Aneya: Pictures of Santiago After the Quake

This is a common sight now, there are cracks everywhere.
Random bunches of glass and rubble are also abundant.
A handwritten sign warning "Danger, Do Not Pass" although there was nothing dangerous looking behind it.
The beautiful Opera house had some cracks near the top, but looked to be in fine condition overall.
This is what most of the streets look like. Rubble all over the place.
Some looters tried to get into this building, leaving glass everywhere.
The building wasn't even a shop, so I don't know what they were looking for.
The security tape surrounding the now destroyed Bellas Artes museum.
This was the worst destruction we've seen here.
The weird thing about this is that the other side of the building is perfectly intact, and this side was destroyed. You can literally see the roof coming apart.
All these people are in line at Lider, apparently the only supermarket open in the city. You can't even see, but the line goes all the way back, down the aisles. It was madness, but Lauren and I managed to get some food before it was too late. Lider closed early, at 1pm, and there were hoards of angry people outside, trying to get in, as we were leaving.

Aneya: The Quake Heard Around the World

The sky, hours after the quake, was dark, filled with smoke, and quite foreboding.
Thank god the beautiful church wasn't ruined! Our street was pretty much intact.

So. I don't even know where to begin this post. Yesterday was completely surreal, intense, sad, moving, heartbreaking, stressful, exhausting. It was everything rolled into one. Although I've experienced a few earthquakes in L.A. those were nothing compared to this.

So here's what happened: Lauren and I had been out with some friends, and we came home late, at around 2:30 am. Of course we immediately crashed, only to be woken up an hour or so later by the shaking of our building. My bed was rocking, the room was spinning, I thought maybe I was seeing things. It was the most violent quake I've ever experienced, and then--it was gone. So I just went back to sleep, thinking nothing of it. During the next few hours I experienced a few after shocks, one so strong that it ripped my bed off the wall (I realized this later, when I noticed the holes where the screws had been).

Once Lauren and I were up, she informed me that we had no electricity and that the quake had been a major one. Everything in my bathroom had been knocked down and our fridge had moved about foot.

We immediately started calling our families on my American cell phone (thank god it worked!) I called the house phone in France, and my 14 year old brother, Mikael, picked up. He was actually the one to inform me that there'd been a major earthquake, and that the news had gone international. I was shocked. My mom, who I really wanted to talk to, wasn't home. I did manage to get ahold of my dad, who was sleepy and totally out of it (it was 5 am in Vegas) but still relieved to hear from me. Lauren talked to her mother, who was frantic and had called the US Embassy to report us as missing people! Lauren calmly explained that we were fine, and all was well.

Our electricity came back about half an hour later, and we were so happy to be connected to the world again. Reading the headlines online was surreal. Had this really happened? And so close to us? I knew the names of the towns that had been hit, had visited the South, I felt like I knew the Chilean people by now, it was all so heartbreaking to see.

Lauren immediately wanted to leave the apartment, her journalistic background kicking in. She wanted to get out on the streets, report, give feedback, do something. I said I'd go with her, take pictures, ask questions. That's when we realized we were locked in. We initially thought the apartment had locked us in for security reasons, then we realized the quake had probably jammed the door shut. So, we were trapped, basically. We sat, going stir crazy for a good 4 or 5 hours before our landlady came by with her dad.

They worked on that door for a good half an hour, banging so loudly our ears were ringing, until they popped it open. Finally, we were free! They had to knock the lock out of the door, bust open the side of it. We didn't care, as long as we could close it securely. Lauren and I headed outside, so eager to finally be free. The streets of Santiago were silent, eery, but there wasn't much damage to report. Our area of town had, thankfully, come out relatively unscathed.

To our dismay absolutely everything was shut down. We really needed food, and no supermarkets were open. We found a little corner place and bought some snacks, the place was crowded, and everyone was on edge. The energy outside was really weird, sad, scary. I was definitely feeling uneasy, and was happy to walk up 10 flights of stairs, just so I could be home again.

Oh and by now I'd gotten ahold of my mom, who had been freaking out (being in France, she heard the news before anyone else-- even me!) and was relieved, but still worried about me. I skyped her in Marseille, my brother in Paris, and my dad and his people in Las Vegas throughout the day, keeping everyone constantly updated. Skype, Facebook, my cell phone, blogs, the internet. Without these things, I don't know what we would have done. It's amazing the way modern technology can really bring people together in times of need. I'm so grateful I was able to talk to my family, even though they're all so far away.

Watching TV was hard, seeing anyone suffer is difficult, let alone your neighbors. Daniela, her family, Valeria, Sebastian, all our friends in Chile were fine, and we were so grateful for that.

By now Lauren and I were both exhausted. After shocks were felt throughout the day, and each time I held my breath, waiting for the worst. I was shaking at one point, and I couldn't tell if the room was moving, or I was. In bed, I thought of the building collapsing in on me, and what would happen if it broke in two. Bad things to think about before going to sleep.

I had a mini emotional breakdown the minute my head touched the pillow, actually. So much emotion and tension had been building up inside me all day, it obviously needed to be released. The outpouring of love and support has been so touching, especially considering we were hardly affected by the quake, at least compared to some people.

Neither Lauren nor I could sleep a wink last night, we were so on edge. Then I was woken up at 8:30 by another after shock, quite a strong one, this morning. We're going to try and get food if we can, and see what's happening out there.

Thanks again everyone for the love and support, it means a lot to us! We promise to keep you all informed of what's to come.

-- Aneya

Lauren: The Earthquake.

I can't help but feel that writing anything about the minimal inconveniences we experienced yesterday is extremely narcissistic and trite. Although we were touched by the yesterday's catastrophe, it was in the slightest and most insignificant ways.

No, we still don't have gas and can't cook, we're short on food, and we were trapped inside our apartment the majority of the day yesterday, but we have our lives, our friends, and we had the option of sleeping in our own beds last night, which many people living in Chile can't say. I say that we had the option because neither of us slept more than a few hours, and stayed up until about 4 a.m. constantly refreshing the different news and social networking sites and for the latest news.

Is it just a rumor that supermarkets in our area will be closed for two weeks? Hopefully the number fatalities has stayed the same. How are our friends around the city? They were OK two hours ago, but how about now? Did that last aftershock do any damage, hurt anyone else? Simultaneously we were glued to all major news stations and sites, and still repelled and scared by what we saw.

Yesterday's earthquake was the most powerful natural disaster I've ever experienced. Aneya and I came home about an hour before the quake, and immediately feel deep asleep. We both woke up during the earthquake an hour later, but didn't think too much of it and we both stayed in bed, waking up at a leisurely 9:30 a.m.

I woke up before Aneya, and walked out to the kitchen where I found the fridge about two feet from where we had left it the night before, the first reminder of the quake that we had quickly filed away as a minor temblor not worthy of getting out of bed for. I went to the bathroom and found out the electricity wasn't working, and decided to check my phone where I saw several frantic texts and missed calls from my mom and our Chilean connection Daniela. If she was texting, she was OK.

I looked outside and saw an apocalyptic-looking brown sky, and opening the window introduced smoky smells and debris into the apartment.

Aneya woke up and we decided to place a few international phone calls. The first to France, then Vegas, then LA, where I discovered my mom had an Embassy search party out looking for the two of us. The electricity was restored about 11 a.m. when we decided to contact our respective family and friends with a quick update "We're OK."

Still things did not seem frantic. Ambulances, police, and firefighters were zooming by every few minutes, which was a bit unnerving, but of course they would. We were in a large city and certain precautions needed to be taken. Trying to make breakfast we learned that the gas had been cut; we later learned it was all of Santiago Centro that was without gas.

It wasn't until we tried to venture outside that we discovered we were stuck. The deadbolt of our apartment had jammed in all the shaking yesterday, and no matter how we fiddled with it, our door was not going to open. We called the doorman who informed us the woman we sublease from was en route with someone else who would free us.

Thirty other residents in our building had similar problems with their deadbolts, many having the door broken down and were now without front doors. Marta came and with her dad, hacked away enough of our door to free us, which is what began to set us both on edge. The loud, almost deafening pounding of them trying to get us out of our apartment, the images of rubble on TV. Things were starting to feel more real.

The business of getting us out of the apartment took about 30 minutes and left us with a hole in our door, so standing outside you can see into our apartment through a smallish crack. Not too big, and the door still shuts so lots to be grateful for.

We asked how other people who were locked inside were getting out of their apartments, were the police breaking down doors, and Marta said the police were busy, it was either other neighbors or they would be stuck inside for a while, which was a horrible feeling I have to say. Being stuck inside was it's own kind of torture, but when we finally could we walked down the ten flights of stairs to get more information, see what had happened to our new home Santiago, and get provisions.

Santiaguinos have always, from the moment we got here, had a very happy, peaceful disposition, which never ceased to amaze us. They were always so good to us, and so nice to each other it almost made me suspicious. Why are you people so nice? But walking down the streets yesterday, there was a serious change in the atmosphere. People were really depressed, and the strangest people were out on the streets.

A blind woman who clearly wasn't used to walking alone was vehement about finding this one street, so Aneya and I helped her cross the street and she just took off quickly down the sidewalk. In Santiago, anyone passing by would have helped her, people here are just like that, they would never just pass a blind person by, but yesterday she clearly had to wait for someone to point her in the right direction.

Where sometimes the jotes were slightly offensive, there were really forward men out, which scared us. They would come up to us, not just shout from afar. The night before we learned about botellerias, bottle shops that served liquor, wine, and beer. At night, after about midnight they close their security gates and do business through them so no one tries to rob them. Yesterday at 4 p.m. these shops had their gates pulled tight, and were negotiating through the metal bars. If these big liquor store owners didn't feel safe enough to leave their shops open, maybe we shouldn't be in the streets. Aneya and I decided to make a quick stop for provisions and head home.

Little bits of debris were around the city, sometimes large chunks from hundreds-years old buildings, which was concerning because we didn't want anything loose to fall on us in an aftershock, which were numerous. A small aftershock every couple of minutes.

Nothing was open. Nothing. It was a ghost town, with a few people walking the streets, clearly assessing the damages to their city just like we had. We found a small German store that sold a few readymade meals, crackers, cookies, and soda and we bought five of everything. Potato salad, arroz con pollo (Aneya would eat the chicken, I could have some of the rice), a liter of Coke. No one else in the store seemed to be hoarding though, which astonished me. Was it just us? Was this uncommon behavior? We had nothing to eat so we needed as much of everything as we could have.

We were so tense, I couldn't tell if I was shaking because my body was so tight it was trembling or if it was the ground. It was usually the ground, but sometimes it was just me. I felt like I had run the marathon, especially after the 10 flight journey up to our apartment.

Aneya and I always joke that we have no friends here. There's Daniela, Valeria, and Sebastian, but really the only people we see very frequently are Daniela and each other. Once the earthquake hit and we realized how powerful it was, I noticed there were so many people in this country I cared deeply about.

How was tio Jorge in the south, who helped me find a hospital when I was sick? Madre Elysia who made us breakfast at the monastery? Gloria whose wedding we just went to, was she OK? I heard Mendoza had been bad. We had heard from Dani, Val, and Seba, but how were they now? Did an aftershock do anything to them? And their families, who had been so good to us. How were they? The other tio Jorge who taught us tango lessons? And his super sweet wife Isabel, who made smoking look cool again. How were they? The dorky engineers we salsaed with the night before? How were they? They were near old buildings that clearly bore the brunt of the earthquake.

The customary kiss on one cheek amazingly makes you feel different kind of kinship for people. You're allowing a stranger to get very close to you, in a very personal way, and it just makes a connection a handshake doesn't. How many cheeks had I kissed in this last month? At least a hundred, and I started imagining all the people I'd greeted in this way and thought of all of them. How are they now? The guy in Carahue who let us use his outhouse. Our sweet old neighbor who comes to visit her daughter on our floor from the fifth floor who showed me how to use the dryer to dry my sheets. How are these people holding up? Did they know someone who had been hurt?

It was a bit unnerving to think about and the frequent aftershocks were just really making me tense.

Each one had the potential to bring loose rubble down from tall buildings and all these people who I had just assured myself were safe, had a new threat with each small temblor. How were they now??

Chileans had been so good to us. People in cities across this country had looked out for us, been inexplicably nice to us, and we identified with them in many ways now. We walked streets with Chileans, Chile for an indefinite amount of time has become our home. And to see the people that have looked out for us and just been tremendously kind crying on TV, sleeping in lawns outside just wrecks emotional havoc. These are our neighbors. We know these people. This can't happen. These are our friends.

While I was concerned about people in Haiti and the health and infrastructure issues there, this hit closer to home -- because for now Chile is home.

Neither Aneya or I could sleep that night and at 2 a.m. I used our electric water boiler and made us instant mashed potatoes and we drank wine hoping to finally be able to sleep. It was amazing how hungry we were from a day of doing very little. After realizing that no matter how many times I click "Refresh" the LA Times and New York Times were not going to update and no more friends were going to change their Chile status on Facebook, it was time to try to sleep. We were awakened four hours later by a strong aftershock.

Not having gas to cook with or stores that are open has been no picnic, but we have so, so much to be grateful for it seems so insignificant to even mention what we don't have.

We have our lives. We still have a front door that can close at night, unlike many of our neighbors in our building. We had Aneya's iPhone for contacting our family. We were able to reach most of our family and friends through the internet before most of them even knew what had happened. And of course, we had each other to keep ourselves sane, when debris was floating into our window, the sky was brown with smoke, and sirens were blaring outside.

Thank you for all the love and support.

-- Lauren Williams

Aneya & Lauren: We're OK!

Just wanted everyone to know that we're OK! We'll give you all a full report later.

-- Aneya & Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: El Aeropuerto.

Lauren: The above place is where Aneya and I wound up yesterday after three hours of package hunting around the airport. It was honestly, one of the most exhausting airport adventures of my life, but we made it fun -- sort of.

Aneya: So I had asked my dad a few weeks ago to send me a care package- some books, some movies, and my TEFL certificate. Well, my dad only uses FedEx. When I was young, I didn't know there was any other type of mail service. Anyway, my certificate came in three days, straight to the apartment, so that nice. But not the other goodies. So we waited.

Lauren: We eventually received a notice from FedEx Tuesday saying we needed to go to the airport to receive the package Aneya was sent by her dad, who sent us some movies and books. For all the craziness you would think we were trying to ship explosives or who knows bring in sharp objects, or smuggle drugs. But we just wanted more movies to watch. That's it.

Aneya: The notice from FedEx said my package was at the airport, and we had to go pick it up there. It didn't say why or how, all it said was the terminal and the area it would be in. We thought this was odd, but what the hell? It Chile! They do crazy things here! So off we went to the airport, hoping to just pick up the package and go. It didn't quite work out that way.

Lauren: We took the green line, where we were told to take the red line to a shuttle that would take us to the airport. Finding the bus was exhausting, so finding the package would be straightforward right? This had to be the complicated leg of the journey. I've never picked up my mail at an international airport, but hey, maybe this was what must occur. We were willing to do whatever it took to bring Harry Potter back into our lives. We needed some magic. We've been getting stir crazy without jobs or schedules and some more movies would be nice.

Aneya: Just getting to the airport was such a hassle (two subway lines and a bus?!) we couldn't imagine how people did the trek with luggage! But whatever, after all the struggle, we finally made it to the airport. Now what? Where's the sign for "small FedEx package pickup"?

Lauren: We're in the national departures part of the airport, now what? Where did we need to go? How were we going to get this package?? I talked to a security officer who said we needed to look for a gray door outside of customs, buzz once. If they didn't answer, knock. The instructions sounded like we were trying to get admitted to a Skull and Bones meeting. We just wanted to find our package. It was becoming a point of pride! We will not leave without this package!

Aneya: The security guard was so nice. Oh, and he thought I was Chilean! Mind you, I didn't actually say a word to him (Lauren is the designated speaker in all situations, I just stand there and smile encouragingly) but anyway, he told us we had to go downstairs and find a grey door, then buzz, then kick the door down if they don't answer. This was getting absurd! Really? A secret knock to be let in to the FedEx area? What were they hiding in there?

Lauren: So we went to the gray door, a journey that lasted another half an hour and when we found it the guy said it was the wrong door. We would have to walk down the street until the avenue ended, turn right, then continue to the "Cargo" area. We were perplexed? We had to go to where the cargo people were? Is this how all Santiaguinos got their mail?

Aneya: The door, by the way, was right next to the Arrivals gate, and we understood then why the security guard said to knock hard. It was so loud, what with all the families reuniting behind us. Lauren and I were both crushed when we were told it was the wrong door.

Lauren: It was definitely time for lunch. By now, about two hours had passed in the airport and we were as far away from the package as when we started. We decided to eat at the closest restaurant, a really cute French coffee, sandwich shop.

Aneya: We were both starving by this point. The lunch was great, actually, they had to best baguette I've had in their entire country! Who would've thought?

Lauren: It was as we were eating our sandwich, quiche that we saw him. A FedEx employee. It felt like striking gold. Surely he could set us straight.

Aneya: We felt bad interrupting him during lunch, but this was getting to be a life or death situation here. So, I urged Lauren to go talk to him.

Lauren: We meekly walked up to where he was sitting, still eating and quickly asked where the FedEx place was. He asked for Aneya's passport (for a minute I wondered if he had her package on him), and then told us to wait for him. It seemed it finding FedEx was ... complicated ... and he needed to accompany us. We didn't need him to say it was complicated.

Aneya: He was so sweet! He told he'd finish eating quickly and accompany us to the FeEx cargo place. Yay! We were finally on our way!

Lauren: He was the nicest guy. He even said he need two new couriers who spoke English if we were in the market for a job. He informed us this was a very unorthodox method of retrieving mail. "Usually, we just bring it to your house." That would have been nice. The paper said we needed to come to the airport.

Aneya: We had to walk all the way around the airport and out to the cargo area, but the guy was so nice, chatting with, explaining the whole mix up. And his English was great!

Lauren: We wound up where people take cargo off the plane, the only people without official-looking vests. We got a few "What are they doing here?" stares. Long story short, the package won't be coming until Monday. They need to make a "presentation" to the customs people. It turns out, to receive things like that you sometimes have to pay 20% in duties!! That's why they couldn't leave it at the door. There was no one to pay the duties fees.

Aneya: Going into that cargo room was hilarious. The guy looked like a pimp walking in with us, everyone was staring. We had to get official "Visitor" badges as we waited to hear the verdict. And....no, we wouldn't be getting it today. After all that! We were mad, but by then, just ready to get the hell home. I guess we won't be seeing our friend Harry till Monday.

-- Aneya & Lauren

Aneya: Chilean Vacations

A typical weekday on a Santiago street. On the weekends, the city is a ghost town.

So, we came to Chile at, some would say, the perfect time. Obviously, we are in the Southern Hemisphere, so the climate is reversed. It is summer here, and hot as all hell (at least it was. It's cooling down now, slowly but surely) The school year in Chile is bizarre (at least for American standards) They have January and February off (summer holiday) then school starts again in March. The school year runs until December, and then they start the holidays all over again. Now, Daniela tells us there are many "Saint" days in between, so they get lots of three day weekends and random weeks off, for a variety of Christian-inspired events. Doesn't sound bad at all!

In my high school in France, every 6 weeks we had a two week holiday. No joke. And Wednesdays were half days. And we had weekends off. The only catch? The school day was from 8:30-5:30. Some would call that excessive, but we did have an hour for lunch, two hours for sports, lots of baguette and cheese breaks. You get the drift. It sounds like Chile's school system is more similar to European standards than American ones. And I kind of like it.

The whole notion of "all work and no play" is so typically American, and the fact that adults take time off too, seems absurd to them. Adults? Getting two weeks off? Getting two months off? The must be out of their minds! No, they're just living. Really, truly, living. Americans could take note.

Lots of restaurants here close at noon, so they can have a two hour lunch. A few aren't open at all, their signs saying they'll be back in March. As we've mentioned, the weekends here are completely dead, everyone's at the bus station, heading to the beach. Shops, restaurants, cafe's. No one's around. And you know what? That's fine. They deserve it! Go have fun!

Lauren was quite shocked at this. I wasn't. If any of you have to been to France in the month of August, you'll know what I'm talking about. The entire country is on a holiday. You'll be hard pressed to find a Boulangerie open, let alone a restaurant. Because people aren't machines. They're human. And they need a break every now and then.

Next week is March, so it'll be interesting to see how the city adjusts to life again, after their two month holiday. As for us, our holiday appears to be never ending, as we're both waiting, impatiently, to be employed. Let's hope next month is a productive one!

Lauren: Walking.

So we've been doing a lot of walking around this city. We see really gorgeous architecture, tons of fountains and statues, street vendors, you name it. If it's around Santiago, we've probably seen it. Walking around a city, you just get to see more of it than speeding past it in a car.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm a big public transportation/walking fan, and this city is good for the latter. Walking however, can be a bit tricky.

Cars here are extremely pedestrian unfriendly. Crosswalks less designate a place where cars have to stop for people crossing the street, but more accurately mark the place where walkers are allowed to run from cars speeding toward them. No matter what the signal reads at an intersection, cars push forward through pedestrians who often rush crossing the street.

I remember seeing taxies inch through packed crosswalks in New York, but this is far worse. Cars turning on red jolt into crowded pedestrian walkways at alarming speeds.

The boundaries of a crosswalk mean nothing to cars. There are two lines designating the area where people can walk in the street, like in most cities. But here cars zoom up to the first line, regularly sitting in the crosswalk. I almost got hit by a taxi during my early jog this morning, when the taxi driver sped up to the first line of the pedestrian walkway.

There is a lot of jaywalking, though, sometimes across four lanes of traffic. So if you wait long enough you can just walk across the street when there aren't cars.

On a positive note, at least there isn't the car culture that there is in LA and people actually walk around their city on a regular basis.

-- Lauren

Photo courtesy of Flickr.

Aneya: Commercialized Beauty

A typical blonde model in an ad for Ripley, one of Chile's biggest department stores.

So as I mentioned in my Strip Club post (a popular one, I'm told. Hmmm, I wonder why) the commercialized idea of beauty here is so different from the general population, it's almost insulting.

In the States, commercials have to portray the American public--- which is a melting pot of ethnicities and cultures from around the world. So you'll see an Asian family in an AT&T commercial, a black family in Toyota commercial, maybe even an Indian family, if you're lucky. But there's never any mixing. No black men with white women, no asians with Latinos, nothing. Actually, it's rare if you see a Latino in a commercial at all. Obviously, this is not the real American public, as there are plenty of biracial couples, heck, I'm a product of one myself. It's 2010, it seems absurd that such a thing would still be considered taboo. And yet. It is. But at least American companies try to include different races in their campaigns, at least they try to reach out to the general public. That's not the case here in Chile.

Lauren and I have both mentioned that the population here is completely homogenous. Everyone looks quite similar, dark hair and tan skin, they look Latino for sure.

There is the rare except of a white Chilean, which is very odd to see, and even odder when they start speaking Spanish. You wanna say-- aren't you supposed to be speaking German or something? No, they're Chilean. But still, this is very rare. So the fact that companies (as well as strip clubs) feature blonde, white models, seems ridiculous. It seems that, here in Chile, white: beautiful.

After all, everyone wants what they can't have. So maybe all the women here, with their thick, dark, wavy hair, wish they had pin straight blonde hair instead? Maybe the men wish they were tall and blonde, with a nice, hairless chest. Who the hell knows?

In any case, companies are banking on people to buy these products, especially if the spokespeople are good looking, ie white. It's sad to think that in a country with such a beautiful population, companies don't showcase their own people.

Lauren: Los Mapuches.

Chile is a really homogenous country. While we've been here, Aneya and I have seen one gay couple, one questionable lesbian couple (it was questionable whether they were a couple), less than ten black people, and three Asians. You could go days without seeing someone who wasn't Latino, and that was over a month's time.

87 percent of the population here is Catholic, 11 percent is Protestant. So almost 100 percent of people are Christian.

But there is one major ethnic minority, the indigenous Mapuches, the largest indigenous group here. And there is a pretty real resistance from the Mapuche, especially in the south. Graffiti for Mapuche power isn't as common as it is on the coast or in the south, but there are still examples within the city of resistance, which can be seen in the above graffiti, which reads "Liberty to the Mapuche now!!".

In the south, especially in Temuco, the symbol of the Mapuche drum, the kultrun, is used as a symbol of the resistance, and can be seen all over town, quite often accompanied by something written in Mapudungun. There are also a number of lawyers in Temuco because of the litigation over things like land rights.

The Mapuche have a really sad history. They've been at war with Chileans since Chile started being settled, it's considered a 400 year war, and have sad songs. When we were in the pastoral area of the Araucania region near Temuco, a farmer who isn't Mapuche said the local Mapuche were pestering him, trying to get him to abandon his land by throwing stones into his field. If large companies go to the Araucania area to have factory farms, sometimes they will be driven out by the Mapuche. They're not kidding around about resistance.

Photo taken at San Antonio and Alameda.

-- Lauren

Lauren: Mote con huesillo.

Literally meaning "barley with little bones," this is said to be the most refreshing drink of Chile. It's served all around the city, and in the farther regions of Chile, like in the Lake District, they serve it in actual glass cups and you stand there and eat it, returning the glass to the vendor after your finished.

This brand, Copihue, is named after the Chilean national flower ... the copihue, which only blooms in cold, damp climates. We saw a few varieties in Temuco: White, red, and blended kinds. Temuco had the perfect weather for the copihue.

Anyway, this drink consists of barley, or something like it, at the bottom of a cup, peach syrup and a peach pit (the "little bone" in that title) floating around the top. I don't know about other people, but I can think of many things that are more refreshing than drinking syrup on a hot day and sucking on a peach pit. The first few weeks of being here, it was just so hot and sipping syrup sounded awful. But these vendors are quite prevalent. They are on every corner, and visited often. I see a lot of people carrying Copihue cups, maybe not in the numbers that the above advertisement shows.

My first week here I ordered lunch off a fixed menu, and had this as part of the dessert, not really sure what it tasted like. Sucking on a peach pit was a bit tricky and kind of ungraceful. You have to put this whole thing in your mouth, suck on it, then spit it back out?

The barley-like mote is nice, though. I can see it being used for a soup.

-- Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: Myths about Santiago.

Aneya: So before we left for this adventure into the unknown, Lauren and I did our research. We're not dumb, we knew we needed to do a little homework before moving to a country neither of us had ever been to. Well. Upon arriving here, we noticed many inaccuracies in our guide books and were infuriated. The things people wrote about we need now consider our city-- they simply weren't true! So, we're here today to set the record straight.

Lauren: There were a lot of negative things being said about Santiago. I'll admit, I was a little wary. Were we moving to an undesirable city? Would it be boring, slow, with little to do? Friends from here seemed to love it, but wouldn't anyone from a city love their own hometown?Well, it turns out our friends were right, and the tour guide books, and travel articles were simply off the mark.

Aneya: First of all, in any book about Chile, Santiago is usually not the focal point. The Atacama Desert, the Lake District, Chiloe, Easter Island, Patagonia. Pages and pages are devoted to the different regions in Chile, and fair enough, they are incredible in their own right. But the major economical, political capital of the country? A few pages, maybe. Our books told us Santiago wasn't worth a long stay "3 or 4 days at the most" more of a transfer point, if you will. Um, say what? My book at least, said it's not a "party all night" city, it doesn't have a cafe culture, no one dances here, it's not very pretty, there's tons of smog, the negative list goes on.

Lauren: There is a lot of ecotourism in Chile, and rightly so. I hope we can get to some of these travels before we leave. Tons of natural wonders. Best sky for star watching, kayaking, and just some incredible natural settings. But Santiago was said to be boring -- and maybe for the old folks who wrote the books sure, it is. Because things don't seem to start until 1 a.m., well after some people's bedtime (myself included).

There are tons of little cafes, bars, and restaurants, and that's only near our house. We haven't even been to all the little cafes around us, and they're quite nice.

There's also the vineyards that surround the city. Any trip out of Santiago and you're in the middle of wine country. Going to the beach or Temuco you drive through tons of vineyards, and the air actually smells sweeter. That's definitely worth a 3-4 day trip itself, which we have yet to do.

And, admittedly, Chileans themselves think they don't dance. There's a Chilean saying about Chileans just having no rhythm. But we've definitely seen otherwise.

I was really scared the smog would bother me, but I don't really notice it. It was said to be much worse than LA, and maybe it technically is, but for me it seems about the same.

Aneya: The guide books told us that Santiago is filled with junk food and that the taxi drivers don't know where the hell they're going. Lauren's book told her you need to bring your own map in the taxi with you, because the drivers are sure to be idiots.

Lauren: Which is just crazy. I've never gotten lost in a taxi. We do live at a large intersection, but we've never gotten lost. My tourism book said that there isn't a taxi exam, or something like that, that other cities have. I, however, have always arrived at a destination without giving a taxi driver directions. And there is such good public transportation here, and we centrally located, so taxies are not a daily excursion.

And there is some really good cuisine going on here. There's plenty of junk food, but less than in the US, hands down. There's a fine German restaurant on our block, some decent Italian and French cuisine, and we found a wonderful Mexican restaurant. Some Chilean dishes lack some spice of flare, but add some merken and everything tastes better.

Aneya: So let me just set the record straight. We've been in Santiago for over a month now, and we haven't even scratched the surface of this huge city. The fact that the guide books say 3 to 4 days is enough is absurd! Sure, Santiago doesn't have lots of famous monuments or museums like other countries, but it has it's own unique culture that you can't fully appreciate in 3 days. And it's a huge, sprawling city, the suburbs going all the way to the Andes. And no cafe culture? Have they been here? It's all cafes, everywhere! Bella Vista, Bellas Artes, Lasstaria, the list goes on, you literally can't walk down the street without stumbling upon a cafe.

Lauren: So true. We have barely begun to find some amazing little places in our own hood, let alone the entire city! We're finding new things to do all the time. Tons of museums, parks, we haven't done the vineyard thing yet, the hills here are fun to visit. And it's just beautiful to walk down the street and see some really incredible 400 year old architecture. And since it's the bicentennial there are tons of festivals, which we haven't been to. But still. We have that option.

Aneya: And no nightlife? On our very first week we went clubbing in castle! Don't tell me there's no nightlife. There's a cool pub crawl area in Providencia, Bella Vista has bar after bar, people just sitting down to dinner at 1 am. And dancing? Well, we've already been to a tango club, and we also attended a wedding with every type of Latin dancing known to man. So yes, Chileans do actually dance, thank you very much.

Lauren: A castle! I don't understand those people who were just getting dinner at 1 a.m. That's breakfast time as far as I'm concerned, maybe a late night cocktail, but dinner? Weren't you hungry earlier? Could onces really hold you over that long? I would get hungry for dinner hours before that.

Aneya: As far as the taxi drivers are concerned- they very much know their way around, I have yet to have to direct anyone, anywhere (I wouldn't know how, anyway) the taxis here are the best, actually. Super cheap, super fast, good service.

Lauren: So true.

And another myth: That there's a negative attitude toward the Pinochet years and that his dictatorship is a blemish on the country. Not at all the case. You'll be hard pressed to find a book singing his praises, but a lot of people really supported his regime.

As far as many people are concerned, Chile is doing so well today because of his 20 years running the country. It seems like everyone I know came from a "yes family," families who voted to keep him in office. Some people even reminisce about times under Pinochet, because they feel that things were safer then because no one was out in the streets late at night -- because of the curfew. Again, a more complicated history than the one we are typically exposed to.

Aneya: I mean, what's with all the negative vibes directed at Santiago? Yes, there's smog, and yes it's hot and yes, people do eat lots of hot dogs dripping with avocado and mayonnaise. There's junk food, for sure. But isn't that any major city? It's sad to see so many people writing negative things about Santiago, as it discourages tourists from coming here. Maybe the writers just didn't have a good time? I don't know. In any case, Lauren and I will be writing our own travel guide to Santiago, so watch out! You'll finally be getting a real taste of what the city has to offer!

Lauren: Well, it's hot now, because it's the pinnacle of summer. Completos are available, but people aren't eating them in the droves. All-in-all, though, this is a pretty amazing city and we're loving it.

Aneya: Slot Machines

I know, I know, I'm not in Vegas anymore. The sultry dresses have been put away, the stilettos are in their rightful boxes, my makeup hasn't been touched in weeks. It's fine. It's probably good for me. I have to say I love Las Vegas for many reasons, but slot machines are not one of them. I never used to play when I was there (I opted for games with more human interaction, such as roulette or, my dad's favorite, baccarat). The music and noise gets old fast, and you just never win, so what's the point?

Well, you can imagine my dismay when, upon arriving in Santiago, I hear the familiar ringing of the slots in my ears. Where could this be coming from? Lauren and I discovered that first day, the many arcade/slot machines occupying the city streets. It's the oddest thing. The places are filled with machines- some slot, some arcade games like pinball. It's usually filled with men (obviously, women have other, more important things to do with their time) and it's about the only place open on a Sunday. The music is always blaring, usually some type of techno, and the machines are ringing, and you just want to get the hell out of there, fast.

Another weird thing about is them is that many are Disney related. There's the Aladdin one (pictured above) right near our apartment, there's a Scooby Doo one, all the Disney characters have one, really. Also, for some you have to be over 18 to play. To play a video game? That seems odd. Lauren saw one called "Pool Hall" which featured neither a pool, nor a hall.

There are real Casinos here too, which I'm dying to check out, just to compare to Las Vegas standards. But these weird hybrid arcade places? I'll pass, thanks.

Lauren: Gypsies.

These women are no joke. I tried finding an appropriate picture of a South American or Chilean gypsy and only found images of seductive, mysterious women with crystal balls, bandanas, and some kind of magical powers or who seem to have a kind of special intuition. Gypsies here look nothing like this. They have leathery faces, wear skirts that go down to their ankles, and look like old grapes.

I have to say that I've been warned about gypsies my entire life. My parents come from the Midwest where gypsies can be quite prevalent. My parents would say that they steal your children and chickens while trying to sell you patio furniture. Pishaw. I've rarely seen them in Southern California, but they've always looked like fine people to me. Eccentric maybe, but tricky no.

Well, I now have a far more intimate knowledge of the gypsy lady than I really have ever wanted to know. This sounds like Borat, but they are really some tricky ladies.

The other day Aneya and I decided it would be nice to read our books in the park, so I packed us a lunch. One peanut butter and honey sandwich to share (still on the doctor's diet), some cookies, and a bottle of water one quarter full with a nice big blanket to spread out so we could sit in the grass comfortably.

As soon as we spread out our blanket and had a seat an odd woman came over, telling us how pretty we were. I saw her coming, and because she looked old I figured she had some innocent question, or wanted to ask who knows what. I certainly did not expect her to start complimenting us, saying how pretty we are. Then, she said she was thirsty, and asked us to fill her bottle of water with some from out of our one liter bottle. I said sure, and poured her some. I've always been a bit of a "soft touch," and a woman asking for some water didn't seem like a big deal at the time.

Then she started asking for more. A bit of my sandwich, perhaps? For the baby she was with, of course. She was leaning over our blanket and gesturing a lot and at this point I just wanted to get her away from my blanket. So I gave her a quarter of my sandwich -- a small price to pay for silence.

Then she asked what else I had in my picnic bag. She was pretty audacious, and large and kind of intimidating. I gave her two cookies, and told her to get going. I had totally forgotten about these women until retelling the account to Daniela who told me that she may be a gypsy.

Which reminded me about gypsies. I thought this might have been a fluke. I hadn't seen gypsies before or since, but this Sunday, while everyone in Santiago was resting, I walked through a group of about five to eight gypsies. They all had long skirts and leathery faces and started telling me how pretty I was and getting closer to where I was walking. Sounded very familiar.

I just turned up the iPod and walked a bit faster. I would hate for one of those gypsy women to bully me out of the nuts I keep in my purse for emergency snack situations.

-- Lauren

Lauren: 1937 tourism documentary on Chile.

So Daniela found this excellent video showing different parts of Chile. The huge fountain/statue of people in a boat is in the park near our house. Also good footage of the lake district.

-- Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: Picture Post!

Aneya: So this is cable car/tram like thing that takes you up the steep hill of San Cristobal. It goes really slowly, but still, coming back down was kind of scary!

Lauren: It was so scary! This is one steep hill. It's actually a tiny part of the Andes, so very sharp incline.
Aneya: The amazing view from the top of the hill. The city looked so massive from up there, going all the way to the Andes.

Lauren: There is so much to Santiago. I mean, it is a huge city. Beautiful view from the top of the mountain. We think we saw our apartment.
Aneya: Mary (or as they say here Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepcion), at the very top of San Cristobal, protecting the city since 1908. It's no joke getting up to see her, there's lots of stairs, but it's worth it once you get to the top.
Aneya: Look at all the candles people have burned already, in name of their loved ones. The wax was everywhere, it was a sight to see.

Lauren: It was a very spiritual place. It seemed like candles are burning here 24/7. There was also very soothing spiritual music playing.
Aneya: People wrote thank you letters to Mary, mostly for protecting them and their family. This really showed just how religious people are here.

Lauren: This was actually really moving. A lot of people would write, "Thank you for letting me know so-and-so," with the years people lived. Very touching. People are really Catholic here. The country is about 90 percent Catholic! Divorce was just legalized in 2004!
Aneya: Ok, this is a great shot (if I do say so myself) of the huge Andes! Look how tiny the buildings look!

Lauren: And some of those are high rises. The Andes are big, no doubt about it.
Aneya: Here you can clearly see the River Mapocho running through the city. Whoever said it was blue was lying, that water is brown and filthy!

Aneya: European architecture in Santiago.
Aneya: I forced Lauren to put this on, so she did the same to me! Pictures ensued.

Aneya: Lauren, with her favorite quail eggs! She was really quite fascinated with them!

Lauren: It is just so crazy. You can go to the store and buy 24 quail eggs. How weird! They are so tiny, I can't imagine cracking them.
Aneya: Here we are, having margaritas in this really nice Mexican restaurant.

Lauren: This place was amazing! Named after the excellent novelette "Como Agua Para Chocolate".
Aneya: Ahhh earrings! Santiago is filled with people selling earrings, and this entire store was dedicated to them. They're all so cheap too, it's hard to resist, really.

-- Aneya & Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: El Tango.

Lauren: So I don't know what happened, but simultaneously Aneya and I got tango fever. Aneya had been talking about seeing tango since we got here, and most of that time, I just didn't care one way or the other. But on Valentine's Day, leaving dinner, we saw got a glimpse of a tango show and instantly that became our new mission: to watch a tango show.

Aneya: I love dance in general, and have been dancing since I was young. I'd never done any real Latin dances, and tango has intrigued me from the very beginning. We were told that Chileans don't really dance, that's what the Argentineans do (after all, tango did originate in Buenos Aires) but I was hopeful we'd find something here in Santiago.

Lauren: We told Daniela about our interest, and she said her uncle was really into tango. She would talk to him. I'm so glad we told her because her aunt and uncle were definitely tango pros and they showed us great moves.

Aneya: I'd seen a tango show when I was in Barcelona, and I absolutely loved it. The fluidity of the movements, the fancy footwork, the sensuality of the dance. I wanted to learn! And Daniela, as always, had the hookup. Lauren and I got all dolled up (which I haven't done in some time. I love the process of getting ready for a big night out, and I missed it. I'd literally forgotten how to put makeup on, I swear to god. We both felt overdressed in the end, but we didn't care. We looked good!) and made our way to the club.

Lauren: We showed up at this tiny tango bar and the owner really didn't seem interested in letting us in. We were with Daniela's cousin (Daniela and her uncle hadn't shown up yet) and when she said she was his niece, he flung the doors open, rearranging the furniture to accommodate the large party that we would be with (we were with a large party?).

Aneya: The bar looked closed, actually. But when we mentioned Jorge's name, the man practically bowed down to us, ushering us in with glee. Jorge was the magic word, apparently. The place was empty, but it was only 9, I figured everything starts later here.

Lauren: Daniela's aunt happily taught us the eight-step basic tango move, and Tio Jorge definitely made us practice. Every song he would make one of us practice our new moves! And if we would slip or want to sit down, we could not! The music was still playing! It was amazing.

Aneya: Daniela's aunt and uncle were the coolest couple I think I've ever met. Married for 20 years and yet still dancing the night away, their spirit and exuberance seemed never ending. I was blown away, watching them dance together. They were like one being, gliding across the dance floor, with such grace and elegance. Her aunt was flipping her heel around like nobody's business, twisting and turning her body with such sensuality. They danced close, and never once looked down at their feet, the steps permanently embedded in their minds.

Lauren: We ended up doing all kinds of dance -- or trying to. Meringue, traditional Chilean cuecas, salsa, Spanish flamenco, and the hardest tango.

Aneya: Tio Jorge graciously asked all the girls to dance at one point, after Tia had shown us the moves. Let me just say: tango is so much harder than it looks. The two of them made it look easy, but it's not. It's a rigid dance, and one misstep ruins the entire thing. Tio was a tough teacher, but a good one, and by the end I think I had it! (At least those 8 basic steps) For some reason both Lauren and I kept trying to lead, which frustrated the men we were dancing with. We did it totally unconsciously, but still, it was a funny thing to see.

Lauren: It was an excellent night, and Daniela's family were really wonderful patiently teaching us our new moves. And Daniela's aunt and uncle were so sweet together. But we definitely haven't had our fill of the tango just yet.

Aneya: At one point the music changed, and they started playing more exotic, Latin flare. This time everyone got up to dance. Meringue, salsa, now these were dances I could do. Just feeling the music and letting your body take over, that's how I like to dance. You're less rigid, it's more about the twirls (which I love) and lots of hip action. I really liked both of those, although tango has a more sophisticated feel to it. The traditional Chilean cuecas dance was also really fun to watch. I involves white napkin-like things being twirled in the air, the partners circling each other like predators, their eyes only on each other.

By the end of the night, we were all exhausted, but excited too. I wanted to learn more! I wanted to prove I could tango. Well, we'll definitely be taking more classes, and by the end of this journey I'll come home, a tango dancing queen.

-- Aneya & Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: Girly Post.

Aneya: This is a warning for all the men out there reading this (are there any?) this is a girly post, discussing many female-related products and other feminine hygiene issues. If any of this disturbs you, I suggest you stop reading now.

Lauren: So let's not beat around the bush. It is astonishing what kinds of things made their way down here and what didn't (Nivea, Neutrogena, yes, Aveeno, no). We packed ten of everything knowing that some products would just not be here.

Aneya: Well, now that that's out of the way. Lauren and I have wanting to do a girly post for awhile now. Before we left the States, we were told to bring as many products as we could, because no one was sure what they'd have down here. You don't need to tell me twice! I brought two of everything-- my shampoos and conditioners, my leave in spray, my face wash, my makeup. Who knew if they'd have my favorite Clinique foundation, that matches me skin just right? Or my Curl Perfecting spray? These are essentials, people!

Lauren: I love my Bumble & Bumble curl cream, and I need my Aveeno sunscreens (one for face, one for body). I was afraid there would be no hypoallergenic products, or "natural" or "plant-based" products. It seems there is a shortage of my reliable hypoallergenic things, but plenty of Mac makeup. I'm sure what I brought will last me my entire time in Chile though.

Aneya: Upon exploring the many department stores of the city, we realized that they have just about every major brand we do. Chanel, Lancome, Dior, all the major European labels are here. Clinique, MAC, even Maybelline has made it's way to South America. Some American labels, like Covergirl haven't, but Lubrederm, Dove, Nivea, they're all here. Everything is more expensive than it would be in States, but they're here all right! I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing, if I truly desperate, that a new blush brush was just a phone call away.

Lauren: There are a lot of good products here for sure. I was sad to see no Aveeno. It's non-grease sunscreen is amazing. Thankfully I packed four.

Aneya: There are some major differences, however. Lauren and I have both noticed that many pharmacies carry an excessive number of pads, and only one box of tampons. This isn't just one store, this is EVERY store here. We went to this huge supermarket, appropriately called Jumbo the other day, and even they had a limited selection of tampons, but literally an entire aisle filled with pads (pictured above). Why is this? Lauren seemed to think it may have to do with the conservative culture in this country. And to some people tampons: sex, and they don't want their young girls having premarital sex. This seems ridiculous, but it just may be the case. Well, it's a good thing we brought extras!

Lauren: No tampons!! None. I mean, I can understand not having "bleach free" or "organic cotton" but the selection of tampons is really pitiful. Maybe two packages of Ob for every 50 of pads. It's really that limited. I did bring a gigantic ZipLock bag stuff full of my brand, but there may be a major life adjustment in the near future. I can't explain why women would chose pads in droves. I mean, we all have different preferences and I can understand it's a very personal choice, but this seemed a bit unreasonable. What choices are there for the girl who wants tampons? Choose between these two boxes?

Aneya: Another thing they don't seem to have here in shaving cream. For men, of course, there's a wide variety, but for women? Nada. I forgot to bring mine, and I've been searching this whole damn city, and no one seems to have it! They have Nair- like depilatory cream, and they have razors, but that's it. Daniela says everyone waxes here anywhere, so shaving cream is unnecessary. Oh come on, not everyone waxes! I finally just broke down and bought a men's one, but now I feel like I smell like a man. Oh well.

Lauren: There is no shaving cream. Hair removal systems like Nair and Veet are huge. But you'll be hard pressed to find a razor and cream is a definite no go. I did pack a large full bottle of cream and probably about 20 razors, so I won't be begging my friends in the states of any shaving cream any time soon, but it is quite concerning. I don't want to switch to waxing. It seems more expensive/painful/time consuming than shaving. I've waxed before (only the eyebrows) and it was no party.

So glad to find Neutrogena though. I go through sunscreen like water, so that's a happy compromise.

Aneya: All in all, I have to say I'm impressed by all the products Chile has to offer and I'm quite relieved that I won't have to ask my dad for a care package filled with shampoo and makeup. Although the tampon thing and the shaving cream thing are annoying, they're obviously not that big a deal. We'll just have to make do with what we have. And that's more than enough, really.

-- Aneya & Lauren

Lauren: Prices.

So Aneya did a post on what money costs here, but some things never cease to amaze me. Here's what things cost in Chile (all in USD):

Bus ticket to the beach (one hour away): $7

Paperback book in Spanish: $20-$30

Paperback book in English (which there are few of): $30-$40

Medium Starbucks latte: $2.50

Visit to a private hospital: $120

One purple bell pepper: $.20

Ticket to the opera (cheapest): $4

Ticket to the ballet (''): $2

MNG shirt: $80

Typical taxi ride from our apartment: $2-$4

Ride on the bus/subway any amount of time: $.80

Colectivo (which deserves it's own post because it is amazing): $.50

Small bottle of Tresemme shampoo (about 6 oz.): $7

Lotion, Lubriderm, medium size: $8

32-oz. Nalgene: $14

Ticket to the movies, art theater: $4

Regular theater: $2-3

-- Lauren

Aneya: Strip Clubs

Here are three strip clubs near our apartment. At first I thought Night and Day was some cute, 1950s style American diner. I was wrong.
Here's Kim, the first strip club I encountered. Don't her boobs like weird? It's like they're lopsided or something.
She's kinda scary looking, actually. I guess some guys like the muscly women.
She's pretty hot, not gonna lie.
So is she. For the men who like their ladies with a little more meat!

Let me preface this post by saying that I lived in Las Vegas for many years, so I know a thing or two about strip clubs. Not that I'm an expert or anything, but I will say I've become accustomed to seeing enormous billboards with half naked women on them, staring seductively out a you, just begging you to exit the freeway and get to the Cheetah club, stat! But that's Vegas for you. That's something you'd expect, even hope for, in a city so tied to sex and sin.

But Santiago? Strip clubs were not what I was expecting to see here. And yet. On our very first day, I walked by what looked like a nice little cafe and bar. That's when I looked up to see two breasts popping out of nowhere, from a headless woman named Kim. I know her name is Kim, because that's the name of the club. How peculiar, I thought. The place was open, and it was the middle of the day. Could it really be a strip club? The answer is yes, yes it could.

Lauren and I walk all over this city, and the more we walk, the more strip clubs we find. Some are open in the middle of the day, others only come out a night. We actually live right across from three (adjacent to the lovely church, actually) and one night we went over to inspect. The minute I crossed the street, the men started opening the gates for me.

You want to come in? The asked excitedly. We'll open it for you!

No, just taking pictures, but thanks! I replied, to their dismay.

The regarded me with curiosity, as I snapped pictures of the women on display. Why were they all fair and blonde? Where were the beautiful, dark Latin women I see every day? This seemed very odd to me. One time I saw a stripper peek her head out the door of a club, in the middle of the day. She had on a bra and a thong and was quite, um, rotund, I guess you could say (to put it less diplomatically, she had a belly) But she was also dark and lovely. So, what gives?

Lauren and I have noticed this with advertisements as well. Everyone in the ads here (whether it's for Coke or a cellphone company) are all blonde, fair, very European- looking. Is this the commercial idea of beauty here? If so, why?

In any case, the abundance of strip clubs in Santiago was definitely a surprise for me. I thought the Leg Cafe's Lauren wrote about were sexual enough, but strip clubs brings it to a whole other level. We haven't been in any yet, but I may go in to investigate, if only for educational purposes, of course. I promise to report back my findings, if I do.