http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from South America , Chile , Santiago Region , Providencia en-us Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:45:36 UTC Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:45:36 UTC My flight to Santiago via Paris was pretty uneventful and of course long 13 hours Met a friendly chap on my Manchester to Paris flight who was going to Argentina his wife was Argentine. We exchanged travel plans and he gave me some trips travelling through Argentina. He also correct my pronunctations such as BARLIOCHE. There were also a large group of rugby players who were touring http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-340644.html Hi all Ian here.Fine flight over LAN passed with flying colours.First surrise was the sight of the southern Andes as we hit the continent well south of Santiago and had the good fortune to be on the right side of the plane. Magnificent Rugged peaks and plenty of snow.Santiago seems to be a great place and we had our first afternoon off but Ted our leader suggested we keep going so we had http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-331094.html Im am here and am sooooo happy to have internet. I dont have any pics yet that will have to waite unti i have a computor i can use more than 10 min. I just wanted to let you all know i am safe and happy. I will buy a telefono celular so i will send the nuber when i can. Santiago is soooo huge but i have already learned the metro system. I have class mon thru friday.my host family will pick me http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-298566.html So after a rather lengthy flight we arrived in Santiago. I have to say that there are two things that started us off on the wrong foot. First baggage allowance is 20 kg 44 pounds. As I am staring at this ticket agent I am thinking come on you are a woman you know how we pack. WHO PACKS 40 POUNDS FOR 6 WEEKS AWAY Ok so we are having our first big OH God before we even leave L.A. Second the f http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-293555.html HolaOn the second day of our trip we ventured out from Barrio Brasil and explored the greater Santiago metropolitan area primarly the congested Providencia and the bohemian Barrio Bellavista pronounced Beyellvista. I was very excited to visit Bellavista as i knew it was the Santiago home of Chilean Poet and activist Pablo Neruda. After successfully using our basic spanish to purchase a ticke http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-283407.html So departures and farewells over we set off from Auckland airport on this great excursion that for the next 12 months will see us traverse 6 continents 32 countries 31 flights travel on 4 cruises 2 ferries 3 trains taxis public buses 4wheel drives rental cars camels donkeys and whatever form of transport we can lay our hands on.Accommodation along the way like everything else will va http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-270035.html During our driving in New Zealand we had been trying to learn Spanish via an 8 hour CD course. Having finished the final chapter we are hopeful that we will be able to get by with our broken Spanish we are sadly mistaken at our first obstacle of getting a taxi to the hotel. Finally arriving at the hotel note that the flight was 11.5 hours and there is a 16 hour time difference so we have landed http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-268316.html Left Regina at 900 am on Saturday and arrived in Santiago Chile on Sunday at 1030 AM EST.We cleared customs and found no one at the Alamo counter to help us apply for permits for Argentina. Also found out that we cannot get seats on our LAN flight until 2 hrs before boarding time. Hopefully it will all work out. We will be at the airport for 530AM on Tues to ensure we get on our flight to E http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-266211.html Well I think I have settled down enough to start thinking of what to do next and where to go. I am thinking of doing a 1 week intensive spanish course. I didn't realise how difficult it was going to be with the language thingo. Anyway I think I'm over my emotional lag and jet lag. Today I went to market which was only about five blocks away. It would have been nice to have been a woman because i http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-265812.html Hi everyone well I arrived two hours before I took off from Auckland how that works I'm not real sure but I am in the past as far as Australian time is concerned about 14 hours in the past to be precise. The people of Santiago are so happy. I went out to a street restaurant tonight and they are on every corner here. Carlos was serving me and boy the service was really good and so was the steak. http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-264882.html Hi everyone I have arrived ib Santiago in good spirits but boy is the language thing a barrier. I ended up staying at the Hotel belle vista. its a swank upper lass hotel in the restuarant side of town. Its quater to midnight here and Boy am I tired. The Aucklank thing is something else. THERES A CURENCY EXCHANGEEVERY TEN YARDS AND THE WHOLE TOWN IS GEARED TO ACCEPT THE TRANSIENT TOURIST DOLLAR. TH http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-264536.html Santiago in style Well we made it to the capital it wasnrsquot our plan to come here directly from Chiloe but after getting to the bus station and realising wersquod have to wait til the next day to get to the Lake district we decided wersquod skip it and move on straight to Santiago. What a shame only the most luxurious buses had tickets left After a day in Puerto Montt wouldnrsquo http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-260097.html This last weekend I went on a trip. A long trip in a little bus. When will I ever learn. Like I said on my last entry I had signed up for a camping trip to an island up north. It was going to be my big trip here in Chile and I paid big money for it accordingly. The flyer made it sound to be all planned out and I figured we would be well taken cared of. It had so much potential it really did.The http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-259766.html One week down three to go here in Santiago. I think it is still a pretty nice town except for its size. Muy grande. Takes me about 45 minutes to walk to school if I am just strolling along. One thing to notice here is that there arent as many stray dogs. In Bariloche they were a real problem. One girl was ganged up on by about 5 and bitten Crazy stuff. But here none. The school teachers http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-255146.html Via festivalThe Via festival is reputedly the biggest musical festival in Latin America. It sees artists perform in a open air stadium set up solely for the festival where the artists are judged by the public and depending on how the performance is rated by the public given prizes or not given prizes. There are also different levels of prizes depending on how the public rates the performance. http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-253732.html Ok so I skipped a week or so. I'm sorry OK Geez.Not much else happened in Bariloche. I met some other Americans Robert and Michael and spent most of my time either hanging out with them or a new English girl Joanna. She was about 6'2. A giant amongst the Argentinians. Most of the men are 5'6 and they absolutely loved her for this. Many times when we would go out we'd get a guy standing on http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-252453.html Summary in EnglishWe just went to book an accomodation to the hostel for our last night in Chile when we arrived to Santiago. We left the small backpacks in this hostel and then we headed out of the city to the Cajon del Maipo. We wanted to go the Banos Morales and do some treking from there. But we found out there is just one bus in the mornig which goes over there. So we took a bus just to the http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-251715.html So I wanted to write this entry just to give a quick update on my status. Thanks to everyone who has been reading and supporting my blog. It's been rewarding and at times a lot of work investing in it and I hope you've all enjoyed it thus far. Whenever I'm out and something is going down I take a video and think Damn this is good blog footage My entries should slow down now and will re http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-250802.html Dont worry Im alive I know its been a while but things have been crazy here. I will try to get you all up to speed about what has been happening the past two weekends. I just cant believe its all over and that I leave for the airport tomorrow night Its so sad Chile really has started to feel like another home After I last wrote the group went on a wine train tour. It was the coolest http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-248418.html Irsquom typing this blog entry from the poolside of a Santiago airport hotel and Irsquove got to be honest itrsquos a bit of a struggle. Wersquove been in Chile for exactly a week now and had really interesting and enjoyable time however it has seemed somewhat of an anti climax after the largely unexpected brilliant time we had in Argentina. Itrsquos not that therersquos anything http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-246842.html Hola a todos I cant believe that I leave Chile in exactly two weeks The time here has been flying by but at the same time when i think back on what weve done it feels like weve been here for a year. Lets see...where did I leave off Last Friday we went together as a group to Isla Negra. Its a beach town where the Pablo Nerudas third house is located and where he and his third wifes http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-243930.html Dont worry I wasnt going to let week four go by without writing Last week was the end of our second week of classes. Last Thursday Emily and I got invited to the birthday party of Atala she is our brothers adorable girlfriend. We ended up going but at first we were the awkward gringas because we didnt know anybody. But then Cristbal introduced us to some of his friends he went to col http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-241612.html Oops a couple weeks passed I guess I was having too much fun to notice.We have now been in classes for a full two weeks The literature slash history ish class starts at 900 am every morning and lasts until 1030 at which point we have a 30minute break and then the grammer class from 1100 to 1230. The afternoons are free for exploring the city visiting museums doing homework booo e http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-239105.html hola a todos I am finally getting used to life here in Santiago. I am SO glad to finally be into classes and such. Both classes are really great and not too difficult. Usually after class each day I try to do something in the city other than just homework. Last week I went to a really cool museum El Museo Nacional Histrico It was really well done and learned all about Chilean history. The http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-238089.html Hey everybody I finally borrowed a little gadget from someone on the trip that will read my camera. So here are some pics from the desert and some of my familyWe started classes yesterday. We have two classes a literature and a linguistic class from 9 till 1230. Not too bad at all. The only adjustment Ive had to make is waking up at 715 so I can catch the metro by 810. I have about a ten http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-236212.html Hello Again Ok I know I promised you all pictures this time BUT as is most things in this country I cant figure out how to get my camera to work on my houses computer. And no one is around to ask. However I wanted to write to you all and let you know about my past week. When I finally figure out how to use technology I PROMISE Ill put up tons of pictures of beautiful sandy sunsets and the http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-235337.html Pohjoisen reissun jlkeen ptettiin tehd 3 pivn vaellus Santiagoa ympriville vuorille. Sierra de San Ramon on lhiseudun korkein vuorenhuippu korkeutta sill on 3205 metri. Vaellus Las Condesista Cajon de Maipuun korkeimman vuoren huipun kautta on noin 40 kilometri. Matkan varrelle mahtui lhes pelkk autiomaata lunta vehreit kukkuloita ja nkym koko Santiagosta yvalaistuksessa lhe http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-234080.html Hola de Sudamrica After what seems like an eternity of counting down I cant believe were finally here This is only the third day and already so much has happened that its hard to keep track.The plane ride from Atlanta to Santiago was the longest one Ive ever taken clocking in at a whopping 9.5 hours. The best part was that it was overnight Awesome. Nobody was able to sleep well and as http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-233419.html Hola a todos I am finally in Chile and I cant believe it So much as happened in the past three days that it already feels like Ive been here a week. I dont have any pictures yet but we are leaving for the Atacama desert tomorrow morning at 450 so Im sure Ill have lots of pictures after that. We got into Chile around 830 Friday morning. We were all exhausted because no one could sleep http://www.travelblog.org//South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Providencia/blog-233412.html