Exploring Santiago with Friends - Weeks 2-3
In a moment of full transparency here, I did not know that much about all that Santiago and Chile as a whole had to offer before I arrived here. When originally planning my Watson project, Chile was not a country I considered for long, because I had good connections in El Salvador. WIth limited time and limited Spanish abilities, I felt I could only visit one Spanish-speaking country for project work. But, plans changed and I ended up in Chile rather than El Salvador and I have been having a wonderful time! All of that is to say, though, I did not have set expectations on what I'd like to see and do while here. What I have been able to do and see already, though, has surpassed what I would have been able to imagine.
To make things even better, most of this exploration has not been done by myself. I didn't mind, and actually often enjoyed roaming the streets and wandering through various sights to see alone while in New Zealand. But, in Santiago, I have found it really wonderful to have companions with me to share in the experiences. I'm really thankful for the language school for not only organizing the majority of these outings but for also connecting me with other like-minded folks wanting to get out and see what the city has to offer when an activity wasn't planned with the school.
Surfing in Concón
My first weekend in Chile after starting my language classes, the school had arranged a weekend excursion to Concón for a day at the beach and surfing lessons. This felt a bit like fate and a sign that I was meant to come to Chile. Let me explain. When planning my Watson, what feels like 15 years ago, I took a trip to El Salvador to visit the country, meet contacts, and learn a bit about what I might be able to do while there. I went with a group but when it came time to go back to the US, the majority had a late night flight, whereas two other women and I had an afternoon flight the following day. To make use of our last few hours in the country, it was arranged for us to have a surf lesson with a private instructor. Well, the other two women got tattoos on a whim the night before so it ended up being an ultra-private lesson just for me! I had a blast and even wrote about wanting to go surfing again while in El Salvador in my Watson proposal! And, with plans changing and everything, it felt a bit surreal that my first opportunity for a trip was to go surfing here in Chile!
It was an absolute blast, even with the water being so cold I could not feel my feet! I managed to stand up twice and then called it quits after about 2 hours in the water cause my arms felt like jelly and I needed to get back connected to my insulin pump. I timed it pretty well, I'd say, though. The sun was coming out more fully now, the beach was warming up, and I got out at the same time as some of my friends. We dried off and spent a good amount of time chatting and sitting on the beach with our feet buried in the sand. When the whole group was done, we went out for lunch before making the drive back to Providencia (the community in Santiago where I live and where the language school is located).
The excitement didn't end there, unfontuately. When we were about 15 minutes away from our destination a traffic jam on the highway turned into our minibus getting rear ended and an hour stuff on the side of the road while the driver and our administrator coordinated with the drivers in the other car. Luckily no one was hurt and our bus was left with nothing more than a scratch. The other care, though, did not fare as well. I did get some artist shots of the wreckage. Photos or it didn't happen, right?
Jardín Japonés
After my classes on Tuesday, November 8th, I went with a group of other students from the school to check out the beautiful Jardín Japonés, or Japanese Garden! It was a bit warm for a long walk up a hill, but at the top it was totally worth the effort for the gorgeous view and beautiful garden. Plus, it was wonderful to chat with new friend who just began their time at the language school the day before.
Templo Bahá'í
I went on another weekend excursion with the school the following Saturday. We started off by checking out the Templo Bahá'í, situated in the Andean foothills. There are only 8 Bahá'í Temples in the world and only one in South America. The others are located in Wilmette, Illinois, USA; Kampala, Uganda; Sydney, Australia; Langenhain, Germany; Panama City, Panama; Tiapapata, Samoa; and New Delhi, India. The Bahá'í Faith believes in the essential worth of all monotheistic religions and promotes the unity of all people. The three main principles are a belief in the unity of God, in the unity of religion, and in the unity of humanity.
Viña Cousiño Macul
In seemingly a stark contrast from visiting the temple of a religion where members do not drink any alcohol, we headed next to a vineyard! It was a gorgeous day and a lovely setting to walk around and learn about the history of wine in Chile and all of the important players. I did not partake in the tasting but had an enjoyable time snapping photos and practicing my Spanish.
Cerro San Cristobal
Then on Sunday, before I gathered all my belongings to move into my new AirBnB (see my previous post about that), I met up with a new friend from Holland to visit Cerro San Cristobal. We had the option to walk up the hill (about a 2hr hike) or take a funicular up and teléferico down for 9,000 CLP, or about $10 USD. We opted for the tourist route and it was a great choice!
We got even more lovely views here and it was a breathtaking place to be and look out over the city. Plus, the Statue of the Immaculate Conception was pretty amazing, too.
Museo Parque de las Esculturas
This past Monday, after finish my work early in the day, I got off on a different Metro stop to have a snack and walk around a really cool sculpture park here. In general, most parts have cultures in them and the streets are filled with all sorts of art ranging from traditional graffiti to giant colorful murals. Here are some pics of the other art on the street I've seen to give you an idea. I don't have too many as I am often rushing from place to place and have been told it is usually best to keep your phone away when out and about. But, I snuck it out a few times to capture the personality of the city.
This sculpture park, though, had so many cool sculptures with plaques indicating the name and artist of each. Plus, they had a QR code that gave more information about each piece. It was a really nice way to spend the afternoon.
Centro Artesanal Los Dominicos
Wednesday, I met back up with a group from the school to go to an artisan market in the community of Las Condes. There was so much to see and so many shapes, I think I got lost about 4 times. In the end, I had a really lovely conversation with an artist from one of the shops. I bought a piece of his work of $5 USD, which is very reasonable considering how gorgeous this art is!
I already have a few more adventures penciled in on my calendar, so you will have to come back soon to read all about those!
*** Well.... I wrote this post a week ago and then the wifi where I'm staying was horrible again and I had no ability to connect to the internet aside from my phone's hotspot. In an effort to conserve my data for finding my way around the city, I put off adding the photos to this post until I got a moment of functioning connectivity again. So, a number of the aforementioned upcoming activities have already occurred! To leave you on a cliffhanger, you will definitely want to come back for the post about those, because the views were stunning! You could also keep an eye on my Instagram (@mollyg.photography) because I will definitely post some pictures there too, when I have stable wifi! ***
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