Dia 23 del proyecto
Valparaiso, Chile
To my beloved San Francisco,
I have missed you, my beautiful city on the bay. Your hills, fog, Victorian architecture, colorful streets and curious characters. I promised you my heart many years ago and you have faithfully kept it enamored.
My fair city, I have a confession to make. I have fallen in love with another city. It is not the first time my heart has been led astray. Barcelona captured my heart before you, with its hills and the sea. Architectural greats like Gaudi and artists like Miro. Friendly Catalonians who indulged my Spanish. Perhaps I should not be so surprised. These cities with their old, deep souls call out to me as I meander through their narrow streets. Rich stories emerge from a simple tag or worn cobblestones.
July 30, 2014
July 28, 2014
South American desert dreams
Dia 21 del proyecto,
Entre San Pedro de Atacama y Valparaiso, Chile
Many people consider deserts to be barren and boring. Lifeless with strange plants and few visible animals. It is easy to dismiss, especially in northern Chile, the landscape as such. But to do so would be to miss some of the most spectacular terrain on this planet.
The Atacama desert is enormous--it spans about a third of northern Chile, a decent chunk of northwestern Argentina, most of Bolivia and all of southern Peru. It is the driest desert on earth, with many places never recording rainfall in the history of (western) civilization. The ground ranges from the peaks of the Andes to the altiplano, or high plane, to enormous sand dunes. Vegetation can be standard cactus to clumps of indigenous grasses designed to withstand the incredibly dry conditions.
In spite of the dryness, the Atacama is a geologist's dream. Salt is prevalent in nearly every area; crystals form in various patterns from traditional salt pans to fields that look like the top of an apple crumble. Lithium, copper and nitrates are also found in huge quantities and are mined by all four countries. Volcanoes dot the mountain-scape, with the active ones occasionally sending up a puff of gas as a reminder of their presence.
Entre San Pedro de Atacama y Valparaiso, Chile
Many people consider deserts to be barren and boring. Lifeless with strange plants and few visible animals. It is easy to dismiss, especially in northern Chile, the landscape as such. But to do so would be to miss some of the most spectacular terrain on this planet.
The Atacama desert is enormous--it spans about a third of northern Chile, a decent chunk of northwestern Argentina, most of Bolivia and all of southern Peru. It is the driest desert on earth, with many places never recording rainfall in the history of (western) civilization. The ground ranges from the peaks of the Andes to the altiplano, or high plane, to enormous sand dunes. Vegetation can be standard cactus to clumps of indigenous grasses designed to withstand the incredibly dry conditions.
In spite of the dryness, the Atacama is a geologist's dream. Salt is prevalent in nearly every area; crystals form in various patterns from traditional salt pans to fields that look like the top of an apple crumble. Lithium, copper and nitrates are also found in huge quantities and are mined by all four countries. Volcanoes dot the mountain-scape, with the active ones occasionally sending up a puff of gas as a reminder of their presence.
July 24, 2014
Winter beach bunny
Dia 18 del proyecto
Entre de Iquique y San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
After a day in Iquique, Chile, I learned three things:
1. Jack Johnson's biggest fan base is not in Maui, but in a South American beach hostel.
2. Winter in South America along the Pacific is the same as summer in San Francisco--foggy but good waves.
3. A day alternating between naps, reading and walking along the beach is needed to break up two very long and intense bursts of plane/bus rides.
Entre de Iquique y San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
After a day in Iquique, Chile, I learned three things:
1. Jack Johnson's biggest fan base is not in Maui, but in a South American beach hostel.
2. Winter in South America along the Pacific is the same as summer in San Francisco--foggy but good waves.
3. A day alternating between naps, reading and walking along the beach is needed to break up two very long and intense bursts of plane/bus rides.
July 21, 2014
Foodie report #1 - Peru
Dia 14 del proyecto
Aeropuerto de La Paz, Bolivia
It is no secret within the foodie community that Lima is a fast-rising star. The globally renowned chef, Gaston Acurio, became famous for elevating his country's cuisine onto the international stage. The expansion of the elegant cevicheria, La Mar, to San Francisco and New York, introduced the world to Peruvian-style fine dining. I've been to the one in SF several times and was excited to taste more of what the country had to offer.
Aeropuerto de La Paz, Bolivia
It is no secret within the foodie community that Lima is a fast-rising star. The globally renowned chef, Gaston Acurio, became famous for elevating his country's cuisine onto the international stage. The expansion of the elegant cevicheria, La Mar, to San Francisco and New York, introduced the world to Peruvian-style fine dining. I've been to the one in SF several times and was excited to taste more of what the country had to offer.
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