Los Dominicos

Topping my last post is a challenge, that I have decided, after a week and a half, to finally overcome. Unfortunatly, I don't have any wild adventures from last weekend to report on, unless you count a party at Eric's apartment on Friday night with blasting techno music that was loud enough to get a ticket in the US. Aside from that, laying out at my roof pool with Jackie, Eric and Eduardo on Saturday and a Christmas party at Laura's on Saturday night, the weekend was pretty mellow. I did discover the aritsan market at Los Domincos with Jackie on Sunday afternoon, where I did some last minute Christmas shopping. My family better be excited for some really great Chilean presents. I wanted to buy all of the jewelry in the whole market! They had some really beautiful lapis lazuli and copper stuff. Lapis lazuli is incredibly famous in Chile, as it is one of the only two places in the world where it can be found in any large quantity (the other one is Afghanastan). The market also had a nice selection of alpaca and wooden crafts, and best of all, tons and tons of birds. I didn't really understand how the bird cages filled with ducks, chickens, parakeets, and cockatiels really fit in, but then again, I don't understand a lot of things in Chile.

For example, why do all Chileans have to do EVERYTHING at the same time? This custom includes, but is not limited to, the following activities:

- going to the bank at 9 AM
- going to lunch at 1 PM
- smoking cigarettes at 10, 12, 2, 4, 6, 8...you get the point
- shopping on the 1st of the month
- going to the beach every weekend during the summer
- not going into the water at the beach every weekend during the summer
- lining up to pay your bills on the 1st of the month

Personally, I hate to wait in lines, so cannot understand why anyone would choose to go at the time that everyone else goes anywhere, but that is just a cultural difference that I will have to get over, I suppose. Speaking of cultural differences, I get a break from them today for a short trip back to the US for Christmas. I am praying that Delta breaks their 2 year streak of failing to get me into/out of Salt Lake City at the scheduled time. A 16 hour flight is bad enough without complicating it with their reputation as the airline that "Doesn't Ever Leave The Airport." I am really looking forward to seeing my family, skiing in Deer Valley, speaking English, and most of all, eating American food. My dad just forwarded me a confirmation for the Riverhorse in Park City tomorrow night, so I am certain that my first meal will be delicious! All I have to do is get through the next 5 hours of work and I am off to the USA.

Bon voyage!

Pucon

This weekend was by far the best weekend yet in Chile. It all started last Monday when I realized that Thursday was a holiday which should only be followed by a day off and a four day weekend of extreme adventures. I sent an instant message to Eric, a Canadian friend with an appetite for danger comparable to my own, and it was done. We were heading to Pucon for the weekend. Wednesday night, we made out way to the bus station in Santiago, unsure whether or not we really had tickets. Turns out, we did and we were on our way on the 10 hour bus ride overnight to Pucon by 11:30. We arrived early Thursday morning and headed toward the lake to Gran Hotel Pucon in hopes of finding an available room. Luck was on our side all weekend, because in no time we had checked in and booked Canyoning for the afternoon and a guided tour up the active Villarica Volcano the following morning.

Canyoning was AMAZING! At one point, I looked to Eric and told him that I thought this it was the coolest thing I have ever done. We started out with a short hike up the mountain to the point where we would begin our adventure with rappelling down the side of a waterfall. We then slid down the waterfall in numerous natural waterslides to a zipline set up across the river. After about another 2 km of waterfall sliding we reached a 4 meter jump into a pool. We then scaled the side of a cliff to the final rappelling descent back to where we started out. http://www.canyoningpucon.cl/

The zipline

If I thought that canyoning was the coolest thing I had ever done on Thursday, Friday may have changed my mind. We woke up at 6:30 to be picked up at 7 am by Luisa, our private tour guide up to the top of the Villarica Volcano.

Our first break - and we are already above the clouds!

The volcano erupts approximately ever 25 years and hasn't erupted since 1984, so it is due for an eruption any time now. There is another volcano not to far away from Pucon that is actually currently erupting that we got a good view of from the top. Luisa set us up with all the gear we needed, including intense heavy-duty boots, ice pick and helmet. And off we went!

View down the volcano at the groups below hiking up

Since Eric and I were the only people in the group, we got a good start up the mountain as the third group to leave the base that morning. After about 45 minutes, we had passed the other two groups ahead of us and made it to the top before anyone else all day. We started out at 1400 m and reached the top of the volcano about 2 and a half hours later at 2800 m. 

The view into the volcano was amazing. The view from the top of the surrounding Andes was amazing. BUT...nothing was as amazing as the way we got down. We slid!!! 

View into the volcano. The small of the gas was suffocating!

Part of the equipment Luisa had provided at the beginning of the day was  a plastic toboggan-like thing to put underneath us as we slid from the very top of the volcano all the way down. 

On top of the world

We finished the day off with a trip to Los Pozones hot springs outside Pucon. There were about 6 or 7 different baths. We definitely overstayed the 15 minute limit and decided to head back to Pucon after about an hour to see what Pucon night-life had to offer (not much). After delicious tacos at Mamas and Tapas, we were ready to hit the sack after two fun-filled days of extreme sports. As the saying goes, however, "Three times a charm," so we needed to round the weekend out with something equally amazing on day 3. And we did just that! Ever heard of hydrospeeding? Me either, until this weekend. It involves a boogie-board like device that resembles half of a river kayak that you ride down the river through rapids on. I'm pretty sure it isn't legal in the US or Canada, which is why Eric and I probably hadn't ever heard of it. (Just go to Youtube if you're curious.)

Ready to Hydrospeed

Either way, it sounded like a lot more fun that plain old rafting, so we were in! We hydrospeeded down the river for 12-13 km through class 3 rapids. The other two people that accompanied us on the tour were both out of the river and in the safety raft after 1 and 3 rapids, respectively. There was no stopping the crazy North American adventurers though. We made it through all 11 rapids with style. Joaquin, our guide, even commented on our level of physical fitness at one point. Haha! I would have been complemented by the comment if it weren't just his opinion in comparison to the common Chilean who really hates to do anything physical at all. Once I get Erics photos, check back at this entry because there are some really awesome ones from hydrospeeding and the thermal baths too!

View from the top of Villarica

Siete Tazas

This weekend I went on a camping trip with some colleagues from work in a national park called Reserva Siete Tazas, so named after the seven basins within the park. The trip gave a whole new meaning to what I like to call "Chilean time." If people show up late to meetings here, I should have assumed that meant that nothing went according to the schedule planned out for the weekend. If nothing else, it did make for a rather relaxing camping trip. We left Santiago around 10 (supposed to have been 9, but the people I was carpooling with were still at the mall buying a backpack at that time) to meet up with the rest of the group. Despite our late departure, the guide and 4 other members of the group had yet to arrive. I shouldn't have been surprised. After driving for 4-5 hours, we arrived in Parque Ingles around 2:30 and set up tents. I didn't know it until morning, but the camp site was gorgeous!



Vela de la Novia (right by the campsite)

 We didn't get going until about 9:30 or 10 on Saturday morning. Of course, packing up the tent, having coffee, registering with the park ranger, and who knows what else took a while. We hiked all day up to where we ended up camping for the night approximately 10 km from the basecamp. I would like to say that we made it further, but picking edible mushrooms out of the trees, playing with catepillars and crossing the river 7 times held us up a little bit.

Victor picking mushrooms out of the trees

Not to mention poor Alfonso who really shouldn't have been hiking at all. The guide ended up taking his tent off his hands about half-way through the day because he was afraid he might fall off the mountain. I thought my backpack was ridiculously heavy and I didn't even have a tent in it. I can't imagine carrying two! I guess he can pick mushrooms if he wants...



One of the many river crossings

 Once we got to the campsite, everyone went and took naps (so Chile!) so I played in the river for a while until I got bored and started looking for firewood. I should have been setting up tarantula traps to keep away the three that we saw later on in the evening. Victor, our guide told us some Mapuche legends about the area that we were in around the campfire later in the evening.

El Bolsón

The next day, we hiked up to El Bolsón to admire the beauty of the Andes and all they have to offer. There were a few "refugios" that were built a long time ago in the clearing. We hiked up a bit more and got a great view of a Salto de La Leona.

Salto de la Leona (the waterfall) in front of el Cornillo del Diablo (pointy peak in the distance)

We hiked back to the campsite to pack up and head down the mountaing to round out our 24 km weekend. Once we arrived at the cars, we started a fire and had an Asado complete with Chilean beer, meat, potatoes and tardiness. Our plan to leave by 4 turned into 7:30, meaning I didn't make it back to Santiago until 11:45. Next time I will just add 5 hours to everything I am told and expect to sleep very little. Aside from the worlds largest blister, I had a really great weekend.

Beauty at its finest

For more pictures from this weekend, check out my album on Snapfish @ http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4263209023/a=155380414_155380414/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Stolen phone. Stolen camera.

I wish this posting could be full of all of my great pictures from Thanksgiving in Chile and the amazing Deloitte year-end party I went to last Thursday and Friday, respectively, but sadly it cannot be. My phone and camera were both stolen on Friday night. I learned my lesson and will be more careful from now on.

Not to deprive you of a good story due to my misfortune, I will attempt to paint a vivid picture of both events, nonetheless. To begin, I will retell the events of my Thanksgiving. For those of you who worried that I wouldn't get to eat turkey and stuffing or spend the day with friends, your worries were all for naught. I went to California Cantina with Jackie, a friend from work, and some of her new friends. They had an awesome Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and cinnamon pisco sour! It was actually really good. One of the Chilean guys eating with us had done his research to understand the meaning of this crazy American holiday and retold a rather complementary story about how the even commemorated sharing a meal with the Native Americans who were all dying off from the diseases that the whitemen had given them. The details were a little off what we learn as children, but worthy of a good toast at the end of the story. We all went around (after I pressed the group to do it) and said what we were thankful for. All of the Chileans, and one Spaniard, said that they were thankful that they knew Americans so that they could eat and drink on a Thursday night. Works for me!

The other big event of my weekend was the Deloitte year-end party. It was really something else. The event was held at the Movistar Arena where the Chilean MLS soccer team plays. They had rented out the whole thing for the 1200 guests in attendance. There was a seated dinner, followed by a live band that carried on into a DJ set that lasted until 5 AM. I took off around 3:30 with Lauren, another fellow gringa only to realize when I got home the missing articles from my purse - my iPhone and camera. So sad. I emailed HR on Monday to see if there was a lost and found or anything that was turned in from the evening, only to get a response back saying "Lo siento." My friends and other colleagues I have spoken with suggest that one of the waiters probably stole it. Now I know that nowhere, even a work party, is safe to leave your purse while you dance. Sucks to learn the lesson the hard way. Guess I have some personal Christmas shopping to do for myself. Aside from that, I was really impressed by the party. A friend and I got interviewed for Deloitte TV (haha...ya, they have that). We'll see if I become famous in the Chilean firm when the next episode comes out. If so, I will be sure to post the link.

Thanksgiving in Chile

...might as well be any old Monday. Don't Chileans have anything to be thankful for? Nobody seemed to understand my lack of focus, appetite for turkey or desire to be in front of a TV watching football at work today. I had to settle for chicken breast and fries at lunch instead of turkey and stuffing. Fortunately, good 'ol California Cantina is having a Thanksgiving Dinner tonight complete with sweet potato casserole, turkey and pumpkin pie! I don't know how I would survive without. Although I am thankful for the experience I am having in Chile (duh!), I must admit that today, I would rather be elsewhere. Holidays like Thanksgiving should be spent with family and friends...not in the office with your coworkers. I am going to have to come home for the 4th of July, I think. Sitting in the office in the dead of winter on American Independence Day quite possibly sounds like the most depressing holiday in the world. Then again, Thanksgiving in the middle of summer is quite odd too. It is 82° right now - and it's 7 PM!

I hope you all enjoyed your turkey and have a fabulous 4 day weekend. Gobble Gobble!

Chilean Sea Bass

I finally found it! Amazing Chilean Sea Bass. Depending on how well you know me, you may or may not be aware of my aversion to hoofed animals and consequential love for anything that swims. After eating Chilean Sea bass in the US for so many years, I was really excited about the potential diet that I was going to live off of in Chile. Sadly, I didn't realize that Chile exports the majority of this delicious little swimmer up north to the US. My search for chilean sea bass started on my first day here, when I think I could have eaten something similar at a Peruvian restaurant. It was not anything like the delicious morsels that entered my mouth on Friday night, however. Some friends and I went to dinner at a place called Ox in Vitacura. Anyone who visits me will likely have a chance to go there, because it was AMAZING, and definitely somewhere I would like to take guests to show off the quality steaks (supposedly) and seafood (confirmed) that Chile has to offer. After dining on sea bass atop a bed of truffle mashed potatoes, our waiter brought out an enormous serving of cotton candy! I thought only chi-chi restaurants in Los Angeles had caught onto the gourmet carnival food trend, but apparently I was mistaken. By this point in the meal, the numerous bottles of delicious Chilean wine had influenced our previously classy (okay, that's probably a stretch) behavior. In honor of the month of "Movember" we each fashioned personal mustaches out of the remaining cotton candy.



The night carried on to a night club in Vitacura for some dancing and "tragos" until the wee hours of the morning.

Laguna de Aculeo

Saturday was a peak in my month here so far. I met a really fun group of Americans that invited me to a lake house for the weekend at Laguna de Aculeo. Yay for Gringos! They have all been down here for quite some time and are here for various reasons. One of them owns a local gringo bar (the one I watched Sunday Night Football at my first weekend in town), another two are starting a business that helps ex-pats get their visas (I could have used that 2 months ago), one is a blueberry exporter, one is a doctor, and the list goes on. They were a lot of fun, and totally seem like a group of people that I could be friends with. A few of them were from Texas and California, so I felt very comfortable. Even better - one of them needs a place to live soon! I could have a roommate and really cheap rent by January. Good things come to those that wait.

They had rented a ski boat for the afternoon, which sounded really exciting. Unfortunately, the lake was really choppy and the first group that went out came back within 30 minutes because it wasn't worth paying for the boat. Maybe next time. I haven't waterskied since Camp Longhorn in 2005, so I was a little relieved I didn't have to embarrass myself. They apparently rent houses on the lake, the coast, or down south all summer long. Sounds like it is going to be a great summer if I end up hanging out with this crew. I didn't necessarily come to Chile to make friends with a bunch of Americans, but it sure is easier to have a group of friends that speaks English and comes from a similar background. We had a great big barbeque, engaged in two-stepping at one point in the evening, and ended the night with Catch Phrase and Dominos. Best weekend yet in Santiago, by far. I was totally unprepared again, without a camera, but to give you an idea of what the lake looks like, here is a link to the tourist website: http://www.lagunadeaculeo.com/

Creamfields

I broke in my dancing skills on Friday at Creamfields, a giant electronic music festival. David Guetta and Afrojack were both there, and came on stage together for about half an hour, which was pretty sweet. I wish I had known my evening plans before heading out for the night, because I definitely would have chosen a different pair of shoes. Note to self - when in doubt, DO NOT WEAR PLATFORMS. There are few things more painful than going to a South American music festival in 5 inch heals. I made some new friends, nonetheless, and had a great time. The line up for the night was as follows:

Main Stage:
Rodrigo Laffert
Fedde Le Grand
Booka Shade
David Guetta
Ferry Corsten

Cocoon Arena:
Ricardo Molinari
Mauricio Vargas
UMHO
Seth Troxler
Miss Kittin
Sven Vath

Club Room Lounge Bar:
Concurso HP
Fernando Vives
Paulo Fazio
Love00
Esteban Abdala
Fabián Argomedo
Tweeter
Sanfuentes / Diegors

Cream Arena:
Dorian Chavez
Felipe Venegas
Elio Riso
Joris Voorn
Hernan Cattaneo
Luciano

Alternative Arena:
Roberto Parra
Julian Garvia Reyes
Busy P
Afrojack
Pete Tong
Laidback Luke

Needless to say, the night was one of my most fun yet in Santiago. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me, so I can't share more than this one photo to give you an idea of what it is like to party with the Chileans. The show didn't end until 5 AM. They really do it right here!

Stray of the Day

I never knew how many stray dogs a city could have...until I moved to Santiago. If any of you have ever been to Athens, you may recall the odorous streets, buildings graffitied beyond recognition, immense amounts of Ouzo (if your experience was anything like mine), but most imporantly, the stray dogs. This detail is more prominent in my memory of Athens than visiting the Parthenon. My memories of those dogs have been erased in the past month, however, as a result of the abundant amount of dogs I encounter daily on my walk to work. Apparently, the Chilean government does not have a system for spaying stray animals. As a result, furry (or more often, mangy) little pups are literally littering the streets - pun intended. I thought it would be fun to share my "stray of the day" with you all so that you too can enjoy the puppy love all over Santiago.

Stray #1 - Alfalfa

Hogar Crescendo

On Saturday, I decided to give back to the city that has been giving me such a great experience so far, and did some volunteer work with a local expat church called Santiago Community Church. We went to a home for adults with learning disabilities in a part of town known as Nuñoa. The house, Hogar Crescendo, was badly in need of a new fresh coat of pain throughout. I took on the task of painting one of the bedrooms a lovely peach color with the help of Janet, a Deloitte colleague from Chicago, and a man named David who has lived in Santiago since 1971 (before the military coup). David had some interesting life stories to share about the differences he has seen in Santiago over the years, in addition to his experiences serving in the Peace Corps in Guatemala. He makes me look like I am not adventurous at all.




Painting the walls peach

 

We spent the morning painting the house yellow and peach and spending some time with the residents. One of the women, Adriana, was blind and kept on coming up to me and introducing herself. I think they may have let her choose the colors of the walls. Despite the pastel color choices, the house looked much better once we were done, albeit a little bit like an Easter egg.



Hard at work



I had to duck out early to return to my apartment to wait for the cable guy to come which required my first experience using the Santiago bus system. Fortunately, one of the women who worked at Hogar Crescendo took a look at my map before I left, and decided to redirect me to a different bus stop. She was so kind as to take me to the bus and wait with me to ensure I got on the right one. It is a good thing, too, because without her standing half-way in the middle of the street trying to flag down the buses as if they were cabs, and asking each bus driver if he was going to "Plaza Egaña" (which I thought was "Plaza Caña" until I arrived there), I likely wouldn't have made it back in time to meet the cable guy. Regardless, I still don't have internet. If you think that it is difficult to deal with Time Warner in the US, try dealing with VTR in Chile. I have waited for them 3 times thus far to get my internet set up, and still don't have it. Today will make my fourth attempt at getting it. On the bright side, I get to leave work early in hopes that the guy will show up and set up my connection. Cross your fingers for me! If he comes, the posts will likely come more frequently in the future.

Viña del Mar

In celebration of All Saints Day, we had a four day weekend last weekend. I figured it was a good time to take advantage of the proximity of Viña del Mar, and headed out to the coast on Sunday afternoon. Claire Baker, a friend of mine from El Paso who I had not seen since 8th grade, lives there with her husband and 20 month-old son, Lucas. It was really great to see her and meet her new family. René, her husband, is in the Navy, so they live in Navy apartments up on a hill in Viña. Although the coast was covered in a cloud (or marine layer) all weekend, there was still a nice view from their apartment.




View of Viña del Mar from Claire and Rene's apartment


When I arrived in Viña del Mar, they picked me up at the bus station. We then went for a snack, also called "el once" at a local place and had some Pisco Sours and Empanadas. After that, we went to their house to pack up for the evening before heading to Olmué, a nearby town. René's extended family had rented a house for the long weekend in Olmué. I met all of his siblings (or at least most of them) and had my first experience at a Chilean asado. I hope that my spanish improves as much as Claire´s obviously has after living her for a while, because I had a hard time understanding anything René's family said. They talk so fast! Claire, on the other hand, despite her gringa background, was able to participate in the conversation just like one of the family - even with a Chilean accent! I have a long way to go until I sound remotely similar to a Chilean.




René, Lucas and Claire


Monday morning, we got up and had breakfast. After breakfast, we went to Reñaca, a beach town just north of Viña del Mar. We looked around the shops to find Lucas a halloween costume which was lots of fun because he is the cutest child in all of Chile. We settled on an adorable Tiger outfit which he wore for the rest of the day.




Cutest kid in all of Chile

 After walking along the beach, enjoying Dulce de Leche helado, and seeing a bit of Reñaca, we returned to Viña for lunch. Claire made delicious pollo arvejado, which is chicken with peas and carrots. Then it was time to head back to the bus station for the trip back to Santiago.

Cuban Flavor

I had my first experience with Cuban food last night, albeit Chilean Cuban food, but Cuban nonetheless. Most of the restaurants here boast late happy hours that last until 10 or 10:30 at night (which in comparison to their typical dinner hour, really isn't all that late). Guido, Aylim (who is from Cuba), three of their friends and I went to one such restaurant last night. http://www.damarisrestaurant.cl/ Upon arrival, the owner seemed a little dismayed because apparently the cook had just gotten in a motorcycle accident or something and hurt his arm really badly. She asked if we were okay with some dish named after a famous Chilean dude (not what it is called in Cuba, obviously). We all accepted, with minor modifications to my dish, since it is normally made of pork. Can't eat anything with a hoof!

The owner then disappeared for about 20 minutes while the bartender prepared our Mojitos. When she returned, we realized that the reason for the story about the cook and the limited menu (or lack thereof) was due to the fact that she was doing the cooking. I guess she only knew how to make one dish! Anyway, the food was great. For all I know, it could have tasted nothing like Cuban food, since I haven't ever eaten Cuban food, but it was one of the better meals I have had since I got here. In comparison to the tuna salad I had for lunch today, it was gourmet!

There was an adorable old Brazilian couple sitting at the only other occupied table in the restaurant who got up to dance half-way through our meal. Those old people could dance! They could only make it for one song at a time, but they definitely could show this gringa up on the dance floor any day...and that they did! Despite my attempt to remain in my seat at the table, I was forced to get up and dance with one of Aylim's friends. Being the only person in the restaurant without latin blood certainly was obvious. My hips just don't move that way! A few dances later, I looked at my watch and saw that it was almost midnight. Fearing that I might turn into a pumpkin, I casually yawned to express how tired I was. Fortunately, the others were fading as well. I took the Chilean lead and came in at 9:15 this morning. It's a good thing it was not a problem, since it was my manager's fault I was out so late. I have plans with a new friend named Santiago tonight too, so hopefully tomorrow isn't a big day at work. Judging by the fact that we have a 4-day weekend ahead of us, I doubt many people will have their minds focused on work. Gotta love South American holidays!

Home at last

So, yesterday was the big day that I moved into my new apartment. If you think moving is hard, try doing it in a foreign country, where you only know 5 people, and you don't have a car. After making two trips from the hotel to the new apartment, walking 2 miles to a mall to buy Snickers a new fancy litter box and some litter (which weighed 5 kg), I thought I was finally settled with all of my belongings...at least for the day. Then, I realized, I left the most imporant thing of all at the hotel. (No, not Snickers.) My pillows! I had plans to meet some new friends for dinner at 7:30, and since it was 6:25, I figured, I could hop on the subway back to the hotel, run back to the new apartment, and make it to dinner right on "Santiago" time. For those of you that are not familiar with the timeliness of South Americans, I will advise you that if you ever venture down south, expect your guests to arrive approximately 20-30 minutes later than the designated time. This goes for everything from social gatherings to business meetings. It's a practice I like to call "The Mañana Attitude." Fortunately, my friends were only 10 minutes late, and I met them right "on time."

We went to a really great place for dinner that slightly resembles Dean & Deluca (according to their websites proclamations). For me, Dean & Deluca really just brings to mind the blueberry donuts one of the partners would get for breakfast every time we went to New York for one of my former Deloitte engagements. Nonetheless, the food and the ambience were both great. Coquinaria http://www.coquinaria.cl/) gets my full approval. They had a beatiful display of yummy deserts, home made gelato and an array of fine cheese and wine throughout the market within the restaurant. I dined on an Ensalada Peruana, which was made up of chicken wrapped shrimp (a first for me), Chile's finest avocado, some fried choclo which resembled cornnuts, and a delicious dressing that they called Asian (but there was nothing Asian about it).

After dinner, it was off to the new apartment, where my pillows were waiting for me to crash. I don't know what it is, but I have been exhausted since the day I got here. Maybe there is something in the pollution that makes you sleepy. It could also have something to do with the fact that Chileans typically eat dinner around 9 PM and it takes several hours. Not to mention that their night-life goes into the wee morning hours. I didn't get home until 5:30 on Friday night (or do you call that Saturday morning). I guess there is not a closing time for bars in Santiago. Woohoo!

Club de Montaña

In an effort to see the country (specifically the Andes region), I decided today that I would join "Club de Montaña." Initially, I thought that it was simply a group of people who get together monthly to go on hikes in the mountains surrounding Santiago. And, after going to the meeting, I can affirm that it is. HOWEVER, getting together monthly to go on hike in the mountains surrounding Santiago is not quite the same as going for a hike in Runyon Canyon. First of all, the cordillera that surrounds Santiago doesn't come close in comparison to the meager looking rock formations we call mountains in Southern California, or El Paso, for that matter. The Sierra Nevada and the Rockies are mere dirt mounds on the side of the Rio Grande that my brother and cousins' and I used as children as defense against one another in our childish paintball wars in comparison to these monstrosities.

How exiciting!!

Remeber this photo from the other day? Ya...that is what Club de Montaña hikes

They have a facebook page, so I thought I would go check out what I was getting myself into after the leader/guide suggested we all get DryFit clothing, a Camelback, some Goretex socks, and sturdy hiking boots (not to mention the hiking poles that he said "no son obligatorios, pero recomendados"). I'm really looking forward to doing the following things:



Just like hiking in Park City...only NOT




These are real pictures of my backyard




This is something called "Choriboulder"




I think I am going to like this place :)



I´d like to penetrate you

If you think today´s title is offensive, imagine receiving an email from your new colleague that begins with that statement. The Corpbanca engagement team didn´t have to imagine such a thing happening to them yesterday, thanks to me. After surviving my first big meeting, which was a somewhat frightening experience, I returned to my desk to send out a few emails. One of these emails was addressed to some people I had not yet met, so rather than just rattling off things that I needed them to do, I began politely with an introduction...or so I thought.

I cc´d my manager so that he was in the loop on what I was asking them to do, and he quickly shot back a response saying thank you. Directly copying our subsequent emails into this post is the best way to recant the sequence of events that followed:

From: Beckham, Cameron (CL - Santiago)
Sent: martes, 18 de octubre de 2011 16:04
To: De Chazal, Guido (CL - Santiago)
Subject: RE: Corpbanca EQCR
Guido,

Do you want me to CC you on things? I figured at first it would be helpful so that people catch the link from you to me. Let me know if you would like me to continue this practice and if anything I say sounds weird. I´m open to feedback – both on grammatical things and the proper way to address people, as I have noticed that they are friendlier than I´m used to in emails.


Thanks,


Cameron


From: De Chazal, Guido (CL - Santiago)

Sent: martes, 18 de octubre de 2011 16:10
To: Beckham, Cameron (CL - Santiago)
Subject: RE: Corpbanca EQCR

Hi Cameron,

Thanks for your email. Yes, please CC me on your communications with the SEC registrants. As for grammar tips, if you want to “introduce yourself” you would say “quiero presentarme como…” instead of “quisiera introducirme” as “introducir” could be misunderstood as you wanting to penetrate an object with another. Other than that, your emails have been very polite and with the proper tone and message.

Regards,

Guido de Chazal

Well...good thing I got that tip. I guess it would be worse to introduce myself that way to someone in a social setting. Or maybe not. If I learned anything yesterday, it is never trust Google Translate as the authority on proper grammar.

Football in Chile!

What is the best way to meet Americans in a foreign country? Find an American bar! Last night, I did just that. After receiving a tip a few weeks ago from a coworker in LA about a bar named California opened by two guys from California, I had to seek it out. Lucky for me, this bar is only 2 blocks away from the hotel that I have been staying in! So...last night, after a personal battle about whether or not I had the bravado to venture into a bar by myself, the Texan in me won the battle, and I found myself at California in Providencia. I never thought I would say this, but I am actually PROUD of myself for going to a bar. I know, that sounds strange, but if any of you have ever gone to a bar in country as you clearly stand out as a member of the 0.5% of the population with blond hair and blue eyes, you may understand more easily. Although the Texans and the Cowboys both lost, I met two American guys who both moved to Santiago recently. All in all, I would say that it was worth watching the Texas teams lose. I found the place to go when I am in need of some California fair. Hopefully next time I go there, I will have someone to share the nachos with.

http://www.californiacantina.net/index.html

It´s sad that I was the one to strike up conversation with the guy sitting next to me at the bar, but you gotta do what you gotta do. My weak attempt at make a friend went a little like this:

Guy at bar: (Completely oblivious that there is an American girl sitting next to him)
Cameron: (Awkwardly clapping occasionally to make it obvious that I was a) American, and b) watching the Cowboys-Patriots game)
Guy at bar: ....
Cameron: Are the Cowboys wearing pink?
Guy at bar: Yes - it´s a breast cancer thing. They actually auction off their stuff at the end of the game and donate the proceeds to charity.
Cameron: Oh, how nice.

After that, things got less awkward. Turns out the guy is a huge USC fan. When he asked me if I had a fantasy football team, I started thinking he might have thought I was a man posing as a woman, but whatever. I took off as soon as the game was over, sighting my first day of work as my excuse. It´s a good thing I did too, because I felt nauseous more than once today, and it had nothing to do with the number of beers I had at the bar last night (2, for the record). To give you an idea of why, without boring you with the details of accounting that I´m sure nobody in the audience is interested in hearing, all I need to say is that I printed a 150 page Annual Report for Corpbanca, a Chilean bank first thing this morning - in SPANISH. It wasn´t until after going on a run after I got home from work that my head was clear enough to come out of the daze that I was in all day. Stay posted for tales of the embarrassing situations I expect to get myself into in the week to come. I´m just hoping that Chileans have heard the expression "Dumb blonde" so that I have an excuse when I can´t figure out how to use the copy machine (ya...that happened today).

Cerro San Cristobal

Now that I've (hopefully) gotten apartment hunting out of the way, it was time to have some fun this weekend and see the city. Guido and Aylim, my new friends, took me to Cerro San Cristobal, a giant statue to the Virgin Mary on top of a mountain yesterday.

Me standing in front of the El Cerro San Cristobal

They just sold their house in North Carolina and wanted to make an offering to "La Virgen de Concepcion" in thanks for their good fortune. I thought it was a great opportunity for sight-seeing, so I tagged along. The hike up the mountain to the statue was quite the workout - not quite what I was expecting. I've got to admit....I'm actually sore today. Either from that, or because I actually dragged my lazy butt out onto a run yesterday morning. While on that run, I saw a sign for a 5K next weekend in the neighborhood of my hotel. I think I might do it in effort to see more of the city and perhaps make a new friend. I'm putting myself out there in any way I can!

The offering "sanctuary"

I digress...back to yesterday's events. The view from the top of the mountain was amazing! You could see all of Santiago in any direction. I knew it was big, but seeing it from the top of a mountain really put things in perspective. The city goes on and on and on....

Guido and I with Santiago in the background (and the Andes)

After our hike and religious activity of the day, the three of us decided that we had earned a trip to Bellavista for Happy Hour. I've learned already that the best thing about Happy Hour in Chile is that it typically lasts from 4 PM to 10 PM. I don't really understand how they can call that Happy "HOUR," but who is complaining? After 3 mojitos, I was ready to call it a day. Fortunately, so were Guido, Aylim, and the newest addition to my slowly growing group of friends, Dani - a Brazilian girl with a dirty mind and a great sense of humor. I can see myself getting along with her well.

Mojitos and Caipirihnas all around!

For a more extended version of the photos, check out this link, where I've uploaded all of my pictures from the day:

http://www2.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=4056917023/a=155380414_155380414/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/


Today's event will have to be recanted tomorrow, because I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, as my official 1st day of work. Gotta get my beauty sleep (if you can really call it that as an accountant).

House Hunters International - Part 2

In continuation of my last post, I´m going on with House Hunters International - Part 2. Gonzalo picked me up this afternoon after I went to Deloitte to go see two more apartments. I sent him three last night that I was interested, but two of them were already gone by the time that he called the owners. Gotta move quick in this market! With the remaining one of my three picks and another that he was dying to show me, we had our afternoon planned.

Option 4
Urbano

Living area

This apartment was one of the ones I had picked out while surfing the web lastnight. It seemed promising from the photos, and all in all was a pretty good place. It is very close to the subway, near a supermarket, has an indoor pool, a BBQ (which I learned today is called a quincho) and is in a very new building.



Really nice kitchen - big plus




Bathroom



Another shot of the kitchen




Bedroom - the balcony comes across from the den to the bedroom, which i like



 The building seems very safe, but is on a really busy street and has a lot of street noise, even from the 8th floor where the apartment is. Although it has a gym (with 1 treadmill and some weights), it is right next door to a big commercial gym that was advertising memberships for about $25 USD a month. It costs a little more than the second one I saw today, which seems a little crazy because it is in the same neighborhood, and is only 1 bedroom compared to the 2 rooms the other has. The tenant had just left this morning, so it was a little messy, but that is understandable. The fact that the owner was showing it today after it only had been available for a few hours shows how quickly the market moves here.



Another shot of the bedroom





Closet - not bad for Chile / not good for Cameron´s shoes



Option 5
New Las Condes

Living area - lots of space compared to others I´ve seen

I think this is the one!! It is cheaper than the one above ($$ woo!! $$) and twice as big! It is a two bedroom, two bathroom apartment right in the Las Condes area that I want to live. It is walking distance to Deloitte´s new offices, down the street from a supermarket (essential until I get a car), has a pool on the roof, a gym on the first floor, gated underground parking, and is nicely situated on the 14th floor of the building with a great view of the city with the Andes behind. I can imagine that in the winter that the view is gorgeous (think snow capped mountains).

The view (Note: It rained this morning, so the sky is still overcast)

 We had some trouble with this one, but I think it was worth the wait.



I love the kitchen!

 

Bedroom #1

  The story:





Closet #1 (the other closet is identical)



Day 1 - Gonzalo speaks with a woman, we´ll call her Anna Maria, who says that she will stop by the apartment building and leave the keys with the concierge. Gonzalo and I go to the apartment and inquire about the keys, but the concierge looks at us blankly. Clearly Anna Maria had not stopped by with the keys. Gonzalo proposed that we go to another apartment that he wanted to show me to give her more time to come drop off the keys. We returned about an hour later, but there still were no keys in sight. After calling her numerous times and getting no answer, he and Monica (his wife), who by now had shown up at the apartment, decided to call it a day and try again tomorrow. He promised that he would get the keys before coming for me so that we would not have any trouble.



Bedroom #2



Day 2 - Gonzalo picks me up to go see the apartment. He informs me that he was very dissapointed in Anna Maria and wanted to send her a nasty email but wanted to ensure that we saw the apartment first, so he had resisted the temptation. With keys in hand, the two of us go up to the 18th floor to see my potential new abode. There are 5 keys on the keyring...none of which opens the door. Gonzalo tries all 5. Fail. I try all 5. Fail. We go downstairs and get the concierge who returns with us and tries all 5. Fail. Monica called Gonzalo during this unexciting turn of events, who is very insistent that she could get in using the keys just a few days before. We decided that it was worth a shot (and who am I kidding? I have nothing else to do. It´s not like I have places to go or people to see. I have no friends yet.) and so we went to pick his wife up. She tried all 5 keys and, surprise, surprise! Fail.



Day 3 - Before I begin with today´s events, I should add that the previous two days´ failures were what inspired me to start looking around on the internet on my own last night. I also told Gonzalo that if it was going to be too much trouble, I didn´t want him to go to any more trouble for this place. He was insistent though, and sure enough, we got in today! I guess as the saying goes, "Third time´s a charm!"

Bathroom

The BEST part - ample wine storage!!

Okay...I´m a little obsessed with kitchens

Since I´m not really looking for a two-bedroom place, Gonzalo said that he would talk to the owner about moving the bed out of one of the rooms and replacing it with a desk so that I could have a little office of my own. I could then set up a yoga mat on one side of the room and use the TV that is in there to do workout videos. And - another bonus - the problem that every one of these apartments has had is lack of closet space. If I get a two bedroom apartment, I get two closets! The extra bed would remain in storage, so anytime someone comes to visit, I could just trade out the desk and voila! Free place to stay in Chile for everyone! Gonzalo was going to call me after he spoke with the owner this evening. I´m hoping to have good news and be done with apartment hunting. After I start work on Monday, it won´t be nearly as easy to drop everything to go galavanting around town with Gonzalo. I´ll keep you posted!

House Hunters International

I met with a broker today named Gonzalo who had arranged for me to look at 4 apartments this afternoon. I felt like I was on House Hunters International! It was kind of fun to drive around and look at different things. I haven't settled on a place, but am open for advice, so please comment and let me know which one you would pick!

Option 1 - Old building, lively area
El Golf

Large living area - I like the decor

Dining area next to the living area 

Separate breakfast table off the kitchen

The first one I saw was very large, had a great wrap-around balcony and an amazing kitchen. There was a dining room and a separate breakfast table off the kitchen. 

Larger bedroom (I'd take this one)

Smaller bedroom

It had laundry in the unit (huge plus!) and a good sized area for ironing. It is a 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 bathroom apartment, so it would comfortably accomodate a roommate if I wanted one, or would be great for anyone that comes to visit. 

Larger bedroom closet

The broker told me that the landlord was very good about fixing things because he is the owner of the building, not just the unit. It comes with parking, in case I want to buy a car in a few months, which is a good bonus, because parking in El Golf is very expensive. The apartment is on the fourth floor of a building that has a doorman 24 hours a day. The area is recommended to ex-pats often, but Gonzalo's wife, Monica, who I met later in the day, told me that there is a lot of prostitution in the area. Hmmm....

Good sized bathroom for Master

Giant closet for the small room

Option 2 - No doorman
Apoquindo


This one wasn't worth photographing, but gets a mention because of the funny old lady outside that Gonzalo and I spoke to. We arrived at the building, which was gated, but when we entered the grounds, we noticed that there was no security other than the iron gate, which we got through because another man was leaving at the time. I stopped Gonzalo right there, because safety is my number one priority. On our way out of the grounds of the building, an elderly woman standing on the sidewalk staring into the yard asked if she could take some of the mint growing on the other side of the fence. Gonzalo graciously told her that it would be fine, and the two of us continued walking laughing, since he clearly had no authority to allow her to take the mint. Gotta love Chileans.


Option 3 - Very modern, great price
Escandinavia

Living area - very modern

Kitchen counter with stools

Kitchen

I was tempted to pull the trigger on this one, but I don't feel like I've seen enough to make an informed decision. It was not nearly as big as the first one I saw, but was in a new building very close to Deloitte's new offices they will be moving into next July. It is also very close to a subway station, super markets, Santiago's first mall, and the Home Depot-like store and mall with the Apple store that Guido took me to the first day I was here. The building has a pool, is gated, and also has security in the lobby (24-hour doorman). The kitchen was a decent size (again not as big as the first) with a counter with two stools to sit on to eat. It didn't have a dining area, but knowing me, I'd probably eat at the counter mostly. Another issue is that there wasn't a TV in the den, only in the bedroom. Gonzalo explained to me that it is more common in Chile for the den to have no TV, because people typically just watch in their rooms. I'm not sure I'm a fan of this idea, since it's always been just the opposite for me. It had a balcony. It was one bedroom, one bath en suite, meaning that guests would have to go into my room to use it. The more I think about it, the smaller it seems. It doesn't have a washing machine in the unit, but is equipped for one. Gonzalo offered to call the owner to see if they would put one in. She first said that she would, but it would be 30,000 pesos more per month. He rebutted and said I would only be interested if the price remained the same. They accepted. This guy is great! They also mentioned that there was another interested party and that if I wanted it, whoever made a deposit sooner would get the apartment. I'm not ready to take the leap yet after only seeing 2 apartments. Let's hope I don't lose it if it was my best option!

Balcony with city view

Not a great photo of the bathroom

We had another apartment to view, but the owner was supposed to bring by the keys, which never happened. Apparently, she left her cell phone in another apartment and missed Gonzalo's numerous calls. I saw the building, pool, gym, and common areas of the building, which were all VERY nice. Gonzalo is coming back to show it to me tomorrow and was going to look for some other things now that he has a better idea of what I have in mind. While we were driving back to the Apart Hotel I asked Gonzalo if I didn't make a deposit on Option #3 if I would lose it. He said he didn't think so. He said that the owner was most likely bluffing because if they truly had another interested renter, they wouldn't have agreed to keep the price and put in a washing machine so easily. This is why you use a broker...they know what they are talking about. 

Bedroom

Let me know what you think about the two shown. There's always tomorrow too!