ilivetotravel's travel log

A Propos of Earthquakes

As I have written elsewhere in this blog, I missed the Chile earthquake of Feb 2010 by a day and a half.  How lucky of me!   Our company did not allow us to return for 3 weeks and in those 3 weeks the more powerful aftershocks took place so I also missed those mercifully since I was staying usually at floor 20 and above at the Santiago Marriott during my stay in Santiago…  I did experience a few smaller aftershocks most of which I was too busy/carried away with work to realize they were taking place except people would point it out.

This week’s Virginia quake, therefore, took me back to Chile and even my childhood in Puerto Rico where we did experience quakes like the one that just struck Virginia this past week.  I knew what to do, I knew to worry but not panic, etc.  But what I had forgotten was the rumble of the building as it shook – it is an eerie sound and many a person in Chile told me that was the worst part of the very long earthquake in February, more than the shaking itself.

Here are some of my pix from the damage in Santiago…  Worth saying that these are only from the Centro.  I did not see or capture damage outside of that area (I wasn’t hunting for it, most of these were near work!).  Also, it is worth noting that these buildings are old and built before serious earthquake-safety codes were developed and implemented.  Newer structures fared better.

August 27th, 2011 Posted by Raul | Chile, Latin America, Random Thoughts... | no comments

A Year On… A Final Trip to Chile

It will almost be a year to the day since I traveled to Chile for the first time in 18 yrs.  I was expecting an infrequent trip there in the year to follow due to work but a couple of months in, the game changed and I got to practically be based in Santiago for most of 2010.  The surprise was pleasant for the most part, except I had not planned to live far from home for so long, even if I did get to come home for long weekends at least twice every month.  Now, I have one more trip down to Chile of a few weeks before this chapter of my life closes…

It is important to note that I had wanted to stay in Chile back then in 1991.  I enjoyed life there SO much.  But without too much on my resume yet, being “too green”, and no easy way to figure things out (no Internet!), I just went back to the U.S. when the assignment ended.

Seeing Santiago after 18 years was a strange experience.  I was able to recognize places from my life those 3 months around 1990-91 (my apt building, work, Brannigan’s on Calle Suecia, the McDs by Parque Arauco where I used to go eat after playing racquetball, and the old parts of town among others).  But, of course, 18 yrs in a good economic climate bring about lots of change.  I recall back then a skyline littered with cranes of high rises being built.  Well, by now, I am happy to report they finished the buildings… and then some!  Sanhattan did not exist when I was there – not in its current form, at least.  The area around Parque Arauco and Parque Arauco itself have been developed beyond recognition.  I got to re-connect with friends from those days there and while their lives of course had changed, the friends were pretty much as I remembered them (physically and personality-wise).

I got to sample numerous excellent restaurants from a list built up by recommendations from a couple of choice people who clearly know food.  I have hit just about every recommendation except for some.  By now, with 3 weeks left in my assignment, I am more interested in eating at my favorite places than discovering new ones.  Tiramisu and Cuero Vaca (http://www.cuerovaca.cl/) rank up there in my book (good eats!).  I will be eating there again for sure!   [Check out this review of Tiramisu at the NYT:  http://tinyurl.com/2fcbum7]

Of course, I got to be in Chile on or around key events in its national history:  the earthquake of February 27, the national elections that made history, the trapped miners, the bicentennial (bicentenario), and the national soccer team making it to the 2nd round in the World Cup.  Wow, what timing, don’t you agree??

I got to sample the Atacama desert, hop over the Andes to Mendoza, and explore more of Valparaíso.  Hopefully, before I return, I will also get to see Patagonia and the key sights down there – Torres del Paine, the Magellan Straits by Punta Arenas, the Perito Moreno glacier, and a few other sights.  Places left to see or see again include Valdivia, Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas and neighboring towns along the area, and the lakes crossing of the Andes to reach Bariloche.  Had work stretched into January, I would have been able to add them to my “itinerary”.  But with work wrapping up mid-December, I only had time for one destination before coming home for Christmas.  So I think I chose well with the trip to Tierra del Fuego.

Now, I need to focus on the hardest week of work in the whole year, then stabilize things before I move on.  I am thankful God granted me the opportunity to return to a land that I love and to have made it for a long stint so that I got to internalize it all.  Now, I am ready to leave Chile behind knowing I can always come “home” but ready to focus on my life in my real home…

November 27th, 2010 Posted by Raul | Chile, Latin America | one comment

My Return to Santiago Post-Earthquake

I left Santiago the Thursday before the incredible events of that Saturday morning in late February 2010.  As I woke up that Saturday morning at home, I looked at my Blackberry and I had a news alert about an 8.8 earthquake in Chile.  My heart stopped.  I had just left there.  I have friends and co-workers there.  Immediately I turned on the TV to hear about what had happened.  Was Santiago heavily impacted?  Were my friends OK?  I also set up shop with my laptop getting Chilean local TV (thank you Internet).  Between the US-based news network and the local Chilean one on my PC, I had a good amount of info coming in.  I sat like that for the majority of that Saturday taking every bit of info in.  (I was exhausted and over-stimulated by the end of the day.)

I slowly gathered that Santiago had mostly been spared, though heavily shaken.  I learned about the destruction in Concepción, Talcahuano and other places that I have not visited.  I heard about the tsunami and I heard the news clip of the Chilean President saying “there was no tsunami concerns” (this info she was given, she didn’t make it up).  Eventually, I finally began to hear from friends and co-workers.  Everyone seemed to be fine.  But, in a way, they were not.  Most seemed very shaken (figuratively).  Aftershocks continued to happen, some of them didn’t feel safe in the buildings they were at, water and power cuts were going on, etc.

My ex-pat co-workers finally were gotten out of the country a few days later via a chartered flight to Buenos Aires.  The stories of the shaking they experienced that night were pretty incredible and scary.  The shaking lasted anywhere between 3 and 4 minutes.  Some could not stay standing up during it.  The worst, I am told, was the noise while the shaking was happening…

So, after some weeks of travel freeze, we were allowed to go back to Chile by our company.  I wanted to go and see everyone but I was not sure how I would feel when aftershocks occurred.  We landed in Santiago and, as expected, the jetway was not operable so we deplaned the old-fashioned way and were taken by bus to the immigration area.  You could see the damage to the false ceiling and things like that.  Once we cleared customs, we had to walk to a tent area on the parking lot to get to the taxi area.  The taxi area had been moved partly due to the collapse of a pedestrian bridge in the departures area right above where taxis normally wait on line for arrivals.

Driving into the city to go to the hotel, I did not notice damage.  Once at the hotel, some damage was still in evidence in the atrium glass ceiling.  Upon closer inspection I could see small cracks in different parts of the building.  But, it did not seem there had been much damage (I should say, by the time I arrived).  Once I went towards the city center, where the offices are, the damage was more visible as that is an older part of town that probably predates building codes that kept many Chileans alive through the earthquake and the many subsequent aftershocks.  A lot of the plaster outside of buildings had cracked or fallen, including in our own building.  In some cases, walls bulged or cracked.  At work, the cracks were quite evident all through the building.  Saddest of all was seeing the damage to the church on the Plaza Yungay near our favorite “sanguïchería” (Chilean-style sandwich sandwich shop).  The cracks are everywhere and especially near the base of the belltower.  It is not a magnificent church, just an old local church that I find charming.

Quake Damage near Work

In the 2 weeks I spent there I felt one aftershock, though there had been a few.  They were all small so probably the reason I didn’t feel them – but the locals did.  Invariably at different moments, people would ask “did you feel it?”  And I would go “feel what?”  “La réplica” (the aftershock).  The only one I felt (a reasonable 4.5) I felt only because a co-worker I was with said “can you feel it?  it is shaking” as he pointed as his computer flat-screen monitor.  I told him “that’s because I am writing on your desk and moving it some”.  He then pointed to the window blinds, surely not impacted by my writing movements, and yes, they were moving.  It lasted like 30 seconds and was not much of anything but it was a reminder, once more, of the recent events.  I realized that the locals having gone through that incredible earthquake have now a heightened sensitivity that I, not having been there, do not have.  The stories of the weeks after the earthquake were about the constant aftershocks, many of them not trivial, like the one I felt.  I remember being in calls with folks in Chile in the 3 weeks after the quake and at random times, they would go “hold on, it is shaking”.  Some times they would resume talking, sometimes they would say, “we are leaving the room, it is a strong one”.

I left Chile yesterday.  Firstly, I hope Chile is spared more quakes other than the small aftershocks.  Actually, I hope they are spared even those.  They have had enough.  Secondly, I hope Chileans recognize that their seriousness about code and having responsible governments has paid off in saved lives, in lower damage and repairs needed, and it mental peace about their safety.  Thirdly, I am glad I did not go through the 8.8 as I don’t know how I would have handled it.  And finally, I can’t wait to get back to such an awesome place and hope that those who have not been to Chile and explored its beauty still try do so and don’t let fear of tremors keep them from going…

April 10th, 2010 Posted by Raul | Chile, Latin America | no comments

Diverse Experiences and Observations about the Ancash Region of Perú

Sometimes things lead you to the unexpected.  And the unexpected turns out to be a pleasant – very pleasant - surprise.  As part of my work trip to Perú, I went to the Ancash region to do field visits to witness our work and meet the locals with whom my organization worked.  Besides the incredible insights I have gained from a work standpoint, I also gained a sense of how diverse Perú - and the world - are!

A Wild and Crazy Bus Ride

To get to Huaraz, the capital of the Ancash region, an 8 hr bus ride is needed (unless you happen upon the rare flight to the landing strip close to Huaraz).  The bus ride starts with magnificent scenery driving through an ocean-side desert north of Lima.  Beautiful yet different than any ocean-side drive I have done, except maybe going from Santiago, Chile to La Serena.

The road from Lima to Huaraz starts out next to the Pacific before turning inland

The road turns inland and the route crosses some mountain ranges that separate Huaraz from the ocean.  Crossing these mountains, of course, yields nice views and also some mildly scary moments due to the drop-offs from the road down to the abysses (and the sometimes lacking guard rails on the road).  Add to that a crazy style of driving buses at high speeds on mountain roads and the experience is most complete!   Check this very short clip of what the bus ride is like at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_6MMaKuiew.

Being an “Expert”

Unlike prior trips, in Huaraz, the focus of my work visits mercifully was not about entertaining the visitor, which can easily become how the local staff plans it, but about letting me see firsthand the work of our staff.   This was nice for a change, though I still got a lot of curious looks especially from children. I visited various government offices throughout the week I was in Huaraz. One of these was the regional president’s lieutenant’s office who was sort of excited about an American being there and sent me to the regional tourism director to share “my opinions” with her. They were very keen on hearing an outsider’s view of the possibilities here for tourism.  I found myself –again- being asked for my opinion on something I am not an expert at, but –again- I felt compelled to talk as if. I told them the truth which is that the land in the Ancash region (where Huaraz is) is quite spectacular and any traveler would enjoy the natural beauty of the area.

Diversity in the Natural Beauty of Perú

The Ancash region is different than the regions around Puno in that the latter are the “altiplano”, the high altitude plains where the lands seems to not end. Here, it is somewhat lush but not overly so; lots of mountains, canyons, rivers with lots of mini-rapids, and mountains whose sides are a vertical sheet of rock (and these are couple of thousand feet high from the altitude at which I am at). Switzerland, for example, is not as impressive in the landscape when compared to this region.

Bathing Habits for You and Me

I visited a community (called Buenos Aires) where sewage lines were being installed by the town and households were being helped to build a real bathroom not just a latrine.  The engineer, who was supporting the homeowners in deciding what to build and where, asked the man of a particular house how often they showered and he said maybe every other day.  Sounded reasonable, since they don’t have indoor showers, and since it is cold weather due to the altitude (and, hence, cold water).  Then another man piped up and said “well, maybe once a week”.  After some silence, another man owned up “well, maybe not even that frequently”.  Yes, that was indeed diversity in bathing habits from what I do…

The main plaza of the town of Buenos Aires under threatening skies

Witnessing a Land of Tragedy

On my one day off, I got to visit the Laguna Llanganuco which is really two lagoons nested in a narrow canyon between the massive Mt. Huascaran and its neighbor peak. The setting between those two peaks is narrow yet magnificent. As we approached, my driver explained to me that in the 1970 earthquake (that killed half the population in Huaraz), a chunk of the mountain broke off. You can actually see this – it is a massive area; hard to gauge from below but easily 500 ft. tall. Well, that chunk would have normally fallen into a canyon towards the base of the mountain. This chunk was not only rock but part of the glacier covering the mountain at the time. It came town with such strength that it fell in the canyon and bounced OUT of the canyon wall and downhill straight into the town on Yungay. This town was obliterated and today the part where the town was is fenced in into a park called Campo Santo (Holy Ground). So many died and so complete was the destruction that the area was made into a burial ground and memorial. The town was rebuilt a couple of kilometers away. It is a very sad piece of history in the region. The mountain stands there as a reminder and the driver told me geologists say that there is a significant crack in the part of the peak that remains and that, at some point, that will come down too…

Around the laguna. Love the colors

Laguna Llanganuco, next to Mt. Huascarán

On the Lighter Side… 

Here are some observations/experiences/odds and ends:

-      I found a tiny restaurant near the hotel and work run by a Belgian and his Peruvian wife. I ate most lunches and dinners there; he is an incredible chef and everything is fresh (he makes the pasta, sausages, pies, flavored pisco drinks, etc.).  There is a cast of regulars (to which I belonged temporarily) and it was really nice to go somewhere during this type of trip and be known and get to “catch up” with folks. The owners are very generous and friendly and I sampled most of the flavored piscos with my favorite being the “ginger vanilla” [good drinks] one.

-      I have noticed in Puno and Huaraz how much construction there is going on. You see a house that is finished with a second story going up. That is, you see the re-bar going up on the second story.  Or you see half walls on the second story. I noted to someone how impressive this construction boom is. I was informed that actually many houses are like that for a long time. Owners do bits and pieces of the expansion as the money comes in and it can take a couple of years before they get to finish.

-      I went to the corn and chirimoya (fruit) festival in Huari where I was offered the local, special occasion delicacy of the town: roasted cat. No worries, I drew my line at guinea pig!

-      I didn’t try cat but I did try at my friend’s restaurant a drink made of fermented potato. It is one of the grossest-smelling things I have decided to taste. I closed up my nose and drank. It actually was OK – as long as you didn’t breathe when the glass was within a foot of your nose. The aftertaste wasn’t particularly pleasant but the upside is that it is loaded with penicillin so it probably killed all the bacteria gathered during the day.

-      As a reminder of the geologically active zone I am in, every now and then on a road you see a sign that proudly announces “Geological Fault 100m Ahead”.  Pleasant thought as you drive on the cliffside roads around here!  Usually the road is interrupted when you cross these faults. Makes sense.

-      On our way out of town there is a guarded complex with walls that are between 2 and 3 stories to protect the complex and with guard houses at each corner of the complex. A sign in front of it prohibits parking within X meters from the main gate. The third time passing by it, I ventured asking if it was a jail or a military base. I was told no. It is a site where the local breweries store their beer. Talk about national assets and security!  I love it.

-      One of my favorites scenes and scents in the countryside are the eucalyptus trees that cover many hillsides. They add a grayish green color to very green landscapes and when you drive close enough to them the smell is just wonderful. I wonder if I can grow them in Atlanta. It can be very cold and hot here so, maybe??

-      Coffee here is served as an extract (liquid). You are then to add hot water to it. Well, no one had told me and I had written off coffee here as pretty bad until I learned… It is actually quite good.

-      The hotel is one of the few buildings in the town with an elevator. The rooftop terrace has an incredible view of Mt. Huascaran (one of the tallest mountains in the western hemisphere) and its neighbors.  I love going in the morning and at dusk to see the sights.

-      Internet connectivity is available just about everywhere except the most remote mountain communities. There are Internet cafes just about every corner (I do not exaggerate). I also have had Blackberry access even outside of the towns. Sometimes I have been surprised how far away from towns I can be and still have access.

-      I stand by the comments about how great the people are here. Time and again, I get more and more evidence of this.

December 17th, 2008 Posted by Raul | Latin America, Peru | one comment