Buenos Aires y Machu Picchu

Haven´t written in awhile, the last 10 days in Chile were really crazy and I just haven´t had a chance. I went to Buenos Aires from March 16 - 19. It was pretty cool, although I think it would have been more fun with a group of people. I went sola because I really wanted to see the city. It seems like a nice city but as far as touristy things to do, there aren´t many. Then my mom arrived in Chile on March 23, and I proceeded to get deathly ill with tonsilitis and was confined to my couch for about the first 4 days she was in town. Then my dad arrived on the 26th and I finally started to feel better. I left Chile on the 29th, pretty sad to leave but so happy that I had such a good time while I was down there. I met so many interesting people and made friends that I know will be life long. But it´s hard without my brujitas :(

Late at night on the 29th I arrived in Lima, Peru, where I met up with my friend Brittni from Minneapolis. We stayed over night in Lima and then flew to Cusco the next morning. Cusco is a really beautiful colonial type city. There are mountains surrounding it on all sides and some of the views from rooftops are spectacular. My only complaint is that Cusco is VERY touristy, therefore anyone not looking to be of Incan descent will get hassled on the street. And I mean hassled. At one point we were surrounded on all sides by people selling different things (necklaces, art, hats, etc.) It does get very overwhelming and annoying at times.

On April 1st we began our Machu Picchu trek. We had to meet at the tour office at 5:45 am. The bus ride took about 3 hrs (stopping for breakfast along the way) and finally at about 10:00 we began our trek. The first few hours were pretty simple, not too steep, but then it began to get steeper and steeper, until finally after lunch it was pretty much straight vertical. It was really tough for me. The second day was even worse with us climbing over 1300 meters. The sun was so hot and it was actually really awful. Several times I considered catching the train back to Cusco. I wasn´t sure if my body would physically allow me to finish the trek. I made it however, with the help of our guide John Cesar, who was excellent at motivating me (as well as really cute :)) Finally at the end of day 2 it proceeded to rain all night, and into most of day 3. Day 3 wasn´t as bad, I was able to keep up with the group most of the day and we only walked for about 5 hours. Then we stopped at our campsite where there were hot showers (!) , beers, and salsa dancing until the late hour of 10:30 pm. The next morning we had to get up at 4:00 am and walk 2 hours to Machu Picchu. The trail was pretty flat and easy with the exception of the Gringo Killer (a set of stairs so vertical you basically had to crawl up them on hands and knees). After 4 days and 33 kilometers, we finally arrived at Machu Picchu, and to our disappointment it was so cloudy we couldn´t see anything! There were some extremely upset people, myself included. But after about 2 hours things started to clear up and we could finally see. After a short tour, we had free time, so I just walked around and took about 200 pictures. After I´d had enough of Mach Pich, I took the bus down to Aguas Calientes with some other group members and got some well deserved beers.

So anyway, tomorrow we are on our way back to Lima, then Brittni goes home, and I head off to Quito, Ecuador.

La Carlotita y Pucón

The last few days have been really tough. Our kitten was hit by a car last Friday. I have been really broken up about it because she had become my cat over the last 2 months. She was sooo sweet and loving, always wanted to be sitting on your lap, purring, so curious, and probably the most friendly cat I've met. The only problem was that she always wanted to be outside. She used to escape out the windows when we weren't looking and stay outside all night. One night she got out and a dog chased her up a tree. There just wasn't a way to contain her inside the house. And that ultimately was how she died. It was a Friday night, we were having some drinks and discussing what to do for the night, and one friend left our house to run back to his house to grab something. He came back to the window and whispered to my roommate to come outside, and at that moment I knew something bad had happened. I looked around thinking, "Where is Carlota", and I didn't see her. So I went outside and saw my roommate and friend looking upset, and then I saw little Carlota on the ground. I asked if she was dead and they told me yes, and I began crying and didn't stop all night. We brought her to Pame's parents' house and buried her in the backyard. I feel it was a fitting tribute to such a good cat. She was only 5 months old, and I just hope her short time on this earth was enjoyable. Chao Carlotita, yo te amaba como si fueras mia!


Pucón

Pucón is a town in Southern Chile, and it's so different from Viña I can't even begin to explain. The city is reminiscent of Germany or Switzerland (or at least what pictures I've seen of Switzerland), it has a very ski lodge feel to it. Looming over the city is the Villarica volcano. It's an active volcano that last erupted in 1982. We climbed this volcano (probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life) but weren't allowed to go all the way to the top due to weather. At the other end of town is the clearest mountain lake I have ever seen. The water is turquoise like the ocean, but it is surrounded by mountains. The sand is black and of volcanic origin (and is very painful to walk on). Pucón is a big outdoorsy place. We hiked the volcano, went white-water rafting, and spent about 5 hours in the termas (hot-springs). The termas for sure was my favorite part. It was amazing to just sit in the little pools after a hard day of hiking. For any outdoors enthusiasts that are reading this, I suggest you plan a trip to Pucón!

Sigue tu inspiración

Still just hanging out in Chile enjoying the good life. I haven't done much the last few days. I have been sick again, this time I think I have tonsilitis again like I did in Spain. Also, there was a fire on Sunday and Monday so it has been raining ash for 3 days and the sky has been all hazy. I felt like I was an extra in Schindler's List. Not good beach weather! I am hoping tomorrow will be nicer. According to my dear friend Christy, I am not tan enough. So I will be working on my skin cancer-glow for the rest of my time here. I can't believe that I only have about 3 1/2 weeks left here. My mom arrives the 23rd, my dad on the 26th and then I'm off to Peru on the 29th to meet Brittni. So many things left to do in Chile. Also I'm trying to plan a trip to Buenos Aires because I really want to go there and am not sure when I'll make it back to Argentina.

We could all use a little Zen

Check out the link below if you're looking for a little calm in your life. I found some of the ideas helpful. It's easy to get carried away with the annoyances of life and forget to appreciate the good parts. This post is as much for me as it is for you (all 2 of you who read my blog, myself included).

12 Practical Steps for Learning to Go With the Flow



Anyways, Chile update: quit my job last week, haven't been doing much of anything really except relaxing, and I'm ecstatic about it! Today I went to the gym and the beach and then out for dinner. These are the kind of things that I rarely take the time to do when I'm working full time, but they are things that I need to do in order to retain my sanity. On my birthday I met a guy at a bar who was interested to learn English, so I told him I would do an intercambio sort of thing with him, where we meet for a coffee and speak half the time in English, the other part in Spanish. I am meeting him tomorrow at Ruby Tuesday. I think it will be fun to make another Chilean friend and we can mutually help each other to learn our respective languages better. Anyways, that's all for now!

25

Today is my 25th birthday. When I was younger I remember thinking that 25 seemed so old and so far away. And now here it is. And I feel.... kinda old. Kinda wise. But still kinda young and kinda dumb. It's amazing the mixture of feelings you can have about yourself and your life. I am 25, graduated from college over 2 years ago, but still trying to decide what kind of career in this world is going to make me happy. Part of me feels I should have this all figured out, but then another part inside of me is screaming "You're 25! You have your whole life to figure it out!". I think that's the voice I'm going to listen to. I like the adventure of trying new things and taking a "trial and error approach" to life. It suits me. Although one day I really hope to stumble across something that just makes me so happy I can't imagine doing anything else (and also will pay me enough). I am still searching for that thing. On this trip I've discovered that business is not the place for me. The good part about failing in this "trial and error approach" is that you realize what you DON'T want to do. That can be just as valuable as figuring out what you DO want to do. So I'm happy with my choice to come to Chile and try something new, even if my long term career goals have now changed. Oh, in other news, I quit my job! So now I'm free to float and enjoy my remaining 5 weeks here.

Me encanta Chile

The other night I was riding home on the micro from Huevo, bobbing my head to the Reggaetón and being hypnotized by the neon lights, when a thought occurred to me. I love Chile! This country is just so fun and interesting, and I'm starting to feel really comfortable here. I feel like I never want to leave. I'm having such a blast here, the culture is so interesting and I'm learning all the slang. I feel like I can almost have a full conversation in Chilean! Besides my job here being pointless and boring as hell, I am super happy. I can't remember the last time I felt so liberated and just thrilled with life. I am trying to extend my stay until May, but I'm not sure it's feasible. Vamos a ver lo que vaya a pasar.

La pega nos mata

I started my job last week. It's not going so well though. My boss is kind of a jerk, and so far they've got me searching on the internet for prospective clients. So four hours a day of searching the internet. You can imagine I'm not too excited about this - especially given the fact that I'm paying for this program! They've mentioned having me do some design stuff, like for their brochures, but they don't even have Adobe Illustrator. They suggested I use Photoshop, which is not a layout program - only a photo editing program. Luckily for me, my boss is out of town for the next month or so. But I dunno if I'm gonna make it. I need to talk with the director of the center and see if I can be doing something else. Because this is not giving me marketing experience, and it's not why I paid to come down here. Will be sure to update if the situation improves.

EAT PRAY LOVE

I just finished reading EAT PRAY LOVE by Elizabeth Gilbert, and it's possibly the best book I've ever read. It's one of the most inspiring, beautifully written, and funny books I've ever come across. This book influenced me to not settle and to keep reaching for things in my life that I want. It's one of the reasons why I'm in Chile right now. For those of you who haven't read it, I suggest you immediately go to the book store and buy it! Below is one of my favorite passages:

"I keep remembering one of my Guru’s teachings about happiness. She says that people universally ten to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you’re fortunate enough. But that’s not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you have achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don’t, you will leak away your innate contentment. It’s easy enough to pray when you’re in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments."

Pensamientos para ser feliz

To the right, a picture of La Campana National Park. We took a short hike around and then went to a hostería (it's like an activity center with a restaurant, pool, etc. You can host parties there and stuff.) and had an amazing lunch and swam in their pool. All in all a really good day! Next week we are taking surf lessons. I am a bit nervous but I love the water so hopefully it will be fun. Tomorrow I am going to join the local gym. After hiking today, I realized I need to get in better shape if I'm going to hike Maccu Picchu with Brittni. Speaking of Brittni...

Brittni lent me a book called "Pensamientos para ser feliz" (in English, is "Thoughts for being happy"). I wanted to share a few of my favorites here.

-No debo juzgar a nadie; todos tienen el derecho de ser como son y de pensar como lo hacen. Debo tratar de conocer a personas. Antes de juzgar, cuántas sorpresas me voy a llevar.

-I shouldn't judge anyone; everyone has the right to be how they are and to think how they do. I should try to get to know people. Without judging, so many surprises will be brought to me.

-El tiempo y el lugar donde vivo pueden ser perfectos, si yo así lo decido. Si es necesario un cambio, estoy preparada para hacerlo, todo depende de mi; sé que es por mi bien.

-The time and place where I live can be perfect, if I decide it to be that way. If a change is necessary, I am prepared to do it, everything depends on me; I know that it's for the best.

-Hoy comienzo trabajando mentalmente para mi, sabiendo que tengo todo el poder en mis propios pensamientos para que mi vida sea una experiencia maravillosa.

-Today I begin working mentally for myself, knowing that I have all the power in my own thoughts so that my life will be a marvelous experience.

¡Disfrútatelos!

Valpo

Yesterday we went to Valpo to see Pablo Neruda's house. Valpo is about a 10 minute bus ride from Viña. Valpo is one of those unique cities that is unlike anything else I've ever seen. The town is made up of "cerros", or hills. Each cerro has a different name, and there are "acensores" or cable-cars that take you up the cerros. We took a bus up to "La Sebastiana", Neruda's house, and walked through the house and the grounds. The architecture was amazing! I would like to have a house like that someday. It had an unbelievable view of Valpo. You could see the entire city and the ocean. Look at my pictures at www.picasaweb.com/demo0043 if you want to see more!

I'll leave you with a poem by Neruda:

Los niños aprenden lo que viven

Si los niños viven con crítica
Aprenden a condenar.

Si los niños viven con hostilidad
Aprenden a vivir luchando.

Si los niños viven el ridículo
Aprenden a ser tímidos.

Si los niños viven con vergüenza
Aprenden a sentirse culpables.

Si los niños viven con tolerancia
Aprenden a ser pacientes.

Si los niños viven con estímulo
Aprenden a confiar.

Si los niños viven con alabanza
Aprenden a apreciar.

Si los niños viven con honradez
Aprenden la justicia.

Si los niños viven con seguridad
Aprenden a tener fe.

Si los niños viven con aprobación
Aprenden autoestima.

Si los niños viven con aceptación y amistad
Aprenden a hallar amor en el mundo.

Children Learn What they Live

If children live with criticism
They learn to condemn

If children live with hostility
They learn to live fighting

If children live with ridicule
They learn to be timid

If children live with shame
They learn to feel guilty

If children live with tolerance
They learn to be patient

If children live with stimuli
They learn to trust

If children live with praise
They learn to appreciate

If children live with honesty
They learn justice

If children live with security
They learn to have faith

If children live with approval
They learn self-esteem

If children live with acceptance and friendship
They learn to find love for the whole world

¿Qué?

I feel like that's the only word in my Spanish vocabulary right now -- ¿Qué? That and "No entiendo". The people here are so hard to understand. I'm not used to their accent and they use words I've never heard of to describe simple things. A bus is not an 'autobus', it's a 'micro'. An avocado is not an 'aguacate', it's a 'palta'. I'm starting Spanish classes tomorrow, so I think that will help a lot. I just can't believe I've been speaking Spanish for 9 years and I still can't figure out what people are saying! More updates on my trip to come. Guarda este dicho en tu memoría: "Del dicho al hecho hay un largo trecho". Que razón.