Aneya & Lauren: Our 'Hood.

Lauren: So Aneya and I decided to take a walk, get some warm clothes, and take pictures of cute, interesting places that are only a few blocks away from our apartment to give people more of a sense of where it is we're living. Here's what we got.

Aneya: We really do live in one of the nicest areas of town, we're near the center, near Bellas Artes, near Lasstaria, near Cerro San Cristobal, Castilla Hidalgo (where this fountain is located and were we attended the now-infamous castle party). Although at night some areas can be sketchy (particularly around Plaza De Armas and Peru-town) but usually I feel pretty safe, even at night.

Lauren: The fountain at the foot of the hill where the castle is, around three blocks from our apartment. Not really sure who the statues are of or what they're doing. The palm trees remind me of California.
Lauren: Little cafes like this are very close by, some have themes, and are decorated with books.

Aneya: This street is super cute, with little cafes, and it's nestled right in the heart of the city. Juxtaposed with that is those crazy standing only cafes Lauren was talking about, and the hustle and bustle of downtown, mere feet away.

Lauren: The pie/cake store. These pictures are a small sample of how many pies are in this place. There's also a very cute sky blue/white mural on the wall of this place of a cafe with people eating pie, but I didn't want to take a picture of the people eating there; they already seemed a bit sketched out that I was taking a picture of the pie cafe.
Aneya: They do love their cakes here. And pies! I was frankly surprised at how good the pastries are here, as well as the bread. Still, nothing compares to the pastries of France. Mmmm delicioux!
Lauren: These fruit vendors are on almost every corner selling cheap, fresh produce. I got us a bunch of bananas once for like $.40. Although sometimes the produce varies, you can always spot these strange purple and green melons that are shaped kind of like a heart.
Aneya: Of course Lauren would take a picture of a bookstore! Unfortunately, finding books en ingles is really hard, not to mention expensive! But still, who doesn't love a cute bookstore? Lauren and I will peruse through, pretending to read while really only looking at the pictures. We've discovered we are illiterate and neither of us can understand people on the phone. Oh, Spanish, why you gotta be so hard?

-- Aneya & Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: Tutoring.

Lauren: So, since Aneya and I have had trouble finding consistent employment, we've chosen to take matters into our own hands: We're starting our own tutoring lessons.

Aneya: Basically, we're becoming entrepreneurs and starting our own business. Because you know what? We can't wait around forever for someone to hire us! We've been here three months, and I taught one class! Lauren has taught none! We've had enough.

Lauren: It started a few months ago, when I put in a call to our new friend Carl, who is from the states, telling him of my inability to find a job. A few months later, he found two friends of his that wanted private English classes, and I met up with them in the Plaza de Armas. I had no teaching background, so Aneya seemed like the perfect partner. We're starting our classes today.

Aneya: I am honestly so happy to have steady employment now. Not that I didn't enjoy all the traveling and sight seeing we've had the privilege of doing the past few months. That was all great. We've met so many amazing people, had incredible, life changing experiences. But then again, the downtime was getting to be a bit much. There's only so much internet surfing you can do. And, I completed a special course, got certified and came down here specifically to teach!

Lauren: Before we left, everyone said we'd step off the plane speaking English and be hired on the spot, right there on the tarmac. This however was not how things played out. We've been searching in earnest for employment for months, albeit doing some traveling as well. Now we're on the road to our own business! We've got the whiteboard, flashcards, and the first two lesson plans, and, courtesy of Andy Franks, a fancy flyer to spread around the streets of Santiago.

Aneya: I know! Everyone was like, "Oh, just say hello and they'll hire you!" That was not the case. To be fair, a major earthquake did hit in the height of hiring season, and for weeks afterwards the entire country was on hold. But we really did try! (Mom, I'm talking to you! We did!) But nothing was sticking. And now we're all set to go! Andy- that poster is amazing, a big shout out to Mr.Franks for making it happen!

Lauren: At first, I didn't come to Santiago thinking I would be teaching English, but in speaking with people who have learned English and now using my own second language on a daily basis, I can see what doors another language opens for people and I'm excited to help people speak with their relatives, be more marketable at work, and just be able to communicate with more people.

-- Aneya & Lauren

Photo credit: Andy Franks

Lauren: Eating Standing Up.

Aneya and I live near the bustling downtown area of Santiago, Centro, and there are tons of pedestrian-only streets filled with shops, grocery stores, restaurants, movie theaters, a ballet school, the opera house, peanut vendors. Eating out in Centro though you immediately notice there are tons of business people, mainly men dressed in suits, who eat standing.

There are usually seats (although sometimes it's just counters), but they prefer to have their meal on the go standing at the counters and rushing out the door. It's quite a bit like the legs cafes, except seats are available and they're having more than just coffee. People eat full meals on their feet.

This is an interesting juxtaposition compared to the other neighborhood we boarder Bellas Artes, which is filled with small coffee shops, and lunch is leisurely, often with a fixed menu of a drink, salad or soup, and a sandwich, panqueque (crepe-like thing filled with veggies), or quiche, and maybe an after lunch cortado (a small cup of coffee), and a pastry. With all that eating you're not going anywhere fast.

I know that sometimes you can be in a rush to get back to the office, but not even enough time to have a seat? I usually consider a meal out as a time to relax and enjoy your food. At the very least take a seat. And it would seem that most jobs have between one and two hours for lunch, which is at least twice what is the norm in the U.S. and we still take the time to sit down.

Maybe with all that sitting around an office, people want to get out and stretch their legs? It kind of reminds me of horses standing at a trough. I keep meaning to try standing to eat a meal, just to see what it's like, but when I get into a restaurant after running around, cleaning the house, doing whatever it is that Aneya and I wanted to do that day, all I really want is to have a seat.

-- Lauren

Aneya: Chile's Juice Obsession

Daniela and I, enjoying a big glass of melon juice with our meal.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm not a big juice person. Maybe a glass of OJ with breakfast, maybe a berry smoothie every now and then (although for me those are a meal in itself) but mostly I just stick to water. Occasionally a Coke, if I'm out and about, maybe some wine or beer with dinner. Nothing too crazy. That is so not the case here in Chile.

People here drink juice with every meal. And I'm not talking about some lame apple juice. I'm talking peach, melon, mango, pineapple, the works! With meals! And not in little sippy cups either, I'm talkin big, milkshake size glasses. It's really very peculiar to me. If you're enjoying a big plate of fettucini alfredo, do you really want to be guzzling down some guava juice with it? It just sounds gross to me. But not to Chileans. They love it.

They look at you like you're crazy if you just order water. If it's not juice it's some type of soda, maybe a Bilz y Pap, maybe a standard Fanta or Sprite. Sometimes Chileans will order three different drinks, for one meal. A friend of mine once ordered a pisco sour, a Kustmann beer, and a big pineapple juice. It's like.....which one doesn't belong? I know! The drink one normally only consumes will lounging on a beach somewhere.

My dad, who is Sri Lankan, is also a big fan of juice, and has been known to order a glass of cranberry while having a fancy steak dinner (of course, it being alcohol-fueled Las Vegas, the waiters always assume he means a vodka cranberry and he has to correct them). This doesn't seem as odd to me. Maybe it's because my dad comes from a small, tropical island in the South Pacific, where there's an abundance of mango trees and other tropical fruit, so drinking exotic juice was part of his childhood. But mango juice in Chile? That's weird to me.

Lauren said that when Daniela moved in with her in Long Beach, she was shocked at the lack of juice in the fridge. (The fridge was, in fact, completely filled with booze.) But still, that was Lauren's first indication of the difference between Chileans and Americans, in terms of beverages, anyway.

Not only does juice with a meal sound heavy to me, they're loaded with calories and aren't the best thing to be drinking 24/7. So I think I'll just stick to water, thank you very much. You can leave the jugos naturales for the Chileans. I know they'll drink them!

- Aneya

Aneya & Lauren: The Spa.

Lauren: Oh, the spa. Aneya found a natural "thermal" hot spring spa that, again, was in the middle of the preAndes and I was intrigued. Thermal spa in the Andes? "All-natural"? Count me in.

Aneya: Of course I would be the one to suggest a day at the spa. But really, with all the strenuous activity we'd been doing (white water rafting, drinking gallons of wine) a nice, relaxing day at the spa sounded perfect. Plus, it was all natural, I knew Lauren would love that.

Lauren: Like everything in Mendoza, it was incredibly affordable. We got a full day at the spa, which included the choice of rubbing mud all over yourself and letting it cake on, and about ten different naturally heated pools, and a rock-covered, honest-to-goodness cave sauna! A sauna. in. a. cave. It was so hot in there, even the rocks were sweating. And there were little plants growing! It was incredible.

Aneya: Like the rest of our activities a bus came to pick us up from our hostel to take us to the Termas Cacheuta, deep in the pre-Andes. I could tell this was a different group than the people we usually rode with. It was mostly middle aged women, all Argentinean. We appeared to be the only Anglos on the bus. Once we got there, the entire place was filled with old ladies! There were a few couples, a few young women like ourselves, but mostly older folk, who looked like they were having a ball.

I was a little skeptical when we first got there- bounding down a dirt road, in the middle of nowhere. But once I saw the place, I was in awe. Pool after pool filled with natural water (ranging from scorching hot to cool) both inside and out, showers with crazy strong jets spraying you from every direction, even a cave/sauna! That was so cool. The entire place was just so damn beautiful, it didn't seem real.

Lauren: This photographer happened to be at the spa shooting for their next brochure, and asked to shoot us and of course we said yes. Why not?

Aneya: It was so funny! We were lounging in one of the many pools when this guy came up to us, asking if he could take our picture. We're like, sure! He positioned us on some lounge chairs and told us to pretend to be having a good time. Ya, like that was a stretch!

Lauren: We were paid with massages, which was a nice surprise since we offered to do it for free. Lunch at the spa was amazing. Maybe 30 different plates, tons of sauteed veggies, pastas, fresh bread, and a lot of asado. At least 12 different pastries. At the end of the day, we ended up spending eight hours at the thermal spa! And we thought we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves.

Aneya: The owner of the hotel came up to us later and offered free massages for posing for the shoot. I mean, we were happy to do it for free, but what the hell! Free massage? Yes please! The whole day was just amazing, my skin has never felt so soft, my entire body so relaxed. My legs were like jelly by the end of the day. Oh and the lunch! Argentina's all about lunch, apparently, cause every place we've been to has offered amazing, huge meals. This was probably my favorite day in Mendoza. If anyone is thinking of going, I'd highly recommend it!

-- Aneya & Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: Vineyards and White River Rafting.

Aneya: The first- and fanciest, winery.
Aneya: Check out those huge containers!
Aneya: The cave, filled to the brim with French and American made oak barrels.
Aneya: Fancy shmancy reception area.
Aneya: Lauren, enjoying her first glass of red (it was 10 am!)
Aneya: The second, smaller bodega. Check out this guy, in the barrel, stomping away!
Aneya: The second, much smaller winery.




Aneya: The third and final bodega. We watched as a truck pulled up with grapes, then dumped them into this pit.

Aneya: Our final three glasses of wine before lunch. We both look a bit tipsy in this shot, Lauren looks like she's about to fall down!
Aneya: White river rafting! A professional photographer took all these shots, which was nice cause my camera would have been soaked by the end of this! Look at that team spirit!
Aneya: Lauren was put in front cause the guy behind her was lacking coordination with the other girl in front. As you can see, the rapids were intense! Level 3, we're told....

Lauren: So Aneya and I went without a reservation at a single place. We just had our bus tickets, hostel reservation, and the idea that there had to be something fun to do there. Everyone had said that we must go to Mendoza, and it was off season since fall has just started.

Aneya: We had done some research before we left, and had roughly planned out things we'd like to do, but we didn't go in with any set plans. This may seem crazy to some people, but to us, it was just another adventure!

Lauren: Everything went off without a hitch. Each day we would tell our hostel what we wanted to do, and they would put in a phone call and a shuttle would arrive (promptly!) at our door to rush us off to our activity that day. Our first full day in Mendoza we went on a wine country tour. Apparently, 80 percent of all Malbecs in the world come from Mendoza, so there were plenty of places giving tours. We found one that took us to three different vineyards, and provided lunch.

Aneya: I was sure the tour would be completely booked, but sure enough the guy made a phone call and boom- we were in! The tour sounded amazing- three different wineries, lunch and transportation included. The only catch- we had to be up at 8:30 to catch the bus. People who know me know I'm not a morning person. But I've realized that for some amazing wine, I'll do just about anything.

Lauren: The three vineyards were so different. There was the big corporate, very technical one, with what looked like a war room, free of all external influences for pure tasting, the mom-and-pop organic bodega, and the smallish exporter. Each place provided us with either two or three glasses of amazing wine, and a tutorial on tasting wine.

The came lunch. I was thinking this would be some rinky dink lunch box, a sandwich and juice box, but this was a five-course meal. Sauteed vegetables, wine-infused rice and sauteed onions, squash, empanadas, the works. And they kept filling our glasses with red wine, as if we hadn't already had our fill. And of course, the final course was a giant sundae topped with dulce de leche.

After so many glasses of wine, I got in a heated discussion about butter with our new Argentinan friends. In Argentina butter is called manteca, which to me means lard. I've always heard it called mantiquilla, but whatever people want to call it. There was some debate about the differences between Chile's clearly inferior "mantiquilla" and Argentina's more flavorful butter, but by the end I think we decided to agree to disagree.

Aneya: The wineries were amazing, and yes, completely different. The first one looked like a hotel! The group, Navarro Correas, apparently produce everything from Bailey's to every Malbec in the country, and they clearly had money to spend. There was even an art gallery nestled into the enormous property! It was a very technical, serious experience. We were taught exactly how to taste wine (You must look first! No tasting, ladies!) We had to tilt our glasses against a piece of paper to see the precise color of the wine. The guy giving the tour looked like a Ralph Lauren model, and his ESL English was adorable. Let's just say all the ladies were suddenly very interested in the oak barrel process.

The second winery couldn't have been any different. A small, organic bodega, which produced everything from wine to olive oil to jams, even handcrafted bowls. This place was so rural we walked in on a man standing in a barrel, stomping on grapes! Just like in I Love Lucy! I couldn't believe it! The place was adorable and a lot more homey, with peach trees and a little cafe nestled into a vineyard. Just lovely.

The third winery was a mixture of the two, a bigger company but nowhere near the size of Navarro. The guide was funny and witty, and she seemed just as excited as were to get to the tasting bit of the tour, popping open bottle after bottle for us.

Oh and then came lunch. Again, I wasn't expecting much either, but my god that was an incredible meal! We had a private room for the 10 of us, and when we got there the table was already full of delicious food! Cheeses and breads and salamis, sauteed veggies and sauces galore! And that was just the first course! Empanadas, rice, spaghetti bolognese, and a sundae? We were beyond full by the end of the day.

Lauren: The next day was white water rafting. We were taken to a spot about an hour away from town in the "PreAndes" for our excursion. It was drizzling, and the water was absolutely freezing. At some point it was decided I should be put at the front of the raft, and I was just getting pummeled by waves. It was incredible. Our tour guide kept shouting for me to stop paddling dammit! But all I heard was "Lawden!" and paddled us straight toward the next rapids.

Aneya: White water rafting. Not exactly something I do regularly, but I'd done it once (in Nepal of all places!) and I was excited to try it again. Well. Just getting to the river was an experience, our van filled to the brim with Anglos, chatting away excitedly. I was very impressed with the whole thing, especially all the equipment they give you. A wet suit, water shoes, a fleece jacket, a water proof jacket, a life vest and a helmet! I was practically sweating under all those layers.

We were split up into groups and the guides went through the safety procedures. That's when I started worrying. The guide talked about what would happen if we fell in, how we could hit our heads on a rock and die, how to swim through rapids, what to do if you were drowning, the 40 foot rope they'd pull out if needed. Lauren and I looked at each other in shock. This was hardcore! There was a guy in a kayak swimming near us at all times, in case anyone fell in. No one did, thank god!

Lauren: We were completely drenched and exhausted by the end of white river rafting, but it was so beautiful. We were in the Andes mountain range, in blue waters in the middle of fall. Really gorgeous.

Aneya: My arms and back were killing me by the end of it, but it was so worth it! And of course, a large, scrumptious lunch was provided, and I don't think I've ever been so hungry before in my life! White river rafting will do that to you!

-- Aneya & Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: The Journey to Mendoza.

Aneya: Ahh, the journey. Neither of us had any idea how crazy the bus ride to Mendoza would be. Lauren initially thought It would only take 2 hours, when in fact it took us about 7 (if you look on a map, Santiago seems super close to Mendoza, but getting through the Andes, plus immigration stuff, adds hours to the journey).

Lauren: Haha! I initially thought maybe we could walk there! Through the Andes! What a fool. It was an absolutely gorgeous drive though.

Aneya: The ride started off innocently enough, until we got deep into the Andes. That's when things got intense.

Lauren: I was actually getting a bit nauseous. All the weaving up those steep mountains for half the ride. It was a little too much.

Aneya: Most vehicles making the journey are either enormous trucks or buses, and as we got deeper into the mountains, the terrain started getting scary. At one point we were winding up enormous hills at an alarming speed, plowing past trucks, the tip of the bus nearly falling off the edge of the mountain. Lauren and I were both terrified.

Lauren: The bus driver was a maniac! Maybe he's made the journey 100 times and knows it like the back of his hand, but to us, it was madness.

Aneya: It didn't help that the driver appeared to be insane. At one point, we were behind a slow truck, so the driver decided to cut him off, and we ended up driving into on coming traffic! Did I mention this was on a curvy, scary road, in the middle of the Andes?! Lauren and I were seated in the front row (bulkhead!) so we got a terrifying, if impressive, view of all the action.

Lauren: This was one of the times when bulkhead might have been a mistake. We can see everything, every rock, swerving road, icy stream, anything that was a potential hazard.

Aneya: Once the winding road ended, things calmed down a bit. The view was spectacular, the mountains enormous, the terrain absolutely beautiful. Rivers streaming down the mountains, which at times looked red, sometimes deep purple, glowing in the light. It reminded us both of the Grand Canyon at times, definitely something out of the Western U.S.

Lauren: The colors were amazing! It was absolutely spectacular. One of the most scenic drives I've ever seen. Bright blue rivers, rocky, cactus-covered mountains. It was truly stunning.

Aneya: The second highest mountain in the world, the Aconcagua, is located in the Andes and it was definitely impressive, the rocks jutting sharply from the top, covered in a deep layer of snow. Once we crossed the border (which is at a high altitude, almost directly in the middle of the Andes) we had to get out of the bus to get our visas stamped. On the way there, it was a breeze. We jumped out of the bus (it was so.freaking.cold!) the man stamped our passports, we handed over our visas and we were good to go. On the way back to Santiago, it wasn't quite that easy.

Lauren: The Aconcagua was incredible! Sharp, tall, rocky, covered in snow. It was just so high. So many of the peaks went past the clouds, you could see them on the above the clouds. The passport place was freezing! The streams were frozen, and it must have been at the peak of the Andes. It was honestly painful. And I was in my going-to-Mendoza-don't-need-a-lot-of-clothes skirt and shoes! I should have brought my snow jacket! It was almost unbearable.

Aneya: Chile is known for being hardcore about what comes into the country. Particularly vegetable and animal products, which are strictly prohibited. Well, on the way back, all our bags were sniffed by an adorable dog, and we were forced to wait- and watch, while men searched through our fellow travelers bags. One old lady made the mistake of bringing a lemon in her purse- boy did she get a talking to! These people are not messing around!

Lauren: Poor lady got totally chewed out by the customs guy! We could see him pointing to her declaration sheet, then to the lemon, clearly lecturing her about perjury. I mean, it could have been an honest mistake. It may have slipped her mind, but he was not kidding around. He seemed to think the entire Chilean economy could go bankrupt by this one lemon, contaminating Chilean produce.

Aneya: All in all, the journey was quite the experience! The landscape is just so beautiful, I'm definitely happy we did both trips during the day. Although we were exhausted by the time we finally got home! It was worth it though.

Lauren: Oh, it was gorgeous, but totally exhausting. I forgot how tiring sitting still in a bus for long periods of time can be. Definitely worth it though.

-- Aneya & Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: Going out of town (again).

So we're going away....again. Only this time, we're going on our latest adventure together! (Lauren: Woo!) We decided to go to Mendoza, Argentina for a number of reasons.

First of all, our visas are about to expire (3 whole months in Chile, can you believe it?) and we need to cross the border so we can renew them. Second of all, Mendoza is supposed to be a beautiful and charming city and it's the largest wine producing area in all of Latin America.

So obviously we'll be visiting some amazing vineyards, among other things during our 5-day visit.

See you all when we get back!

-- Aneya & Lauren

Aneya & Lauren: The Park.

Aneya: A beautiful cafe/ library in a park in Santiago
Lauren: Some parks here have gym equipment, complete with aerobic and toning machines.
Aneya: The machines could easily be confused for a children's playground.
Lauren: Aneya and I love the parks here. They have a variety of trees, tons of walking space, fountains, and libraries, cafes, and gyms -- for free. You have to pay for the coffee/tea/pastry you get at the cafe, but there are tons of free libraries peppered throughout the many parks around the city.

Aneya: Lauren and I stumbled across the free gym one day on the way to our free dance class, also in the park. The class had been cancelled (due to the recent earthquake) but we were advised to use the colorful machines located next to the playground. A free gym? Yes, please!

Lauren: The libraries are pretty luxurious, with leather couches and sofas, a large book selection, balconies with tables for your coffee or tea, and you can check out any newspaper from the front desk.

Aneya: The library was so nice, it was unbelievable. We didn't actually know it was a library, we saw people sitting outside and figured it was a cafe. And it is. The first floor has deep leather couches, and people bring their laptops and spend hours there, just like at a Barnes and Noble or Starbucks in the States. But here, it's a big, open space with a beautiful view of the park which is really nice. And then upstairs is the impressive library.

Lauren: There are also free public gyms across from children's play gyms, so while your kids play you can work out. It's an incredible public service. There are also cheap bike rentals run through the city where you can pay $2 for a month's worth of bike rentals. Just pick one up, and drop it off at any city-run bike stand.

Aneya: Just another impressive, free public service that Santiago has to offer. Gracias!

-- Aneya & Lauren