Sojourneyers - One family's adventure | Follow a family of three as we travel the world exploring and learning more about the world, ourselves and our family

Latest Entries »

Santiago Surprises

Filed under: Chile — Leave a comment

April 16, 2013

We landed in Santiago after a long day of travel from Wellington with few expectations. To be honest, Santiago only ended up on our itinerary because it seemed to be the sole entry point in S. America from Auckland. We flew LAN and the flight was happily uneventful, although only Zara slept for longer than 20 minutes and even she managed to squeeze in four movies.

Our day of entry was a rough one. I had to pay the $160 entry fee for US citizens, whereas Z was able to rely on her British passport, proving that two is better than one in the case of nationality! In our bleary-eyed state, we let our defenses down and were escorted to a taxi but a friendly, but very persistent “airport employee” (and later realized the cost was double the normal rate). The heavy air was a bit of a shock after Wellington’s cool, fresh breezes and the horizon was obscured by smog. We could just barely make out the faint outlines of hills and mountains in every direction though the taupe-colored air.

The ride to the city started off promising on a well-maintained highway, but as we entered the lengthy San Cristobal tunnel that bisects the sprawling city, traffic slowed to a crawl and we understood enough Spanish from our taxi driver to make out that massive university protests were clogging the streets. The situation took a decided turn for the worse after discovering that our tunnel exit was blocked off, so we had to endure a slow creep through the overcrowded tunnel for at least 30 minutes as my claustrophobia worsened in the stagnant underground air. When we finally emerged from the subterranean darkness, our taxi driver was cursing the blocked calles and congestion that seemed centered around our final destination and I just felt overcome with queasiness. We passed teams of riot police but the protests themselves must have been a bit further away because we didn’t see any protestors.

As we negotiated the lair of one-way streets, our taxi driver appeared somewhat confused by the address we gave him but we assured him he could just drop us off on the general block and we could find it. If only it had been that easy.

It turns out that the AirbnB address I only indicated the general neighborhood, not a specific apartment building.

Lesson #1. Always confirm Airbnb directions with your host BEFORE landing in a city where you haven’t yet obtained a local Sim card and thus have no way to call/text to confirm. Airbnb does a great job of reminding you to do this in its confirmation emails, but unfortunately it was a lesson that I had to learn the hard way.

Lesson #2: The people we met in Santiago were incredibly helpful and kind, but my Spanish was seriously rusty (i.e., borderline useless).

Lesson #3: I don’t cope well with stress when jet-lagged (arguably, you could drop the qualifier).

Lesson #4: My Spanish needs a serious refresher course.

After over an hour of traipsing up and down several blocks, looking pathetic at random apartment lobbies, coping with dead iPhones and knocking on strangers’ doors, we finally were offered a wifi password that allowed us to contact our Airbnb host and obtain the actual address, which was on the 27th floor. (Always comforting in a country that has recorded the world’s 2nd largest earthquake.)

That evening, jet-lag knocked us out and we only just managed to rise before noon the next day. As a result, we took a very que sera sera attitude towards sightseeing, which meant that we meandered the streets through the Centro Mercado, towards the Barrio Bellavista and stopped for a leisurely three-course lunch in a converted casita. After fortifying ourselves with some pescados fritos we headed toward Cerro San Cristobol, for our fourth urban tram-ride with panoramic views (after HK, Penang and Wellington). The view gave us a much better appreciation for the spectacular setting that Santiago lies within–similar to the LA basin (certainly in the smog aspect) but ringed by the Andes! A 22-meter statue of the Virgin Mary sits atop the hill and we soaked up the sun at her feet for awhile until the requirement to remain silent became too taxing for Z.

We opted for the tram ride down the mountain although it’s possible to do it on foot and landed back in the Bellavista neighborhood just as Friday evening happy hour was in full swing. Not wanting to miss out on the lively atmosphere, we snagged an outdoor table at the Crazy Bar and ordered a large Cerveza Austral, a local lager.

The bar lived up to its name. Too bad Jonathan didn’t have the opportunity to down more beer before a street performer in drag set up “her” stereo right in front of us and started shaking her coconut knockers around our table. And before Jonathan had a chance to protest, she was giving him a lap dance as Zara laughed uncontrollably at his side. Unfortunately, the pics I took didn’t capture his expression, but Zara’s expression speaks volumes. Unfortunately, Zara now has a few new moves to her dance repertoire that may not be appropriate for a 6-year old and she hasn’t been shy about using them. That girl will do anything for a laugh.

We later grabbed dinner at another plaza in Bellavista and sampled (okay–we had 2 each) Pisco Sours, the national drink. If anything–they are too easy to drink. Luckily, the late hour saved me from a third round.

Saturday morning was another lie-in. When we finally motivated, we walked to another neighborhood about 1/2 hour away and grabbed a late breakfast outdoors at Leerte. We both readily adopted the local habit of the cortado, an espresso cut with milk, usually in a 1-1 ratio. We were scheduled to meet my former assistant at 2:30pm so we quickly walked over the El Castillo de Hidalgo after our meal. The castle was originally built as a fortress to protect the city in 1826 and is perched atop a rocky hill and offers more great views (smog permitting). It’s definitely worth a visit.

We were running late to meet Claudia at the ultra-modern Costanera Center mall so we grabbed a taxi there. It was wonderful to catch up with Claudia, a native Chilean, who is back working at the Santiago office of my old law firm. Afterwards, we took advantage of the mall to grab an ice-cream, sort out our Sim card, stop by a bookstore so Z could read a bit (the one children’s book in English we could find) and then walked the 3 miles back towards our part of town.

We hoped to grab dinner outdoors, but soon began to appreciate that Claudia’s comment that Chileans don’t eat dinner was spot-on. There were plenty of bars were snacks could be had, but surprisingly few sit-down restaurants for dinners. We finally settled on an outdoor bar, which set us back only $20 after a filling meal of empanadas, cervezas and olives and nuts. It was lovely to experience something closer to SE Asian prices after the sticker shock of Norway and NZ.

In the end, we all thoroughly enjoyed our short stay in Santiago. It’s a city that is well-run, seems to have a vibrant middle class, little poverty visible on the street, very friendly people and a truly spectacular setting. Would love to return for a longer visit some day although the lack of a dinner culture is a definite negative. Now if they can only make some progress on the smog…but if LA could, there is hope.

La Virgen – Atop Cerro San Cristobol

View from Cerro San Cristobol

Santiago Sunset

Street Art

Bellavista neighborhood

Cerro San Cristobol

Sidewalk lapdance

Atop Castillo Hidalgo

With Claudia

Comment

Walking Our Way Around Wellington

Filed under: Uncategorized — Leave a comment

April 6, 2013

Lately, we’ve been doing a lot of walking. We’re a walking family, happiest when we can trade car transport for our own feet, and Wellington is a walker’s nirvana. That was the one downside of SE Asia. The heat was too oppressive to allow for walks much further than to dinner on the beach (but what a gorgeous walk that was). Two miles can feel like twelve in 95% humidity.

Wellington, on the other hand, was designed for walkers. In Wellington’s temperate climate and with the wind at our backs, we have been criss-crossing the hills and valleys of Wellington and its environs. What we love about walking is that, like slow travel, the slower pace affords the opportunity to really get to know a place. To let it seep into your soul. As we walk through the lush, forested woods, crossing charming neighborhoods and across local parks and playgrounds, we stumble upon cricket games, uniform-clad school kids walking home, 100-year old cemeteries, tui birds, nature reserves and totem poles. Each time we summit a hill, we are rewarded with far-reaching views of Wellington’s fabulous harbor or coastal bays. We’ve been greeted by rainbows and drops of rain, but no downpours.

Wellington’s parks and trails are its birthright. Its founders, fleeing the industrial blight of England, were forward-thinking enough to foresee how public green spaces could enhance the well-being of its people. In 1840, they required that the city be separated from the country by a protected “town belt”. This town belt continues to serve as the backbone of Wellington’s walkways 170 years later even though the city’s limits have surpassed the belt.

From the heart of the central business district, one can walk to several celebrated walkways within minutes. There is the City to Sea walkway, the Southern Walkway, the Skyline Walkway and even a section of the Te Aroroa trail (which traverses the entire country).

A couple of weeks ago we took all day to do the City to Sea Walkway in reverse, starting at the coast in Island Bay and heading back towards the city. The walk is 13km, but the path hops from hilltop to hilltop, necessitating repeated stairway climbs and descents so that the entire walk is the equivalent of climbing and descending the tallest mountain in England.

We’ve walked a portion of the Southern Walkway, which took us past roaring animals in the Wellington Zoo.

We walked the Eastern Walkway which started outside the suburb of Seaton, and carried us above charming bays, past an Ataturk Memorial and deposited us on a pebbled beach where my mom and Zara collected armfuls of new treasures.

Today we took the ferry about 20 minutes into the middle of the harbor and walked around Matui/Somes Island, which has been used as both a people and animal quarantine in its past and now serves as a predator-free reserve affording stunning views of Wellington.

Others days, we have just wandered with no particular destination in mind, focused solely on the journey and the next chocolate break.

Tomorrow, we may tackle the more strenuous Skyline Walkway. We are down to our last four days in this marvelous little city. We already know that we’ll sorely miss its trails.

Tags: New Zealand

Comment

South Island Adventures – Part III

Filed under: New Zealand — 1 Comment

April 1, 2013

Hanmer Springs: Hanmer Springs wasn’t even on our radar as we headed down through Lewis Pass towards the coast north of Christchurch, but I was starting to really feel the miles we’d logged during the preceding four weeks and was experiencing a serious case of road fatigue. Thus, when I saw the word “Springs” on a a road sign, visions of pampering not experienced since Thailand sprang to mind and I knew we had to stop. We parked Taranga at the local Top 10 campsite, which sold us on its proximity to the downtown. What I became most excited about after a short exploratory walk into town, however, was the library, with its siren call of high-speed internet, a bug-free atmosphere and free books for Zara. Yes, I know most people don’t travel to Middle Earth for its libraries, but long-term travel changes one’s perspectives and priorities. After our library fix, we headed over to the Hot Springs, where the facilities now include several large waterslides and a lazy river. Despite making herself as tall as she could, Zara just missed the 1.2 meter cut-off to be allowed a coveted wristband to go on all of the slides, but fortunately, she was allowed to go down the most thrilling one in a tandem inner tube so we avoided tears. The hot pools were relaxing, but in the bright sun, a bit less appealing than the ones we’d escaped to on a grey rainy day at Franz Josef glacier.

Glow worms: West of Arthur’s Pass we stayed at Jacksons Retreat Campervan Holiday Park after I vetoed returning to Greymouth on the West Coast. It was a lovely camp site with gorgeous views, but we were back in sandfly territory. We did manage a 20-minute bush walk before dinner and the onslaught of flies at dusk on Ngarimu Walking Track to a waterfall and after 9pm we braved the elements again for a glow worm expedition. We stumbled around in the dark for 30 minutes and were about to give up when Jonathan saved the day and we saw our first (and so far only) glow worms.

Swimming with Seals in Kaikura: This was just really cool. We’d heard from numerous travelers that swimming with the dolphins is a must as it isn’t one of the manufactured experiences you might have with Dolphin Quest, but the opportunity to swim in the wild with up to hundreds of dolphins. Unfortunately, being at least age 8 is also a must. So, after some quick research, a came across the swim with seals alternative, which strangely didn’t have the same age limit. We went with Seal Swim Kaikura, a family-operated business, and it was fantastic. We all donned wetsuits (Zara was given three to put on!) to cope with the 62 degree water and headed out into the choppy sea on a small dive boat. The first seal colony we visited seemed more intent on sunning than swimming so we went further up the coast for 1/2 hour and I was thankful I had taken a Bonine. Initially, Zara was less than enthusiastic about jumping into the cold sea with rolling waves, but our patient guide worked miracles and soon Zara was expertly snorkeling around the rough waters and getting up close to the playful seals that did twirling dives around us. Unfortunately for me, my Bonine didn’t stand up to the challenge of me bobbing up and down in the waves for 45 minutes and I had to exit the water earlier than my 6-year old. Still, it was a fantastic experience and well worth a lost lunch.

Castle Hill: A Narnia-like landscape of hundreds of large limestone boulders peppering the hillsides, where we had a fantastic couple of hours scrambling around on a hot day. Fun Fact: The Dalai Lama proclaimed this location a center of the spiritual universe in 2002. Less Fun Fact: Zara now wants to scramble up any large rock face she comes across.

More aborted caving: We were all excited to give caving another go a few miles past Castle Hill but the gods were not on our side (despite our proximity to the spiritual center of the universe). After a 20-minute hike down the hill to the cave entrance, which involved a couple of minor stream crossings, we were discomfited to discover that the water at the cave entrance was ICY (despite the day’s heat) and (more disconcertingly) high enough to reach the top of Zara’s chest. As we weighed up whether we should attempt to give it a go, I kept recalling the words on the sign at the entrance warning of hypothermia risks and cautioning that wetsuits and/or wool layers were a must. We were wearing shorts and cotton t-shirts. Fortunately, Zara was the voice of “reason” if crying hysterically “It’s too cold! I don’t want to do this!” can be called reasonable. Next time…

Banks Peninsula/Akora: This is where we spent our last day in the camper van. The Banks Peninsula is an easy drive from Christchurch and reminded us a lot of Pt. Reyes, although with slightly more developed towns such as Akaroa and a strong French influence. We celebrated our last night with a lovely dinner at Ma Maison on the waterfront.

Christchurch: After dropping off our camper van, we spent two nights in Christchurch luxuriating in having a proper bathroom and private shower. It was surprisingly difficult to find a hotel room, as the effects of the devastating February 2011 earthquake in the city are still very apparent, but we lucked out with a very well-run motor lodge located near Hagley Park. To be honest, there wasn’t a whole lot to do in Christchurch. We spent some time in the park and visited the Botanic Gardens. We walked by the Red Zone that continues to be cordoned off due to earthquake damage. Things just seemed really quite, although to be fair, we were there on a Sunday.

Coastal Pacific Train from Christchurch to Picton: Definitely a highlight. Our train ticket purchase came with a free hotel pickup to the train station from our hotel (hard to imagine that in SF!) and the train pulled out of the station as dawn was breaking. We had a bit of bad luck as a mechanical problem with the spiffy new train carriages meant we were stuck with a more dated version. Still, the scenery was stunning as we hugged the coastline for much of the 3 hour journey and the conductor pointed out scenic highlights over the speaker system, his commentary flavored with Kiwi zingers such as “We have beef pie for sale in the dining car, although it might taste a bit odd to Europeans because it’s made only from beef.” Train travel in New Zealand is definitely worth checking out, especially for those who don’t have the luxury of time for a full country camper van tour.