Text & Photo: Julie Schwietert Collazo
This week, I’m traveling around Chile (that long, thin country in South America), and have found myself falling in love–yet again–with another Latin American nation.
Highlights?
Sharing dinner and some local wine under the stars with Chilean bloggers and podcasters in Santiago, talking about national identity, digital media, and–of course–Obama!
Eating the freshest seafood ever and realizing I actually like it.
Listening to a live karaoke rendition of the song “Sweet Child of Mine,” a heavy metal favorite from my adolescence, at a bar in the capital.
Watching the sun rise over the Andes this morning.
Fulfilling one of my life dreams of seeing the home of the Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda (well, one of the three, anyway).
Tromping around the raw, wild landscape of what’s just shy of the southernmost point in South America, penguin watching and meeting super-friendly locals for conversation around a fireplace.
Turning around and seeing a double rainbow out my window this afternoon.
Walking everywhere with these words of Neruda in my head:
Voy a cumplir con todos
porque debo
a todos mi alegría.
No se sorprenda nadie porque quiero
entregar a los hombres
los dones de la tierra,
porque aprendí luchando
que es mi deber terrestre
propagar la alegría.
Y cumplo mi destino con mi canto.
What do you know about Chile? What would you like to know? Have you ever thought about visiting? Leave a comment below!
“que es mi deber terrestre
propagar la alegría.
Y cumplo mi destino con mi canto”.
Gracias querida Julie por traer a Chile a nuestra casa. Qué manera tan contundente, gráfica y bella de contar tu viaje, me encantó!
I have some friends going to Chile next year. I’ll send them the link. Lovely pictures.
Thanks, DES! I’ll be blogging more about Chile here and on my Matador blog http://matadortravel.com/travel-community/collazo
Gracias, Lau!
Has estado en Chile?
Cool shots! Is that crab??
Sounds like a great experience. I’ve always wanted to head to Patagonia and then hop over to Easter Island.
Great pictures! I’ve been wanting to head down to Chile (and South America in general) for years. *Hopefully* that will finally happen next year. Glad you’re enjoying it!
VIVA CHILE, MIERDA! I love Chile. I love the people of Chile.
I visited Chile two years ago and it was such a beautiful country, the coast reminds me a lot of Southern California because of the climate diversity.
I totally agree about the sea food! I never thought I liked it and then I ate the freshest fish and thought, “Oh! THIS is seafood!”
that rainbow picture is amazing!
ME encanta lo que escribes y las fotos. Estoy enamorado de Chile, Hueon. Manda mas cosas.