Intermission: Mas Espanol

After a couple months on the road moving from city to city every 3-5 days, I'm taking a break.  I've been in Sucre, Bolivia for 10 days now and if feels great to finally empty my backpack completely and relax.  The main reason I decided to take a break here in Sucre is that it's an awesome city to take Spanish lessons.  They have several Spanish language schools in the city and private lessons cost a fraction of what I paid in Buenos Aires.  Aside from costs, I also find Sucre a much better environment to study in since it's quieter and the cafes are often filled with other gringos studying which makes it feel like a college town for backpackers.

For the past week, I've been taking lessons for 2 hours a day at Fenix Language School.  I've been very happy with my progress so far working with my profesora Yashira. The format for my classes is very flexible which I prefer.  We usually start with simple conversation where I'm able to practice both speaking and listening. The advantage to having a conversation  in Spanish with a teacher is that she corrects any grammatical and pronunciation errors I make right there on the spot. I had no idea how many bad habits I'd formed over the past couple months on the road. Also, whenever I get stuck due to not knowing a word in Spanish, she will tell me the word and write it on the board.  At the end of my lesson, I usually have a list of 8-10 words which Yashira will then quiz me on to see if I remember their meaning.  After 30-45 minutes of conversation, we begin the lesson for the day.  Many of the lessons are based on Yashira's observations during our conversation of areas I need to improve upon. 

I decided to stay with a host family while in Sucre which was arranged through the school.  This has proven to be a great decision since I get to practice speaking Spanish with the Gutierrez family while I'm not in school.  I have one more week of lessons before I load up the backpack and hit the road again.

Trip Update: Chile

After a rough start, I learned to love Chile after spending 3 weeks traveling around the country.   Here's a summary of the places I visited:

Pucon

After an long, exhausting day on the bus, I woke up the next morning in Pucon with a view of a volcano from my bedroom window.  Pucon is a small village in the foothills of the Andes that is known for the wide variety of outdoor sports available.  Similar to Cafayate, Argentina, it's also very quite and relaxing.  Due to rain, I didn't get to do as much as I had hoped (such as hiking to the top of the snow capped volcano) but I still always mention Pucon in my list of highlights of my trip so far.

 

Santiago 

The capital of Chile may not have the flair of Buenos Aires but I was impressed nonetheless.  It's a relatively clean city with a modern subway and nice, large parks. What's also unique about Santiago is that on a clear day (or somewhat clear) you can see tall snow capped mountains in the background.  I'll also always remember Santiago as the place I finally bid farewell to my big blue roller bag and became a backpacker for the first time.

 

 

 

Valparaiso

I'm not sure if I've been to a city as quirky and unusual as Valparaiso.  The closest comparison might be San Francisco due to the views of the harbor, colorful houses, and the steep hills which the city is built upon.  Getting around town involves going up and down steep stairways. Luckily, they also have several  "ascensors" which look like large cable cars that you can ride to get part of the way up the hills.

 

La Serena 

This is a small city near the Pacific I only stayed at for one night.  I only stopped here because it was too late to catch a bus into the Elkui Valley. I wasn't really that impressed with the town but I didn't get a chance to make it to the ocean which is a 25 minute walk from the center.  

Elkui Valley 

The Elkui Valley is located in the foothills of the Andes and was absolutely beautiful.  Despite its reputation as one of the best places for astronomy in the world, I found it to be relatively undisturbed by tourism.  In the valley, there are several quaint villages surrounding by steep mountains.  The valley is also filled with vineyards used for growing grapes used in Pisco (a strong brandy most commonly used in Pisco Sours). I stayed in a village called Pisco Elkui which was very quiet and relaxing.  This was one place I wish I could have stayed longer but I was itching to head North to San Pedro.

 

San Pedro de Atacama

My tour of Chile ended in the village of San Pedro de Atacama in the extreme North of Chile bordering Bolivia.   San Pedro is in the desert which means warm days and frigid nights.  The village is made up of a few dirt roads with rustic restaurants and no-frills lodging options. San Pedro is a launchpad for tours into the Atacama desert and the surrounding mountains.  After a few days, I departed for a 3 day tour ending in Bolivia's famous Uyuni salt flats.