Masa Critica!

Critical Mass in Santiago!! I've never participated, but it's a big deal in SF.

Basically one night a month where a huge group of bicyclists take over the streets and promote alternative forms of transportation.
A great way to see more of the city, now I just have to buy myself a bike! My roommate found a place to rent a bike for free for the event, but now I feel as I can't continue living without biking everywhere, it's so much fun!

Meditations

"So I suggest allowing yourself some time alone to think about your experiences and what kind of changes, if any, you want to make this trip." - Don

Happy pictures shouldn't make you sad

"To give a love, you gotta live a love,
to live a love, you gotta be part of,
When will I see you again?"
- "A Man Needs A Maid" - Neil Young, Harvest

Teaser!

Saturday night I went with some of my roomates to a friends hometown, where the paltas are grown. Interested? You'll have to wait to find out more! But here's a video for now.

and more randoms from the day.

The center of the city. Here's the point from where basically every distance in Chile is measured!

I can't remember anything about either of these sites. They were simply on our way between museums. Like any city it has it's beauty.

The moon is always out during the day. Pretty!

To finish off the day we sat down for some Once, Chile's "tea time". The name comes from a story in the mines up north. When workers wanted to have a drink "once" was code because it had eleven words. That's a really terrible version of the story, I'm sure you could find a better one online.

Museo Bellas Artes

Although there were plenty of fine specimens of art, what struck me more was the architecture of the building!

Damage from the earthquake? Yikes! And super cool staircases!

Museo Precolombino

This spankin' new museo has a collection from a spread of cultures through America. You can't really read this map, but cool picture right?

This guy here is an example of the ball games they would play with their knees and shoulders. That thing in front? the hoop!

Mumios! Not the nickname given for Los Militares, but the really old dead people. The guide told us that these mummies, found in Arica, Chile (I think?) date further back than those in Egypt and have stirred the debate about the oldest found specimens.

No, these aren't from Easter Island. These are statues of the Mapuche people, the most abundant indigenous population in Chile. An interesting fact? They were a matrimonial society and so the Shamans were women, if a man wanted to be a shaman they dressed like women.




I don't recall the tribe, but here's an example of the native copper, one of Chile's largest exports.

Ok class! One more museum!

Last Group Outing

Los tutores took us out for one last trip to see the center of politics in Santiago, and 2 museos.

Plaza de Armas, with a typical stray. And a group of clowns on my way to meet with the group.

La Moneda, where Pinera works! Also where everything went down on September 11, 1973 with Pinochet's Golpe de Estado. And below, his successory Sr. Allende.