so here we are, week numero 3 of the protest. today, tuesday june 2nd, teachers from all over chile migrated to santiago for one huge protest. the government has offered the teachers money... just not the full amount they were promised. so the teachers remain on strike. and from what i understand, will remain on strike until someone decides to show them the mula.
on a lighter note... ryan kelly and i headed north this past weekend in hopes of findin
g some warmer weather. first stop: valparaiso. okay so i want to eat this city up. almost every building in the town is an obnoxiouslly brilliant color. the town is set on multiple "cerros" or hills, which are lined with quirky little houses, shops with handmade goodies, restaurants, and art galleries. when the city was first being established, there were no urban plans... so everything was placed randomly on the hills, which explains all the windy streets and random stairways that lead to secret hiding spots within the hills. so fun. soooo fun.
so we stayed at this fantastic little host
el called Aleclon finehostel... its taken care of by an equally fantastic man, alberto. alberto took the time to show us a fabulous walking tour around the city our first day there. it was a tremendous help, and we wouldnt have seen half of what we did if it werent for him. of the many historic and beautiful sites we were fortunate enough to visit while in valpo, here are a few of my favorites:
1. multiple "pasajes" or walkways. apparently if a man was interested in a certain lady, he would invite her to "walk the pasaje" with him in the evening. according to history, if the lady accepted the invitation, the man had an automatic "in" and was able to kiss her at some point while walking on the pasaje. but ah-ha, ladies dont give in too soon! the man must romance her before she will pucker up. way to go ladies.
2. the death stairs. this is the longest staircase in valparaiso. there are multiple tragic stories of men and women falling to their death (usually while intoxicated) on this incredibely steep stairwell. four men have suffered heart attacks mid climb. one man allegedly died "with a wide grin on his face," having had a heart attack while walking behind a lovely lady sporting a miniskirt a very convienent 20 meters below. at least he died happy i guess.
3. naval academy. first latin american naval academy is propped up on a hill in valpo.
4. "ascensors." this literally means "lift" or "elevator." these old cable cars take you up the sometimes steep hills for cheap. good way to give the glutes a rest.
5. collectivo boat tour. after waiting about 30 minutes to take off from the dock, we took a little boat tour around valpo's bay area. i couldnt understand a darn thing the tour guide said, so ryan and i had a fun little photo shoot on the boat (please see below). it was super cold. i didnt get sick either. go me!
on a lighter note... ryan kelly and i headed north this past weekend in hopes of findin
g some warmer weather. first stop: valparaiso. okay so i want to eat this city up. almost every building in the town is an obnoxiouslly brilliant color. the town is set on multiple "cerros" or hills, which are lined with quirky little houses, shops with handmade goodies, restaurants, and art galleries. when the city was first being established, there were no urban plans... so everything was placed randomly on the hills, which explains all the windy streets and random stairways that lead to secret hiding spots within the hills. so fun. soooo fun.so we stayed at this fantastic little host
el called Aleclon finehostel... its taken care of by an equally fantastic man, alberto. alberto took the time to show us a fabulous walking tour around the city our first day there. it was a tremendous help, and we wouldnt have seen half of what we did if it werent for him. of the many historic and beautiful sites we were fortunate enough to visit while in valpo, here are a few of my favorites:1. multiple "pasajes" or walkways. apparently if a man was interested in a certain lady, he would invite her to "walk the pasaje" with him in the evening. according to history, if the lady accepted the invitation, the man had an automatic "in" and was able to kiss her at some point while walking on the pasaje. but ah-ha, ladies dont give in too soon! the man must romance her before she will pucker up. way to go ladies.
2. the death stairs. this is the longest staircase in valparaiso. there are multiple tragic stories of men and women falling to their death (usually while intoxicated) on this incredibely steep stairwell. four men have suffered heart attacks mid climb. one man allegedly died "with a wide grin on his face," having had a heart attack while walking behind a lovely lady sporting a miniskirt a very convienent 20 meters below. at least he died happy i guess.
3. naval academy. first latin american naval academy is propped up on a hill in valpo.
4. "ascensors." this literally means "lift" or "elevator." these old cable cars take you up the sometimes steep hills for cheap. good way to give the glutes a rest.
5. collectivo boat tour. after waiting about 30 minutes to take off from the dock, we took a little boat tour around valpo's bay area. i couldnt understand a darn thing the tour guide said, so ryan and i had a fun little photo shoot on the boat (please see below). it was super cold. i didnt get sick either. go me!
6. casa de pablo neruda. so there's this poet guy, pablo neruda, who apparently wrote some pretty wicked poems in his day. he has three houses, spread out between santiago and valparaiso here in chile. being that he was a popular guy during his lifetime, his funeral was to be a public event. however, the military dictator, pinochet, wouldnt allow it. despite pinochet's commands, the public crowded the streets in honor of the poet, his funeral becoming the first public protest against the military dictatorship. here's some more info if you're interested in reading more about neruda: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Neruda
7. the way the hills sparkle at night. from a distance, the hills of valpo seem to be sprinkled with gold glitter and its pretty neat.
8. ex-carcel. literally meaning "ex-jail." this old jail is now a cultural park where people come and tag the walls with beautiful artwork. it looks like graffiti from afar, but the images are worthy of praise.
9. valpo's childrens orchestra. we saw a random poster presenting the orchestra's autumn concert which was neatly placed in valpo's main cathedral. pretty sure god was smiling while listening along with us.
k so those are a few highlights from our trip to valpo. we also headed to vina del mar the last two days of our trip. vina is known more as a "resort" town, and has a more snooty vibe to it. i enjoyed it greatly, mainly due to the beach access and family vibe. if you're looking for an american style vaca in chile, go to vina.
i think i'll be taking it easy the rest of this week... hang out with my fam whom i havent spent much time with these past two weeks, make some cookie dough with kelly, read the chilean version of cosmo i picked up on the street today (i know. trashy, but a girl needs some easy reading!), possibly rent some bikes and ride around los angeles with ry, and just soak up some of autumn's soft sunrays before stormy winter hits.
lots of love and blessings from chile <3
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