Salida del Terreno

For our class about Chilean culture we had a mandatory field trip this past weekend. We visited Isla Negra and one of Pablo Neruda's houses, Las Cruces and Pomaire. It was a very full day and at first I was not excited about it at all, but by the end of the day I had completely changed my attitude and had enjoyed every minute of it.

Our first stop was Isla Negra, an adorable beach town about two hours from Santiago. There we visited the poet Pablo Neruda's house which was turned into a museum after he died. The house is right on the beach and is built to resemble a ship. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but I got a few of the outside. Quite picturesque. This is the cafe next to the museum.

This was Pablo Neruda's dining room. My dad would absolutely love this house.
This is me with some friends by Pablo Neruda's tomb. It was such a beautiful day!
After the museum tour we began a three hour walk along a gorgeous beach to reach our next destination, Las Cruces. We paused for an hour to eat lunch and take a few pictures, like this one in which I am imitating Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
This is a picture of me and my friend Michaela about halfway through with our walk.
Here is a picture of the beach. I wish the photos captured the extent of how beautiful it was, but they really don't. The water was an incredibly brilliant and clear blue. It really reminded me of Northern California beaches.
This is me standing at Las Cruces, which is basically just a gorgeous vista point.

The view from another side, incredible.

Our next stop was the little town of Pomaire known specially for a specific kind of pottery. This is the oven where they do the firing. If you zoom in on the picture you can see that the oven is made out of mud and straw.
These are some of the beautiful finished products! It's such a simple craft, but it's very rustic and attractive, I think. Also very durable! Each one of these weighs far more than you would think.
This is Patricio, a friend of the professor's who did a demonstration for us. He made three bottles, a lamp and a piggie bank all in about ten minutes. He said that he learned just by watching, and that's how most people learn the craft.
This is a picture of the candleholder that the sculptor gave me. I thought it was a nice gesture, but according to the Chileans it's a little more than that...When I told my host family about it they said "Ahh, se enamoró!" Which means "He fell in love!"
I want to go back to Pomaire to get a pair for my candlestick holder, and maybe some presents for some people back home!