Our first tour was to one of the locations that they held people to be tortured during the years that Pinochet was in power. All the building had been torn down and the place was turned into a park with decorative stones marking where the buildings and rooms used to be. This was a very intense tour since our tour guide was a surviving victim of this torture camp, and he was very descriptive about the different kinds of torture that were used there. I am glad that Chile is a democracy again!
Our next tour was of the oldest cemetery in Santiago. I thought that the cemetery was very cool. Almost all the graves were above ground tombs. The tombs of the rich families were like minature churches (many of them even had a stained glass window.) The graveyard was very huge. Since Chile is still a very class based society, it was seperated into sections for the very rich, the rich, the middle class, the poor, and the very poor. However I think that even the very poor section of the graveyard was still pretty because there was flowers everywhere.
That same day we also went to see the capital of Chile building (what would be the equivalent of our White House.) All we got to do was walk through the courtyard so it was not very exciting.
Then that weekend we went out of Santiago toward the coast to Isla Negra to Pablo Neruda`s (a very famous Chilean poet) house. The house was on a bluff overlooking a beautiful rocky beach. I think if I had that house I would be able to write poetry too. The house itself was not that fancy but it was full of very expensive art that he collected from all over the world. My favorite thing that he collected was the statues of women that were at one time mounted on the bow of some huge sail boats. I am sure there is a name for them but I do not know it.
Lastly we went up the coast to the port city Valpariso. I liked Valpariso very much, because it was so different from other cities that I have been to that I actually felt like I was somewhere exotic. They built a ton of houses up on the hills and the paths are so steep that they do not walk up them to get to the neighborhoods above, instead they use what I would describe as an outside elivator. It is a track built into the side of the hill with a cart attached to it. Only 7 people can get in a cart at a time and even then the floor of the first cart we took was shifting while we went up (a little scary but cool.) Also the city is still very active as a port so we saw tons of huge ships (even some naval ships which my tour book warns that I should not take pictures of) and tons of railroad carts waiting to be loaded. Our tour also included lunch which we ate at a restuarant at one of the cities highest points. The restuarant had an amazing view and while the food was very tasty it was a bit on the ordinary side for me. Unfortunately, we were not given time to explore the city on our own. We ate lunch, drove to another look out point, and then left. So I am excited that I have plans to spend this weekend with Heather in the cities on the coast to the west of Santiago. We are for sure going back to Valpariso to check things out more. One more cool thing is that on the ride back to Santiago from Valpariso we went past many beautiful vineyards and small grassy mountains and valleys.
The last cool thing that I did this past week was going with Heather to Los Dominicos which was esential an Chilean art fair except it is there all the time so I can go back when ever I want. I saw many beautiful things and many of them were not too expensive so you can expect that some of you will be getting things from there when I get back. One of my favorite artist was a man that made figures out of nuts and bolts. They were only five dollars each so I got one of two guys fighting for Brian, my boyfriend, one guy is kicking the other in the head and the other one is falling down. For myself I bought two figure leaning against a park bench kissing (to add to my kisses collection.) It will also function as a memento of Chile, because Chilean´s are not bashful about kissing and other stuff... in public.
Next week you will get to hear about my first week of school and my weekend on the coast.
Take care everyone!
Love,
Emmie
