100km from La Serena sits Elqui Valley (geez, I read too many guide books), where, it is claimed, is the best sky to watch the stars. Also UFO has been seen in the area, so a lot of hippies moved here in the 60s. Stars are great here, but I cannot see huge difference with Olmue. I would say, I liked Olmue better than here, but there I lived on the top of the hill and could see all valley, here I am at the bottom.
P.S. As I forgot to write in Spanish last week, there will be 2 Spanish posts for this.
Monday, 05/05. Viva the Slavs
Yesterday on the bus I met a girl from Czech Republic and we'lve arranged to go cycling to Pisco distillery today.
Pisco on its own tastes like bad самогон. Pisco sour has too much sugar in it - syrops that are usually used to make a drink way too sweet and viscous. That is why I have not become an alcoholic in Chile.
The girl is micro-biologist who worked a year in Uruguay as PostDoc on the project in Pasteur University. She told a lot of stories about the way Uruguay workplaces function: nothing is done on time, if at all (her visa was not organized all the time she was there, so she had to live with tourist stamp); connections matter (lover of her professor was hired to do her job before she came); people work for 4 hours and consider that sufficient for money they get; medical insurance is expensive and does not include anything, seems like. I don't know, does not shock me somehow. Sounds familiar, no?
Katya (name of the girl) also worked for NGO in Afganistan for 2 years (wow!) in the lab in the hospital and a year in India. She traveled in Central Asia (again, wow!) and Russia (transsiberian - Kamchatka - Sakhalin - Irkutsk - Moscow - St Petersburg - Novgorod - hitch hike back home as they run out of money).
She does a lot of trekking - so now I know that I can trek to Machu Picchu without ovepriced/overbooked Inca trail (otherwise I have to stay on the continent until end of the year).
Forgot my camera, so no photos of distillery, only the valley:
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Tuesday, 06/07. Por bicicleta a Cochiguaz
En 4 km de Pisco Elqui donde me quedo hay Monte Grande. En Monte Grande Gabriela Mistral nacio. No lo conocia antes de mi viaje a Chile. 'Si me miras, me vuelvo hemosa' (when you look at me I become beautiful) - muy cute (como se dice cute en Espanol??). Entonces en 11-19 km de Monte Grande en el valle hay rio Cochiguaz, cerca de estos lugares la energia movio junta con hippies.
Aci yo decidi andar por bicicleta hoy. 4 km hasta Monte Grande estuvieron mas facile (bajando), despues yo sufriacalando 500 m por 10 km. Duro 2 horas para hacer 15 km. No podia ir hasta 19 km y camine un poco mas arriba y volvi.
Retorno era mas divertido para bajar, solo 20 mins por 11 km, coool!
Otra vez, creo que Olmue es mas lindo, quizas las montanas mas altas aca, pero el cielo no esta mejor y la gente es mas emicable alli. En Elqui nesecitas hacer dedo para parar une coche, cuando en Olmue coche va a parar para ti si quieres o no.
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Wednesday, 07/09. Тюлень
Today I was doing noooooothiiiiiiing.
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Thursday, 08/09. El Cementerio
Ayer conoci que hay un cementerio cerca del pueblo, de hecho, cerca de la distileria donde fuemos hace 2 dias. Esta en 4 km de pueblo por ruta. Claro que yo camine aqui para visitar.
Es un cementerio pequeno en el montana con condominios y crezes tambien. Muchas Carmens y todos nombres son espanoles.
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Pisco Elqui
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Casa de Municipalidad fe Pisco Elqui (tambien venda de empanadas)
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P.S. As I forgot to write in Spanish last week, there will be 2 Spanish posts for this.
Monday, 05/05. Viva the Slavs
Yesterday on the bus I met a girl from Czech Republic and we'lve arranged to go cycling to Pisco distillery today.
Pisco on its own tastes like bad самогон. Pisco sour has too much sugar in it - syrops that are usually used to make a drink way too sweet and viscous. That is why I have not become an alcoholic in Chile.
The girl is micro-biologist who worked a year in Uruguay as PostDoc on the project in Pasteur University. She told a lot of stories about the way Uruguay workplaces function: nothing is done on time, if at all (her visa was not organized all the time she was there, so she had to live with tourist stamp); connections matter (lover of her professor was hired to do her job before she came); people work for 4 hours and consider that sufficient for money they get; medical insurance is expensive and does not include anything, seems like. I don't know, does not shock me somehow. Sounds familiar, no?
Katya (name of the girl) also worked for NGO in Afganistan for 2 years (wow!) in the lab in the hospital and a year in India. She traveled in Central Asia (again, wow!) and Russia (transsiberian - Kamchatka - Sakhalin - Irkutsk - Moscow - St Petersburg - Novgorod - hitch hike back home as they run out of money).
She does a lot of trekking - so now I know that I can trek to Machu Picchu without ovepriced/overbooked Inca trail (otherwise I have to stay on the continent until end of the year).
Forgot my camera, so no photos of distillery, only the valley:
Tuesday, 06/07. Por bicicleta a Cochiguaz
En 4 km de Pisco Elqui donde me quedo hay Monte Grande. En Monte Grande Gabriela Mistral nacio. No lo conocia antes de mi viaje a Chile. 'Si me miras, me vuelvo hemosa' (when you look at me I become beautiful) - muy cute (como se dice cute en Espanol??). Entonces en 11-19 km de Monte Grande en el valle hay rio Cochiguaz, cerca de estos lugares la energia movio junta con hippies.
Aci yo decidi andar por bicicleta hoy. 4 km hasta Monte Grande estuvieron mas facile (bajando), despues yo sufriacalando 500 m por 10 km. Duro 2 horas para hacer 15 km. No podia ir hasta 19 km y camine un poco mas arriba y volvi.
Retorno era mas divertido para bajar, solo 20 mins por 11 km, coool!
Otra vez, creo que Olmue es mas lindo, quizas las montanas mas altas aca, pero el cielo no esta mejor y la gente es mas emicable alli. En Elqui nesecitas hacer dedo para parar une coche, cuando en Olmue coche va a parar para ti si quieres o no.
Wednesday, 07/09. Тюлень
Today I was doing noooooothiiiiiiing.
Thursday, 08/09. El Cementerio
Ayer conoci que hay un cementerio cerca del pueblo, de hecho, cerca de la distileria donde fuemos hace 2 dias. Esta en 4 km de pueblo por ruta. Claro que yo camine aqui para visitar.
Es un cementerio pequeno en el montana con condominios y crezes tambien. Muchas Carmens y todos nombres son espanoles.
Pisco Elqui
Casa de Municipalidad fe Pisco Elqui (tambien venda de empanadas)
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