Adventures in Vina del Mar and Valparaiso

Well, it never ceases to be interesting here in Chile...

This weekend one of the English teachers at school invited me to go to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso with her (though they're two different towns, they run into each other in the middle). It turns out that I was pretty incidental to her plans--I think she was trying to look kind and concerned for my experience in her country, when really she was just going to see her family and run some errands. I stayed the night with her and her sister-in-law, who was actually very hospitable.

Fortunately I met another volunteer Sara there, and we "toursited" around for two days. We saw Pablo Neruda's house (La Sebastiana), we went to the big sea port in ValPo, we ate lunch at an upscale restaurant in the historical and picturesque Cerro Concepcion. I was feeling risky so I ate Conger Eel Soup, a traditional dish here in Chile. It was surpisingly good--not like octopus at all (I have no idea where I got that expectation from, but I thought it would be chewy like octopus, and I was pleasantly surpised at the fish-like consistency).

Since Sara had no one to stay with, we decided to find an inexpensive hotel together in Vina. On our way the English teacher I came with called and asked us to come to another city Con Con to have tea with her and her family. So we got off the bus we were on and found the last bus to Con Con, all the while the teacher is calling me every 5 or so minutes to see where we are. By the time we arrived everyone had decided to leave and go to a movie. There was a bunch of negotiating about what to do with us, and they finally decided to drop us off to get my things and send us to a hotel. On the way the English teacher informed me that I would be taking the bus home the next day. (So much for being a good host.) I was glad to leave, though, not feeling that wanted, and at 10:30 at night with a roughly-drawn map Sara and I made our way to Vina's city center and found a hostel where a very nice old man took care of us.

The next day we toured Vina and found a little artisan fair where we could buy lapiz azuli, a semi-precious stone Chile is famous for. Then we made our way to the bus station and came home.

When I arrived in San Felipe the English teacher called me to make sure I got home okay, then to ask me to tell the director that she was sick, had stayed in Vina, and wouldn't be coming in to work tomorrow. Nice.