Northward Bound

Well for one thing it was only somewhat chilly in Chile, and that pun is officially done and over with because I might go more insane than 1 month has merited. Speaking of which, with the arrival in Chile last Saturday that brought along the end to the first half of cruise and the beginning of the second. With the beginning of the second cruise we have one particular addition to the faculty on board that is actually rather amusing. During the second half of cruise it is standard procedure to have the schools psychologist come aboard. This is probably the clearest indication of the fact that a good number of the people on this ship are going to go a little nutzo in the next few weeks. But other than that not much else has changed.

Chile:

Day one: Unlike Panama we made the short trip into Puerto Valparaiso while "manning the rails." This involves the majority of the crew dressed in their "Salt and Pepper" uniforms along the side of the ship on all the outside decks. It was quite the show we put on infront of the Chilean Navy who were our neighbors on the pier. The first day was again our work day which was spent scrubbing the sides of the ship. We were released early in the day and thats when the fun truly began. I had one major change in my game plan that really made my port days go by a whole lot smoother. The group I chose to hang out included a native Spanish speaker. I never could've imagined how much easier it would be to have someone whose abilities wit the Spanish language go light years far beyond that of my skill to count to 5 and say yes, no and bueno (oh yeah I learned how to ask where the bathroom is pretty fast too) So we made are way into Valparaiso's sister city, Vina del Mar. We roamed around taking in the sights and avoiding the very large population of stray dogs. The day was spent roaming the city and eating good food. That night we celebrated a friends birthday at one of the local bars in Valpo and then strolled back to the ship early for curfew.

Day two: Well the next day was our site seeing adventure. We were all over the two towns; visiting the house of Pablo Neuardae, the palaces and fortress left behind by the Spanish royalty and of course the beautiful beaches. We did a little shopping and got the experience of dealing with the local street vendors. The buildings of Valparaiso are an array of colors and some of the "artwork" that adorns the walls is considered some of the finest in the whole world. The two cities are not as modern as the Santiago; it was put best as being stuck in 1985... whatever that means.

Day three: Day Three was spent in the city of Santiago. Santiago is the capital of Chile and one of the most amazing cities I've ever been to. The city is the mix of a modern Western city inter-spliced with a city of old Europe. The Shadow of the sky bridge between to of the newer skyscrapers is cast upon the presidential palaces high stone pillars and ornate carvings and statues. It was such an astounding sight to see, and really helped finish off the stay. The purpose for our little visit and two hour drive, was a visit to the world trade center and a briefing with a company called AmCham. Ill spare you the details, so that I don't put you to sleep.

Ill post some emails tomorrow.... er well my today, your tomorrow.

Hold Fast,

SRS