Travel Blog Posts
April 19th 2007
A Day at the Rodeo South America » Chile » Osorno By Maria B April 19th 2007url='/Videos/3489.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/3489.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;' Rodeo In April, Jen and I were fortunate enough to catch one of the last events of the Rodeo season here in Chile - apparently it's a big deal. The family that Jen's staying with compete each year. We got to see all their trophies! It was so funny to see the Chilean huasos (pronounced “waso”- kind of like cowboys we have in the states) who walk around wearing their big hats and spurs with pride. During each run, the team gets points depending on what part of the cow they pin against the wal... read more
Patagonia Part III: Penguins and Chocolate
Published: April 4th 2007South America » Chile » Magallanes » Punta Arenas
April 4th 2007
url='/Videos/3240.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/3240.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;' Sea Lions After spending another night in Puerto Natales, we took a three hour bus even farther south to Punta Arenas. There I was happy to find a laundry mat and spent the afternoon exploring the small city. The next morning Jen and I woke up at the crack of dawn to see some penguins!!! There were about ten of us in total, a couple from Argentina and a family from Japan. We got into a small boat on the shore of Seno Otway - on the Strait of Magellan! After about an hour we started to see little penguins bobbing around in the water! We pulled up close to a small island where the shore was covered in sea lions. We noticed the gigantic males first - you couldn’t miss them! They ... read more
Patagonia Part II: Torres del Paine National Park
Published: April 1st 2007South America » Chile » Magallanes » Torres del Paine
April 1st 2007
The second leg of our trip was a three-day/two-night hiking adventure in Torres del Paine National Park. In Puerto Natales Jen and I rented two sleeping bags and a cooking set and bought enough pasta to last the trip. We took a short bus to the entrance of the park where we used our Chilean IDs to get a great discount on the park entrance fee - we paid about eight bucks while everyone else had to pay thirty! The man behind the desk gave us a map and told us to watch out for pumas. With that we were on our way! Most hikers take the W trail which leads to all the famous sites and takes about a week to complete. Since Jen and I were a little short on time (we missed ... read more
Patagonia Part I: The Navimag
Published: March 26th 2007South America » Chile » Los Lagos » Puerto Montt
March 26th 2007
Patagonia Part I: The Navimag South America » Chile » Navimag Cruise By Maria B March 26th 2007 The Navimag The Navimag is the name of the huge boat we took to get from our starting city of Puerto Montt (about an hour from Osorno - click on the map to the left!) all the way down to Puerto Natales near El Fin del Mundo (literally the End of the World). Due to the weather, it ended up taking almost a week - a day or two later than we´d hoped, but fortunately, the only rough waters we passed were through the Golfo de Penas, and the rocking only lasted about half a day. Thanks to an anti-seasickness pill I b... read more
March 21st 2007
Right now, Jen and I are sitting in a café called Dino’s where they have internet access! They’re playing the soundtrack to Gone with the Wind. I’m drinking fresh fruit juice and watching the hustle and bustle of the little city of Osorno outside. I’m so amazed at the flocks of people downtown. The first day we were here we thought there was some kind of festival going on because of the masses of pedestrians in the streets, but it turns out it was just a typical day - lots of people taking advantage of the back-to-school sales. It’s nice to see few a town over-run by families rather than cars. Even though I’m taller than everyone else on the street (this may be something only I’m self-conscious of) no one really looks at me ... read more
March 1st 2007
I've arrived safely and soundly for my semester here in Osorno, Chile! I met my friend Jen from CUA in Atlanta (she's from Oregon) and from there we took a 9 1/2 hour flight to Santiago, Chile. After a few connecting flights, we finally arrived in Osorno, where the airport building is only as large as the baggage claim belt. Our program coordinators were waiting on the other side and welcomed us with a kiss on the cheek (that's a standard greeting here). Our coordinators then dropped me off to meet my hostfamily. Olga, the owner of the house is recently retired. Her son Hardy is living here for the month in order to study for the Bar Exam he’s taking at the end of March. The “nana,” Ines, is a live-in maid. The contrast between ... read more
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