Sunday 30 March 2008

Saturday 29th

I spent most of the day by the pool and chatting with people in the hostel as there were supposed to be riots around town. I went to see one of the protests at the plaza near the hostel and there was music and singing and dancing and it seemed more like a carnival or fiesta than a protest.

Interview and pizza

I went in the the Instituto Britanico to talk to Raquel’s classes about myself and teaching which was a bit of a shock after only three hours sleep but it seemed to go really well and the students were interested and as they were all training to be teachers they all had lots of questions for me.
After that I went to Grant’s English which is a company which sends English teachers to businesses like Johnson and Johnson to teach private or small group lessons. They said that they were worried about hiring me for only three months as said that they weren’t sure if they could get someone to replace me but said they had some classes which would be over before the end of June. So I’m going in on Tuesday morning to teach a trial lesson so they can see I’m not totally incompetent.
There were more Ninja Turtles around and apparently Friday was the day when they were rioting about the transport system so there was tear gas on the metro in the morning and in the centre. Despite having been in the centre all morning I saw none of this.
I phoned Patty’s friend, Maria-Teresa and told her that I would take the flat and texted Cristian (the Chilean guy who wanted to rent the flat in Plaza Italia) to say I wouldn’t be taking the room and he was very graceful about it and congratulated me on finding a flat.
I finally gave in to my cravings and had a Dominoes pizza with a couple of people in my dorm. Mmm. Pizza.

Mercurio and flat hunting

I went to put an add in the Mercurio for Saturday, Sunday and Monday advertising my services as an English teacher which was a pretty good price seeing as I had quite a few words. I went to the pre-columbian museum where there were lots of pots and figures and some textiles and good explanations of what they were and why they were made that way.
In the evening I went to see another flat in Provedencia which belonged to Patty’s (Raquels’s friend who is also an English teacher) friend and had my tandem with Patty which means that I speak castellano / Spanish with her and then we speak English so we both get to practice. The flat was much nicer that the one before, the neighborhood is nicer and I would have my own bathroom and breakfast provided in the morning as well as use of the kitchen and washing machine. It was a little bit more expensive than the other one.
After that Patty gave me a lift to Marja’s and Aranca’s house and I went out to Subterraneo with Aranca and her other German friend from the Goethe Institut. I had to leave pretty soon after we arrived though as I had an early start in the morning.

More markets and flat hunting

I went to another market with Kathy and tried this weird soup stuff made with cold water, honey, dried apricots and prunes and grains which was tasty but too weird of an idea to really enjoy it so Kathy finished the rest off. There were loads of cops in riot gear standing around the banks who look like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and actually the Chileans call them ‘tortugas de ninja’ or something so I wasn’t far off.
In the evening I went to look at a room in a flat rented by two Chilean guys. The flat was cheap and pretty basic but very cheap and it would be nice to practice my Spanish with my flatmates. I told them that I was seeing another flat in Provedencia the next day though so could tell them yes, or no on Friday.

Saturday 29 March 2008

A day off

I was feeling a bit dispondant so went to a market with Kathy (one of the girls in my dorm) which sold craft stuff and then went back to the hostel to get ready for my first private lesson in the evening.
I got to las condes (one of the wealthier neighbourhoods) and walked to the house of my first and only client. When I asked a lady in the street for directions she also asked for my number so she could get in touch for private English classes.
The lesson went well and we just talked English for our first hour.

Job Search continued

I went to a huge national copper company's offices in town to see if they needed any teachers to help with training but to no avail so went to Cecilia's to collect my English teaching books.
I went to the mall nearby to try and catch a bus but got distracted by the shops and Starbucks who don't sell Skinny Blueberry Muffins which is not surprising when you look at the size of some of the Chileans here.
I got a bit lost on the buses as no one seemed to know where they were going but I made it back to the hostel eventually.

Tuesday 25 March 2008

Cerro San Cristobal and Bellavista-again

I went to Marja's house and we had a gossip about this and that and decided to head to Cerro San Cristobal to see if the pool there was open despite that everyone said it would be closed. Well, we went up in the teleferico and yes, it was closed and the water was a nuclear green colour so we weren't even tempted to go in.

We continued up to the top in the teleferico and climbed up the steps to the virgin and sat and surveyed the town from above. We went down in the Furnicular and into Bellavista neighbourhood where, because it was Easter Sunday, most places were closed. There were few or no Easter processions here which surprised me because Chile is a catholic country like Spain which has tons of stuff going on. The working week leading up practically comes to a halt with all the semana santa processions but apparently that doesn't happen here.

The Andes

I went to meet David in the Vega for lunch (lots of delicious fruit) and then we went together with Raquel and Rocio (David's collegue's daughter) up to the Andes by car to a place called Valle Nevada which was 3025 feet up. It's usually a skiing place but seeing as it is autumn there wasn't any and we didn't do much hiking as I wasn't prepared in my sundress and strappy sandals (I didn't know I was going there.). It was really beautiful and the rocks were all different colours but unfortunately I didn't have my camera (only my Chilean phone camera which isn't great) so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Thursday 20 March 2008

Day of pool

Today was a day of relaxation. My German and Swiss friends went on to the north and Peru so I got up early to say goodbye to them and then headed down to the pool a bit later on.

I got chatting to a couple of English girls who had just finished university and were discussing plans and were thinking of moving down to London soon to find work.
I cooked with an English girl called Bella who was funny and we had a drink at the pool bar but not a very eventful day.

Valparaiso

I joined the German and Swiss guys on a trip to Valparaiso for the day. It is a harbour town about an hour and a half away from Santiago. We were a bit worse for wear in the morning as the whole hostel had been out until the early hours.
It was really misty and cold down in the harbour but we went up a furnicular to the top of one of the hills (there are many as it's the shape and uniqueness of the town) and walked down through a shady neighbourhood. The houses were a bit like a posh favela but all different colours and really pretty.
We went to meet an English woman who we took the bus with as she had left her backpack in the taxi and had had to go to the police. Her hostel was beautiful. La bicicleta on Cerro (which means hill) Alegre and there was a trendy bar there with cool chilean music playing. Colectivo Eterio (etheral shared taxi-literally.).
We then went up to Pablo Neruda's house on Cerro Bellavista and just as we thought the view couldn't get any better it did.
We walked down the Avenida Ferrari where there was a lot of Grafitti art to look at and then got back on the bus for Santiago where I got cooked for again. This is the life!

A day by the pool and St. Patrick's Day madness

I chilled out by the pool most of the day after an interview with another school but the same thing. They are interested but they would want me for a year minimum. They suggested I did private lessons (clases particulares) though and the lady (another Cecilia) said she would take my cell number and pass it on to people she knew.
I met a German and an Austrian and then cooked dinner with them. Well I didn't do any cooking, I just sat back and watched. Much better. I wouldn't wish my cooking on anyone anyway.
We joined the Irish at the pool bar and then later on went on to an Irish pub which was insane. There were Chileans doing Irish dancing and playing the bagpipes (I thought the latter was Scottish?) and then it all got a bit more rowdy and there were people standing on chairs shouting their heads off and chanting and then a really drunk New Zealand guy fell over a table and knocked all these glasses over. He broke one of our Irish friend's sunglasses and they said it was time to go. They said that they had never had to leave an Irish pub on St. Patrick's day. Crazy!

Sunday lunch on Cerro San Cristobal

I joined dad's friends and their family for lunch on Cerro San Cristobal which was really nice and good to see them all again after the cabana in Llanquihue. We went for cake in comunidad Vitacura and I had chocolate walnut cake which was gorgeous but let's just say I didn't need any dinner after that.
I went back to the hostel and had a swim and then chatted with people by the bar who were Irish and planning St. Patrick's Day celebrations for the next day.

The Vega and Avenida Suecia

I went with David (dad's friend) to the hostel and dropped off my bag. It looked pretty cool. With a pool, bar and wireless internet. Then I went to the Vega which is a huge fruit and veg market where David exports fruit to other countries. It's not like any of the other places in Santiago that I've been. It's like proper south america or what I imagined it to be.

I got back to the hostel and found out that there was a bed for me (you get put on a waiting list and so have to phone at one each day until you get a bed.). Not long after I'd arrived my Dutch friend Marja turned up because she'd just got her purse knicked on the Plaza de Armas. We went to a call centre and she cancelled her cards and then went to the police station to report the robbery. That was quite amusing as the policeman didn't seem to be able to type or spell properly and need two other not very intelligent officers to help him. They were quite funny though and were joking with us.

In the evening I went round to Marja's and we cooked with her flatmates who were very multicultural (German, Dutch and American) but only spoke in Spansih which was good practise.

We went to a bar afterwards at one. That's normally going home time in England but people head out at that time here. We went to an area called Avenida Suecia which was a bit of a meat market but then left pretty sharpish and went to have a drink in Providencia (the area that Marja lives) which was much more pleasant and got back in at 5. I stayed at Marja's as I didn't want to wait for the tube and it's a long way back to where my hostel is in Barrio Brasil.

Friday 14 March 2008

Some photos from Junin de los Andes





Day one of job search

I spent the morning sending emails to various people to see if there was any work going and then headed to Falabella (a department store near here) to buy a mobile phone. So I am now a slave again to my phone. I've only received two calls so far but I need to make some more friends and give them my number. I spent the rest of the day trying to upload a video of penguins but to no avail. It was taking forever so I got impatient and gave up.

I had a bit more luck this evening with work. The hostel where I'm going to move to whilst I'm looking for a place said they might be interested in giving me free board in exchange for 18 hours a week work but we'll see if they've got any jobs going. I'm going there tomorrow. Also another of my dad's friends phoned and said there was a lady interested in me from another group of state schools to teach English so that sounds promising too. I've got to phone her on Monday.

All in all, not too bad. Only one day back in the city and lots of opportunities popping up. Good!

I practised my Spanish as well today by chatting on MSN with an Argentinian friend. So despite the fact that my holiday is over for a bit, everything is running pretty smoothly.

Journey to Santiago

I got on a bus at 10am and we left pretty promptly. I was sitting next to an old lady (again) who was chatting about the weather and making small talk which I usually enjoy but with a ten or so hour journey ahead I didn't want to launch into any kind of dialogue so I politely excused myself and put on my headphones. Thankfully my ipod lasted most of the way excluding our lunchbreak in Chillan and a quick stop in Talca.
The view from the window was amazing except I was on the wrong side for the mountains and the old lady next to me nicked my seat which was a window one. She got off at Talca which I think is where my camera disappeared in the comotion of people getting off the bus. Well, good luck to whoever has it. It's broken and there's no charger so they'll be disappointed. Maybe they can get something for the memory card though if they can work out how to delete the photos.
We finally got in to Santiago at about 7.30pm. I was convinced it wasn't Santiago because I was expecting towering buildings but the bus station is a good £7 (a night's accommodation in a hostel in Chile) taxi ride away from where I needed to be. I just realised that I didn't have my camera when I got in the taxi so I had to pay the driver for the short distance that I'd travelled and run back to the customer help desk where they phoned the driver and he said that nothing had been left there. Hmmm...
I was reunited with the gato demonio when I came in who soon tried to attack me for having the cheek to walk past me and who tried to get into my room and then hissed and spat when I went in there.
David rang the school Redland for me to see if there was any work but they weren't interested if it was for less than six months and I can't possibly stay here that long. I've got the travel bug.

Wednesday 12 March 2008

Temuco

I moved to an affordable hospedaje run by and old woman in a really old house with high ceilings and immediately felt more at home than the hotel. I am a true traveller now! I went to the regional museum which was being renovated so didn´t really see anything much but the building was nice.
I took a taxi up to the top of cerro ñielol and then treked down in flip flops. Not sensible. I went to the conaf lodge half way down for some info and it turns out that there are some wild cats living there and they're big! I walked really quietly but only saw some little birds in the bushes making enough noise to be a big cat.
I wondered around town and then had a siesta at the hostel completely unintentionally! I am turning into a south american too.
I get my bus back to Santiago tomorrow so it's my last day of being a traveller. I'm quite sad.

Last day of Pucon and half a night bus

Everyone from the dorm left early in the morning so I got up to say goodbye. It was supposed to be nice so my plan was to go to the beach but the sun was a bit lazy in coming up. I went into town for a walk around and thought about going in to see the education govenor in the municipalidad to see if there were any jobs going. He was out visiting schools though but I got as far as his desk and the lady said I didn't need to make an appointment, I just needed to come back later which I intended to but the beach was too nice.
Tashi and I ate in a restaurant in town and then headed down to the beach for a spot of people watching and sunbathing. We were followed by three dogs who must have realised just how cool we were because they were growling at the other dogs who tried to join us and one of them even stayed at the beach with us and followed Tash some of the way home. I will miss those dogs!
I got on a bus for Temuco (it in fact goes all the way to Viña del Mar which is miles away-about twelve hours) and had a semi-cama seat which is a seat that half reclines as opposed to turning into a full bed. An old lady got on next to me and started chatting about this and that in castellano so I got to practise my Spanish again. I arrived in Temuco at ten and went to a really nice hotel as I hadn´t had very much sleep over the past few days and thought I'd pamper myself.


Tuesday 11 March 2008

Flor, the hostel and our dorm group





Photos of Pucon





More beach and a meal out

I went to the beach AGAIN. I'm going back to Santiago soon so I'm enjoying the cooler weather and quiet towns whilst I can. The boys in our dorm had gone up the volcano so when I returned they were all looking a bit sunburnt. We all decided to go out for a last supper at Chef Pato (I think that's the name) and then returned to the hostel for more sampling of wine and accidental breaking of glasses.

Lunch and beach

We all woke up feeling a little bit worse for wear but the boys who we went rafting with decided that they were going on a 44K bikeride. No way I was going. I went to the beach with the only two sane people left in our hostel. We went to a restaurant for lunch and had a day of leisure. In the evening the girls cooked and the boys provided the wine for a meal and we stayed up into the small hours and kept the owner awake I think.

Saturday 8 March 2008

Rafting on the Trancura-Grade V!

I got up to go rafting at 10.30 but there was only me and Rachel (an american girl staying in my dorm)-not enough for a raft. I also got up an hour too early because my alarm clock was still on Argentinian time which explains why the supermarket was closed! I went back to the hostel and luckily three guys who had just arrived had booked rafting with the hostel so we had enough people so go in the afternoon.
Our guide was called Jaime and he was a lot of fun. He told us that the most important thing was just to 'go hard' which I assumed meant paddle a lot. The river was much bigger than the one near Bariloche and there was much more white water. Some of the rapids were really scary and one was grade V. There was a grade VI one but it is illegal to take non professionals on there so we had to get out of the raft and walk around. We got to jump off a really high cliff into the water to join the boat again which was pretty scary but exhilarating.
When we finished the river our drive who was German the hostel owner gave us pisco sours and crisps. The guide invited us all out for drinks later on.

Pucon otra vez

I went to a beach which the lady in the hostel recommended to me on a different lake which she said was more beautiful than the one in Pucon. She was right. It was quiet and there was hardly anyone there which wasn't ideal for me as I like to people watch whilst I'm on the beach. They also were playing music but only seemed to have two CDs and after you've been there for five hours it does become a bit trying so I know the latest U2 album and another regaton album off by heart.
I got back to Pucon later in the evening and booked a rafting trip for the next day. A new found hobby.
I chatted to people in the kitchen and then the Israelis came by to invite me out for a drink. We went out at twelve and went to a bar in the town called El Bosque (the wood) and it was all wood inside. They were right. I had two very strong Caipiroscas and then we got a lift back to our hostels from two other Israelis who had hired a car which was very welcome as it had just started to rain.

Israelis and buses




I got up early and headed to the bus station. I said my goodbyes to the very Italian Argentinians and got on my bus. The day before when I booked my ticket the man at the kiosk said are you sure you want to travel today? There's a huge group of Israelis on the bus and your seat is the last one. I assured him it was fine and I met a group of really lovely Israelis on the bus. It took a pretty long time to get through the borders but we got to Osorno an hour early with four hours to go until the next bus. I went with my little group of new friends and ate in a cafe. There isn't much to see in Osorno. It's not very beautiful but it was interesting to see what a bigish town looks like in Chile. We got back to the bus station and waited for our next bus to Pucon which was delayed. JAC buses always seem to be. We arrived at eleven and I went to my comfy hostel Donde German where I'd stayed before and had an early night (by south american standards.).

Beach and shopping

I got up early to get my ticket to Pucon and then headed back into town to do some shopping (clothes) because the clothes in Argentina are way cheaper and better made than in Chile. I went to the cathedral which was pretty but not really special too. Then I headed out of town to a nearby beach which was OK but not great. Pucon is waiting for me.
On my way back I met Javier (an Argentinian guy who had been staying in the same hostel as me in Junin) and took him up to my hostel to see if there was room for him too. In the evening I had dinner in the kitchen with the Argentinians staying there and really practised my Spanish. One of them was very strange and told me that Argentina had no capital which of course provoked a heated discussion as there were other Argentinians present but I did learn something interesting from him about colour theory and he told me that when people dress themnselves they should pintar los ojos (paint your eyes.). OK, maybe another day. I don't really have time to think about colour coordinating whilst travelling.

Tuesday 4 March 2008

White-water rafting on Manso to the Chilean border



I got on a mini-bus and drove for two hours with our group to the manso river. We had a second breakfast and then got kitted up in wetsuits and stuff. We got on the water after having our pictures taken and there were some calm parts of the river to practise as it was grade III (not too hard but some of us including me were beginners.). I think our team was pretty good and only two people fell out unintetionally. There was a lot of boat tipping and falling in and we were able to go through some rapids ourselves out of the boat. The rapids had funny names like exorsista and garganta profunda.

We had lunch at a campsite and then had half an hour on the beach by the beautiful green clear water and I went in for another dip. Much colder without a wetsuit!

Refugio Frey






I went on a hike up to Refugio Frey which is a good few hours tough hike (in my opinion) up and around a mountain but not to the top. Apparently it's one of the easiest but I'm not so sure. I went up with an English guy I met in the hostel who has been going lots of trekking and so had no problem alomst running up. He was a good pacer I suppose. At the top there was a refugio (refuge) which really was a refuge as I was really exhausted. There was a lagoon (full of melt water I suppose from the snow) and I had a dip. Pretty cold. A girl from the shore told me I was 'loca' (mad). Good observation. I also bumped into an English couple who had been travelling for a while in south america and they told me their stories and recommendations of places to go on the descent. We all just managed to get back down the bottom to catch the bus back into town. I certainly won't be doing a hike like that any time soon. White-water rafting the next day!

Sunday 2 March 2008

Bariloche-arrival

I arrived in Bariloche at about lunchtime and got a place in a nice hostel. I met an English guy who had been there a few days and an Australian and we wandered down to the tourist info to get info on treks. I thought I'd be brave and do a two day trek but chickened out. I'm just going to do a nice easy one tomorrow which means I can have a good sleep and don't have to miss the breakfast. I took a wander in the town and it's really touristy compared to Junín. Hardly anyone is from Argentina and there seem to be more tourists than locals. There are also lots of shops which is going to be a bit dangerous for those of you who know me and who also know the size of my backpack at the moment. I think it weighs more than me!

Junín and the Parque Nacional Lanin

I took the micro with Cesar to the park and we went for a small trek. We saw loads of different types of birds which don't even exist in England and lots of wildlife. The best thing was the view of the volcano Lanin and the mountains and the quiet. To get to the area we trekked in we had to get a boat across part of the lake which was manned by two little boys who rowed us all the way to the other side for a small fee and you had to ring a bell to get their attention. They ignored me on the way back though and I had to go and ask one of their cousins to take us. Photos will follow when I work out how to put them on from my video cam.

Junín first day and the dog


Pucón and Climbing Volcán Villarica






Zoe, Marja, the climbing group and views from the top.