The Day Without Smog

It rained on Tuesday, so for once at 4 in the afternoon in Santiago. There was no smog covering the freshly snow-capped mountains. So here we go!

My Side of the Mountain

This last weekend, a group of friends and I went to Mendoza, Argentina. My host sister showed me a special issue of National Geographic which was a list of 50 places to visit in a life time, and Mendoza was one. I think I agree.

The hostel I stayed at was just spectacular. One of the nicest things about Mendoza was how tranquil it is. The weekend was nice and calm. I had the opportunity to take a bike ride by myself to a massive park on the foothills of the Andes. The park climaxes with Cerro Gracia where a war memorial exists. By the time I had rode my, more or less non-functioning bike to the Cerro, my ass hurt so bad I decided to carry the bike up the mountain. At the top I met a large group of Argentinians from an Evangelical Christian Church who happily made me part of their tour group and gave an opportunity to practice my Spanish.

Some old man got very mad at me because I took my bike to on the the base of the war memorial. I am not sure why since all I really picked up from his yelling at me was "los gringos comportan como picos."

When coming on on Monday, we were able to get a minivan bus for just our group. It started to snow as we attempted to ascend the Andes. We passed by Mt. Aconcagua, which happens to be the tallest peak in all the Americas (actually the highest peak outside of the Himalayas). We got out to take some pictures, and goofy Angel was more than easy to get an awesome picture of.

Life is good.

Cuando Era Un Niño

I have been meaning for a really long time to put up this post, but I didn't have a chance until now (with the Africa/Central America/Chile thing). I scanned some pictures of my when I was a boy to put up. Clearly I did not take any of these, but I did put quite a lot of effort into scanning and editing them so that they resembled the physical picture as closely as possible. There is also a clear theme in them all. From these pictures one can clearly see how family oriented my parents were when I was growing up. Unfortunately my beautiful mother is missing from these pictures (as someone had to be the photographer).

From looking at these pictures, you would think that my Father spent the 80's and early 90's as a taxi for sons. Also, i find it interesting how insanely blond both Michael and I were as boys.

I was a poop when I was young (basically until the age of 15). I had way to much energy and a strong mind to sit still or take orders from anyone. I loved to push buttons and touch hot things. That why the picture up above with me hanging from the rail just reminds me so much of my mind-set as a child.

My brothers are my best friends. We spent our entire childhoods fighting. I was other having a battle of how was in control with Eric or getting in unfair physical wrestling matches with size-advantaged Michael. In the Clinton pool, you can see us playing similar to wolf cubs.

I'm just too adorable. Michael and Dad are cute too I guess.

I think I visited Ulysses S. Grant's home in Galena, IL at least 40 times when I was a child because of my mother's love of Galena (in her defense its super sweet). Here is a picture of us in our lovingness.

Feliz Bicentenario - 200 Years of Telling Spain to Suck It

This past weekend has been Chile's celebration of its 200th year of Independence. Here are some pictures to show!

The Sexual Frustrations of a Conservative Society

One of the many things that puzzles me about Chile is its strongly conservative society and that affect that has on the non-conservative desires of its people. The clothing, the people, and the traditions are all covered here. Yet, while you won't see too many tank-tops, you cannot go 20 minutes without seeing PDA that would make most Americans blush. Since children live at home till marriage, it has created a whole business around supplying rooms for young couples to engage in scandalous acts outside of the grasp of their parents. Renting themed rooms by the hour is the thing to do. Even more than this, the subjugation of the female figure is incredible. No woman who wants to walk in peace would ever reveal too much of their body, yet one of the most popular business here is called Cafe con Piernas (Coffee with Legs) where women serve you coffee at a reasonable price with not enough on to make imagination wonder. Beyong this, the female form is used to advertise everything. In a way more graphic then the FCC would ever allow Los Estadounidences to get away with. This is not saying the Chileanos are more graphic perverts or sexual deprived nymphos then the ladies and gentlemen of the rest of the world. More that it is an interesting anthropological observation that when one side of society gets more ridged, the other side has to come up with new creative ideas to express itself. In this case it is that the sexual needs of the Chilean people are the same of all humans and Chilean cultural society has made them come out in interesting ways. Thus showing the the freehand of the capitalist market will work no matter how long your skirts are.

La Vida y Los Tiempos de Pablo Neruda

I snapped a whole bunch of pictures from a two day trip to Valparaiso and Isle Negra. I ended up with a eclectic group of shots that define the whole of my trip. I couldn't help but take a picture of the old egg carrying box. That is because the favorite phrase of all Chileanos is "Huevon" derived from the word for egg, huevo. It is actually a curse word, but they use it similar to the word dude as a term of endearment.

The first stop was in the pueblo of Pamaire. The town is famous because it is a long standing Mapuche settlement. It is also very famous for its earthenware pottery with techniques going back thousands of years.

Also I got a sweet Lolita-ish picture of Elena, making her the first non-mom blog double post.

The hostel I stay in in Valparaiso was shoty but quaint. It was just a family's home that they had made additional rooms into dormitories for travelers. The best part of the absolutely killer view from the balcony.

Valpo is a cultural goldmine. Its hills and peaks give all kinds of back allies and nooks to find. The city is covered in graffiti, which is accept more as an art form than a nuisance. It seems like every corner of the city is filled with someone doing something so uniquely Chilean.

I'm not uncomfortable feeling wierd, all revered options disappear, but I know what to do