this funky, woodwind-soundtrack-playing restaurant for at least thirty minutes two long.  Traveling really just puts your mind in a funny place.  You'll realize that five minutes have passed and you don't know why, but your socks are wet and everything's funny...  

Eventually, we got up, paid, and venture back out into the moisture to find our hostal.  Luckily, we were only a few blocks away.  We moved in without a problem and got comfy playing 500 Rummy to wait out the rain.  After a while, the sun came back out and the day was suddenly beautiful.  We explored the mercados (markets) and artesanias.  We met this cute old man who told us about how different Chilotes (people from Chiloé) are from the rest of the people of Chile.  Our chat definitely peaked the interest of the sociologist in me, and I think I have an idea about what to do for Capstone now...!

So far, I really like Chiloé!  And can't wait to see more of it tomorrow.

El SurReal - A Puerto Montt!!

Well, here we are!  Yesterday, Rachael and I took off from Santiago airport at 2PM, and about two hours later, we crash landed in Puerto Montt.  Literally, the girl in the seat behind me shrieked when we touched down.  I've got a mild fear of flying, especially during take-off, touch-down, or any turbulence.  Great.  Well, this time, I was absolutely terrified.  Even Rachael got scared.  "Remember that time our plane crashed?"



Upon landing, the change of climate was more than notable.  We had left beautiful, sunny, warm Valparaiso to vacation in the overcast, chilly, and fairly rainy south of Chile.  We found our "Hospedaje," where we'd be spending only one night.  We ventured to the beautiful cemetery that adorned the small town and explored the colorfully decorated graves.  This was the third cemetery I've seen in Chile, and the vibe is just so different than the negatively-charged idea of death in the States.  

 After enjoying not only a sopaipilla (fried pumpkin dough) lightly adorned in mostaza (mustard) and ají (hot sauce), but also mote con huesillos (food/drink: barley and semi-dried peach swimming in sweet juice), we bought a $4 bottle of wine and headed back to the mini-apartment for a relaxing evening.  We cooked tomato soup with cous cous, sipped our cabernet souvignon, and sang along with Ingrid tunes.  We had Butterfinger pumpkins for dessert (thanks again, Mom, for the Halloween goodies!) and eventually turned in for the night.  

It turned out to be quite an enjoyable evening!  We had heard that Puerto Montt was fome (boring) and not even worth the trip.  However, despite its cloud cover and ghost-town feel, its vibe wasn't so bad.  It was a somber kind of tranquility, reserved but friendly.  I liked it there, but next, it's on to Ancud, Chiloé.