Gas and Its Revelations

My eyes were surprisingly opened up to many things while my friend Marybeth was in visiting from Mizzou during the beginning of February.
We spent the first few days hopping around Santiago - with her reading, drinking coffee, and writing while I was in classes.

But we needed to copy the mass exodus from Santiago summers that the rest of the city has undertaken - so we hopped on a bus to Viña del Mar. Under 2 hours away, I had somehow not yet made it to this popular beach destination after 6 months in Chile.

So we lugged our few bags around the city looking for a place to stay. The first place pretty much laughed at me when I came without a reservation. He said it would be impossible to find annything at the last minute like this. I was disheartened and I think MB was going to die. However, we beat the odds and found a lovely little hotel about 4 blocks from the beach. Oh, and this was a venture into high-class traveling for me. We stayed at a legitimate hotel and Marybeth sidestepped around my pleas for cheap hostels in which you share a room with 8 other people on bunkbeds! It was nice to feel that our things were safe.



Marybeth being excited about something - probably her sweater (a chile purchase) almost matching the wall. Actually, I think I made her get up there for a picture of the similar hues.

Then it was several days on the Viña beaches, which are not the best for swimming due to strong currents and waves that crash right on the shore - but we still enjoyed them. The mornings are generally cloudy and the sun comes out ever afternoon between 12 and 2, leaving at least 7 hours of sunlight to enjoy the huge crowds. In addition the the beach we enjoyed Chile´s largest Casino by losing a few bucks to slot machines, roulette, and over-priced drinks!



I introduced MB to many different foods and she made some very good observations:
- Palta (what they call the wonderful avocado here in Chile)((On a side note, I once lost a spelling bee on the word avocado and my family will never let me forget it!)) - It is put on sandwiches in quantities that could feed small armies. If you order something with palta, you had better bring along an extra loaf of bread to fully enjoy all the avocado coming your way.
- Gasified Water - In the states we have almost zero water with gas. We just don´t do it back at home. Well, it´s everywhere down here. And the business idea behind it is brilliant: Water that does not quench thirst! Seriously, you´re always still thirsty after this stuff. And it´s not very good, but you sometimes have to buy it because that´s all there is. The way around this, is that they recently introduced lemon/lime flavored waters...or a Sprite. It´s amazing the difference that a little flavor can do for the water. And the stuff is cheaper and healthier than Sprite.
But I still go with Sin Gas if it´s available.
- Chilean foods - Apart from the excellent avocado, it´s hard to pinpoint a Chilean food. Argentina has beef, Mexico has tacos, Peru has roasted guinea pigs.......and Chile finally has its own. While eating a Chorillana, a dish which includes a base of french fries with sausage, beef, and onions all spread out on top, MB notes that a lot of Chilean dishes have fries with lots of stuff piled up on top. ´Tis True! We were eating the Chorillana at its claimed birthplace in Valparaiso (photo below). And just about anything under the sun can be ordered "a lo pobre," or with onions and 2 eggs (sun-side-up) on top of fries.



There were many other revelations, such as Marybeth thinking the Micros are great workouts for the legs just so that one doesn´t fall out of the seat as the "aspiring racecar drivers" (as MB put it) swerve in and out of traffic.

We spent another day in and around the hills of Valparaiso, Viña´s neighbor and principal Chilean port, in awe of the huge amount of both VW Beetles and dog crap. They are both everywhere - seriously. And I would probably rather be hit be a Bug than the doo-doo.



Some views around Valpo. Notice where someone stores the bike in the photo below!



I finally get to check all of Neruda´s houses off after we stopped by La Sebastiana to see yet another side of the quirky communist, who also happened to write some good poetry. Marybeth couldn´t pass up the opportunity to read to Neruda´s profile.



On Marybeth´s last day we hopped around Santiago again and celebrated her birthday by going a long way to a winery just to be sorely disappointed by not making it to the tour and discovering that there is no tasting room aside from being on the tour.



MB gets a picture of me taking the below picture.



MB then grabbed a plane and left 90 degree weather behind for Columbia´s snow - taking with her many stories, a few gifts, and tan to draw attention in the middle of winter.