Safe And Sound In Valdivia!

Well, after an 11-hour bus ride I have arrived to my destination in the south - a German town called Valdivia. The bus departed at 11pm last night. It was my first true bus trip - traveling alone to a distant, unknown territory. I had a semi-bed and thought I would be able to sleep but, oh no! It was quite difficult given I was in seat numero 1 right behind the drivers, the road was very bumpy, and I was surrounded by snoring men. Where is my Tylenol PM when I need it?! I sat next to a Bolivian man in his 50s named Fernando, who has lived in Mexico for 20 plus years. He is now a Mexican citizen and in South America for two months visiting family and friends. Fernando was very nice and spoke quite clearly in comparison to Chileans. He talked very highly of Mexico saying that business is strong and that the drug war is really a war between the government and drug trafficers. It is not a war involving civilians. Outside of the current drug war, there is not much violent crime like in the U.S. He also said that he was surprised at how cold Chileans are in comparison to Mexicans who are happy, warm and dance in the streets. He actually opened my mind to consider Mexico as my next destination.

After wandering the streets in search of a hostal I finally arrived at one that I like. Of course, it was mentioned in Lonely Planet - my bible!! I swear I would be lost without it. My girlfriends - Lore and her cousin Kaat - who I met at my language school arrive at 3pm. They are both from Belgium. Both speak English but we communicate in Spanish. Lore lived in Peru for 6 months and met her Chilean boyfriend. They did long distance for two years and she then decided to move here for a year to see how things go with her beau. Lore, like me, is in love with the Latin culture. Lore and Kaat are traveling in the south for a month and invited me to join them. So, I´m here for about 8 or 9 days! We are spending the next couple days in Valdivia and then continuing further south until we reach the island of Chiloe. From there I will return to Santiago on my own and depart for Buenos Aires to meet Nikki and Tiana for a week before returning to the U.S. I can´t believe it´s almost that time!

The south of Chile is predominantly Germans who settled here in the 1800s after Chile conquered the land. In an attempt to occupy the new territory with a higher class race (in quotes - I can´t find the quotations on this computer) the Chilean government did major recruiting in Europe and elsewhere setting up tourism offices in every corner of the world. I have been told the people in the south are the kindest and warmest in all of Chile. The Germans have also brought their beer crafting talents and one of the most known local breweries is located here. And, German food is everywhere! Quite the mix...blond haired, blue-eyed Germans speaking Chilean. I love it!

The weather and landscape of the south is the polar opposite of the north. It is green, lush, chilly (in the 40s right now) and rainy...but beautiful. And, the south is famous for its seafood. I am so excited to eat!! I´m sure I will return with more pictures of food than people. Ha!