I took the rest of the week off from school to travel with mi familia. From Concepción, we flew north to Santiago where my dad had rented a car. I was more keen to just take buses to our destinations (we all know how much I love those)...cheaper and less hassle (usually). However, my Dad insisted that it would be an adventure to take some back roads. Famous last words. Also of noteworthy significance was the fact that automatic gear-shifting technology has not yet made it to the automobile world south of the Equator. It's not that my dad didn't know how to drive a manual car, it was just that he was a bit rusty. In particular, there was a rather embarrassing (my sister might even classify it as mortally traumatizing) incident at a bus stop.
We pulled over in the middle of a small town so I (the always trusty navigator) could consult a map. Of course, the open space we had pulled into happened to be the loading zone for buses. This was abruptly brought to our attention (as well as every townsman's) that we were NOT supposed to park there. HELLO!! YES! WE ARE THE DUMB AMERICANS INVADING YOUR TOWN! We tried to reverse but the engine only revved. Again, and again, and again....and again. My dad taught the onlookers some select American profanity, my sister sunk low in the back seat with her face buried in her jacket, and I futilely tried to diffuse the tension by stupidly smiling and waving at the townspeople. After a few very painful minutes, we (and by that I mean, my Dad) finally discovered the trick...you have to pull UP on the stick shift to get it into reverse. Heh...would have been helpful to know before taking on the Chilean countryside.
We spent the next couple days cruising along the Chilean countryside which favored California terrain, battling the map, stalling frequently, and trying out the local eateries. We also toured all three of Pablo Neruda's eccentrically designed houses. Neruda was an iconic Chilean poet whose work I read in college...I selfishly drug my sister and Dad along on the house tours but they were good sports...dare I say they even enjoyed themselves? Neruda was also an influential diplomat and played a key role in Chilean politics, including the rise and fall of President Salvador Allende and the notorious Pinochet. This was an effective way to entice my Dad, as one might consider him to be somewhat of a history buff. Anyhow, in Valparaiso we also explored the naval shipyard and walked along the beach in Viña del Mar.
Things that we learned while traveling through Chile:
1) Shannon is better at driving stick shift than I am. She stalled once and tried to shift from first to fourth gear. I also stalled once, but somehow managed to shift from first to fifth gear. After this experience, we both decided to cut my dad a little slack for the bus terminal incident.
2) Tear gas causes violent sneezing. When we arrived in Valparaiso, my sister and Dad went to go park the car while I checked into our hotel. They came back a few minutes later with watery eyes and a bad case of the sneezes. Apparently there had been riots (students protest A LOT here...no big deal) a few hours earlier and tear gas residue was still lingering in the air. I'd hate to experience a fresh dose.
3) There is no effective way to ward off the stares of Chileans. My sister and I tried smiling, staring back, ignoring them, and in one case, making ugly faces. Note: the latter only draws more stares.
4) Not to trust Kelsey when she's says, "Oh yeah, definitely within walking distance...it's only a few short blocks away!"
5) E.T. is infinitely more entertaining when dubbed in Spanish.
6) If you get on any highway that runs through Santiago and drive in circles for approximately 1 hour, you miraculously arrive at the airport. It's the strangest phenomenon.
All in all, I think it was an interesting trip for them...they definitely walked away with a better understanding of the Chilean culture. I returned to Coelemu, rejuvenated from my family time, with some pretty rusty Spanish. Salud! (Cheers!)
A few pictures for your viewing pleasure:
In Isla Negra:
In Valparaiso:
Pablo Neruda´s Valparaiso house:
The side of a wall in Valparaiso (I never said I was a photographer)
Viña del Mar
Dinner one night:
We pulled over in the middle of a small town so I (the always trusty navigator) could consult a map. Of course, the open space we had pulled into happened to be the loading zone for buses. This was abruptly brought to our attention (as well as every townsman's) that we were NOT supposed to park there. HELLO!! YES! WE ARE THE DUMB AMERICANS INVADING YOUR TOWN! We tried to reverse but the engine only revved. Again, and again, and again....and again. My dad taught the onlookers some select American profanity, my sister sunk low in the back seat with her face buried in her jacket, and I futilely tried to diffuse the tension by stupidly smiling and waving at the townspeople. After a few very painful minutes, we (and by that I mean, my Dad) finally discovered the trick...you have to pull UP on the stick shift to get it into reverse. Heh...would have been helpful to know before taking on the Chilean countryside.
We spent the next couple days cruising along the Chilean countryside which favored California terrain, battling the map, stalling frequently, and trying out the local eateries. We also toured all three of Pablo Neruda's eccentrically designed houses. Neruda was an iconic Chilean poet whose work I read in college...I selfishly drug my sister and Dad along on the house tours but they were good sports...dare I say they even enjoyed themselves? Neruda was also an influential diplomat and played a key role in Chilean politics, including the rise and fall of President Salvador Allende and the notorious Pinochet. This was an effective way to entice my Dad, as one might consider him to be somewhat of a history buff. Anyhow, in Valparaiso we also explored the naval shipyard and walked along the beach in Viña del Mar.
Things that we learned while traveling through Chile:
1) Shannon is better at driving stick shift than I am. She stalled once and tried to shift from first to fourth gear. I also stalled once, but somehow managed to shift from first to fifth gear. After this experience, we both decided to cut my dad a little slack for the bus terminal incident.
2) Tear gas causes violent sneezing. When we arrived in Valparaiso, my sister and Dad went to go park the car while I checked into our hotel. They came back a few minutes later with watery eyes and a bad case of the sneezes. Apparently there had been riots (students protest A LOT here...no big deal) a few hours earlier and tear gas residue was still lingering in the air. I'd hate to experience a fresh dose.
3) There is no effective way to ward off the stares of Chileans. My sister and I tried smiling, staring back, ignoring them, and in one case, making ugly faces. Note: the latter only draws more stares.
4) Not to trust Kelsey when she's says, "Oh yeah, definitely within walking distance...it's only a few short blocks away!"
5) E.T. is infinitely more entertaining when dubbed in Spanish.
6) If you get on any highway that runs through Santiago and drive in circles for approximately 1 hour, you miraculously arrive at the airport. It's the strangest phenomenon.
All in all, I think it was an interesting trip for them...they definitely walked away with a better understanding of the Chilean culture. I returned to Coelemu, rejuvenated from my family time, with some pretty rusty Spanish. Salud! (Cheers!)
A few pictures for your viewing pleasure:
In Isla Negra:
In Valparaiso:
Pablo Neruda´s Valparaiso house:
The side of a wall in Valparaiso (I never said I was a photographer)
Viña del Mar
Dinner one night:
So glad your family could visit! And regarding dinner - EWWW..... How does one even tackle that? The first person to think of eating that must have been very, very hungry! I can see why gloves were necessary!
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