Why You Should Go to San Pedro de Atacama

The Guidebook Atacama Top 5:
1. Tatio Geysers
2. Sunset in Valle de la Luna
3. Tour of Valle de la Muerte
4. Flamingo Watching at the Altiplano Lakes
5. Traditional Andean Villages

My Atacama Top 5:

1. The confidence boost to my Spanish--Since it's a tiny little town that survives entirely on tourism, San Pedro is absolutely filled with extranjeros. For this reason, I think the people of San Pedro, much more so than Santiaguinos, are used to, and even expect, the majority of people they encounter during the day to a) not know Spanish, or b) butcher it. It might sounds bad, but just walking around San Pedro and hearing travelers speak Spanish put me on cloud nine about my own language abilities. Add that to the compliments--yes, I actually received compliments on my Spanish instead of the blank, uncomprehending stares I get in Santiago--and the one case of mistaken identity (someone asked me what part of Spain I was from), and I was feeling pretty big-headed by the end of the trip. But, after five months of language insecurity I think I've earned a little pat on the back. Thanks for that, San Pedro.

2. Solar powered water heating systems--It sounds crazy, but this worked better than any other system I've encountered in Chile. At our hostel, as long as you did so during daylight hours, you could enjoy a long, consistently hot, high pressure shower. This is priceless in the desert, where you get dust and dirt everywhere, especially when you're there during an extremely rare weather system of insane wind storms.

3. Pizza--Once again, sounds crazy, but, when you're on a budget (and San Pedro is anything but budget-friendly) and traveling with a non-adventurous eater (shout-out Sarah), it's great that just about every place offers cheap deals on this staple. You can't go wrong with some crispy dough, tomato sauce, and cheese. Even better, most places threw in a free glass of wine with it. "What about taking advantage of the local cuisine?" you might say. San Pedro isn't the place for that. With any entree, even at the diviest place, costing upwards of 7,000 pesos ($14), you're better off checking out Chilean gastronomical offerings in Santiago where prices of food haven't been inflated for the tourist set.

4. Feeling like you're starring in a) Aladdin, or b) a John Wayne movie--If it's a middle eastern, Arabian nights vibe you want, head to the giant sand dunes of Valle de la Luna. We saw them by horseback, in the middle of a sandstorm (cool, but not so cool), and when we came around the corner and saw the huge drifts, it seriously took my breath away. If you'd prefer rugged, rocky plains to giant mountains of sand, they have that too. The Valley de la Muerte, the Cordillera de la Sal, and the entire drive to the Tatio Geysers are some of the harshest, unfriendliest looking landscapes I've ever seen. But it's incredible how their rocky, dusty, brown lifelessness, which sounds so ugly, is actually amazingly beautiful. Pictures don't do it justice, but if you've never seen a desert, it's definitely a sight I'd recommend at least once.

5. The uber-relaxed dress code--In the states, it's really no big deal if you head out to the grocery store or to do errands in a fleece and yoga pants. No one is going to look at you sideways. In Santiago, it's expected that you put a little more effort into your appearance if you're heading out in public. That's fine, but sometimes it's nice to just not have to care about what you look like. And that was definitely the case in San Pedro. I'd venture to say that, in our black yoga pants, sneakers, layers of fleece, and ponytails, Sarah and I looked downright cute by San Pedro standards (clearly, the locals who whistled at us were also impressed by our desert-chic look). Palm Springs it ain't, when the predominant fashion code consists of an alpaca poncho, various scarves, and a woolen hat, and jeans feel dressy. For a couple days though, it felt good to leave the makeup and all fashion sense at home.

Forbidden Fruit: Thoughts on Chile from a Visitor

Lucky for me, my visitor doesn't have writers' block....maybe I'll get something posted one of these days...in the meantime enjoy Sarah's account of her "Chilean experience"

There are many things you're not supposed to bring on an airplane. Some are obvious- the usual suspects: knives, guns, chemicals, etc. These days, a few more, seemingly less harmful items have been added to the list: most sporting goods, nail scissors, and, according to the TSA website, cattle prods are specifically prohibited in carry on baggage. So one can imagine, upon my arrival in Chile, my absolute shock when I was pulled from the line in customs and sequestered to a small office where I was questioned. The offending article: una manzana. AKA, an apple. A single apple, nestled in the bottom of my carry-on bag, that I had planned to eat en route and simply forgot about, was what almost landed me a $230 fine and my name on a Chilean blacklist.
    Apparently, it is a crime to bring food of any kind into Chile.  So I was pulled aside, and the crime was written up. They weighed my manzana, (2 onzas) and recorded the weight, as well as the location of the forbidden fruit when they came across it… (in el bolso…) After, I was questioned to make sure that I didn't have “mala intenta” in trying to sneak this apple into the country. Since this was my first offense, I would not be fined; however, the manzana had to be destroyed…
    All of this went on as Megan patiently waited for me outside of customs, not knowing what had become of me and if I would ever appear. Having no way of contacting her, I worried she would leave and I would be stuck in the Santiago airport. Thankfully she's a better friend than that....
   
    I don’t know what I expected before coming to Chile, but I think Megan’s guide book sums it up well when it says, “Paris, it ain’t.” Though, what Santiago lacks in energy and culture, it makes up for in natural beauty. Sitting in a valley of the Andes, the majestic, snow-capped mountains are visible from most parts in the city. When the sun peeks through the smog and lights up their peaks, it is truly breathtaking. And there are plenty of places from which to take in the views, including the Cerro San Cristobal, a gigantic hill overlooking the city, and the Giratorio restaurant where we had coffee as the restaurant floor spun around, allowing us to take in a panoramic scene of Santiago.

 Walking through the city, I was surprised to see so many stray dogs. There are black labs, German shepherds and Australian shepherds, to name a few, wandering the city, without collars. These dogs are stray, as evidenced by their, ahem, droppings, all over the sidewalks, but many of them appear to be well-fed, and well-groomed. Most of them I would take home. So if anyone wants a pet, ask Megan to sneak one on the plane when she comes home. They are really nice too, they follow you around and just like being near people.

Another thing I  noticed about Chileans-- they all look like they got dressed in the dark. “Moda” or fashion, is virtually nonexistent here. Everyone was super bundled up because they are all “con frio” or freezing, when the mercury drops below 70 degrees, and the unbearable temperatures were the topic of many conversations I heard in coffee shops, convenience stores and when friends greeted each other on the street. But even when the temperature drops in New York, people find ways to still look their best. Here, anything goes. Most of us probably think acid washed jeans disappeared after the 80s, but actually, somebody just boxed them up and sent them down to Chile.

Not that I was there to shop, but I didn't see one clothing store that even moderately resembled a store in the U.S. Each store that we visited had maybe 10 total articles, and never more than one of each thing. And no store sold only clothing, they all sold a mish mash of trinkets, candles, incense, and home wares with a kitschy flare that are interesting to look at, but not to buy. I  passed several shops that claimed to sell “ropa Americana,” aka consignment shops that sell old college T-shirts and army fatigues. I’m really glad that this is what the rest of the world thinks of our “fashion.” But seriously, one day on the metro I saw women (and men) in tight, white, skinny jeans (remember, its winter here) with pleather, Velcro sneakers and layered sweatshirts with prints reminiscent of M.C. Hammer’s pants. For the most part, the men stick to the relatively inoffensive sweater over a button down with a tie look, to combat the frio temperatures, though I saw my fair share of these sweaters in a healthy shade of rust… For the women, anything goes… from layered, fringed, ill-fitting sweaters to floral printed mini skirts with striped tights. I saw it all, even on people who appear to be dressed for some sort of professional atmosphere… I think maybe when the temperature drops, anything goes down here.

Our day trip to Valparaiso showed me a far more quaint side of Chile. (Though I’m not sure “quaint” is the appropriate word for a city with over 800,000 occupants.) There were few high-rise buildings in this city, but built into hills along the sea were endless colorful abodes, each one fighting the others for an oceanfront view. On the streets, artists have scrambled steep hills and climbed walls for prime real estate to display the local craft of choice: graffiti. On most walls and paths, graffiti covers every inch of free space, but this is not the vandalism or autographs you see in the subways. These are real creations, pictures of people and places, colorful swirls and scenery that decorate the walks along this city’s windy streets. Megan and I had a leisurely stroll through the hills, wondering where all the people were. Then we had a long, Chilean- style lunch outdoors on a private patio. Our lunch, in true Chilean form, included two glasses of wine each and it really felt like an escape. I could get used to this. We finished our adventure with a walk along the port and a restful bus ride back to the bustling streets of Santiago.

Sarah's visit and San Pedro Photos

I can't believe it's been over three weeks since I last posted! July has absolutely flown by. I'm hoping to make up for neglecting this blog in the next couple of days, but to start out here are my photos from my friend Sarah's recent visit to Santiago and our trip to San Pedro de Atacama in the north of Chile. Disclaimer: If looking at landscape pictures of other people's vacations makes you curse digital cameras, beware. There are LOTS of scenery shots and a couple dorky self-shots (Sarah left a day early and I had to make do!). And really,  pictures just don't do the desert justice. It was by far the most awe-inspiring landscape I've ever seen. Unlike anything else and completely other-worldly. I'll have a more thorough account of the trip up shortly...

On the Air

Apparently I was on the Chilean nightly news on Thursday.

Friday morning I was in the teachers' lounge at Duoc picking up my attendance book and signing in for the day when one of my Chilean colleagues said, "Megan, I saw you on TV last night. You were talking about the earthquake. Did it scare you a lot?" It took me a second to put two and two together and realize what she was talking about.

About a month and a half ago I was walking home from the gym, through a small park near my apartment. In the middle of the sidewalk there was some professional camera equipment set up. A young woman approached me and asked if I had time to answer a few questions about my experience of the earthquake. I told her that I wasn't Chilean and that my Spanish was far from perfect, but she assured me that they were interested in getting any and all perspectives, encouraged me to try my best with the Spanish, and ushered me to the chair in front of the camera. She interviewed me for about 15 minutes, asking questions about where I was when the earthquake happened, how I felt, what I remember most, and how it affected my life. She seemed pleased with my responses and my interview in general, and when we finished she told me that it would be airing on a program called La Liga at the end of June/beginning of July.

I had pretty much forgotten about the whole thing until Friday morning. The first chance I got I went on the internet to try to find the clip. No luck! And I only got more curious to see my Chilean television debut ;) as, throughout the day, about a dozen of my students also told me that they had seen it. If I manage to find it, I'll be sure to post it on here, as I'm sure it's pretty entretenido.