Blogs from Valparaíso Region, Chile, South America - page 17

Diego, our host at Casa del Todoa who sports a truly Elvis inspired hairdo, put on a spectacular breakfast and we felt replenished after being so exhausted, so we planned a last minute day trip to the coastal towns of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, with a wine tasting in the Casablanca Valley thrown in for good measure. It turns out that breakfast did not keep the exhaustion at bay for long, as soon as we are in our car and the guide begun behind to speak I am fighting sleep. Now if we had been on a large tour bus it may not have mattered, however our very attentive guide had just Rochelle and I to focus on. Turns out that I have mastered the art of sleeping and listening, as long as you have ... read more

After our snowboarding adventure, we stayed in Santiago for a few days before heading down to the coastal town of Valparaiso. The city has quite the history to tell, peaking at the time of the Californian Gold Rush as it was an important port for ships going around Cape Horn. The town unfortunately saw its demise when the Panama Canal was opened in 1914, and the majority of ships were no longer passing through, but still left behind a melting pot of immigrant cultures and their architectural influences. The town is built on numerous hills in a natural amphitheatre overlooking the ocean. It has the most gorgeous cobbled streets and brightly coloured corrugated iron buildings, all packed together literally on top of each other. Some of the hills are pretty steep, and once again the building ... read more

Last year I went to Chile with my father in April of 2011. It was amazing. Gorgeous country, great food and wine, lovely people, and the city of Santiago was clean and easy to get around in. Last year we traveled to see our great ancestor Bernardo O'Higgins place of birth. The experience was overwhelmingly amazing. I wanted to go back. In a conversation with a travel guide, we discussed snowboarding in Chile. He suggested I come back and go to any one of the resorts. During my job change this year, I have three weeks to explore, travel, catch up on things and so I decided to go back to Chile and this time snowboard the Andes at Portillo. It's the end of the season, the prices are good, and I get to stay for ... read more

Today we travelled to the Casablanca Valley west of Santiago to sample some Chilean wine at the Emiliana Winery, one of Chile's iconic wineries where the vines are grown organically. Very pleasant on the palate. From there we travelled further west to the seaside resort town of Vina del Mer, the Surfers Paradise of Chile, with the steep hillsides covered with holiday units. A walk on the beach and a toe in the Pacific Ocean, ended lunch in a delightful restaurant on the water front and our first taste of a Pisco Sour, a traditional aperitif. The rest of the afternoon was spent in Valparaiso the main port for Chile's sea trade, Naval Headquarters and seat of Parliament. Also it is the home of the famous Chilean poet and Diplomat Pueblo Neruda, whose house like many ... read more

Okay...okay, certain people have brought to my attention that I haven't talked much about my classes here in Chile. And as I review the blogs that I've written it does appear that I am "partying abroad" instead of studying abroad. So, to prove that I'm doing other things besides clubbing, I'll let you in on my school daze in Chile. I could say "school days" in place of daze, but to do so would be remiss when I've definitely spent ample time in a heavy, impermeable fog during my classes with Chilenos (Chileans). I attend la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. I'm taking Español escrito, comunicación y cultura chilena, gramatica, and un taller de la creación poetica. In English that's written Spanish, communication and Chilean culture, grammar, and a poetry creation workshop. I was taking an ... read more