Valparaiso, Day 1

We flew back to Santiago and a driver took us to the high-rise apartment we stayed at earlier in our trip. We got a different room, which at least smelled better. Thankfully! He never talked about payment (he was to charge us when we got there, though we never met him. And given how misleading his descriptions/pictures of the places were, I didn't bring it up. Curious if he will. If he doesn't charge us for this last night (only $55 anyways and he upgraded us to a two bedroom) then I won't file a complaint!)

We went on a search for a restaurant trying first to go to Sur Patagonico again but it was closed. We found a little casual place and ate outside. It was very basic, inexpensive and ok. We went back to the hotel and fell asleep after midnight (we didn't get in until after 9 pm.)

We woke fairly late, just before 9 and headed out quickly. We took a taxi to the Bus terminal Alameda, which goes to Valparaiso. Our driver pulled into an area for taxis with metal fences around the cars, and suggested we walk around and he would hand over the bags, so I ran around. It was very kind of him as there was little room to navigate our suitcases through to get to the station.

There are two bus options, Tur and Pullman, both of which go to Valpo every 15 minutes or so and are around $6. We chose Pullman because it was closer to where we were standing. Tough decision. It took two tries but we got on the right bus (uneventful this time!) It took around an hour and a half. the mountains looked so close and were beautiful, and we passed through the Cassablanca region with a lot of vineyards for white wines.

We got to the station and got a taxi to our hotel, Ibis. It's right on the water near the port and Plaza Sotomayor. Not a bad location. It's a very modern business hotel-- not a lot of character but comfortable. The room is a decent size, free wifi, overlooks the city and the water. It's right near the train which is surprisingly not loud. We hear some background noise in the room but nothing too bad.

We quickly unpacked and headed out to grab some breakfast/lunch. We headed ten minutes to Plaza Anibal Pinto, where the free walking tour starts that we are taking at 3, and where a recommended restaurant is. We couldn't find the restaurant (yes, we walked right past it!) and went into a place on the Square. Lunch was very unimpressive. We got sandwiches and it was thin white bread toasted on one side. I got a double espresso and Kim got her coke zero. Fully leaded up, we walked around the square a bit then met the guide.

Felipe was great and spoke incredible English. he learned watching television, then majored in English and tries to find work translating. We watched a cute little old woman feeding the many dogs in the square, then the pigeons, then filling some water jugs with the top cut off for the dogs. Felipe explained that the strays are cared for by the people, like in Santiago. People build emergency shelter for them in the winter, feed and leave water out, and even dress them in jackets when it's cold.

Felipe cautioned us about taking taxis, that we should ask for the fare before we start. If the driver knows we don't know where we are going, he will drive around and charge much more.

Valparaiso was never actually a founded city. It was controlled by the Spanish and the man who first came was from Valparaiso Spain, so that's what it was named (Valley of Paradise.) He named the settlement but it was never oficially founded. All ships to the Americas had to pass through here to refuel, so it used to be the main port but now it's the second largest (San Antonio is the largest.)

Anibal Pinto Plaza was named in 1896 for the president at the time. Cinzano (the recommended restaurant that we sadly missed earlier) is the oldest in the area, built in 1896. There is a music band that Felipe said may be as old as the restaurant. :)

We walked up a street off the square looking at the artwork on the walls. They are often done for free with permission from the building owners. Sometimes supplies are paid for. Graffiti is extensive here, so once a painting is graffitied, the artist often repaints something new.

Felipe told us there is a bike competition (Cerro Abajo) that is insane! Valpo is VERY hilly and steep, and the bike will go down the streets as past as possible to the square, down staircases, over rooftops, jumping over large areas, and through windows. Here is a video example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIe6hYAdw_I

There are 27 funiculars in the city, though 8 work. Most are around 100 Chilean Pesos (around 800 CP= $1 USD). We walked to the Queen Victoria Funicular. Queen Victoria visited Valparaiso and was said to have been at the opening of the funicular, however, it opened in 1902 and she died in 1901. So, probably not. 

European immigrants controlled the hills, and this one was mostly English and German. There is a large Lutheran Church on a hill above the top of the funicular and another church. The Catholic Church was not happy about it being built, so they built a larger one higher up. That showed them!

There is a few large wall paintings at the top of the funicular, that you can slide down to (yes there is a large side) inspired by a cartoonist named Lucas. It's a satire of a group of people with animal shapes and faces.

Many of the buildings have bright colors, and we were told it's believed so they are more visible at night. However, Felipe said many drunk people still fall down the stairs anyways.  We saw a sign 'We are not hippies we are happies.' The city is very artistic and bohemian.

Valparaiso became a Unesco World Heritage site in 2003 or so, and then promptly built two large high-rise buildings obscuring some of the view of the water from the high points in the city. We saw a painting by Inti Castro on the wall of a large building. His supplies were paid for by the government (one of the only paintings commissioned by the goverment) and he painted it by rappelling off the building. 

We went to several lookout points to enjoy the city views.

Our hotel and Turri clock

Lutheran Church

We passed through Paseo Gerrasone, which has the oldest funicular built in 1886. It has the House Of Lucas, a museum dedicated to the cartoonist. It was not his house, but is just where the museum is. We were able to view our hotel and the Turri Clock. 

Some of the street art is below:

We saw a house that had been destroyed by fire years ago, and the rubble remained. Houses used to be built of stucco with a layer of cement over them. The streets are narrow and windy, and the fire hydrant was installed years after the fire so the blaze couldn't be contained. This is a down side of the city construction on the hills. The rubble (stone, wood) would have to be removed by hand.

We stopped at a small place that makes 81 kinds of empanadas (Delicas express). I forgot to mention that several dogs followed us during the tour, who knew Felipe. We started with a gorgeous chow, who was replaced by this guy. He followed up almost the entire tour, and did quite well at the empanadas place.

Felipe didn't know why kids were walking around painted, but I caught two.

We continued the tour to Plaza Sotomayor and the dock. Past this plaza is one of the most dangerous parts of the city where robbery is common. Police tell people to leave, and it's a shame as there are some nice old churches. Felipe shared a story of a man who was walking next to an old woman. A policeman came up to him and asked, "do you know who you were walking with?" and he said, "No, an old woman." Apparently she is one of the drink 'kingpen' in the city. 

We saw two fire trucks-- one had hebrew writing and a star of David, and the other had German colors. Apparently firefighters are all volunteers and paid through donations. 

we ended the tour in Pratt port, where we saw cargo and military ships. This is also where cruise ships in season arrive. Someone approached us to offer a group rate for a private boat. Most of the people on the tour declined, but Kim and I agreed to go as well as two others, from Australia. Mia was from Chile and moved at 8 years old to Australia. Tasha, her daughter, is 24. The two were adorable and great fun. Mia speaks Spanish so she translated for us.

We got to see some sea lions, and a couple of military war ships that were there for security during the anniversaries. On the 11th is the anniversary of president Allende being shot and killed, and the 18th is the anniversary of Chilean Independence. It's a shame we fly back on the 18th as there are supposed to be a lot of festivities!!

We walked back to our hotel to get off our feet a bit and catch up since we do have internet. Yay! I will try to add in pictures of Easter Island when I can.

TTFN!!

s

Easter Island- last morning

The animal kingdom here isn't cooperating at all with my sleep. The night before last I woke to barking dogs for quite some time, and last night it happened again. Only it sounded like a large pack that ran very close to the house. They started with barking but then started howling like a wolf pack hunting.. It was really unnerving The dogs woke the @#$% roosters who started right around 3:30 and even got the sheep to rally. [sigh]

The airline strike with LAN starts tomorrow so I'm glad our planned date was to leave today. It has been amazing here overall. I'm thrilled with the place we stayed (except for the night life!) I think three days would have been enough but it was nice to relax for a day. Enjoying a lazy morning of packing and getting ready.

Was debating going to the post office to have my passport stamped but decided not to-- no one will see it anyways. Chris and Stacey got one, and they show three of the Moai heads. They are on our flight returning to the mainland, then tomorrow head to Mendoza, Argentina for more wine and malbec. Yum. The young two from our day tour (from Germany and Switzerland) were scheduled to fly out tomorrow. I wonder if we'll see them or if they are taking their chances and are staying longer. They don't have a time constraint as they both have months left on their trip so they may stay.

We fly back this afternoon to Santiago and arrive at 9 pm. Get a car to one night for an apartment with the last owner (hopefully this one is better, and he said he upgraded us to a 2 bedroom as we requested a one.) Then the bus to Valparaiso, which I'm excited to see. Our guide in Santiago said it's his favorite city, and knocking off another Unesco World Heritage Site. I'm excited to see it! We'll get our workouts in as it's a very hilly city.. it has three funiculars, so you know there's some height!

We just learned the strike isn't LAN but the air traffic controllers in Chile. So all airports are impacted. Apparently they are fighting for retirement benefits (ability to retire by a certain age for the work they do.) We are scheduled to leave on the 18th so hopefully we won't be impacted-- but if we are, better to be on the mainland where we may have more options to return home when the strike lets up.

Camilla stopped by with our boarding passes. She is so sweet. She loves living here but does miss shopping. She came here on holiday just over a year ago and met a guy she liked. Nothing happened, and she went home but they kept in touch. In December she came back here for a few weeks, then went back to Santiago, quit her job, packed up her life and moved here with her boyfriend. Her mother is really unhappy about it. They are flying back for a few days in October for her to see her Grandmother and for her family to meet him. It's so nice to talk with her to understand how living here is.

Easter Island Day 4

We expected it to rain all day but it didn't. It was overcast this morning and the rain held out until we were walking home.

We were both feeling sluggish and tired from being on the go for the last 8 days or so with little rest. And I was woken to the sound of a large group of dogs barking around 3 then the roosters kicked in, and they woke Kim too. So we took most of a day of rest, reading, trying to upload pictures (with some slight success.) It was cool and nice out so we sat on our porch a while.

A large family came at around 2, dropped off by a shuttle. There are no open places here (only three cabins in total anyways). Staff is here until 1-2 and then they leave, so we saw them calling. Apparently Marae has two locations, and the other is a building by the beach. The driver took them to the wrong one as Vero said she was waiting for them there when we saw her this evening. The group all started laughing, so apparently they realized the error that they were dropped at the wrong place. The bus came back shortly after, so I'm sure Vero called.

I'm not sure if she manages or owns the place. She's as nice as Camilla and the service here has been so wonderful. She drives an FJ Cruiser so clearly is doing well for herself.

We decided to go to Ahu Tahai, a ceremonial complex right near the town. On the way we stopped in a shop to buy some statues but her credit card machine wasn't charged and she asked us to come back.

We then went to Ahu Tahai and it was really beautiful. First there were a bunch of large stones with petroglyphs carved on them. It's interesting to see them as I have seen a lot of petroglyphs in Utah and these are three dimentional and not just etchings. A lot of faces and shapes that were beautiful, all overlooking lava rock cliffs. We then got to the complex which had an ahu of 7-8 statues, and then a single one with the eyes in it. That's the first one we have seen with eyes and it's kind of creepy, honestly! There was a lot to see in this area. At this time it got sunny and was quite humid so we took our time exploring. We saw several 'chicken houses' there as well and what looked like a very old boat ramp between the two areas of moai.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahu_Tahai

We decided to go to dinner on this side of town, at a place Camilla suggested called La Kalenta. We tried to go for lunch there with Stacey and Chris and it was closed, so we tried again and were successful. Apparenly they serve drinks until 6 pm at which point they serve dinner too, so we enjoyed watching the waves crash up on the lava rocks and the mini beach of sand, and watched several surfers dancing on the waves. The cargo ship is still docked there.

Unfortunately the waves moved back in so we were unable to view the sunset from here. This restaurant is next door to the place we went last night, so the views would have been wonderful. Guess it wasn't meant to be. And given that an airline strike is starting on the 15th, I don't want to even say that I wish we could have seen the sunset from this area as we'll get stuck! 3-4 days is enough. I suppose we could have rented a car and done some exploring or the other small beach, but we're a bit moai'd out.

Dinner was wonderful. Kim got crab tortelini in fresh-made black pasta with a cream sauce. I got tuna over sweet potatoes, which were purple. I got a pisco sour which was interestingly made of lime (instead of lemon) and had a sugar rim.

We went back to the shop to get our statues, and walked to a small ice cream shop that Stacey told us about and got small cones. Kim wanted to get some soda, at which time the floodgates opened. Thankfully I grabbed her umbrella and she had a water resistant coat with a hood. So much for not packing wet clothes in our suitcases! We took advantage of the lovely drying rack provided and hopefully with some breeze in the little room outside (it has wood slats and open areas for the breeze to come through) our clothes may be dry.

We will get picked up tomorrow at 12:30. The airport is literally a five minute walk so thankfully there's only one flight in and out a day!

This island is definitely worth seeing and taking a tour to see the moai is the way to go to get the history. Apparently there have been some new finds including a kneeling moai, but it's not on this tour. And I had been told that some have been found with the bodies under the ground but it sounds from our guide yesterday that that's because of the elements washing sand up around the statue and not that they were buried. All were on platforms with the entire moai exposed.. those partly underground we saw at the quarry mostly and that was from the elements.

Good night!!
s

Easter Island Day 3

We had a kitty visitor last night at our place. I know, I know, but he was super cute and friendly. A medium-haired black cat and he was very playful and affectionate and wore a little red collar with a bell. We first saw him chasing bugs, then when he saw us he ran over to do figure 8's around our legs. I sat down and he jumped right up on my lap. Oh I know, but he was cute! I gave him some of my leftover wahu and he was quite happy.

After waiting for 40 minutes, we gave up on the shuttle picking us up to take us to the dance show, Te Ra'ai. Ten minutes later, it arrived on 'island time' apparently, similar to Hawaii. It was a five minute ride to the place we were going to. We were ushered into a large room where maybe 30 other people were finishing their dinner. We had been told that we wouldn't be back in time for the dinner, but apparently that wasn't the case. All good as we got great pisco sours and dinner last night.

They served a drink of papaya juice and some liquor that wasn't very good and we paid for the show. One of the dancers came around to paint our faces with a light tan-colored paint, then we were ushered into the 'theater.' It seated maybe 50 and we were now around 40, so the room was mostly filled. There was a band at the back of the stage of 6 and the main presenter who introduced the dance as a one-hour telling of the history of the island. Of course, one hour isn't a lot of time, but they would describe through words, song and dance the highlights. 

The women all wore bikinis essentially, of shells and feathers and the men were similarly attired. Kim pointed out that the 'master of ceremony' apparently had a slight wardrobe malfunction. Ahem. 

It was beautifully done. the Master spoke in Spanish and English. The dancing was stunning.. some chanting and war dancing, beautifully choreographed and executed mostly, except the one guy who kept goofing up and they would all look at him and giggle. It just added to the show. The women did a lot of belly dancing and one really was quite amazing. They all also had the paint on their faces and bodies. The shuttle took us back and we were glad to have taken in as it was very dark with no lights on the road and we were quite tired from the day. It was around 11 pm or so.

Hello sheep. Hello roosters!

They woke up a touch earlier than I would have liked, but again, didn't bother me too much. And I still giggle over the sheep sounding like a cranky old man. I made a cup of tea and enjoyed the quiet. Well, quiet with sheep and roosters.

We got picked up promptly at 9:30, though we weren’t ready as we were told yesterday to expect to be picked up at ten. Whoops. Rosita was our guide.

First we went to the Rano Kau volcano, the largest on the island. The crater is 1.5 km in diameter. This volcano was the second to erupt on the island, around 2.5 million years ago. The last eruption was around 180k years ago. It’s 300 meters above sea level and the lake in the caldera is around 200m down. It’s made of fresh water from rain and has a lot of growing reeds.

https://www.google.cl/search?q=orongo&es_sm=119&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CDYQsARqFQoTCIS-muTP8scCFcyRkAodraMETg&biw=1132&bih=599

Avocado, figs, grapes were all introduced and grow in the caldera as there is a microclimate with the right temperature and humidity. There is a beautiful view of Hanga Roa, the town.

We could also see the airport. LAN is the only airline to fly to the island and it was created as an emergency plan for the space shuttle.

The island is very small, and 24 km x 16 km.

We can see a cargo ship in the harbor from Valparaiso. It takes 8-10 days to get here, and cruse ships from Valpo take around 6 days. We see a new hospital on the island as well. There is only general medicine provided.

The ground is glittering with obsidian, shiny black think volcanic glass. It was often used to make the moai pupils and arrowheads.

Orongo is a ceremonial village near the top of the volcano and was used only for ceremony, not for living in. It was built in around the 15^th and 16^th century. Rano Kau is considered sacred. We went through a very modern ranger’s station over a trail to see three small islands by the side of the volcano. Moto Nui is the big island, Moto Hi the small, and Moto Kau kau the tall and pointy one.

Orono was built as a center for religious and political ceremony. This was where the Birdman settlement was and chiefs, priests and warriors, the ‘important people’ comed to live for a few weeks every September. Their small homes were reconstructed at the top, with a small low entry door on one side. The houses were reconstructed by an American archaeologist William Malloy between 1974 and 1976. Half of one was left open so people can view the construction.

There are a lot of clouds coming in and the wind picked up making it very cold at this high place. The top of the hill is all very bright green, and there are stones littering the area of the homes that were once there and weren’t reconstructed.

The Birdman clan arrived in September from the villages throughout the island. The chiefs chose their best warriors for the competition. They climbed down the Kari Kari depression into Ranu Kau, cut some of the reeds, constructed a float and swam to the big island (Moto Nui) to await the migratory birds, the sooty tern. The first to find an egg called to the Chief. Orongo, means to hear. The chief heard the call letting him know his warrior found an egg. The chief then prepared for the ceremony by shaving his head for purity.

The warrier put the egg in a basket tied on his head to swim back. He climbed the cliffs to return to the tip. Petroglyphs are here telling the story. The warrior then presents the egg to the priest, and the priest presents it to the Chief at sunset. The winning chief became the birdman.

After the ceremony, the Birdman was taken in a caravan with singing and dancing back to their holy place. If the tribe was on the east of the island, they stayed nearby. And if the tribe was on the west of the island, they went to Anakena Beach. The priest and chief were in seclusion for one year and the priest cared for the Birdman, who was considered a sacred person.

This religious ceremony was in honor of Maki, the most important God. It was political as well as the winning tribe controlled the island for one year.

The Birdman tribes rules from the end of the Moai period around the 17^th century to 1864 when the French Catholic missionary arrived and converted the island to Christianity.

1 Moai was found in one of the houses buried halfway. It had petroglyphs on the back and stands 2 meters high. There was a platform/Ahu where it used to sit before it was moved inside, likely due to the wars. It was given by the island chiefs as a gift to an English expedition and was taken to be housed in a museum in England.

There is a path down the side of the caldera that is a source of water for the village. There is only enough water in the village for drinking and bathing, so women used to ride horses to the caldera to do their wash. Rosita said her mother did it when she was young, so it was as recent as 50 years. Young men stull go down to get fern roots that grow there, and take it to the ladies who make meds of it. The roots are said to treat cancer and diabetes (Matua pua.) Maybe that’s why they only have general medicine here..

The houses were made of thin strips of stone laid over each other. The rocks were cut in slab by a hard basalt stone.

We next went to the Vinapu area with two sites, both in ruins. Each site had a village nearby and foundations of ancient ruined houses and cooking pits. The moai represented chiefs as people worshipped the ancestors.

The second ahu had a wall towards the water at the back of the ahu, built similarly to the Inca style where large rocks were carefully fitted together without mortar. An anthropologist used this to support his belief that the people on the island came from South America. He tried to support his theory building a boat of a wood platform with reeds and rope. It took him 101 days to arrive on some islands, but he couldn’t get to Easter Island due to the currents. The boat was mostly destroyed except for the wood platform (contiki boat). Most likely the two waves of migration to the island were Polynesian. They used the stars, currents, migratory birds, fish, and even the color of clouds to navigate. They went against the wind so they could go back with the wind if they ran into trouble. It’s now believed that they may have made it to Peru and came back and built the wall. The walls are similar to those in Peru though much more symmetrical and not as thick.

This ahu was one of the last built on the island. It was one of the largest built but in ruins now. The first we saw was built around 1280.

On the south side of the island viewable from these ahu, we could see red cliffs and the stone made to use the ‘top knot’ hair for the Moai. It’s raining there and a light mist moved in.

We saw a statue entirely of red of a woman at the front of the second ahu. You could see a faint outline of eyes. When the eyes were done, the spirit of the ancestors inhabit the moai and they have mama, or spirit.

We were dropped off in town and had lunch at Kuki Varui with the couple from Arizona. I got kana kana, a local white fish, also similar to swordfish and a mango sour, which wasn’t very good. The lunch was great though, and we all enjoyed it.

We walked up the street to see the church then walked back down the main road. A poor female dog was surrounded by males, and as we got closer, we saw the poor thing was stuck to one. Hopefully she can extract herself.

We walked back past the ice cream place the Arizonans raved about and it was closed. So we decided to stop at the market, also closed. It doesn’t bode well for tomorrow, Sunday. On the way we saw a cute puppy sitting in a doorway. She followed us for a while and we thought she would leave, but she came all the way home. I gave her my leftovers from the first meal here and Kim’s too and she scarfed it. She’s really skinny.

After seeing the poor female dog in the town, kim walked her back to her house. She had to fight off several dogs bothering her and she was very happy to run into the restaurant doorway where we saw her. After seeing the poor female dog today Kim didn’t want to leave her to walk back herself and it sounds like it was a good thing she didn’t.

I had told Camilla that it’s Kim’s birthday today and asked her to call the restaurant we’re going to tonight to see if they will do a cake. She left a note in the place that they don’t but they will sing happy birthday and we can bring a cake. She left two beautiful flowers on the table and a small package with three beautiful cards of moai and horses for Kim, which was so thoughtful.

This restaurant has beautiful sunsets, but with it drizzling and overcast, I don’t think we will be lucky. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow so unfortunately, tonight is our best chance. The LAN office closed mid-day today so we couldn’t get there in time. Camilla said she called and thinks we are ok to leave on the 14^th. Thankfully!

I took a short nap now that our farm friends are quieter. I didn't sleep really as I am so cold, and decided to give in and have one of the nescafe's that was here. I think the coffee maker is for show as I didn't see one thing of regular coffee or filters. 

We walked back to the center of town past the church to get to our restaurant for tonight. It is one Camilla recommended with the best sunset view. Unfortunately the  weather isn’t cooperating but I thought that would be nice for Kim’s birthday dinner. The place was wonderful! We started off with some great drinks and ordered the fish of the day (which was a choice of two.) One is a whole fish—I don’t do whole fish as they stare back at me accusingly and it skeeves me out. So I got the other one, which again was kind of like swordfish though a little flakier.

Both dishes were amazing. Mine was with a mustard sauce and on a pile of stir-fried veggies and I was in heaven. I eat a lot of veggies at home and haven’t been able to get much here. Kim’s was in a coconut milk sauce and on top of ‘mashed potatoes’ which were crunchy fried cakes. I got a drink of the day which was blue and fun, and we got dessert of caramel crepes (which was more like caramel pudding and not as good as Sur Patagonica) and a cake with meringue frosting. The cake was the better of the two though we thought it would be like tres leches cake and was a bit different. Yum. Very good meal and felt like a better value than the last place we went to, which was a bit pricy.

We walked back to help walk off some of our dinner, fat and happy, and went to bed.

I had a night like Kim did last night.. woken at 3 by a bunch of dogs barking, then the roosters schemed to keep me awake and I never got back to sleep. Last night Kim was kept up by the guys working at the house behind us, who stopped at 9 but then apparently partied until 2. Oh well!

Today will be a mellow day. It was supposed to rain most of the day so we figured we may hunker in a bit and venture out at drier times. It looks like blue skies so we’ll see. We’re both really tired from the last few days with little break. Apparently we walked around 8 miles the day of the full-day tour so we are definitely getting our exercise in.

Good morning sheep. I won’t greet the roosters as I am annoyed with them at the moment, especially not having coffee.