Atacama Desert

We spent three days in the amazing chunk of Chile called the Atacama Desert. Our hostel, in the tourist-student paradise town called San Pedro de Atacama, was entirely too awesome for the short sleeps we spent there. We ate lots of relatively tasty Chilean food, saw some September 18th celebrations, and took fantastic tours to beautiful and diverse landscapes, documented here in photos:

Desert


Lagunas


Geysers! We also swam in hot springs on this tour!


The Salt Flats, my personal favorite part of our time in the desert

Coca

(Looking back over my travel experience these past two weeks, a series of brief episodes are the most striking memories. As a result, I think I'll blog my adventure in the form of short anecdotes and pictures. If you're wondering about any of the filler material [ie the 85ish hours spent on the bus], post a question.)

Among the ridiculous forms of US drug policies is the eradication via spraying pesticides of coca plants in Colombia, with efforts to expand the program to include parts of Bolivia. These policies are aimed at drug trafficking of refined cocaine, but the majority of the victims of these practices are farmers and indigenous people who consume raw coca (in the form of tea or chewing on leaves) as a daily habit. Unrefined coca is a natural stimulant, not unsimilar to caffeine, that is commonly considered in this part of the world to be good for digestion, headaches, fatigue, and especially altitude sickness.

Knowing this, and being a big fan of a few coca-related debate cases, I was psyched to get to the altiplano, experience a little altitude sickness, and find out for myself what all the fuss was about. Unfortunately, it wasn't nearly as fuss-worthy as I had imagined.

My first experience with coca was in the form of dried leaves, during a tour of the laguna section of the Atacama desert. As this is the highest desert in the world, it was no surprise that the majority of the tourists in our group were feeling a little funny. The guide, experienced and prepared for this, passed around a bag of coca leaves, instructing us to take a few and chew them in the side of our mouth like gum. They tasted of jasmine green tea, with a texture of (gasp) crunchy leaves, and truly did releave the splitting headache I had at the time. Other than that, I felt a bit cheery, but certainly no higher than I already was from the altitude. I think to truly master the form of masticlation would take a few more attemps: the leaves fell apart in my mouth and left my teeth looking like I had just eaten spaghetti with tons of oregano.

The coca tea, however, is definitely something I enjoyed. With a flavor exactly like green tea and an effect very similar to a glass of red wine, "agua de coca" warmed me up, relaxed me, and, again, took care of my altitude headache. ZS had some stomach issues, also resolved by the tea, and AF enjoyed the taste as much as I did. A drug? I suppose, but in the sense of caffeine, or maybe as extreme as alcohol. Addicting? Hardly. I've had three cups over the course of two weeks, and while I enjoyed the completely-legal experiment, I'd be fine to never do it again. All the same, thanks to the reasonable, culturally-accepting, and humane laws in Chile (in addition to Bolivia), I can, anyway.

Regreso

Well, I've returned safely from a 10-day whirlwind trip to the desert, Arica, and La Paz, Bolivia. It was all truly amazing, and will be well-documented if I ever un-bury myself from the pile of homework I currently live under. Besos!

September 11

As people in the United States are holding candlelight vigils, waving flags, and being angry that we've spent the past three years in useless war, Chileans, too, are recognizing September 11th.

On today's date in 1973, General Augusto Pinochet and the armed forces of Chile overthrew President Salvador Allende's Socialist government, replacing it with a military dictatorship which murdered some 3,000 opposition activists and detained/imprisoned/tortured some other 27,000. His rule lasted until 1990, when the citizens of Chile voted in the second plebiscite that he ordered for him to step down.

In a country so politically active, the anniversary of the military coup is marked with much discussion, protest, and remembrance. Surprisingly (from a US perspective), the years of dictatorship are not so clearly considered tragic as one might expect. Listening to the strong opinions of the people around me, I have been shocked to learn how deep the polarization goes.

On one side, many conservatives feel that Pinochet saved the nation from inevitable socialist ruin. Naming the long lines for food during Allende's presidency, the nationalization of major natural resources and big industries, and the high taxes on business, some people go as far as referring to the dictatorship as simply "military government," controlled by "my General Pinochet," amounting to "the second independence of Chile." These aren't radical conservatives, nor especially political individuals; these are the opinions and emotions of people all around me.

At the same time, one can walk down the street and see graffiti proclaiming President Allende, banners with his face, and groups of people protesting in his honor and memory. The rhetoric of these people, equally as common and active as the conservatives, generally matches the words used in the US to discuss this period of Chilean history: the dictator, military coup, overthrow of government. It's fascinating that years after creating such a dramatically tragic government, our society and government shares the language used by the most adamant opposition.

Then, again, there are those who say it is too early to properly judge this era of Chilean history. While I can see the validity in postponing judgment of the remaining neo-liberal fiscal policies, the system of education, and the privatization of many government services, it it impossible for me to truly comprehend the perspective that such a violent, anti-democratic change of regime and paradigm rescued this country.

Enough Already!

I really hope this will be the last post about clementines, because I'm learning lots about politics and history here, but I can't resist. In part, it's also an excuse to not write much. In any case, clementines today were a kilo for 100 pesos, $0.20US.

Too Many Clementines!

About a month ago, I wrote a short blog entry about the kilo of clementines one can purchase for 300 pesos, $0.60US. Many kilos later, the novelty was just beginning to wear off. I hadn't bought any in a week or so... until today, when my citrus world turned upside down all over again. Walking past the market on my way to the bus terminal (I'm going to Bolivia soon, by the way!), I saw 2 kilos of clementines for 250 pesos. That's a kilo of fresh sweet amazing healthy fruit for $0.24US! Most of the other stalls in the market had similarly lowered prices. It seems that just now are we entering the true season peak, and just now is my amazement fully justified.