Logistics and Tufted Cathedrals

Hello everyone!

It is now five days since I arrived in chile for the start of my yearlong voyage with Caitlin. I realize that I haven't really given a description of the trip, and that if for a couple reasons but mainly it is because all of our plans are fluid. The refrain thus far has been “we're really flexible” and I imagine it will stay that way. But for those of you who might want something more concrete here is a basic and tentative plan for the next few weeks:

6^thoct-8^th Valparaiso (Hostal Casa Aventura)

8^th-12^th Lumaco-Temuco (Old host family and friends of Caitlin's)

12^th-28^th Valdivia (Tralcao park/farm work)

28^th-15^th nov. We will either be on the Island of Chiloe or Couch Surfing in Puerto Montt/Puerto Varas

15^th-7^th dec. Torres del Paine

Also for those of you looking to contact us for some reason by phone we now have a number! It is +56 9 68637288.

Good! Now that housekeeping is out of the way we can get onto the real fun stuff. Well it's actually late and I don't think I will get to much of that that yet. But so far we've had a great time. Nothing too crazy has happened, just the usual spotting of dilapidated, decapitated, and tufted cathedrals. And the occasional street juggler (except here instead of being on the sidewalk, they are actually in the middle of the street. . .) catches our eye. After a wonderful four days spent Couch Surfing with a political science professor, which completely reaffirmed my faith in humanity, we have arrived in Valparaiso, which is a beautiful and very eclectic port town about two hours from Santiago. It is filled with precarious houses and improbable staircases leading up the winding hills of this really colorful city. Other than the murals with pro lesbian graffiti, there is little in common with Santiago, which is a bustling metropolis covered in smog (still worth going to though). But with the idyllic beauty come more tourists and thus more pickpockets. On more than one occasion the inhabitants of one neighborhood warned us to go no further lest we be very careful with our belongings. We did not have to be told twice—this was so eerie it could have been out of a horror film. So we through ourselves down a steep flight of stairs, and five minutes later we were back in the safety of the crowd, shunted through the grand Plaza Sotomayor.

Hope to hear from some of you soon. . . I love getting emails!