Blogs from Viña del Mar, Valparaíso Region, Chile, South America - page 6

Hola, Our flight from Easter Island was late in arriving, but fortunately our friend's driver, Fernando, was waiting for us with our names on it. He drove us to Viña del Mar, which is on the coast of Chile, where we would be staying with Joann, who is a friend of Peter's parents. Thoughtfully, she had dinner waiting for us when we arrived and we chatted for a bit. The next day, we were picked up and taken to the Naval Museum in Valparaiso, a city twenty minutes south of Viña, where we were given a private tour of the museum by a former admiral and friend of Joann's, Roberto Benavente. It was a very interesting tour, especially with someone who knew so much about the history of Chile's navy. We then went back to Viña ... read more

I can´t believe it, but 3 weeks from today I will be home. I´m of course excited to see those of you I get to see, but I´m not ready to go! Things at the hospital are awesome. I´m now shadowing an internist which is great since it´s a bit closer to our primary care (emphasis on a bit, however). He is an awesome teacher. He takes the time to explain everything to me, quizzes me on what he has already told me, and lets me take all the basic vitals and histories. I´m no longer with a med student but in some ways that´s better because it means he is only teaching me and I don´t feel bad asking simple questions. Plus I have become friends with the med students who, as it turns out ... read more

Thursday 22.7.2010 day 281 A day at the beach Today we got up and had bfast then we went for a walk down to the beach we saw a fairytale castle and buildings made to look like boats and we got tailed by a navy boat. We then did a bit of shopping then we went out for lunch. Even though it was a lovely sunny day it was still very cold. We had a good look around Vina Del Mar today. ... read more

Wednesday 21.7.2010 day 280 A day of rest in Vina Del Mar My friend fell sick last night so I let him sleep while I went down to bfast, not that it was much of a bfast just two rolls jam butter and instant coffee with powdered milk. My friend spent the day in bed. I stayed with him and looked after him except for going out to get him some drinks and soup and other food. We both needed a bit of a rest day. ... read more

Well where do I begin...I´ve fallen in love with Chile! Not shocking for me to become attached to a country so quickly... My first week in Chile has been incredible! Exploring Santiago was wonderful - I met up with a few Brazilians so I´ve been learning Portugese as well...haha. I´ve taken a walking tour, sampled the street food (completo - Chilean hotdog with avocado...tasty!), danced in bohemian Bellavista, and spent the day at a vineyard sampling the wine and wandering through the vines... I also found my way to the coast to visit Valparaiso (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Viña del Mar (sandy beaches with wonderful seafood), and Renaca (smaller, quieter neighbourhood of Viña). It was beautiful weather and the food was amazing! I had empanadas from a local shop for lunch - chorizo sausage with goat ... read more