Random Travels

In the last month or so, I have had the opportunity to take a few one- and two-day trips to various parts of Chile. Mostly, this was fueled by the need for alone time, as my home in Chillan was hosting three relatives for three weeks and the house was a little...crowded.

My first foray way a day trip back to Las Termas de Chillan with my friend Sarah in late August. This is the same place where the Chillan volunteers got to spend the day hiking, swimming, and zip-lining in the fall, although it looked quite different now that it was winter.

I wanted to have a relaxation day, because I had been working extra hours to train my debate team, and the Friday before our Saturday trip had brought our first competition, at which I got into a screaming match with my coteacher. My face had broken out from stress, and I was ready to be pampered and spend money like the American many people assume I am, so I invited Sarah to join me for a spa day at the Termas. We passed a lovely day, which started with a decadent breakfast of all different kinds of meats and cheeses, bread, fruit, scrambled eggs and bacon (a rarity in Chile). After gorging ourselves, we decided a walk would be best. I had romantic notions of strolling through the winter wonderland, but the snow was crusty and, while the day had dawned bright and clear, midmorning brought gray clouds our way. I was hoping it would at least snow, but no such luck.

The winter landscape.
My failed attempt at a snow angel in the crusty snow, which left my jeans uncomfortably damp.

Swinging in the snow!
After our stroll, Sarah and I went in for spa appointments, me for a facial and she for a massage. Then, we spent about two hours swimming and lounging in the thermally heated indoor/outdoor pool. The water was so warm that the interior pool was a foggy cloud of steam. There was a little waterway that led outdoors, but the novelty of swimming amidst the snowy landscape soon wore off, since it was pretty cold out there! Anyway, Sarah and I enjoyed our soak and the attendant heart-to-heart.

Sarah heads outside.
An inexplicably small photo of us swimming in the snow.
After our pool time, I waited in the bar with a beer while Sarah had another spa appointment. Then, the real adventure started.

In the morning, our bus from Chillan had dropped us off in front of the hotel. Ever since Megan and I got stranded in San Pedro de Atacama, I have been paranoid about bus travel, and never fully calm down until I am safely seated and roaring off toward my destination. As such, I was a little skeptical when the bus dropped us off on the dirt road in front of the hotel, and I asked the bus employee where and when we would be picked up in the afternoon. He told me at six o'clock, in front of the hotel, and I repeated the information to make sure there was no miscommunication. He confirmed, and Sarah and I went about our day.

However, at 5:45 we were standing out in front of the hotel waiting for the bus, and by 6:15, the bus had not come. I went inside to consult with the hotel employees, leaving Sarah outside to flag the bitch down in case it actually came, and they told me sometimes the bus leaves early! I almost had a heart attack, and at that moment any gains made in my day of relaxation were crushed. Moments like these remind me how little Chileans plan, and how difficult it is being an American and being used to relying on schedules. Sarah and I had already spent more money that day than was prudent, and could not afford to stay at the grandiose hotel. Moreover, we wanted to be back in Chillan to go out with our friends that night. After asking around, we discovered the next bus would be coming at midnight, which would put us back in Chillan at about 1:30 a.m.--not acceptable! After harassing a hotel employee that took pity on us, he arranged a ride back for us in the hotel van, which we were informed was for guests only, which kind of annoyed me since, although we were not staying in the hotel overnight, Sarah and I had spent plenty of money that day and I figured we deserved a free ride back to Chillan! However, we ended up paying the driver under the table, after waiting until 9:00 to leave for Chillan and spending even more money on dinner. By the time I got home, I was too tired and pissy to attempt a night out, so I just went to bed.

However, not all was lost in the madness. With every disaster, I learn more about how to survive on the road in South America. Had Megan and I not be stranded in San Pedro, I wouldn't even have known to ask where and when the bus would pick us up. Now that I know that traveling by bus is not very reliable, I will continue to take extra precautions in my travels. And there is something to be said for realizing that, even when your plans go to pieces, it is not the end of the world. Step by step, I am learning to surrender the illusion of control. And I must say, you know you can take care of yourself when things go tits up and you are able to rant and rave and explain the situation in Spanish and be understood and work out a solution. I find, too, that no matter where I am and what goes wrong, there is always a Chilean present who goes out of his way to help me put things right, a reassuring fact when I often feel isolated by my surroundings.

My next trip was a little bit more successful, though not without the usual unexpected aspects. On Saturday, September 6, I headed to Los Angeles, an hour and a half south of Chillan, to visit the other group of volunteers. It is a bit shameful that many have visited us in Chillan, but we have neglected to visit LA. I was curious to see how they were living and getting along, so I arranged to stay with Megan and her family for the night. I arrived at 8:30 and Megan and I shared breakfast at her house and spent some time gossiping and catching up. I had really missed her since we spent our two weeks on the road together in July, so it was comforting to have her by my side again.

Megan and I like to explore, and her host sister was kind enough to offer to drive us to the city of Angol, where there was a nearby park where we could hike. The day was beautiful, and though I had only gotten two hours of sleep the night before, I was ready to poke around the countryside. After a beautiful drive through verdant farmland and scattered cows, hens and roosters, we reached Angol and embarked upon a 33 kilometer drive up a dusty, potholed road with out sights set on the park. The highlight of the trip was the birds we spotted in the trees, which looked like brightly colored parrots from the Amazon. Unfortunately, I didn't snap any photos (sorry Mom!). We were about 27 km into the drive, which took something like 45 minutes, I would say, when we reached a bridge we needed to cross, only to find that it had partially collapsed and we could go no farther. The three of us emerged from the car and stared at the bridge for a full five minutes before getting back in and starting the long drive back to Angol. Oh well, foiled again! Some sort of notification at the beginning of the dirt road would have been nice, though.

Some views of Angol I managed to snap on our descent.


When we returned to Los Angeles, Megan and I walked over to our friend Abby's house, and I instantly fell in love with her family. She has a full and busy house, complete with a very noisy host dad, a precious 9-year-old brother, and two turtles that walk around the house. The boy turtle tried to attack me by crawling toward me with his mouth snapping, but the girl turtle let me poke her on the head. I wanted to hang out in Abby's house forever, and especially play with her little brother, since the kids in my Chilean family are so damn hyper they exhaust me after five minutes, but this boy seemed so sweet and fun! However, instead we walked to the mall and met up with Lukas, and spent the rest of the evening eating and drinking and catching up! It was really good to see the other volunteers...they are so close but we spend so little time together. I hope to see more of them in the short time we all have left here.

The following Monday after work, I hopped another bus to Temuco, a city three hours south. Due to a test that was being administered at my school (equivalent to the PSAT, more or less), I had Tuesday and Wednesday free, and I had been wanting to check out Temuco. Temuco is not a tourist destination, generally, and I spent most of my two days there walking around the city. There are many universities there, and I enjoyed walking along or sitting in cafes and watching all the interesting people go by. My friend Ruby, the Chinese teacher at my school, joined me for one of the days, and we spent several hours wandering around the artisan market, which sold a lot of Mapuche crafts, which I am obsessed with. The weather was very pleasant the first day, but that night it poured, so I stayed in the hospedaje in my single room, read for hours, and went to bed early. Wednesday morning I awoke early and hiked to the top of a hill called Cerro Ñielol to get views of the city. It was an excellent way to start the day, although the trail was muddy and I had to take care not to slip.

View of Temuco from the top of Cerro Ñielol.

Walking through the forest.
Temuco's cemetery, as seen from my hike.
All in all, it was a pefect little trip of exploration and solitude. I love getting out for a few days on my own, although I am getting to the point that every time I travel, I start thinking about how I am missing time with my family. I will be leaving them in two short months, and our time is precious. But I am not going to think about that now.