1 July – Coquimba
We’re here in our beachfront hi-rise here in Coquimba, relaxing in the apartment before our big eclipse day tomorrow. This morning we woke up before the sun and Victor, our favorite driver, picked us up at 6:30 and drove us about an hour from San Pedro de Atacama to Calama. We flew to La Serena, arriving at around 11:30. (Coincidentally, on our flight was John, the engineer that we’d met at ALMA and who is in the process of moving from San Francisco to Seattle.) Part of the stress of the day was figuring out getting a bus to get us from La Serena to the Elqui Valley to watch the eclipse, and how to fight the traffic to get back. Supposedly, there were already 85,000 people in the area and they were expecting 250,000 on the day of the eclipse (and normally there are only around 20,000)!
When we got to La Serena, it was surprising how much eclipse promo was around! There was even a news camera filming people getting off the plane, and there were TONS of carabineros around. From the info in the airport, we realized the place we were staying (Coquimbo) has 100% totality for over 2 minutes, and the busses into Elqui Valley were expensive and getting really hard to find. From the weather reports, it looked like there wasn’t going to be too many clouds, and our Airbnb apartment is right across the street from the beach (over which the eclipse will be happening). So we decided not to stress and just stay in the area.
After dropping off our bags, we walked down the beach and found a restaurant for lunch – we had fish sandwiches and fresh pineapple juice. Then we walked up to the main road and caught the bus to La Serena, the neighboring town about 10 miles north and where Mario lived for a few years in the 80’s. We walked up through Parque Coll to the old city, which had a bit of the old colonial European atmosphere in the architecture. La Serena is the second oldest city in Chile, after Santiago (and we’re staying in the next city over – Coquimbo, which was the working class city).
Because of the eclipse, in the main town plaza there were tons of artisan market stalls set up and lots of tourists wandering around. Street performers and musicians were on almost every corner, and it was really fun watching one intersection with a family of drummers who danced around in the streets around the cars – and there was a dog who looked like he was with the family who barked and chased the cars that interrupted the family’s performance - but only did it while the family was drumming, never when they took a break!
We wandered through La Recova, the old market (which had changed since Mario’s day – no longer a fruit market but instead a tourist artisan mall). We decided we wanted to buy food for a picnic lunch, as well as groceries for dinner and breakfast. The first market we went to was old and rundown – only a few shelves had products and it looked empty and deserted. Scary! We bought very fresh bread, salami, and cheese from the little shops in the area, then found a supermarket where we bought a ton of groceries/snacks for the next few days.
Now we’re relaxing at home and we’re all excited that we don’t have to wake up early! The only thing on the agenda tomorrow is the eclipse, and we’ll just either go up to our roof or go across the street to the beach!
2 July – Coquimbo
Eclipse Day!
This morning we took it easy, sleeping in and relaxing around the house even though we don’t have wifi. At around 11:30, we went out to walk around on the beach; it was a slightly hazy but an otherwise clear day, cool and breezy. The beach right outside our apartment complex is nice and not very crowded, with people walking about a half-mile further up to where a local radio (or maybe TV?) station has set up some tents and a stage.
As we walked up, we noticed a crowd gathered around on the sand so we went to investigate – it turned out to be a group of native peoples who were there to perform a blessing. Representing 5 different native cultures (Ayamara, Mapuche, Rapa Nui, Diaguitas, and Likan Antai), a small group of people chanted, drummed, and went around the circle performing blessings with water and smoke.
The head of the group (who stressed this was not a performance but was a blessing for the people) talked about how they were connected to Father Sky, Mother Moon, and the Grandfather Ocean; during the eclipse, the old sun is dying and a new one is being born. For us, it is a time of renewal.
At the end of the ceremony, the elder came and gave us a hug, telling us he was so happy that we were there since the ceremony is meant to bring people together and he was glad that foreigners took part. It was such a cool experience, and definitely made the entire day that much more special!
We had lunch of a completo italiano (a hot dog with red, green, and white – tomatoes, avocado, and mayonnaise) from a food truck, a Chilean staple according to Mario and Victor. Then we went back to the apartment to get ready for the eclipse. We packed a picnic and sat around, thinking we’d go down at around 4:30 to watch the big show. But at the last minute we realized the eclipse was starting much earlier - the moment of totality was at 4:30, so it was lucky we were just going across the street. We rushed out to the beach around 3:30 and set everything up just as a tiny sliver of black appeared on the sun. The area we chose was much calmer than the mass of people about a quarter mile up the beach, so it was the perfect place to watch.
We all had solar glasses, plus I had a pair of solar binoculars that cousin Nancy sent (Thanks, Nancy!!), which were GREAT to look through. Gayle brought a bottle of wine that she brought (that she’d gotten in Italy) to celebrate her retirement, and we had salami and cheese, olives, and crackers.
We tried taking pictures all the way until totality, but it was amazing how bright the sun was even with just a sliver showing. And it was so much fun during the totality – people were cheering, laughing, and chanting (“Chi-Chi-Chi! Le-Le-Le! Viva! Chile!” - which made us all laugh since really, as Mario pointed out, the eclipse has nothing to do with Chile...).
We didn’t really feel the huge temperature drop that everyone talks about because it was already kind of cold, but the dog that was hanging out with us went to sleep next to us. And on the walk back, we noticed the flowers by the apartment had all closed!
We’re now back inside relaxing and trying to heat up – it’s cold in the apartment so we have the space heaters going, and for a little bit we even had the burners on the gas stove on to try to get some heat. Brazil and Argentina are about to play in the semi-finals of the Copa America, so we’re excited to watch (Chile-Peru plays tomorrow)!
3 July – Coquimbo
Spent the entire day in the Elqui Valley today! Woke up early and walked down to the bus to go to downtown La Serena, then took another bus into Elqui Valley. We luckily got seats, since the aisle were also pack with people who had to stand for the entire ride. Mario’s brother Marco met us at the square in Vicuña, where it was obvious many many people had camped out for the night. Marco’s daughter Rosa and granddaughter Sophie were there as well, and we drove through the valley to see the sights.
First we stopped in Paihuano for a quick break through the square. Elqui Valley is known for the many vineyards and pisco distilleries – it’s in a narrow valley with many grapevines and avocado trees growing up the sides of the mountain, but it’s winter now so the vines all look dead.
We stopped in Monte Grande to see Gabriela Mistral’s hometown. Her gravesite was closed, but we saw her childhood home and the school she started. Mistral is famous for being one of Chile’s most famous poets, as well as being the first female South American (and second Chilean) to win the Nobel Prize.
Lunch was at a lovely outdoor restaurant – empanadas and fresh pineapple juice – delicious!! We wanted to get some food into us because we were going to start our wine/pisco tasting. First stop was Mistral Distillery to check out their pisco, (had a taste, which I thought reminded me of whiskey – it’s made from grapes and is technically a type of brandy). We tried to buy some of their special eclipse blend, but the people right before Mario bought the last one.
So we went further up to Pisco Elqui, where we stopped at a small artisanal distillery Doña Josefa, where they handmake small batches of organic pisco on the premises. They showed us around the small distillery and let us try three different kinds of pisco – the 40%, the 45%, and the special eclipse blend (43%).
We also went to Cava de Valle, a small vineyard for the winetasting (but I thought all the wines were way too sweet). We then drove out to Peralillo, to see a farmer near Marco’s in-law’s house – he grows mainly avocados and mangoes, and doesn’t use any pesticides. He was really proud to show us his farm and the many different trees that he grows, as well as samples of the different rocks and fossils that he'd found in the area.
Around the corner were his in-laws, with a huge outdoor living space and a barbeque set us for us. Marco’s brother-in-law made us some of the best bbq chicken and steak we’ve ever had!
We got back to the bus station a bit after 7 but there was a huge line of people trying to get back to La Serena. The Chile-Peru soccer match was starting at 8PM and all the taxi drivers were going home to watch – so for a while it was a bit scary trying to figure out how we were going to get back. Finally we realized there were two types of travelers – those with tickets and those without (who just lined up and got on whatever bus came next). We bought a ticket for the 8PM bus, and the driver drove like a maniac back to La Serena (good thing I fell asleep because it would have been a scary ride!), I'm sure to get home in time to see the end of the game (which sadly Chile lost). We crammed into a taxi back to the Airbnb and conked out - it was only 9:45, but we were exhausted!!
4 July – Viña del Mar
Travel day today! We got to the bus station in Coquimbo at around 9AM only to discover there were no busses going to Viña del Mar – pretty much everything was being diverted because of the eclipse traffic, and it was hard finding any 5 seats on busses going out of the city. Finally we decided to take a detour and get a bus to Santiago instead, and then take a connecting bus to get across to Viña del Mar.
It wasn’t easy getting a Santiago ticket either. The first few places didn’t have enough seats, then we were told the next available busses weren’t until that afternoon. Finally we found one for 12:30, so we bought tickets for it. And luckily, it came early so we ended up leaving at around 11:30. Buses in Chile are actually quite nice – many of the long-distance ones are double-decker, with comfortable seats and a restroom. Ours even had an attendant, who passed out snacks and folded blankets. Screens came down from the city, and the bus showed different movies – Thor Ragnarok, Blade Runner 2049, and the start of Overboard... all in Spanish, but you needed to have your own headphones to listen. And at various stops along the way, vendors will get on and sell hot snacks – Mario bought some alfajores from one, and we all got empañadas from another – then get off at the next stop.
We arrived in Santiago about 6 hours later, only to find out the connecting bus left from a different station. We lugged our suitcases around 4 long blocks away, then made it just in time for a bus to Valparaíso, the town next to Viña del Mar. It was about a 2 hour ride, then we took an Uber to our Airbnb to Viña. It’s a nice apartment, but when we got here there was no water and no wifi. Eventually we got the water turned on but the hot water didn’t really work so it was a very fast, very cold shower...
5 July - Viña del Mar
Made it to Isla Negra, Pablo Neruda’s home! Wow – so easy to see how he was inspired! We left this morning in search of food (which we never found), so it was another day of snack meals. We found a driver to take us around for the day, so we headed off and went straight to the museum/house on the beach.
Pablo Neruda bought the house in 1938 from a Spanish Sailor. Because he loved trains and ships, he added to the house until it looks much like the inside of a ship or the inside of a train. The house itself is long and thin – much like Chile, with sweeping ocean views from almost every room. He has amazing collections of figurehead, ships, bottles, masks, seashells, and other treasures.
In 1973 after hearing about the military coup, Neruda took sick and was later transported to a hospital in Santiago. He died 4 days later. His body was brought back to Isla Negra to be buried in 1992 at his request:
"Compañeros, enterradme en Isla Negra,
frente al mar que conozco, a cada área rugosa de piedroa
y de olas que mis ojos
no volverán a ver..."
"Companions, bury me in Isla Negra
in front of the sea I know, to each wrinkled area of stones
and to waves that my eyes
won’t see again..."
We left Isla Negra and drove back to Valparaíso for a seafood lunch, then went up into the hills to see all the street art. The hills are steep and the streets wind around sharp corners; we took one of the funiculars up to see the view of the harbor, then walked around a few of the hills. Valparaíso is famous for its street art, and it seems as though any blank wall is quickly discovered and covered. It's fun and colorful.
The streets were really reminiscent of San Francisco...!
On our way back to Viña del Mar, we stopped at the flower clock ('You haven’t been to Viña if you don’t take a picture of the clock!' – Mario). Back to the apartment to relax before packing for Santiago tomorrow!
July 7 – Santiago
Saturday was basically a travel day, so we didn’t do much. We spent a lazy morning at Starbucks using the wifi (Mario and Victor needed to find a way back to Iquique and Gayle needed to confirm her change of flights – both had a difficult time but succeeded in the end). There we met Will, a physics professor from the US that came to Chile to start his own department at the local university – nice, friendly guy! We took a bus from Viña del Mar to Santiago, dropping our bags off at the bus station so that we wouldn’t have to worry about them the next day. After checking into our Airbnb, Mario and Victor had to get their own bags since their flight out the next morning was at 7:30 AM. While we were waiting, Stacey and I walked to the local grocery store to look around and buy a few snacks, then went back to the apartment to wait for the boys.
It didn’t take them too long, so we all went out for a final dinner in Santiago – we went to a nice local restaurant – Julio y Medio, walking distance from our house. I finally tried the lomo a lo pobre – Victor’s favorite dish of steak, french fries, grilled onions, and two fried eggs. Back in the day, when workers were paid, they’d go out and order this dish to show they had money (and to eat well for that day). It was HUGE – I only ate about ¼ of it, but it was delicious!
The boys left early this morning, so we took our time leaving the apartment and went out to find breakfast (a totally unsuccessful search.
Weirdly, nothing is open – maybe because it’s Sunday, but all the shops and restaurants seem closed!) We quickly grabbed a bite at Starbucks, then went to the Museo Chileno de Arte PreColombino – the excellent art museum that features works by Central and South American peoples of the past. There were great pieces from the Mapuche, Mayans, Inkans, and Chinchorros, among others.
With a few hours left before needing to go to the airport, we walked down to the Mercado Centrale, then back to the Plaza de Armas for a quick sandwich lunch. Then we went to La Moneda because Professor Will told us there were nice shops downstairs – turns out there is an entire 3-story art museum, so we wandered around a bit in the design, photography, and silver exhibits.
Gayle’s flight is 2 hours before ours, so we have plenty of time in the airport. Luckily we’re in the Delta lounge and it’s fairly empty – a nice relaxing way to unwind before our flight home!
July 8 - Mexico City
With a looooong layover in Mexico City (arrived at 5:30AM and didn't fly out until 8PM), Stacey and I decided to book a private guide to take us around the city. And we were so glad we did! Monica did an amazing job showing us around the old downtown area, giving us the history and stories of the various buildings.
One of the more interesting facts that I had no idea about is that Mexico City is basically built on a lake, and that it's sinking. At a rate of about 1-6 centimeters every year. Essentially, the Aztec capital city of Tenochititlán was here (starting around 1325) on an island in the lake. When the Spaniards conquered the city in 1521 they said, "We're takin' that place! And we're gonna prove we're awesome by building a bunch o' junk there!" So they did.
They built a gigantic cathedral - Cathedral Metropolitano de Mexco, over the Aztec Temple Mayor. But they did it on unstable soil. So it's all warped inside - a huge pendulum hangs from the center of the dome with a pointer at the end, and you can track how it's moving.
The first thing you see when you enter is the Altar of Forgiveness - a huge, gilded monstrosity where supposedly people condemned during the Inquisition came to ask for forgiveness before being executed. One of the more interesting things about it is the Jesus Christ sculpture, notably different because 1) it's black, and 2) the knees are oddly bent. Monica told us a story about a priest who was devoted to the statue and would kiss it's feet every day; one day someone tried to kill him by putting poison on his feet. Miraculously, the Jesus pulled up his knees when the priest tried to kiss him, preventing him from being poisoned. In addition, it soaked up the toxins, causing it to turn black.
On the side of the Cathedral is a statue of Pope John Paul II made of keys, whom the Mexicans loved. The sculpture shows that the people gave him the "key to their hearts" so the artist had people donate keys to incorporate into the statue. But in Spanish, 'llave' means both 'key' and 'faucet', and since the artist didn't specify, there were also a few faucets donated which were then incorporated into the statue.
We walked around the Cathedral down Calle de Tacuba to the site of the Templo Mayor, where Aztecs (who called themselves Mexicas - thus the name Mexico) once sacrificed slaves to the gods. The heads of the victims were put on a pole to intimidate anyone who might think of rebellion. They've found these disembodied heads under some of the buildings along this street.
Temple Mayor was once a 40 meter high temple, most likely first built around 1325, but it was destroyed by the Spaniards after they conquered the city in 1521 so that they could build their cathedral. Jerks.
We continued our tour, learning a bit about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. We saw the school where Kahlo attended (and where she met Diego Rivera, who was 20 years older), then went to the Department of Education building where most of the interior walls are decorated with Diego Rivera murals. It's a beautiful courtyard, and you'd never know from seeing it from the outside.
I learned so much about Rivera's imagery and beliefs - he often painted the struggles of the working class and the greed of capitalists. He was particularly critical of the military, the rich, and the clergy. It was especially exciting for Stacey to see the originals of some of the works that she teaches in her class.
We then walked down past the Inquisition Building to the Customs House, in front of which escribanos would help the illiterate people who would come to get letters written. To this day, there are stationary vendors and supposedly places where you can get forgeries of documents like diplomas made. Across is the square where the executions took place; on one side is the Church of Santo Domingo.
Inside is the Señor de Rebozo, the statue of an almost-naked, tortured Jesus. In the 16th century, a nun came and felt sorry for him, so she prayed to him every day. When she got old and sick, she couldn't go anymore. One night during a big storm, a beggar came to her door and she gave him some food and a woolen scarf. The next morning, they found her dead, and her woolen scarf was on the statue of the Jesus that she was so devoted to.
Lunch was at a fabulous local restaurant that Monica knew, with fast, cheap pozole.
We wandered around the streets, seeing some of the homes of the richest people who used to compete on who had the grandest home. One, an 18th century palace known as Casa de los Azulejos - the House of Tiles - was gorgeous... and weirdly is now a Sanborns (restaurant/department store)!
We decided to take a small break, so we went up to the cafe in the Torre Latinamericano for the great view of the city. From there we could see the gorgeous dome of the Palacio de Bella Artes as well as the park and the pedestrian street that went across downtown.
So instead, we went to the post office. Why? Because it was GORGEOUS.
We’re here in our beachfront hi-rise here in Coquimba, relaxing in the apartment before our big eclipse day tomorrow. This morning we woke up before the sun and Victor, our favorite driver, picked us up at 6:30 and drove us about an hour from San Pedro de Atacama to Calama. We flew to La Serena, arriving at around 11:30. (Coincidentally, on our flight was John, the engineer that we’d met at ALMA and who is in the process of moving from San Francisco to Seattle.) Part of the stress of the day was figuring out getting a bus to get us from La Serena to the Elqui Valley to watch the eclipse, and how to fight the traffic to get back. Supposedly, there were already 85,000 people in the area and they were expecting 250,000 on the day of the eclipse (and normally there are only around 20,000)!When we got to La Serena, it was surprising how much eclipse promo was around! There was even a news camera filming people getting off the plane, and there were TONS of carabineros around. From the info in the airport, we realized the place we were staying (Coquimbo) has 100% totality for over 2 minutes, and the busses into Elqui Valley were expensive and getting really hard to find. From the weather reports, it looked like there wasn’t going to be too many clouds, and our Airbnb apartment is right across the street from the beach (over which the eclipse will be happening). So we decided not to stress and just stay in the area.
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| Street murals in Parque Coll |
Because of the eclipse, in the main town plaza there were tons of artisan market stalls set up and lots of tourists wandering around. Street performers and musicians were on almost every corner, and it was really fun watching one intersection with a family of drummers who danced around in the streets around the cars – and there was a dog who looked like he was with the family who barked and chased the cars that interrupted the family’s performance - but only did it while the family was drumming, never when they took a break!
We wandered through La Recova, the old market (which had changed since Mario’s day – no longer a fruit market but instead a tourist artisan mall). We decided we wanted to buy food for a picnic lunch, as well as groceries for dinner and breakfast. The first market we went to was old and rundown – only a few shelves had products and it looked empty and deserted. Scary! We bought very fresh bread, salami, and cheese from the little shops in the area, then found a supermarket where we bought a ton of groceries/snacks for the next few days.Now we’re relaxing at home and we’re all excited that we don’t have to wake up early! The only thing on the agenda tomorrow is the eclipse, and we’ll just either go up to our roof or go across the street to the beach!
2 July – Coquimbo
Eclipse Day!
This morning we took it easy, sleeping in and relaxing around the house even though we don’t have wifi. At around 11:30, we went out to walk around on the beach; it was a slightly hazy but an otherwise clear day, cool and breezy. The beach right outside our apartment complex is nice and not very crowded, with people walking about a half-mile further up to where a local radio (or maybe TV?) station has set up some tents and a stage.
As we walked up, we noticed a crowd gathered around on the sand so we went to investigate – it turned out to be a group of native peoples who were there to perform a blessing. Representing 5 different native cultures (Ayamara, Mapuche, Rapa Nui, Diaguitas, and Likan Antai), a small group of people chanted, drummed, and went around the circle performing blessings with water and smoke.
The head of the group (who stressed this was not a performance but was a blessing for the people) talked about how they were connected to Father Sky, Mother Moon, and the Grandfather Ocean; during the eclipse, the old sun is dying and a new one is being born. For us, it is a time of renewal.
At the end of the ceremony, the elder came and gave us a hug, telling us he was so happy that we were there since the ceremony is meant to bring people together and he was glad that foreigners took part. It was such a cool experience, and definitely made the entire day that much more special! |
| The main masses were further north, in La Serena... |
We all had solar glasses, plus I had a pair of solar binoculars that cousin Nancy sent (Thanks, Nancy!!), which were GREAT to look through. Gayle brought a bottle of wine that she brought (that she’d gotten in Italy) to celebrate her retirement, and we had salami and cheese, olives, and crackers. |
| We're ready for the Big Show! |
We tried taking pictures all the way until totality, but it was amazing how bright the sun was even with just a sliver showing. And it was so much fun during the totality – people were cheering, laughing, and chanting (“Chi-Chi-Chi! Le-Le-Le! Viva! Chile!” - which made us all laugh since really, as Mario pointed out, the eclipse has nothing to do with Chile...).
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| 4:38 PM, July 2, 2019 |
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| They're so confused...! |
We’re now back inside relaxing and trying to heat up – it’s cold in the apartment so we have the space heaters going, and for a little bit we even had the burners on the gas stove on to try to get some heat. Brazil and Argentina are about to play in the semi-finals of the Copa America, so we’re excited to watch (Chile-Peru plays tomorrow)!
3 July – Coquimbo
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| The murals of Paihuano |
First we stopped in Paihuano for a quick break through the square. Elqui Valley is known for the many vineyards and pisco distilleries – it’s in a narrow valley with many grapevines and avocado trees growing up the sides of the mountain, but it’s winter now so the vines all look dead.
We stopped in Monte Grande to see Gabriela Mistral’s hometown. Her gravesite was closed, but we saw her childhood home and the school she started. Mistral is famous for being one of Chile’s most famous poets, as well as being the first female South American (and second Chilean) to win the Nobel Prize.Lunch was at a lovely outdoor restaurant – empanadas and fresh pineapple juice – delicious!! We wanted to get some food into us because we were going to start our wine/pisco tasting. First stop was Mistral Distillery to check out their pisco, (had a taste, which I thought reminded me of whiskey – it’s made from grapes and is technically a type of brandy). We tried to buy some of their special eclipse blend, but the people right before Mario bought the last one.
So we went further up to Pisco Elqui, where we stopped at a small artisanal distillery Doña Josefa, where they handmake small batches of organic pisco on the premises. They showed us around the small distillery and let us try three different kinds of pisco – the 40%, the 45%, and the special eclipse blend (43%).
We also went to Cava de Valle, a small vineyard for the winetasting (but I thought all the wines were way too sweet). We then drove out to Peralillo, to see a farmer near Marco’s in-law’s house – he grows mainly avocados and mangoes, and doesn’t use any pesticides. He was really proud to show us his farm and the many different trees that he grows, as well as samples of the different rocks and fossils that he'd found in the area.
Around the corner were his in-laws, with a huge outdoor living space and a barbeque set us for us. Marco’s brother-in-law made us some of the best bbq chicken and steak we’ve ever had!We got back to the bus station a bit after 7 but there was a huge line of people trying to get back to La Serena. The Chile-Peru soccer match was starting at 8PM and all the taxi drivers were going home to watch – so for a while it was a bit scary trying to figure out how we were going to get back. Finally we realized there were two types of travelers – those with tickets and those without (who just lined up and got on whatever bus came next). We bought a ticket for the 8PM bus, and the driver drove like a maniac back to La Serena (good thing I fell asleep because it would have been a scary ride!), I'm sure to get home in time to see the end of the game (which sadly Chile lost). We crammed into a taxi back to the Airbnb and conked out - it was only 9:45, but we were exhausted!!
4 July – Viña del Mar
Travel day today! We got to the bus station in Coquimbo at around 9AM only to discover there were no busses going to Viña del Mar – pretty much everything was being diverted because of the eclipse traffic, and it was hard finding any 5 seats on busses going out of the city. Finally we decided to take a detour and get a bus to Santiago instead, and then take a connecting bus to get across to Viña del Mar.
It wasn’t easy getting a Santiago ticket either. The first few places didn’t have enough seats, then we were told the next available busses weren’t until that afternoon. Finally we found one for 12:30, so we bought tickets for it. And luckily, it came early so we ended up leaving at around 11:30. Buses in Chile are actually quite nice – many of the long-distance ones are double-decker, with comfortable seats and a restroom. Ours even had an attendant, who passed out snacks and folded blankets. Screens came down from the city, and the bus showed different movies – Thor Ragnarok, Blade Runner 2049, and the start of Overboard... all in Spanish, but you needed to have your own headphones to listen. And at various stops along the way, vendors will get on and sell hot snacks – Mario bought some alfajores from one, and we all got empañadas from another – then get off at the next stop.
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| ... but at least the all-glass elevators were cool! |
5 July - Viña del Mar
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| The long, narrow house overlooking the sea - just like Chile! |
In 1973 after hearing about the military coup, Neruda took sick and was later transported to a hospital in Santiago. He died 4 days later. His body was brought back to Isla Negra to be buried in 1992 at his request:
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| The view from Neruda's gravesite |
frente al mar que conozco, a cada área rugosa de piedroa
y de olas que mis ojos
no volverán a ver..."
"Companions, bury me in Isla Negra
in front of the sea I know, to each wrinkled area of stones
and to waves that my eyes
won’t see again..."
We left Isla Negra and drove back to Valparaíso for a seafood lunch, then went up into the hills to see all the street art. The hills are steep and the streets wind around sharp corners; we took one of the funiculars up to see the view of the harbor, then walked around a few of the hills. Valparaíso is famous for its street art, and it seems as though any blank wall is quickly discovered and covered. It's fun and colorful.
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| Proof: I've been to Viña |
The streets were really reminiscent of San Francisco...!
On our way back to Viña del Mar, we stopped at the flower clock ('You haven’t been to Viña if you don’t take a picture of the clock!' – Mario). Back to the apartment to relax before packing for Santiago tomorrow!
July 7 – Santiago
Saturday was basically a travel day, so we didn’t do much. We spent a lazy morning at Starbucks using the wifi (Mario and Victor needed to find a way back to Iquique and Gayle needed to confirm her change of flights – both had a difficult time but succeeded in the end). There we met Will, a physics professor from the US that came to Chile to start his own department at the local university – nice, friendly guy! We took a bus from Viña del Mar to Santiago, dropping our bags off at the bus station so that we wouldn’t have to worry about them the next day. After checking into our Airbnb, Mario and Victor had to get their own bags since their flight out the next morning was at 7:30 AM. While we were waiting, Stacey and I walked to the local grocery store to look around and buy a few snacks, then went back to the apartment to wait for the boys.
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| Final dinner with the Boys...! |
The boys left early this morning, so we took our time leaving the apartment and went out to find breakfast (a totally unsuccessful search.
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| Me, hangry since nothing opens for breakfast in Chile |
Weirdly, nothing is open – maybe because it’s Sunday, but all the shops and restaurants seem closed!) We quickly grabbed a bite at Starbucks, then went to the Museo Chileno de Arte PreColombino – the excellent art museum that features works by Central and South American peoples of the past. There were great pieces from the Mapuche, Mayans, Inkans, and Chinchorros, among others.With a few hours left before needing to go to the airport, we walked down to the Mercado Centrale, then back to the Plaza de Armas for a quick sandwich lunch. Then we went to La Moneda because Professor Will told us there were nice shops downstairs – turns out there is an entire 3-story art museum, so we wandered around a bit in the design, photography, and silver exhibits.
Gayle’s flight is 2 hours before ours, so we have plenty of time in the airport. Luckily we’re in the Delta lounge and it’s fairly empty – a nice relaxing way to unwind before our flight home!
July 8 - Mexico City
With a looooong layover in Mexico City (arrived at 5:30AM and didn't fly out until 8PM), Stacey and I decided to book a private guide to take us around the city. And we were so glad we did! Monica did an amazing job showing us around the old downtown area, giving us the history and stories of the various buildings.
One of the more interesting facts that I had no idea about is that Mexico City is basically built on a lake, and that it's sinking. At a rate of about 1-6 centimeters every year. Essentially, the Aztec capital city of Tenochititlán was here (starting around 1325) on an island in the lake. When the Spaniards conquered the city in 1521 they said, "We're takin' that place! And we're gonna prove we're awesome by building a bunch o' junk there!" So they did.They built a gigantic cathedral - Cathedral Metropolitano de Mexco, over the Aztec Temple Mayor. But they did it on unstable soil. So it's all warped inside - a huge pendulum hangs from the center of the dome with a pointer at the end, and you can track how it's moving.
The first thing you see when you enter is the Altar of Forgiveness - a huge, gilded monstrosity where supposedly people condemned during the Inquisition came to ask for forgiveness before being executed. One of the more interesting things about it is the Jesus Christ sculpture, notably different because 1) it's black, and 2) the knees are oddly bent. Monica told us a story about a priest who was devoted to the statue and would kiss it's feet every day; one day someone tried to kill him by putting poison on his feet. Miraculously, the Jesus pulled up his knees when the priest tried to kiss him, preventing him from being poisoned. In addition, it soaked up the toxins, causing it to turn black.
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| See the faucet? |
On the side of the Cathedral is a statue of Pope John Paul II made of keys, whom the Mexicans loved. The sculpture shows that the people gave him the "key to their hearts" so the artist had people donate keys to incorporate into the statue. But in Spanish, 'llave' means both 'key' and 'faucet', and since the artist didn't specify, there were also a few faucets donated which were then incorporated into the statue. |
| Templo Mayor |
Temple Mayor was once a 40 meter high temple, most likely first built around 1325, but it was destroyed by the Spaniards after they conquered the city in 1521 so that they could build their cathedral. Jerks.
We continued our tour, learning a bit about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. We saw the school where Kahlo attended (and where she met Diego Rivera, who was 20 years older), then went to the Department of Education building where most of the interior walls are decorated with Diego Rivera murals. It's a beautiful courtyard, and you'd never know from seeing it from the outside. |
| Rivera's Day of the Dead, 1924 |
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| Need a fake Stanford diploma? |
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| Plaza and Templo Santo Domingo |
Inside is the Señor de Rebozo, the statue of an almost-naked, tortured Jesus. In the 16th century, a nun came and felt sorry for him, so she prayed to him every day. When she got old and sick, she couldn't go anymore. One night during a big storm, a beggar came to her door and she gave him some food and a woolen scarf. The next morning, they found her dead, and her woolen scarf was on the statue of the Jesus that she was so devoted to.Lunch was at a fabulous local restaurant that Monica knew, with fast, cheap pozole.
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| The House of Tiles |
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| The most glamorous Sanborns...! |
We decided to take a small break, so we went up to the cafe in the Torre Latinamericano for the great view of the city. From there we could see the gorgeous dome of the Palacio de Bella Artes as well as the park and the pedestrian street that went across downtown.
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| Another view of Casa de los Azulejos |
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| Palacio de Bella Artes |
We had to go see the art deco interior of the Palacio de Bella Artes, so even though the museum was closed, we went in - it reminded me of Metropolis. We couldn't see the famed Diego Rivera mural though, since pretty much everything is closed on Mondays.
So instead, we went to the post office. Why? Because it was GORGEOUS.
Just LOOK!
Of course I had to buy a postcard just to send!
The final thing on our agenda was: street tacos. (Really, it was the only thing on our list that we had to do). Monica took us to the most famous ones - and they really were great. As she says - you know it's good if there is a line.
Since they only served beef, I was the only one who wanted one - but I had to try it. And it really was delicious - you order and eat it standing on the street, then pay afterwards. We did end up going a few doors down to get pork ones for Stacey, which were also delicious. A great way to end the day, and a great way to end a fabulous vacation!!
mmmmmm. Better than plane food!
Of course I had to buy a postcard just to send!
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| Must be good! |
Since they only served beef, I was the only one who wanted one - but I had to try it. And it really was delicious - you order and eat it standing on the street, then pay afterwards. We did end up going a few doors down to get pork ones for Stacey, which were also delicious. A great way to end the day, and a great way to end a fabulous vacation!!
mmmmmm. Better than plane food!
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