Go To Easter Island And Stand By A Moai

Let me be clear, I did not go to Easter Island, but I did get a chance to stand by one of the Moai's while traveling through Chile.

Easter Island is a remote island that is a Polynesian territory of Chile.  It is most famous for its near 900 human carved monumental statues called Moai's that cover the island.  The Moai's were believed to be carved from rock between the years 1250 and 1500.  The average height of a Moai is 4 meters high, with a weight of over 13 tons.

In a beach town called Viña del Mar lives one of the original Moai's from Easter Island.  It is the only one on mainland Chile.  Obviously, I need to go to Easter Island to get the full Moai experience, but to see one up close was neat.

Date Accomplished (to go to Easter Island):  In Progress

Date Accomplished (To stand by a Moai):   October 23rd, 2009

Celebrate My Birthday In A Different Country

I didn't have the most exciting birthdays growing up.  My parents hated to throw parties, and most birthdays were spent at home, or going out to dinner at a fast food joint.

I wanted a birthday that I would never forget and be as far away from home as possible.

So, I planned my South America trip around my birthday.   

The day was memorable from start to finish, wine tasting in Santiago, walking along the Chilean coast, visiting a Moai statue, and a fantastic evening with friends to celebrate my birthday.

We grabbed a taxi to the Bellavista area, and we had the coolest taxi driver ever.  He blasted some Michael Jackson music to get us pumping.  We had reservations at Como Agua Para Chocolate which was named after the movie "Like Water For Chocolate."  Our table was on the second floor, far away from all the civilized people.

My friends got me a necklace, had the restaurant band sing to me, and then got me a cake.  My friend, Angel tried to smash the cake into my face, so in an act of revenge I snuck behind him and smothered his face with frosting.  It was one of my proudest moments.

Outside the restaurant we met a "street performer" that we quickly became friends with.   He made cat noises using a special whistle in his mouth, and startled people with his cat puppet as they walked by.  We spent half an hour hanging out with him, and later in the evening he joined us at the bar we proudly took over.  I think we were the highlight of his night!

We ended up at an Irish bar and started off the evening like normal human beings.  But then the beers started rolling in....and somehow we made it behind the bar pouring our own drinks!

Things got bad fast....

 

My friend, EJ, from New Zealand (the curly haired blond) is a wild drunk.  She dances with anyone, speaks with anyone, and flashes her boobs at anyone!  So anytime you're with EJ, you are guaranteed a wild time.  Chairs broke, body parts were flashed, and lots of kinky dancing was had. 

My birthday can only be best described in the form of a video. During the last clip of the video, we had all been dancing, and somewhat provocatively, and somehow a group of children were watching us from the door!  Innocence was broken that night!

Since then, I have also spent my 30th Birthday in Spain!

Date Accomplished:  October 23rd, 2009

Climb A Sand Dune In San Pedro De Atacama

When I was doing some research on Chile I had read quite a bit about the sand dunes of San Pedro de Atacama in Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna).  Suggestive of its name, the terrain of moon valley are filled with stone and sand formations carved by wind and water similar to a lunar landscape.  The area is considered one of the driest places on Earth, with some areas not getting a drop of rain for hundreds of years.

So prior to climbing the dune I was actually excited.  Then our ride got stuck in the sand....

Since we couldn't get our bus out of the sand, our driver called for some help and we headed off to unsafely hike through a cave, and then climb a rock wall with no safety equipment.

Our bus thankfully got out of the sand, and we were able to head towards the dune.  After one minute of climbing  I was over it!  It was difficult enough to walk in sand, but climbing up sand was exasperating.  It didn't help that most of us were already exhausted after our prior endeavors of crawling through a cave, and climbing a rock wall.   The view once we got to the top was incredible, and the sunset highlighted the beauty of our surroundings.

I had a momentary lapse of lucidity and decided to climb up higher, and ventured to hike a rocky hill by myself.  The view was even better BUT the most secure thing to prevent me from cracking my skull and falling off the edge was a small cliff barrier.  Despite being dehydrated and exhausted it was a fabulous experience. My biggest tip---bring patience and lots of water!

Date Accomplished:  October 20th, 2009

Go Rock Climbing

While I was in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile, I had the chance to tour Moon Valley and go into one of the caves there.  After we went through the cave we got to a dead end and our tour guide said, "So this is how we get out of here.  Climb that wall."  I look up at the wall and almost throw up.

I considered turning around and going back, but remembered that we had to jump down through a few areas of the cave, so I would only be able to get back out if I had a stool or ladder.   I got really nervous and yelled at the tour guide for not telling us that we would have to do rock climbing without ropes and security equipment (just our hands and feet!). I sucked it up and told myself "Just don't look down."  I did it.  Only after a few scrapes and bruises.  But I did it!

Date Accomplished:  October 20th, 2009

Fly Over The Andes Mountains

I learned about the Andes mountains in the most unconventional way.  I watched the movie 'Alive' (based on a true story) about a rugby team flying over the Andes and crashing into the mountain.  The survivors, in order to survive, had to eat the flesh of the deceased.   After watching the movie, why would I want to fly over the mountain range?  Uhh...because it looked BEAUTIFUL!

The Andes are the longest continental mountain range in the world.  It is 4,300 miles long, and 430 miles wide.  The Andes extend into Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina.  

During my South American vacation I had the opportunity to fly over the Andes mountains a few times, but the most impressive was as I was flying down Chile towards Santiago.

Since I am able to write this post, I can live to tell of surviving flying over the Andes!

Date Accomplished:  October 21st, 2009

Drink A Pisco Sour

A Pisco Sour is a South American cocktail that contains Pisco (a liquor distilled from grapes), sugar or syrup, lemon or lime, egg whites and a few other things.  It is a popular drink in both Peru and Chile, and there is an ongoing national debate to where the drink originated from.  Peruvian Pisco Sours use syrup, while the Chilean Pisco Sours use sugar.

I had the chance to try both the Peruvian and Chilean version.  The Winner?  I personally enjoyed the Peruvian one much better.  The drink is refreshing after a long day, and frothy at the top due to the egg whites.

In Peru I also got a chance to learn how to make a Pisco Sour at a local bar in Cusco....

Date Accomplished:  October 5th, 2009