Chillin' in Chile

This is going to be an entry mostly in pictures, because words can’t capture what I’ve been experiencing. This past weekend I traveled to Valparaiso and Isla Negra, which are costal cities an hour and a half or so from Santiago. At Isla Negra we saw Pablo Neruda’s favorite house. It’s incredible, and the views of the ocean are breathtaking. A picture’s worth a thousand words, so here you go. This is one of the many amazing views from his home. He also has a bunch of crazy collections in the house, of bizarre things from bugs to doorknobs.


We stayed the night at El Hostel Yoyo in Valparaiso. It’s a really colorful and lively place with guests from all over the world. I spent some time talking politics with people from France, Belgium, and the UK. It was a lot of fun. Here’s a picture of Kirsten and me by our beds at the hostel. Kirsten is my awesome new friend. She's staying in Santiago for 6 months, doing a semester after the summer program...I'm so jealous! Anyway, Valparaiso is a great city, built right into a bunch of crazy hills. Some of the parts of the city you have to take acendores (kind of like weird elevators built into the mountains) to get to the streets. Some were built in the 19th century, so they are awesome but creepy.




Finally, today we were back in Santiago and we decided to go to Cerro Santa Lucia, a beautiful hill that was turned into a park, with stairs and buildings leading up to a beautiful view. Here’s a few pictures of the trip up and the view from the top (note the mountains in the background!):



Anyway, other than all of that I've just been spending time exploring the city. I love it here so much. There's always new sights to see and places to go, and I haven't even left the metro red line yet... Santiago is a lot like an American city, but with lots of quirks that are purely Latin American. I do have to admit, however, that I am currently in Starbucks. I try to stick to the more authentic spaces but nothing else was open this late. Besides, it came with recommendations from my host sister.

Adios amigos! Thanks for the comments and emails.

- Lauren