Walk on the Coast

Today after class I walked from our metro stop Barron to Portales on the coast.  At first it seemed a little dodgy because it was 10am and there weren't many people around.  But then I saw 2 caberneros and more people so I felt fine walking along the path.  It was by the ship yard and smelled strongly of fish at times.  I sat down and watched some sea lions try and get up onto this tall cement structure that looked like an old bridge or dock.  The poor little guys couldn't make it up there. I have no clue how the other ones got up there either because it seemed almost  impossible.  They I walked more down the way past a run-down building and train covered in graffiti.  It was raining and sunny at the same time which made everything so beautiful.  As the sun came out it only lit up parts of the city slowly like they were in the spotlight. It was breathtaking.  Of course it was something my camera couldn't catch but as always I tried anyway.

pastel de papas, sweet mashed potatoes (sweetened with sugar) and meat and onions on the bottom

Charquican

Hoy tuvo mi clase de espanol y cultura.  Pero, it wasn't in Spanish like I was hoping for.  I guess the summer programs for the intercambio intl students is quite small so all of our classes are together.  Our spanish levels are also very different, so it will be interesting how this works out. I am pretty bummed because I was hoping for a hard Spanish Class.  Oh well.  After class we went to the central market, it was a fruit/meat/cheese market.  Very basic, there were a ton of cats.  It was a little rustic.  After that we really didn't know what to do so we decided to head back to Vina and get our metro passes. However the metro pass was $8 and that wasnt for unlimited.  I take the bus a lot so I decided against it.  In the long run, I doubt it will save me money. But  riding the metro in the rain was cool because the waves were crashing against the cost and the walls.  It was kind of mystical.  I loved it. Oh I might take the metro in the morning because this morning the buses were FULL.  Like someone had to hold himself up to get out of the way of the door...not fun. I had to let three buses pass me. I was so worried I was going to be late. I guess I should wake up earlier next time. It is so hard to in the cold. Cold and rainy mornings are not fun!

In Vina we did some basic exploring and came across this giant industrial clothes market place where the prices were moderate, but they wouldn't barter.  I bought this adorable green umbrella for $2.  I felt bad using the host families all the time.  And I like umbrellas, paraguas.  I also bought some green tea for once (teatime) and some cookies that taste like coconut, they are amazing. 

When I got home I had some Charquican which is a hearty soup made with this pumpkin looking thing that was ALL over the market from that morning.  I found that amusing that the food I was wondering about at the market became my lunch. Below is a picture of it

Chilean:
Pebre: The basic condiment for any Chilean meal, this is a simple mix of finely chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro and spicy ají, or red pepper paste. Use it with virtually everything. Most restaurants will serve a dish of this on the table.

pito: Avocado

bacán: awesome