Blog

This is the 3rd and finally installment of my trip to Chile where I wrap up my trip with a quick trip to the beach and a stop through Mendoza, Argentina. Getting from Pucón to Santiago was fairly easy and only about 6 hours. When we got to the bus terminal my two travel mates Delfina and Julia and I parted ways as they went back to Buenos Aires by way of Mendoza (a trip that I would later repeat). I stuck around in Santiago for the afternoon in order to greet my B.A. roommate and one of the girls from our building, Christine and Gabz respectfully. They were on their way to Valparaiso and Viña del Mar to meet up with a friend of Gabz who was going to school there.

Interestingly though there was a strike against the colleges and universities in Chile where students were refusing to go to school due to the high cost of attendance (sounds like something that could end up happening in the US…). Well all the school except for three private universities were striking, because these school were mostly foreigners that found the tuitions at these school relatively very affordable. So no time off school for our friends! My friends and I took the short bus ride from Santiago to Valparaiso where we met up with our friends and headed over to Viña del Mar which is literally right next to Valpo, its even hard to tell where one starts and the other begins!

Viña del Mar was beautiful with some great beaches, but very cold Pacific Ocean water! You could tell that it was a very touristy town that caters in large part to the crowds of Santiago city dwellers who want a chance to get away for the weekend and see the ocean (as opposed to almost seeing mountains through a pollution choked sky). I checked into a hostel by myself because the girls were staying with their friend and I didn’t want to impose on their already full house. The hostel was great and I met guy from the Netherlands named Albert and we spent the next day exploring Viña on foot.

There are many things that made Chile different from Argentina. As for food, there is a very plentiful amount of great seafood in Chile in comparison to Argentina who focuses mainly on beef. Chilean empanadas were biggers, like plate-sized, but often filled with more fillings like eggs and olives than their Argentinians counterparts. The liquor of choice for the country is Pisco, which is a sour concoction that goes well with sweet and sour mix and Sprite, whereas Argentinans prefer the bitter Italian import Fernet (more on Fernet soon!). The public transport took a little getting used to because instead of colectivos being buses, in Viña they were taxis that ran in a certain neighborhood (indicated by the sign on the top of the car) and are shared by whoever happens to be in the colectivo. For 500 chilean pesos the driver will take you wherever you want within the neighborhood, pretty neat!

Unfortunately for me at almost two weeks on the road it was time for me to make my way back to BsAs for you guessed it….school (oh yea now I remember why I came here!) Taking the route by bus through Mendoza was the cheapest way to get back to Capital Federal and would end up giving me the whole day to explore Mendoza! I checked into a hostel for literally just 16 hours, still had to pay for a full day though. Ended up meeting some interesting characters in the hostel, a couple from Australia and an Italian/Argentinan. I spent the day walking around the town and through the park north of town to look out over all the vineyards. We climbed a tall hill/mountain where there was a statue of San Martin, famous general who liberated Chile, Argentina, and Peru from European rule (he actually has many many statues in all three countries). Later we went to the zoo that was also in the park, but the idea of a zoo was a little sad because the animals were kept in very small areas

Coming back to BsAs was nice just to not be living out of a suitcase anymore, but what an adventure it was! I could even see myself becoming a professional traveler, if such a thing truly exsisted…

The next stop on the journey was to Pucón, Chile where we had actually planned ahead of time something really exciting….hiking an active volcano! And yes at this point in the trip we had already been to the top of one volcano, but it was dormant so really it was just like an oddly shaped mountain. Getting to Pucón from the Huilo Huilo reserve though was a bit of a challenge because many tourists don’t take a direct route in between the two. So in order to get there we had to take a taxi to a nearby town and from there take two different buses that eventually got us to our destination. On one leg of the bus trips the girls I was travelling with and I were dead asleep, but for some reason I woke up right before we were pulling away from our stop, talk about luck!

In Pucón we found a hostel that was a little off the main street of the town, but had the friendliest innkeepers. This was a reoccurring theme throughout Chile that people just seemed genuinely interested in helping us, especially in the hostels. Once we got settled in the innkeepers took us in their car to check in with the company that we were going to hike the volcano with the next morning. We got to try on the boots and pants that we would wear as part of the excursion, complete with pickax and everything! After we got everything tested the hostel owners took us around Pucón and we even managed to catch the sunset over the lake (those picture were in the camera that on the volcano)

The next morning was VOLCANO DAY! We started out at 6am but with the knowledge that the conditions were less than favorable. The weather was very cloudy and the problem with that is that there is no guarantee that you will get to see anything once you get to the top. Needless to say though, I was determined to get as far up the side of the mountain as possible. So as conditions did not end up improving we pushed ahead and ahead until the visibility got to just a couple feet! At this point things got dangerous so the guide decided it was time to head back even though we hadn’t quite reached the top. So in order to get off the mountain, you actually just slide down! We put on these funky harness things that strapped to our legs and waist, think like a buttpad, and slide down as fast as we could while maintaining control. Well this was the point where my camera was in my pocket and I forgot to zip the pocket…and it feel out somewhere on the side of the volcano. I was upset, but hey, I just climbed a volcano! And who knows maybe one day it will magically show back up.

That night in order to sooth our aching muscles, and help me mourn the loss of my camera, we went to some natural hot springs near town. The trip took us about an our but it sure was worth it! There were several hot springs all with different temperatures so you could move from bath to bath and try them all out. Naturally I found one of the hottest ones and just chilled for a good while until it was time to go back.

The next installment of this journey takes me to Santiago and Viña del Mar, Chile!

Sorry that it has been quite awhile since I posted a new blog, but I was doing a 2 week tour of Chile! You are probably wondering how I got away with being away from school for so long. Well with my school here in Argentina they have 4 finales weeks throughout the year and one happens to be in October. Since I hadn’t taken any previous classes I got the week off! So yes I missed a couple classes, but only a couple and my professors understood!

Los colectivos

Chile is a beautiful and interesting country, but of course I had to get there first. I could have taken a flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago, but where is the fun in that? The public bus options are MUCH cheaper and include food service and pillow and blankets, just like a long plane ride! Except these buses mean business, like extra big seats that recline way back….think business class on an airplane but at a fraction of the cost! So my excursion started with a 20 hour bus ride to San Martin de los Andes which is on the long side, but considering we went through the night and got to watch movies along the way it wasn’t so bad. And we even got three hot meals!

During this entire trip though, we didn’t have anything reserved for sure and did not have any transportation prearranged (I was travelling with Argentinians and that’s just the way they traveled so I figured I would give it a try!). San Martin is actually located on the Argentinian side of the Andes so we had to figure out transport to our first major stop which was an ecological reserve called Huilo Huilo in Chile. Luckily people a hostels are usually amazing and very willing to help their guests, especially if they are buena onda (good vibes). So the night we got in the hostel owners to decided to throw a pizza party with their friends and invited us because we were the only ones staying at the time. At the party we met a guy that was willing to drive us in his car across the border and to a port on a big lake where we would take a boat to the town where the reserve was ¡que suerte!

Unfortunately in Chile, there are less restrictions on logging so there we some beautiful areas that were being logged right next to the lakes, something that doesn’t happen as much in Argentina due to protection legislation passed years ago. The Huilo Huilo reserve where we were staying was very well persevered and had some amazing natural beauty. Our room was basically a tree house in the middle of some animal areas with peacocks chicken and deer running below our room with walkways connecting everything, very cool! Of course I didn’t just go to Patagonia to look at it, I went to experience it! While we were there we did zip-lining through the forests, snowboarding on the volcano, and a nighttime waterfall tour (complete with torches and drinks!).

After a couple days there it was time to move on to Pucón which was several hours away taken various buses. More to come on the next post!

Oh and in Pucón I lost my camera on a volcano so I will try to post some pictures that my friends took too.

Here is a link to a map of the route I took! http://www.travellerspoint.com/member_map.cfm#/map/3703

Expo Patagonia - Tierra Del Fuego Exhibit

This weekend I heard about an event from one of my friends called la Exposición Patagonia so I thought, why not?! The reason my friend Xoan (pronounced like schwan) knew about it (other than the billboards around the city that I had apparently been oblivious to) was because he is from the province of Santa Cruz, one of the provinces that contains parts of Patagonia, and he was working the booth for his town. The other provinces that make up Patagonia are Rio Negro, Chubut, Tierra Del Fuego and the southern part of our neighboring country Chile. Interesting fact: Tierra Del Fuego is also known as the Fin del Mundo or End of the World due to the fact it has the closest proximity to Antarctica in the world.

Off-Roading Display

Going to the event I expected it to be a majority of outdoors activities like rock climbing and glacier traversing and hunting, but it actually surprised me the variety of things the south of Argentina has to offer. One of the things I didn’t know before is that the region is well known for its chocolates and fruits as well as unique types of wines and beers. Each area of Patagonia had a different part in the convention building called La Rural which is the barrio of Palermo at the Plaza Italia.

Santa Cruz Glacier Truck

That had some really cool demonstrations going on like a Patagonia cooking seminar, rock climbing, traditional dancing with panuellos (scarves), and even some wine and beer tasting! Some of the coolest things were actually in tractor trailers outside the building including a 3D movie trailer about the Chubut province and and ice climbing attractions with ice in the back of the truck from the province of Santa Cruz. You got to put on the ice spike shoes and walk around with an ice pick, very cool!

Needless to say that it wasn’t a cool as actually going to Patagonia but it did get me pumped about my trip there in October… next week!

Bariloche Wind surfing

Any place you go in the world you are bound to come across different words and phrases that aren’t used anywhere else, even if its the same language! For example in English the language is very different in the United Kingdom in comparison to the style of speech in the United States, or even Australia. The same goes for the Spanish-speaking world!

In Argentina there is a very apparent mix between Latinamerican and European culture largely due to the immigration of many Europeans to Argentina throughout history. There is a large population of Italians and Germans and it can be seen in everything from food, to style, to….you guessed, language!

There is a type of speech here called lunfardo which is the slang used here in Buenos Aires, but also the rest of the country. To feel a little more Argentine like me, here is a list of words and phrases you can use to talk more Argentine!

Colectivo – autobus

¡Qué bárbaro! – Awesome!

Che – Hey

Chau – Goodbye (like the Italian ciao)

copado – cool

feca – cup of coffee

No tengo un mango – I don’t have any money

laburo – work

mufa – bad luck

un palo – one million or the maximum of something

Subte – subterraneo, the subway

dale – o.k.

chebon – dude

mina – chick

minga – of course not

ma o meno – más o menos

pancho – hot dog

Hope you all enjoy!

My adventure this past weekend was a day trip to the small town of Tigre which is located an hour north by train from la Capital Federal. The train ride itself was very entertaining with a variety of characters selling their various wares or telling you about how you should give them a couple pesos because their mom’s sister’s dog has polio… or something like that. But hey, the train ride there and back only cost me 2.50 pesos (less than $1 US) so I couldn’t really complain!

Tigre Train Station

When we arrived I saw a side of Argentina that I was not expecting, palm trees and gondolas! The small town of Tigre kinda reminded me a little of Venice Beach for some strange reason, except for instead of beaches there was a meandering river at its banks. The tropical feel was enhanced by the fact that we were experiencing a rather warm day with full sun (Remember that here in the southern hemisphere we are just now coming to the end of winter). So off the winter jackets came and we got to let our hair down, well at least the girls did.

Lancha en Tigre

First on the agenda was a trip through the sleepy islands of the Tigre Delta on a lancha (boat). We bought our tickets for an hour trip for just 30 pesos ($9) and got a great taste of life in the Tiger Delta. There are a lot of leisure and recreation parks that are on the islands where you can camp and even do some water sports. Cruising in between the lanchas were plenty of canoes and even a couple rowing teams out practicing. Oh and did I mention… THERE IS AN AMUSEMENT PARK! Its called Parque de la Costa and don’t you worry, I will be sure to post about my fun times there when I go back some day.

Parque de la Costa

After the boat ride we cruised through an open-air market called Puerto de Frutos which was amazing. It had all the traditional Argentinian goodies like yerba mate bowls (more on this later), anything and everything made of leather, and of course anything to support your favorite Argentine futbol (soccer) team… but you can keep it safe like me and support the national team!

All in all it was a great trip and awesome to get some fresh air and a break from the hustle and bustle of city life. Tigre has now become my favorite weekend getaway!

Now might be a good time to mention that I actually do have to go to school here in Buenos Aires! Yes as much as a shock as this might be, I have been going to classes here at UP (Universidad de Palermo) for about a month now. I am here to study International Business and see the point of view of businesses and people in South America, also simply because it is outside the United States. Sometimes you need to get outside of your own surroundings to understand the world around you.

But of course it isn’t all fun and games, there is a system of education here and its a little bit different. Basically, the system of grading here is based on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst grade you can receive and 10 being the best. Strangely enough though, these scores do not correspond directly to a 0-100% scale. For example, to pass a class or a test (aprobar) you need at least a score of 4 which translates to a 60%, but the difference between a score of 8 and 9 is only 5%.

The projects, tests and exams that make up your grade in each class differ based on professor like in the States, but basically there is some form of trabajo practico (class work or projects) that makes up about 30%, and the rest is composed of two parciales (midterms) and one final. Finales is a whole different process here in BsAs, one that requires you to register for each final you take because registration has to go to the Ministry of Education to be recorded with the government. Here they mean business! Also there are exam periods throughout the year, 4 different times, and you can take any given exam up to two years after you have taken the class!

With the differences in grading and exams, the level of performance for students seems to be about the same here as in the US. However, to go to a university here does not necessarily mean you have to pay for it! In Argentina there is a free university here called la Universidad de Buenos Aires (la UBA), but in order to get a quality education people sometimes still elect to pay and go to a private university that is less crowded and has better teachers. The UBA has a student population of almost 300,000, needless to say you could end up feeling a little “lost”.

All in all I am feeling really great about about the education I am receiving here in BsAs and as I get better with the language, classes become easier to keep up with. If you have any questions about how its going I would be happy answer them. Feel free to leave a comment!

This past weekend I had one of my many firsts here in Argentina, a Tango show! Well really it was more of an espectáculo because it was more of a variety show than just the Tango dancers in frilly costumes that many people associate with tango. In reality, tango is more than just a synchronized dance, its a whole culture!

La Casa de Anibal Troilo

The show that we went to was at a place called La Casa de Anibal Troilo. We went as a group of eight people, three from the US, four from France, and one from Holland, which probably made us the most international table in the house because we managed to find a very authentic and mostly locals tango place. We each paid about $140 pesos which included our meal (starter, main course and desert) and the entire tango show which started after the main course was finished (and yes unfortunately drinks were extra).

When I initially thought of our night of tango I thought it would be kinda of like a Las Vegas production, lots of lights, loud band, and very colorful costumes, but I was pleasantly surprised. The performances ranged through the spectrum of all that is tango culture in Argentina. It started out with a lot of singing performers that had amazing abilities ranging in age from 17 to 89 years old! Of course there were dancers, but these people meant business!

Parejas de Tango

The tango dance can be very fast and exciting, but can also have a slow sultry feel that completely captures your attention. After the singing and dancing there was also some traditional performances by gauchos (Argentine version of cowboys) where they did elaborate dances with drums and these strange hard balls attached to strings that they would slam against the floor.

Now typically something like this I would expect to last around 2-3 hours at most, but oh no….Argentines don’t mind staying up late at all! Even with the older crowd of adults in the audience, the show went from 10pm to 3am. And this is completely normal for people all throughout the city. Definitely my kind of town!

One of my next goals is to learn how to do some of these great Argentine customs….stay tuned!

Hello everyone! My name is Alan Blizzard and this is my first post for my Language Treks blog! So I guess I will start out by telling you a little bit about myself and about the start of my adventures in the beautiful country of Argentina.

BsAs from the Airplane at Dawn

In the United States I go to the University of Tennessee which located in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee. Needless to say the thought of moving to a huge city like Buenos Aires all the way on the other side of the globe where they don’t even speak my language was a little bit well…. daunting. But now that I have been here for a month things have started to smooth out and my initial fears have now all gone away.

First of all, international travel by yourself can be a little challenging the first time, but by the time I got to Buenos Aires (BsAs for short) I felt like a pro already! My best advice in planning a trip like this is to plan early and plan often. Keep all the little things in mind like how much your suitcase can weigh and not to bring large liquides in your carry-on luggage, trust me because I had problems with both! If you are going to be abroad for a short time make sure you plan out your trips you want to do ahead of time, but if you are going to be in your location for awhile like I am, you might want to wait until you are in country to ask the locals for the best ways to travel and the best places to go. You will be amazed at all the things a local can tell you that is never found in a travel book.

Here in BsAs I’m studying at the Universidad de Palermo located in the barrio (neighborhood) of Palermo. Actually there are a bunch of “Palermo’s” like Palermo Soho, Palermo Hollywood, Palermo Chico, Palermo Viejo and others….but for simplicity sake I will just refer to the whole region as Palermo as many of the Porteños (people from the city of Buenos Aires) do. I am living with a homestay in the barrio of Recoleta which is near Palermo with a lady named Virginia (a grandmother of I think around 70 years old?) and another American student named Christine.

So much happens each day and I have plenty of things to talk about all the time so stayed tuned to see what happens here with me and learn about this amazing city I now call home!