Chillin in Chile

I was wondering over the last few days what was different about being in Concon. I've been to seasides many times before and I'm used to the steady waves coming in to shore. But what is different with our stay here is that there is no real rush to move on.

It's fanastic to watch the waves for hours on end and go for long walks along the shore.

Don't get me wrong, we're really looking forward to seeing more of the world. The thing is, I think 'retirement' is beginning to sink in! We don't have to rush to the next country and there are no real time commitments. So when I say we're chillin in Chile, I'm saying it literally.

Like these Pelicans, there's nothing better to do for them (or us) than just hang out by the shore and gawk at passerbys.

And the crowds? No need to be 'in amongst the crowds'; just move on to more quieter places and times.

Like a sunset- so routine that it happens every day. Yet now, we can take the time to admire the majesty of it all...

When I think it would be nice to go back to my book... that's chillin and something totally different than what we've been accustomed to. It's an amazing realization that the world awaits us and we can take the time to enjoy. You can tell we're having a blast. And up to this moment on our trip, still in love and still holding hands...

Pacific Coast Chile

We are staying in the coastal town of ConCon, shown here in the upper left of the map and about 2 hours from Santiago:

Getting here was somewhat uneventful by bus with the exception that we didn't know we had passed the town till we were 16 miles past it. With two lanes along the coast, our friendly bus driver just stopped the bus when a returning bus approached, stopping all traffic allowing us to get our bags from the cargo-hold, wheel them across the highway and onto the other bus back to ConCon. 

Of interest, this town had an 8.3 level earthquake in September last year as it is part of the 'Pacific Ring of Fire'. Fortunately, there were no casualties or visible damage.

Where we are staying, we overlook the main beach:

It is very peaceful early in the morning but during the day the surfing crowd takes over:

This time of year is considered the end of their summer with school starting up in two weeks. Still, there are a lot of vacationers here and the 'feel' is really a beach town. Lonely Planet and others say this is also the gastronomical capital of Chile- we're really looking forward to this but only see fast-food so far.

Climbing the Andes in Chile

She did it again! What is it with Cathy and her friggin mountains? 

This time it was climbing the base of the Andes outside Santiago to Glacier San Francisco, a 16 km trek. Now 16 km might not sound a lot but it is the equivalent of trekking from Jane Street to Yonge Street downtown- and back. And its 'up'- the equivalent of climbing 4 CN towers on rock. 

This is Cathy enjoying herself on the climb. She's having a ball:

This is a picture of me after I've talked to God, promising anything- even going back to Rogers* to work- if he'd get me off this mountaintop safe and sound. 

You may think this is beautiful, what is there not to like? Let me tell you. You see those little dots in this picture? 

Well, this was the start of our climb and those little dots are actually 40 foot tractor-trailer haulers. We climbed up from there for over 3 hours and then down again. 

What this has convinced me is that I must take control of the world trip. Stick to the basics, like spas and saunas and ocean fronts. Nothing over 2 story accommodations. 

Above all, stay away from friggin mountains! 

*Just kidding about Rogers- loved it there!

Museum of Memory and Human Rights- Santiago Chile

The effect that this museum has on you is like hitting a brick wall. You are stunned by the brutality Pinochet inflicted on his people during his term as President from 1973 to 1990. You simply can't ignore the devastation and depth. This museum was built "so it would never, ever happen again". It highlights in a most dramatic way the human rights violations of his military regime.

Pinochet over-threw Allende's democratic government calling it a Marxist cancer. And then his junta went on a rampage of murder, rape and torture. The numbers might not be significant compared to what is currently happening in Syria, or what happened in Bosnia or the Holocaust. But the way the museum presents this devastation with footage of survivors is most disturbing. It asks very simply- what if it were you, or your brother or Mom or daughter?

There is a huge wall, three stories high, of pictures showing the number of people afflicted. Under his rule, there were 35,000 documented human rights violations. Of these, 28,000 were tortured, 2,279 executed, and 1,248 missing and never found. This included gruesome acts of physical and sexual abuse (raping both males and females), electrocutions (the favoured way was placing prisoners on a wire cot with no mattress and electrocuting them)  and psychological damage. In addition, some 200,000 people suffered exile and were denied entry back to Chile. This absolutely instilled fear and terror throughout Chile during his reign.

What is surprising is the amount of time it took, 25 years, before the World and the Chileans were able to get him out, then make him pay for his crimes. He made new laws while President such that after he was defeated in 1990, he made himself head of the army and couldn't be touched with his official title. In 1998 when he finished his term, he sought exile in England and it was there that he was finally indicted for violations committed on his people. He was held until 2000 but then authorized to freely return to Chile. Pinochet died without having been formally convicted on any case (too bad he didn't die like Valdivia).

One final note- when you enter and exit the museum, there is a wall depicting the plight of the world's human rights violations:

I noticed Canada was not included among the 30 countries. 

As a world we can't seem to get it right as atrocities against one another continue in spite of what we have learned, especially over the last 100 years. You would think that as human beings, we would have seen enough of this.

Santiago Chile

Santiago City has a very interesting history. When the Spanish first came over, explorers declared there wasn't much in what is now Santiago (no gold, silver, anything of value). But another explorer, by the name of Valdivia, convinced Spain that he could make something of it. Given the green light (so to speak) he started to build his city and army. 

The story goes that Valdivia took young indigenous Mapuches males as captives and then groomed them to become members of his own army- including a guy named Lautaro . But a few years later, when Valdivia had to go off fighting down south, young Lautaro  showed his true colours, switching sides, becoming leader of the indigenous resistance and destroying the town. Valdivia comes back- gets real mad and starts killing and persecuting the Mapuche. These two guys get into some nasty skirmishes for several years until Lautaro kills and skins Valdivia, then eats his heart. Unfortunately for the Mapuche, persecution continued for quite some time.

There are two statues in the city depicting the history. First, for the Indigenous people, this statue-

It shows the broken face of a Mapuche man and is a tribute to the bravery of the original inhabitants of Chile. The face is partly cut off representing the suffering they have endured since the Spanish arrival.

Next, Valdivia gets credit for founding Santiago with a huge statue in his name:

But if you look closely, the statue has no reigns on the horse and shows Valdivia the way the indigenous see him, as a leader with no control over the direction of what he was doing!

Another interesting part of history which, fairly current, is the overthrow of 1973 government by the army headed by Pinochet:

This is the Presidential Palace and in the 1973 overthrow, there were 4 tanks at these front gates. Pinochet gave President Salvador Allende 10 minutes to step down or they were going to bomb to get in. Allende immediately goes on air and broadcasts his last message on radio; the front doors were blasted along with the Air Force bombing the palace and Allende was found dead. 

To this day, it is uncertain if Allende died of the bombs or if he took his life.

Pinochet then ruled for the next 17 years as a ruthless dictator. His brutal rule is my next blog.

Spectacular Machu Picchu

It has recently been named one of the new 7 Wonders of the world and it is breath-taking. Machu Picchu was built in 1450 at the height of the Inca Empire and UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site, describing it as "an absolute masterpiece of architecture and a unique testimony to the Inca civilization".

It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti; it is now recognized as the most familiar icon of Inca civilization. To think that this was built over 550 years ago, it's amazing how intact the buildings are.

It was built as a settlement for about 500 Inca inhabitant, 200 of nobility and 300 basic workers. The mountain-top was primarily granite and the Incas mined this and cut the stone into blocks to build their settlement. There are about 200 buildings comprised of 92 'homes' and the rest temples and storage buildings.They cut blocks of stone to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions are so perfect that it is said not even a blade of grass fits between the stones.

The terraces were built for farming. The whole area is basically all mountains with little flat terrain for agriculture. That's the main reason for the terraced part of the settlement (and other Inca terraced land).

Although the Incas built the estate around 1450, they abandoned it a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest. It remained unknown to the outside world before being brought to international attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham. 

It takes a bit of travel to get here. From Cusco you need to take a bus or car-ride for about 2 hours to Ollantaytambo, then take a 1 1/2 hour train ride to Aguas Calientes. We stayed overnight in the town, then took a bus up to Machu Picchu (to our more adventurous friends, you can walk up if you want but it is steep and will take you 3 hours). But once you arrive at the site, the affect the site has on you is unforgettable.

Next stop- Santiago, Chile.

Climbing Huayna Picchu

Ever regret saying you're listening to your other half when you really weren't? Case in point- I said 'sure' and 'yes' a few months back when Cathy booked us on a hike up Huayna Picchu, the towering mountain behind the actual site of Machu Picchu. I regretted that moment today!

Let me show you a picture-

If you enlarge the photo at the top where there are specks, you'll actually see stupid human beings like us who hiked up this relentless cliff! From a distance the mountain looks impossible to climb- at times I thought we'd have to go back without finishing the climb. It's an unbelievable strenuous climb with some parts where you actually use both hands and feet in climbing up. 

 

The Inca literally cut out some steps out of the rocks as you wind around the mountain. Some structures seem almost glued to the mountain side with a sheer drop of a couple of hundred meters on the other side.

For many people climbing Huayna Picchu IT is one of the highlights when visiting Machu Picchu. For me, I call it survival and an absolute miracle that we did it!

Why this walkway? Back in the 1500s, the story goes that the top of the mountain was the residence for the high priest and the local virgins. Every morning before sunrise, the high priest with a small group would walk to Machu Picchu to signal the coming of the new day. I think this whole thing is 'wacko' beyond belief and if I didn't actually do the climb with the other 199 idiots (Cathy would call then adventurers) this morning starting at 5:30 a.m. I'd say these Incas were all smoking some really good dope building a stairway to heaven!

However, the views of Machu Picchu seen from the Huayna Picchu top are breathtaking and do really give you an impression of the magnitude of the site.

We climbed it!