Adventures: From Santiago to Desierto Florido

Last Friday (September 10th) I started out my unexpected journey in Santiago, to visit Allyson and see some more of Santiago. I stayed in a new hostel this time, and I didn't like it as much as the last one because there was less of a family atmosphere, but breakfast was included and the price was much cheaper. I also had some swell roommates who took my bed the first night, leaving me sheet-less at 4am, and the second night turned the lights on at 4:30 am while he made his bed...however, all in good fun.
Friday night we met up with Alejandra, who I met last time I was in Santiago, to have an 'once asado', less cooking and more eating. I met her friends and another girl, Lucy, who had studied in Santiago two years ago, she knew the people from K who were there at that time...small world. We went out to a club that was pretty flaite (sketchy) to say the least, so Allyson and I called it quits and went home (this was the night of the sheet stealing).
Allyson and I mostly just kicked it in Santiago and met up with some of her friends to have an asado on Saturday and then go hiking on Sunday (in the rain, I'm never prepared for the weather here). I had a wonderful time meeting a bunch of new people at the asado on Saturday, including some people who are from Vina, so that was pretty great. Allyson's friend, Sebastian, is really into hiking and camping so he had some good suggestions for places to go in the South and around Santiago and kindly offered to take us hiking the next day.
That night I watched 'Never been kissed' in Spanish with Allyson and her host family, while Renato (her little brother) modeled his new clothes for us. Her host dad also made his first cookies ever, oatmeal, that were pretty delicious though nothing at all like you would expect them to be (hard and different flavor). We also got the low-down on the Mapuche (indigenous group of Chile) hunger strike,
which I will try to sum up here;
A long time ago the Mapuche's land was taken by the government and sold to businesses. This was a problem a) because they need the land for survival/cultural reasons b) part of the land was used as ancestral burial grounds, aka sacred land. After the land was sold a new anti-terrorist law was passed by the government. I don't know the specifics of the law, but basically under the terms of this law some Mapuches who were trying to re-claim their ancestral burial grounds were arrested and deemed 'political prisoners', since they were a threat to the state. Now with the new government the Mapuches were hoping to have the law re-formed and the prisoners be pardoned (and/or freed, I wasn't sure about this part). In order to gain attention from Pinera 34 Mapuche prisoners went on a hunger strike and as of two weeks ago had been on strike for 50 days...pretty crazy huh? However, with the mine collapse the Mapuche struggle got pushed to the back (I hadn't even heard of it until last weekend), but Pinera is finally calling attention to the issue and meetings have begun to find a solution.

http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/6472

http://www.santiagotimes.cl/news/other/19808-bachelet-criticizes-chiles-actions-in-mapuche-hunger-strike

^here are two articles that might be able to elaborate a little more than I am able too

Monday night I made a last minute decision to go North with Max to meet up with Dan and Marina. We left at 11:15 from Vina to head to La Serena/Coquimbo, where Dan and Marina were camping. We got into Coquimbo at 5:15 am and struggled to get to the campsite, eventually made it and set up camp at 6 am to sleep for three hours before heading out to Vicuna to tour the Capel Pisco Distillery- see next installment for this adventure.


Fotos: View from one of the resting points on the hike; the steep muddy hill we went up (Dad, doesn't it remind you of Algonquin last summer?); The gang at the top, pre-torrential down pour (Alison, Sebastian, Abby and Allyson); Noche de Mujeres (Ladies Night at a Mexican restaurant where I sang Karaoke...) Me and Rachel; My host mom and Aunt (I clearly belong in this family)