"Gringa":White chick
I left for my new adventure in Chile at the beginning of the Jewish new year, starting off with a bang! After three different flights, finally arriving in Punta Arenas, I had a slight "oh shit" moment, or in Spanish, a "Mierda" moment. This Mierda moment hit me upon arriving in Punta Arenas when I realized just how cold I was feeling. 35°F was quite a change from the tropical flip flop weather climate that I was used to. I literally went from summer to winter in a matter of hours and my hands and lips immediately began cracking in the cold. Additionally the taxi driver from the airport to the hostal spoke about 1000 miles a minute. I began to question if I had actually been studying the same language for the past 2 months.
Though I did have a Mierda moment, there were many magnifico moments that quickly took over. The plane ride into Punta Arenas at sunrise was enough to take your breath away, not to mention the gorgeous costal views from the taxi on the way to the hostel. I was still in shock that I was actually in Chile and that only two days later I would be heading off to one of the most spectacular parks in the world, Torres del Paine National Park. In the meantime I had three days of exploring the cool port town of Punta Arenas. I arrived at the hotel around 9:00 a.m. since I had an early morning flight which meant that my room was not quite ready. I knew ahead of time that my room would not be ready so I arranged to have my bags locked up so I would be free to off and explore the city. While exploring, I felt like Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz when she realizes that she is no longer in Kansas. I was definitely not in Costa Rica anymore. First off, wool socks and hiking boots took the place of flip flops. Second, I realized that "Pura Vida" was no longer the answer to "Cómo estás?" nor was it a reason to walk slow and take your time getting from point A to point B. I almost laughed out loud when countless people much shorter than myself were passing me on the sidewalk. I felt like a southerner in New York all over again. The sun here is just as bright as Costa Rica but incredible hulk winds have taken the place of the afternoon rainstorms of Costa Rica. This quick change of environments had awakened my senses to observing and comparing everything that I saw. I noticed that here the emergency service is the Cruz Verde (Green Cross) in place of the Cruz Rojo (Red Cross) in Costa Rica. The drivers here in Chile are better than the drivers in Costa Rica, but the population of stray dogs compared to Costa Rica is basically the same. While exploring and taking some selfies with the gorgeous views of Punta Arenas, my hands were craving a hour mug to hug. I of course had no problem with this and made my way to the nearest coffee shop. It happened to be a German coffee shop which was interesting because one lady on the plane, a native to Santiago, had told me that there is apparently a large German population in the south of Chile, where Punta Arenas is located. Anywho, I quickly narrowed down the hot drink menu to two items, an Irish coffee or some hot chocolate drink with whiskey. The one thing these drinks had in common besides the hot mug, was an extra layer of warmth, a small licquor blanket. I chose the chocolate drink, and when it came out the war an extra side of chocolate drops and a clear mystery shot. I was amazed. I had just recieved the best drink, spiked hot chocolate with extra spike and a side of chocolate. I decided it would not be very lady like to throw back a shot when drinking by myself so I daintily tagged the shot instead. Unfortunately when I tasted the "shot" it was merely club soda. Why club soda was served in a shot glass I have not a clue. And was I supposed to do something with the club soda and the chocolate together? I had even less of a clue. None the less I definitely enjoyed my pit stop. While I could tell you all about my other pit stops of my self proclaimed food tour, I won't bore you or make your mouth water. Next up was my journey to Torres del Paine, which consisted of riding in a bus full of middle school students to arrive in the park. More to come soon about my first days in Torres del Paine! Gringa girl out.
1 Comment
Tricia
10/13/2014 03:49:47 am
Glad you are there safe and sound. Stay warm and enjoy your adventure.
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Photo used under Creative Commons from Felipe Arias U.