Today, the day started with the horrifying noise of shaky pipes. Possibly an earthquake? No, just the noise of the hotel’s hot water supply depleting...another shower-less morning. None the less, the group and I were ready for a 9:30 departure for Isle Negra to visit the home of the world-famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.
When rolling up at approximately 11 am, we were greeted to the area with wild packs of dogs, vandalized/graphittied buildings, and no sign of law enforcement; we were entering a very run down city. Moments after our arrival, we were informed that we had a 4 :00 pm appointment at the Neruda museum, meaning that we had 5 hours to spend in this dilapidated city….horrifying. So, we boarded the bus and drove around—actually, took multiple laps around the same buildings for about 30 minutes. After meandering on the bus, we ended up driving up a hill to the tomb of another (less famous) poet. Unfortunately, the tomb site was also vandalized and graffittied all over. To be honest, the city, environments, and stops were initially intimidating and frightening, but the whole experience turned out to be very positive and definitely eye opening.
After that 10-minute stop, we found a great restaurant that served things from steak—finally found a steak place—to seafood. We had scallops, mussels and our main entrees. Though continuing my streak of picking entrees that didn’t agree with my stomach or sense of smell, I still enjoyed the meal and trying something new.
After, we visited/glanced at the worlds biggest pool; it had an area of 20 acres with depths as high as 150 feet deep. It initially seems to be the perfect pass-time visit, but it turned out to be completely absent of water. But, to see such a huge man made body of water was incredible enough to make the trip out there worth it.
When we finished our trip to the pool, we finally went to the museum. To my surprise, Neruda’s house was incredible and modeled after the ocean and sailboats (low ceiling and small doors with things such as shells and other treasures from foreign travels). Such an amazing tour makes me want to learn more about Neruda’s career and his most famous works—if I spoke spanish and could understand his poems in Spanish, I would have bought a copy of one of his books.
Today was a day a messy scheduling and definitely weird events, but nonetheless it resulted in an amazing cultural experience that will most certainly not soon forget. Tomrrows plans: go to a soccer game!!
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