Ideal Uses

2011-06-23T01:37:00.000-04:00

After a year-long hiatus from architecture class, I geeked out a bit when I moved into the new apartment.

2011-06-19T12:17:00.001-04:00

2009-08-31T13:49:00.003-04:00

Navy Day

I returned back to Valparaíso in time for El Día de las Glorias Navales, which celebrates the Battle of Iquique, one of the many confrontations over the northern territories between Chile, Peru, and Bolivia.

The entire city was out for the parade, packed into the cold winter-shadows and the absurdly hot sun.

2009-08-31T13:37:00.002-04:00

It Takes Two

The Tango was originated in Buenos Aires and is heavily influenced by the immigration melting-pot that characterized the city for much of the last century.

The dance has a huge presence in the touristic areas of the the city, and it's always easy to find a performance, whether in dinner-shows,

or on the streets of San Telmo.

2009-08-31T13:25:00.003-04:00

San Telmo

Set in the oldest barrio of Buenos Aires, the San Telmo antiques fair is an incredible place to explore.

Even on a rainy morning, the cobbled streets were filled with people, hoping to make their own discoveries of trinkets and knick-knacks

An Omega from WWII.

2009-08-31T13:13:00.002-04:00

The Presidente Sarmiento

Sitting along the walkway of Puerto Madero, this tall ship was open to the public.

In addition to the large sails, the ship was outfitted with a steam engine.

Through it's history, the ship has made it around the world and the harsh seas of patagonia many times. The ship has barely been refurbished for the public and for this, the deck is filled with beautiful moments that show the wear of seasons at sea.

2009-08-13T22:35:00.002-04:00

Buenos Aires and The Recoleta Cemetery

With an extended weekend, we hopped a jet across the Andes, to Buenos Aires. First stop on the tourist checklist was Recoleta Cemetery.
The initial most astonishing aspect of the cemetery is the abundance of cats.

I think I would prefer not to think to deeply into why the cats are surviving so well.

The original layout of the site was designed by French engineer, Próspero Catelin.

Although the plan of the cemetery is interesting, the individual tombs show the most character.

I found some rickety scaffolding to scale in order to get this shot of the many adornments and skylights of the tombs.

Statues and Cats.

Likely the most recognizable name in the cemetery is Evita Perón. People are constantly arriving to her door, bringing flowers.

A less appreciated tomb.

2009-08-09T01:00:00.003-04:00

Cajón del Maipo: second day

We woke to a sleepy morning and hiked up the valley of El Morado National Monument.

The hike was a gentle trail winding up toward the jagged peak of El Morado.

Yellow grass and wild horses.

At the base of El Morado, several glacial tunnels beckoned some spelunking.

2009-08-07T00:05:00.003-04:00

Day 1: Cajón del Maipo

Still had enough light in the afternoon to run along a nearby trail and scramble up a steep dike in the rock.

And found some (nearly) all-female climbers clinging to some precariously bolted routes.

Neglecting duty.

The road back to camp.

2009-08-05T10:27:00.002-04:00

The Structures of Cajón del Maipo

Cajón de Maipo is a central andean region to the southeast of Santiago. During the summer it is bustling with city-folk trying to get their mountain-feet.

But we arrived when winter was coming fast, and the little town was largely abandoned.

All of the funky structures, undoubtedly lively during the warmer months, were boarded up and prepared for a long period of hibernation.

2009-08-04T11:01:00.000-04:00

Emiliana

Thanks to Anna's family, the day after returning from Pucon, we headed toward Casablanca Valley and received a tour of Emiliana, one of the very few vineyards in Chile that are practice any sort of organic and bio dynamical agriculture.

They do not typically offer tours there, which was obvious in the public restroom where all of the sinks were occupied by thirsty plants.

After the tasting we drove up toward a lookout for a better view of the vineyard. Surprisingly, the white turbines in the distance, although they might appear built to produce green energy, are actually meant to blow air across the fields in order to protect the grapes during a frost.

2009-08-03T23:57:00.002-04:00

Back In America
and reunited with Dudley the labradoodle.
I am looking forward to living well and exploring during my one month of summer. But first, I need to catch up with some posts on my travels for the last weeks. A surprisingly busy period of finals kept me distracted and I apologize for the disappearance act. Expect some photos over the next few days.

2009-06-18T14:54:00.004-04:00

BBC Photos Of The Week

A couple weeks ago I began sending photos to the weekly photo contest on BBC. This week my photo of a wind turbine was selected for the gallery.

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I'm buckling down and getting some papers done and will be back at it soon.

This photo is also posted on The Fat of The Land, a image-blog held by my friends Foster and Edge to which I've been contributing.

2009-05-26T00:15:00.003-04:00

Los Lagos
The most popular hike in Parque Huerquehue climbs up to a small smattering of lakes, contained by the steep surrounding hills.

After hiking along Lago Tinquilco from the park entrance, the trail climbs steeply towards a higher valley.

Along the way, the drainages from the higher lakes cascade down the steep rock.

Sheltered by the monkey-puzzle trees and steep valley walls, the lakes were incredibly still and reflective.

Found a little vole-type-thing.

More signs of late-autumn.

2009-05-24T00:17:00.003-04:00

Araucaria Araucana
Known in Spanish as the Pehuén and in English as The Monkey Puzzle Tree (way more entertaining), this tree is native to the Andes region of Chile and Argentina. There was a small one of these in the greenhouse at Middlebury and I had a small obsession with it, but I had completely forgotten that I might find them down here.

The Pehuén trees are absurd looking, and beyond looking completely foreign, definitely don't seem like they should be lingering in the chilly Andes.

From a distance, the network of spiked branches seem chaotic. But each step closer presents an incredible symmetry.

2009-05-22T08:31:00.002-04:00

Cerro San Sebastian
After getting turned down by the rainy Volcán Villarrica, I headed to the second of the two parks surrounding Pucon, Parque Huerquehue, to climb up Cerro San Sebastian.

Most visitors go to Parque Huerquehue, limited on time, elect to hike around the famous reflective lakes in place of Cerro San Sebastian. The entire day that I was hiking I did not see one person beyond the Park Guard at the entrance when I got off the bus.

In fact, over the course of the entire day, these tracks were the only sign of life that I found.

At snow-line, the tall lenga trees opened up, and I got an incredible view of the three volcanoes in the other park. Volcán Villarrica is the farthest to the right.

However, the surrounding area was even more incredible than the view of the volcanoes. Beyond colder temperatures and cloudier days, I still haven't seen much sign of fall in Valparaíso, but the colors on Cerro Sebastian could give Vermont some good competition.

At the peak I feasted on the only food I had remembered to bring and took a long sunny siesta.

2009-05-21T01:57:00.003-04:00

Meet Helene.
She's French. Several months ago she fulfilled her lifelong dream of travelling a long distance on a cargo ship. She boarded the ship in Belgium as one of several guests, and nearly a month later she arrived in Chile. (getting to Chile through this method is actually way (way) more expensive than a flight, so if you are seriously considering it, it better be your lifelong dream as well)

After a rainy day stuck in the hostel together, Helene invited us to go find the "secret waterfall" with her. We grabbed this map from another hostel and headed up the road. The map promised that the waterfall would be "bery beautiful," so I was pretty pumped.

The map directed us up a private driveway, and at lot 17, we followed the distant sound of rushing water into the woods.

Before descending along the trail, we decided to bushwhack a bit 'till we found a good place to cross the river.

From there you can reach an incredible viewpoint on the edge of the falls.

Hard to tell from this angle, but it was a vertigo-inducing 85 meters to to the bottom.

Back across the river, the trail requires a quick fence-hopping.

But after a steep descent, the woods open up into an enormous bowl, coated in green moss and perpetually soaked by the mists of the thin and powerful "salta misteriosa."

2009-05-19T10:25:00.002-04:00

Volcán Villarica
Hovering above the town of Pucon, rises the Volcán Villarica. After a short moment in Pucon for bus-recovery, Brad and I found a cab and headed up the gravel road to the base of the ski area.
From there we started hiking around the volcano, toward where we had been told would be water. The sun was setting fast, and with a 15km to hike, this was the best water-source we had crossed.

Though parched, we still found time to do some volcano jumping.

The next morning we woke at 4am, cooked up some soup, and headed back, hoping to find time sprint up the side of the volcano.

But the morning views delayed us repeatedly.

By the time we had hoped to start climbing, a thick and soupy storm had moved in. So thick in fact that we lost the trail several times and had to blindly bushwhack up and down volcanic valleys until we ran into the ski lift and contact our ride back down. Back in Pucon, it was just a little cloudy and had no sign of the storm we had just experienced. It´s incredible the kind of weather a volcano can attract when there are no other mountains for miles.

2009-05-13T12:11:00.003-04:00

Bus To The South
Within 24 hours after a 7 hour return bus from La Serena, I found myself on yet another bus, this time headed 12 hours further south to the town of Pucon. That week was La Semana de Mechones, essentially an entire week dedicated to freshman hazing. In fact, they take hazing so seriously here that all classes after 11 am were cancelled for the week.

I think I've become dangerously accustomed to overnight bus-travel. I've got my routine down, I'm starting to really enjoy the dubbed Jean-Claude Van Damme films, and I've developed an arsenal of odd sleeping positions to use as the largely-upright seats make me sore.

However, if you manage to sleep (or at least keep the momentum from the previous day), overnight bus-travel saves money on a hostal, and it doesn't waste a day, and before no-time you find yourself, dazed and confused, in some beautiful and completely foreign place.

2009-05-12T14:03:00.003-04:00

The Horned Melon
If you see this fruit in your grocery store and have any temptation of eating it...resist. Also known as the African Horned Cucumber or Hedged Gourd, this member of the cucumber-melon family functions much better as a decoration than a food.

If you do buy it, don't ruin your new and eccentric decor by slicing it in half. The interior looks like ninja-turtle ooze and the taste, though bland, is nothing to warrant more than tootsie-pop lick. Granted, maybe i just got a bad one.

2009-05-12T13:57:00.002-04:00

The Japanese Garden
After El Faro Monumental, the largest tourist attraction in La Serena is the Japanese Garden. Though, like the lighthouse, it seemed incredibly out of place, the garden was incredibly enjoyable.

With high walls, it managed to feel completely detached from the surrounding city.

Stones to nowhere.

2009-05-12T00:35:00.002-04:00

El Faro Monumental
The long Avenida Francisco de Aguirre links the town of La Serena to the coast. At the end of the incredibly long park stands El Faro Monumental. A lighthouse built in 1950. The avenue, stretching for what seemed like several kilometers, was eerily devoid of people.

With the exception of these dudes.

At the end of the avenue, a portion of the beach was crowded with horses, exhausted after a long tourist-season.

Like much of the architecture in Chile, El Faro Monumental doesn't seem to have a style of its own. Like a theme-park attraction, the lighthouse looks like somebody's perception of what a grand lighthouse should be. They took the image of a sturdy Maine lighthouse and sent it on a school trip to Medieval Times.

At 82 feet in height, the lighthouse has a white light that flashes every 5 minutes in order to help navigate ships toward the coast. At which point they shoot them with the cannon.

2009-05-06T10:51:00.002-04:00

Estrellas
In addition to growing pisco grapes, the dry weather and cold nights of Valle Elqui are the cause of incredibly clear night skies. Several observatories are perched at the peaks of the hills that line the valley. While the famous Cerro Tololo observatory is farther south and is actively used for research (a Middlebury Professor, Frank Winkler was observing there the following week), the Observatorio Mamalluca was open to the public at night.

Incedibly clear skies and a telescope through which we could see saturn's rings.

photo: Greg Bock
The most famous constellation in the southern hemisphere is the Southern Cross It can be see at the top right of this image (four stars in the shape of a kite). Much like Polaris in the Little Dipper, the Southern Cross is used to find the south celestial pole in the night sky.

2009-05-04T13:17:00.004-04:00

Pisco
The steep walls of The Valle de Elqui stretch west from La Serena until the Andes Mountains. The dry conditions lead to cloudless and hot summer days, but at night the cold marine-air will flow in from the coast. These are the ideal conditions for growing white grapes for the production of pisco.

Unlike Italian Grappa, Pisco is a hard liquor distilled from fresh grapes, not wine. For this reason, the distillery for Pisco Mistral lies far toward the end of the Elqui Valley, surrounded by its vineyards.

Once picked, deseeded, and juiced, the grape-liquid goes through a short fermentation process, so as to create a base for distillation.

Though this is an older example, the wine-base is then distilled in copper stills. Throughout the process, three types of alcohol are created in order: la cabeza, el corazón, and la cola. The first and last are toxic, but el corazón is produced into pisco.

The alcohol is then aged in American Oak barrels. Higher grades of Pisco will be stored for for a much longer period, while those types more characteristic of Pisco Sours, the national drink of both Chile and Peru, go through a much briefer aging process.
During the tasting, our guide watched and waited as we had to sip two healthy shots (one of this latter type (not typically taken neat)). Pisco types are classified by alcohol content (ranging from 30 to 46 percent), and some are considered to have a taste resembling bourbon.

2009-05-01T11:13:00.002-04:00

Lonely Beaches
Being in the Southern Hemisphere, it feels very surreal to be entering winter while all of my friends and family are enjoying the first tastes of spring. The change of seasons is especially apparent along the coast, dotted with small towns that are completely dependent on summer tourism to boost the economy and store up for winter.

This past weekend I hopped a 7 hour night bus and woke up in La Serena, the coastal capital of the Coquimbo region of Chile. Though the city was still fully-functioning, a short walk to Avenida del Mar, a long line of restaurants and shops stretching along the beach towards forever, brought a completely different experience.

The cold-water upwelling of the Humboldt Current supercools the marine air, creating a thick white fog that creates a sense of seclusion in such a vast space, leaving you to walk alone among the abandoned objects and structures: The signs of the productive summer past.

A huge Coke can towers over the flat beach.

A concrete trashcan.

A lifeguard tower on its last legs.

I don't have the slightest idea what this is.

2009-04-30T15:06:00.002-04:00

Train Station
If you follow the grass-covered train tracks in the center of Av. Belgrano until the end of the road, just a little farther along you will find an incredible abandoned train station.

All that remains is the skeleton of the terminal's canopy and about 70% of the concrete walls of the station.

The whole place is full of strange angles, rusty nails, and things to climb. However, the most fascinating aspect of the entire area is the graffiti.

In such potentially desolate place, the painted walls provide a vibrant energy, and a continuation of life as the structure decays.

Each corner holds something new.

The gutted walls work like a well-planned gallery, providing intimate spaces but always granting glimpses of what lies ahead.

During the entire time that we explored the site, we could not help but brainstorm of how we might use the space, and how amazing of a location it would be for hosting an event. To our huge surprise, when we mentioned this outing to a Mendozan local with whom we were sharing dinner that night, she informed us that, by chance, there was actually a party being organized there for the same evening.

I won't deny that we were skeptical as we left the road and stepped onto the pitch-black empty plot before the station, but soon we could see a glimmer of red light as the faint thump of bass beat in the distance. A once in a lifetime experience. It was a completely grassroots event. The organizers had simply trucked in some speakers, lights, and liter-sized cups of beer that they sold for cheap from one of the gutted windows. At a little after 6am, the music shut off for a short while, a trombone player and a guitarist took out their instruments and played a few Bob Marley songs, while everyone huddled around and sang along.

2009-04-29T12:52:00.007-04:00

BMW Isetta 300
I found this set of wheels sitting on the lawn of a chocolatería in Mendoza. The post WWII Isetta had many nicknames throughout the world, such as "coffin car" in Germany and the "yogurt pot" in France, but in Chile it was known as the "huevito" (little egg).

This car was made in 1958.

Its one cylinder engine was able to produce 13 hp and chug up to 85 Km/h.

I love the simple steering-wheel attached to the single large front door.

2009-04-28T15:15:00.002-04:00

Roof Access
Our hostel in Mendoza came with many amenities, including: nonstop reruns of dubbed episodes of The Simpsons, an eerie green light, some new and funky smells, and most importantly, roof access.
If you live in any non-arctic climate, I can´t imagine any incentive to not try to work a usable roofspace into your building design. Great for exploring,

Daytime lazing,

Evening lazing,

And open-air sleep.
Not to mention it is incredibily convenient if you have misplaced your key late-night yet still have enough energy to do some climbing.

2009-04-28T00:29:00.003-04:00

Baby Blue
This is Arturo. He has an incredible youthful spirit and a great smile.

Though he doesn't show it too often.

This is Baby Blue, his 1973 Dodge D1o0. Though she might need to occasionally take it slow, the truck still runs great.

If you ever need to travel around the Mendoza area, look no further than Arturo and Baby Blue.

We rallied around wine country for a day, sprawled across the bed of Baby Blue.

Nothing like tereré (maté drunk with cold juice) on a hot day, at 60 Km/h.

2009-04-27T01:17:00.002-04:00

Ana
Meet Ana (or as my friends Will and Andrew have named her, Pachamama). She is the owner of La Finca El Peregrino, an organic farm outside of Mendoza. Will and Andrew had earlier WWOOFed at her farm for a week, so we dropped by her stand at the open-air market to pick up some supplies for a picnic out in Maipu, an area near Mendoza with a concentration of vineyards.

The farm produces what seems to be everything grown under the sun. They make incredible spreads, breads...

...spices, juices, and just plain n'simple raw produce.

At this vineyard, provided with bean-bags, and some shelter from the Argentine sun, we set up a practical buffet with our bounty from the farm.

Simple eating, but with incredible ingredients.

The shaggy dog wanted in on the action, but it seems that he was instead greeted with a kiss and some chilled chardonnay.

2009-04-20T13:38:00.005-04:00

Mendoza, Argentina

Last weekend we made a gringo excursion across the Andes to Mendoza, Argentina.

Whoever planned this city had their priorities in the right place. Every street has a full green canopy, providing speckled light across the city.

The trees must be as old as the first bricks that were set in town.

The trees are kept healthy by full aquifers that flow alongside every sidewalk.

2009-04-20T13:27:00.002-04:00

I found brussel sprouts at the local market the other day. I always find myself assuming that some food does not exist down here and later, becoming pleasantly surprised.

The mastering of din-din continues.

2009-04-20T13:04:00.004-04:00

La Ciudad Abierta: El Anfiteatro

In a steep drainage, a small path begins in an empty brick room with high walls.

The path leads toward an open-air church and then continues beyond, joining a dry stream-bed.

The stream reaches an open ampitheater, where it is funneled into a small channel.

From there, the stream cascades underneath a winding wooden structure.

The colorful stairs spiral down toward the continuation of the stream-bed.

Everything seems to reach up toward the sky.

From here, the man-made structures stop and the stream-bed continues back into a dense set of trees.

If you´re interested in more photos of La Ciudad Abierta, click on any of the photos to access my picasa albums.

2009-04-19T23:34:00.001-04:00

La Ciudad Abierta: Wooden Sculptures
I doubt that many materials were wasted during the construction. Anything left probably went into building sculptures such as these.

2009-04-19T02:11:00.002-04:00

La Ciudad Abierta: Concrete Sculptures
An incalculable amount of sculptures dot the landscape of The Open City. Those made of concrete are often characterized by extremely organic forms.

The concrete is poured into molded bags which are later pulled away, leaving the indentations of the fabric.

These forms were sat upon while the concrete was still wet, creating perfect molded seats.

However, some are far more geometric.

2009-04-18T22:37:00.004-04:00

La Ciudad Abierta: Las Casas
The many houses spread throughout The Open City are the central component to the project. Each house is fascinating, and though they come together in the overall concept, each is completely autonomous and is able to stand alone.

Behind the house closest to the Mirador (first photo), I saw some white smoke hovering above the roofline: the first sign of life I had seen that day. I wandered around back and met Ricardo, who was preparing an asado. He is a professor of Industrial design at U Catolica, and has been living in La Ciudad Abierta since it was constructed in the 70s.

Éach house is composed of completely unique building materials...

and specific respones to the sites.

This structure combined three completely different houses and sandwiched them together, like a condominium cluster with a personality complex.

Concrete forms echoing wind-blown sails.

Throughout the city, there was such variation in the use of concrete.

However, some houses strayed from concrete completely, constructed of mostly metal and wood.

Up the hill and across the highway, I found the project was more extensive than I could have possibly imagined.

As a student, it must have been incredible to bring these buildings from design to completion.

In other news: you can now reach this site at www.idealuses.com
spread the word, leave a comment. it´s a great opportunity for me to be able to share these experiences.

2009-04-18T16:10:00.003-04:00

La Ciudad Abierta: El Mirador
As I approached La Ciudad Abierta through the dunes I could see the distant structure of the Mirador, a tall silhouette of thin lines and sharp angles.

Perched on the top of the structure, three vulture-y raven-y birds were watching me carefully.

The Mirador is constructed with nothing more than scrap wood and several thin concrete columns.

Alongside it, an array of white rusting sculptures mirrored the odd geometries of the structure above them.

Later, while talking to Tomàs, an architect in my internship, I learned that the Mirador is actually not a viewpoint at all, but was originally used as a water tower.

2009-04-16T16:26:00.003-04:00

Fotografía
Before this semester I had never taken a photography class. It's fascinating to learn about something with which I have enjoyed for so long, especially in a different language. In addition, I've found that photography assignments will lead to some pretty odd photos. One example: when you're assigned to take photos in the style of "acción detenido."

My new favorite piece of graffiti in Valparaíso. Hoyo means "hole" in spanish.

Thanks to Brad for wielding the camera.

2009-04-15T01:44:00.003-04:00

La Ciudad Abierta
This past January I took a course in glass-working. When I mentioned to one of my professors, Hank Adams, that I was headed to Chile, he instantly recommended an odd book to me. The Road that is Not a Road and the Open City details the process and ideology that went into an enormous project by students at La Pontifica Universidad Católica in Valparaiso. When asked, few people could tell me anything beyond the fact that they had heard that something to this description existed, somewhere. Several weeks ago, while travelling toward Maitencillo, I spotted what I instantly knew had to be "La Ciudad Abierta," sandwiched between the highway and the Pacific.

Finally, last week, I got on the same bus and was greeted with a curious glance when I asked to be dropped off along the highway. The gate to what I thought was an entrance was locked so I trekked across the dunes so as to enter from the beach, hoping to appear more as some lost passerby than a full frontal trespasser. An odd beach, only fishermen and trucks, each person going about their day alone and without interaction.

Along the coast runs a surreal railroad, with all the ties covered by the shifting dunes. The thing still functions though, as I learned when a train carrying copper passed several hours later.

After another short scramble over the following dune, there it was, The Open City. Filled with so many unique projects, it is one of those places that becomes entirely new from every slight change in perspective. Because of this, I'll have to continue the story of this outing in several other posts.

2009-04-13T23:23:00.002-04:00

Empanadas
Empanadas seem to have been the theme of last weeks cocina. Often, when I'm running from one place to another, the easiest (and tastiest) solution is to grab an empanada from any small panadería in town. Until now, I never had considered just how easy they are to concoct.

The diversity of empanadas in Chile is pretty slim. Typically you won't find much more than ham y queso or empanadas de pino (a oniony-beefy mix that always, without fail, contains exactly half an egg and one olive (with pit)). For the empanadas pictured, the filling was pretty basic: a mix of vegetables, caramelized onion, and pollo. Sadly, though I bought the exact amount needed, I forgot to throw the individual olives into the mix. Later attempts at empanada mastery included a roquefort, spinach, and choclo version, and later, some desert empanadas (banana, frutilla, apple, with sauces of either manjar or chocolate).

The masa is extremely simple. Water, flour, and a bit of shortening. We also brushed a bit of egg-whites onto the finished products to help brown the top. I think I've found a new staple to my South American diet.

2009-04-13T09:32:00.003-04:00

Cerro Santa Lucia
In the middle of the historic center of Santiago, the 6 lane road splits around the green island of Cerro Santa Lucia.

When a friend from Santiago mentioned that we we're walking toward a cerro (mountain), we all gave him a bit of flack, expecting a glorified bump with a couple trees.

Up a ways in the park, the cerro becomes an incredible mix of geology and architecture. Although the cerro had been used as a lookout point since the days of the conquistadores, the impressive Fuerte Hidalgo was constructed in 1820. In 1872, many additions to the initial structure along with the overall design of the park were completed by architect, Manuel Aldunate.

Ellie flawlessly navigating the slippery stairs.

2009-04-12T12:23:00.009-04:00

El Naturista
It is surprisingly difficult to eat well in a country in which the biggest players in the diet are bread and mayonese. El Naturista makes an attempt. Their biggest is success is real juice (carrot, kiwi, papaya, etc.) as opposed to the powder packets or pure nectar which I normally encounter.

Radiohead

2009-04-11T09:40:00.002-04:00

This is long overdue. Two weekends ago I went to a Radiohead concert in Santiago. I bought my ticket last minute with the intention of going the first night, but I ended up going to both shows and having an incredible experience. These two shows were the last of Radiohead´s first tour in Central and South America.

The first night I went Saila, who is studying in Santiago. The show was great. I feel like Radiohead understood how rare of an opportunity this was for people in South America, and so they had a set list that was essentially a "greatest hits compilation." Forgive me for the photo quality. Ye ol´point n´click was the best option of camera for the weekend.

Some interesting architectural lighting on the late trip home.

The next day I met Will and Andrew (two alums from Middlebury who I had already run into a month earlier in Bariloche). Without tickets, we arrived 6 hours before the doors opened (along with the large majority of the concert-goers). Out on the street, we made stencil t-shirts.

Being persistent, and a little annoying, we were able to use Will´s asthma as an excuse (I´m not sure either how that makes sense) to be let into the "golden section," only about 100 feet from the stage. A great concert and great onda (vibe) in the crowd.

Nos Vemos Pronto

2009-04-10T04:27:00.003-04:00

The internet is back!.. but it's 4:30 and I'm headed to Mendoza in 2 hours more. No time to post some things that I've had on the back-burners, but I will soon. But first, this long weekend. Happy Semana Santa. Full speed ahead.
*photo: Misha Belikov, off at the gun for my high school 4x4 team.

Technical Difficulties

2009-04-09T10:44:00.004-04:00

My house in Chile has a horrible love-hate relationship with the internet. Sometimes it´s working surprisingly well, and others, not so much. Now is one of those times of ¨not so much.¨ Hopefully it will come back soon. Many times when I have mentioned ways we might be able to try fix this problem to a Chilean, they instantly blame the company or decide it must be a problem with the cables...

2009-04-06T21:36:00.003-04:00

I really like the idea of how abstract forms, like clouds, can remind people of extremely specific objects. Sometime, it can be something way to specific... and random. I'm not sure why, but the moment I saw this piece of driftwood I instantly thought of Ötzi the "iceman", the frozen mummy found in the Italian Dolomites.

The Dunes of Con Con

2009-04-06T12:28:00.003-04:00

The coastline of Valparaiso Bay is divided into several different sectors. From the south, they are: Playa Ancha, Valparaiso, Viña del Mar, Reñaca, and Con Con. From my house (in Playa Ancha), I can see the large dunes rising up on the farthest visible point in Con Con. I finally visited them this weekend.

The dunes are like an erratic, plopped down between the cities of Reñaca and Con Con. It´s extremely easy just to hop off the bus and start climbing. From the highway, it´s a short climb to the top, and from there they descend all the way to the ocean (on a steep slope ideal for sandboarding), ending at a rocky viewpoint.

Casas in Cerro Alegre

2009-04-06T01:33:00.003-04:00

In complete contrast to the black and white stencil graffiti in Cerro Alegre, the houses in this area (along with most of Valpo) are painted in some of the brightest colors imaginable. All of the houses below were sandwiched together in this order in a small alleyway.

On the other side of the alley from the houses is a bright yellow wall. Even the bathtubs are colorful.

Stencils in Cerro Alegre

2009-04-04T23:32:00.004-04:00

Valparaiso is divided into several cerros (mountains) branching up from the ocean. Though there is a ton of graffiti throughout the city, Cerro Alegre, part of the area made a UNESCO world heritage site, definitely has some of the best stencil art that I have seen.

After seeing this stencil, I could not resist humming Kraftwerk's "The Man Machine."

Many of the stencils are inspired by famous photos or movies. This one is from Melies' "A Trip to The Moon."

And this one (definitely my favorite) is from "Leon: The Professional."

Manuel

2009-04-03T23:04:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, sprinting back to my house after realizing I had forgotten something, I met Manuel. He was hanging out on my street, leaning on his large rusty pipe like a walking staff, and leisurely sifting through cardboard boxes (there is no recycling system for cardboard in Chile).
I couldn't resist trying to talk to him. Manuel has lived in Valparaiso for his entire life, and though he has not left, he can't imagine a better place to be.
A really friendly guy, and a really enormous hat.

If you are interested in really great "found-people" photos like this, you should definitely check out the blog of my friend Foster.

Playa Ancha Coastline

2009-04-02T16:15:00.002-04:00

I had some time to kill before class, so I meandered down to the coastline directly below the University. Slightly hidden beneath the highway, I found a some sort of dilapidated resort sandwiched between where the tiny beach ends and where the rocky shore begins. The bright graffiti seemed to be the only life left in the abandoned structures. Like me, the only other people I saw seemed to be wandering without agenda, using this place that once must have been a crowded and social place as means to get away and be alone.

-ZZA

2009-03-30T23:16:00.003-04:00

Last week I made some cena with Mallory. While meandering the supermarket, through some sort of divine intervention, we came upon a premade pizza crust stranded in the cheese section. I'm not sure how I had not even considered pizza as an option for some home-cooking. Pizza is popular in Chile, but it typically involves cheese-singles and large slices of ham. Not exactly gourmet (with a hard "t").
Great dinner. Next step is to make my own dough. Still haven't spotted any levadura (yeast) in the supermercardo.

With this dinner still fresh in my mind and my gut, pizza seemed like a great option for one of the nights with Andrew and Will this past weekend. Hoping a little competition would enhance the flavor sensations, we seperated into teams.

The Competitors:

"A Taste is Worth a MILLION Words" : Evan and Anna

"The Onda (A Radiohead Fan Floating Amoung the Palta Waves)" : Andrew and Will

Snagging a bite.

Judges Table

"New" Camera

2009-03-30T10:36:00.002-04:00

Jen just visited Brad for spring break, providing me with the perfect opportunity with some free shipping from the states. In her carry-on she carried my parents antiquated point and click camera. An old Canon ELPH. Though I had to find a new battery charger in Chile (proving more expensive than what the camera is probably worth), it's awesome to have a small camera that I don't have to worry about as much as my SLR. When I turned it on, the camera tried to set the date as 2002. This might not seem that long ago, but camera technology has come a long way in seven years.
In the spirit of old technology, here's a short clip (as long as the camera will record) of Kraftwer playing in Santiago this past weekend.
For this song, they replaced the 4 band members with animatronic robots on stage (which surpisingly moved even more than the musicians ever did throughout the whole show).

Valle Casablanca

2009-03-28T21:34:00.002-04:00

Just got back from two nights of Radiohead in Santiago (more on that soon). Today, returning from Santiago, we bussed through Valle Casablanca.
The Valle has cold misty nights and extremely hot sunny days, ideal for the cultivation of white wine grapes. A couple weeks back I visited toured two vineyards while my parents were visiting Valparaiso. Beautiful place.

The Maitencillo Cabaña

2009-03-25T10:41:00.003-04:00

Hotels are surprisingly hard to come by in Maitencillo. Rather, when people travel there for summer they typically rent out a cabaña for their stay.

Our group (of nine) arrived without any reservations or plan, only with the knowledge that (with no visible cajeros automaticos) our wallets were thin and weren´t about to change. Anna had done some research and encountered fairly high prices (around 90.000 CLP was one of the best we encountered). We were prepared to haggle.

When we arrived, we decided to shoot from the hip and go for one of the nicer cabañas we had seen, a series of thatch-roof huts climbing a beach-side hill reminiscent of something from Robinson Crusoe (above). Before the owner arrived to let us in and give us a quote, the group huddled like a team before a big game. "Aim low!" "Don´t give in!" We were ready to fight.

We decided on 60.000 CLP as the goal. From a distance, we saw the owner approaching along the sidewalk. Anticipation for the battle was definitely growing. She had barely begun describing the cabaña before one of us demanded to know the quote.

"50.000," she casually responded, before continuing in her description. Our shoulders slumped. The battle was lost. We were officially returned to bush-league gringo status.

Though the rest of us had already surrendered, Sam made a valient attempt, cutting in, "but we´re students!" "And this price is cheap," the owner instantly countered. Nail in the coffin.

I guess we underestimated how much the prices drop slightly after peak season.

Though our first large group effort at haggling failed miserably, we gained an incredible cabaña for the evening.

Beautiful views, a large deck, and we took full advantage of the kitchen, turning out a mac n´cheese feast later that night.

Josh on the balcony.

Ellie doing some number warrior.

Mallory`s hands laboring over the mac.

Though this looks like something out of Apocalypse Now, Maitencillo was completely quiet and peaceful at night.

Flowers in Maitencillo

2009-03-24T00:16:00.002-04:00

Before I left for Maitencillo this past weekend, I read another blog that described the town as a "flower-lovers' paradise." I figure I should follow suit.

Pebre

2009-03-23T11:03:00.005-04:00

Pebre is a salsa that typically accompanies bread before any meal in a Chilean restaurant.
It's pretty freaking good.

Una Receta:
Yield: Makes about 2/3 cup

Ingredients:

4 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
1 chopped tomato
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Preparation:

Combine first 3 ingredients in a bowl. Cover and let stand 30 minutes; drain. Add the remaining ingredients. *from Coastal Living, November 2003

Beautiful Graffiti

2009-03-20T19:10:00.004-04:00

Much of the Graffiti in Valparaiso is incredible. Often, unlike the paint-marker scribbles that I often think of as graffiti, the graffiti here is more like a mural. Though the contents is often similar to graffiti-art, there are sometimes visible brush strokes over the typical spray can, and other signs of the obvious care and time that went into the work.

This graffiti can humanize and grant some personality to the concrete city,

or even blend well with a location held by a more natural beauty.

Found this one en la red.

Projection Art is Awesome

2009-03-19T21:06:00.004-04:00

New TV spot for Puma's L.I.F.T. designed by Zaha Hadid.

Projection Bombing by Graffiti Research Lab.

21

2009-03-19T01:18:00.004-04:00

No better way to start your 21st year than waking up after too late a night to find cake for breakfast. My host mother in Chile is incredible.

How is he not being electricuted?

2009-03-17T20:02:00.000-04:00

A Sunny Day on Playa Reñaca Sector 6

2009-03-16T20:40:00.001-04:00

My first day surfing.

2009-03-15T22:45:00.004-04:00

Today was my first day ever surfing. Chile has some huge surf. It's probably time to buy a board and begin a surf-bum lifestyle.

A Dog and His Toys

2009-03-15T22:16:00.003-04:00

This dog was feasting alongside me at a outdoor cafe in Maitencillo. He seemed happy. Why Judge?

4 Amigos

2009-03-13T17:56:00.004-04:00

Rarely do I finish a trip with many group photos. With the help of tripod and friendly people it's great to have completed this past trip with some great photos of the 4 of us.

Today's Omelette: El Mex

2009-03-13T13:51:00.002-04:00

Yesterday's Omelette

2009-03-13T13:48:00.000-04:00

La Isla Santa Magdalena

2009-03-01T23:21:00.004-05:00

Weekend..

2009-02-08T12:06:00.003-05:00

This past weekend was quite eventful... look forward to posts on the new light show at the ddc (Danish Design Center), a fiberglass church, an abandon farm/manor we snuck into in the snow, how I was invited to Copenhagen fashion week for free by the owner of a great danish fashion label called philosophy blues original and maybe a few more.

Unfortunately, my internet is not good enough in my apartment in Copenhagen to to upload pictures otherwise I would start posting some of these adventures now... (I am staling internet... beggars can't be choosers). Keep checking this blog for the aforementioned stories with pictures...

From Copenhagen,

Abe

Catch-up

2009-02-06T07:52:00.003-05:00

Hola
just arrived in santiago yesterday at 3 am. 3 flights down through el salvador and lima. the beaches in el salvador looked gorgeous from the air. hopefully i'll get the opportunity to check those out in the relative future. techno music on the airplanes whenever we landed. fly taca if you like to dance.
well, it's hot as hell here, and i'm about to jump a plane to colder climes, but this time farther south. punta arenas, along the strait of magellan.

yo abe. how you doin?

City of Your Dreams

2009-02-03T01:20:00.002-05:00

For the past month I was in a pretty funky art class. We learned to blow glass and then, using blown pieces and recycled bottles, formed a large city in 1/48 scale.

Ice Climbing

2009-02-03T00:19:00.002-05:00

I only manage to go ice climbing about once a year, but each time I walk out with an incredible experience and too many photos. A beautiful day, and no screaming barfies.

Copenhagen

2009-02-02T07:53:00.000-05:00

Test: I am always a sucker for reflections and transparencies

Patagonia's Ideal Uses

2009-01-24T13:54:00.000-05:00

Go to the Patagonia online store.

Find any product, and check out the "ideal uses" section of the product details.

In addition to the outdoor activity which the product might be made for, Patagonia makes sure to inform us of the many possibilities.

If you have ever wanted a perfect guide to outdoor lifestyle, this might be it.

Some of my favorite Ideal Uses:

-Splitting a Bottle of Red at the Climber's Ranch

-Café Loitering in La Rochelle

-Farmer's Market

-Going for Maximum Frontside Vertical

-Ice Fishing

-Late-season Berry Picking

-Slacklining

-Riding Ferries

-Woodworking

-Fireside Jam Session

-Board Repair

-Touring Monasteries in Ladakh

-Seashell Collecting

-Visiting the Botanical Gardens

-Chilly Morning Surf Checks

-Peace Rally

-Irish Coast Walkabouts

-Pubcrawling

-Harvesting Grapes

and of course what seems to be the most common Ideal Use...

-Around Town