Hola Viña!

Our first day in Chile was awesome, aside from the less-than-desirable rainy weather. Nevertheless, we made the most of it and saw some great sights. After landing in Santiago and paying our "entry reciprocity fee" to Chile, we were directed through customs and security. Our trip advisor, Dr. Abad, and Javier, one of the Chilean students at the Universidad de Santa Maria, met us at the airport and helped us exchange some US dollars for Chilean pesos- $1 for approx. 450 Chilean pesos- an interesting and confusing exchange rate! After that, we took a coach bus from Santiago to Viña del Mar. The sights along the way were great, but nothing beat the breathtaking view once we arrived to the Valparaiso region!

The view driving into Viña del Mar, Chile

After unloading our luggage, we checked in as a group to Hotel America, our humble abode for the next 2 weeks. It is quite different from the luxorious hotels we have back home in the States, but very quaint! There are 3-4 of us to a room. We all have our own beds and private bathrooms which is great. After unpacking a bit, we went as a group to a local Mexican restaurant called Tiki Taco- by far the best Mexican food I have ever had! The service was fantastic and the food was incredible and really authentic. We all enjoyed a nice, long meal with some great conversation.

Dinner at Tiki Taco

Alli and I enjoying fajitas con pollo y bistec!

Following dinner, we met Javier and his little brother back at the hotel and they escorted us to a local fútbol game! Even though it rained the majority of the time, it was really exciting- and to make things better, team Viña made an incredible comeback to win the match 3-2 against San Marco, a rival team from Northern Chile. The fútbol culture was unlike anything I have ever seen, and to be honest, makes American football fans look pretty lame. The crowd truly never stopped cheering.

Viña vs. San Marco

On our walk back from the stadium, we stopped at a local supermarket to buy some bottled water and snacks before arriving back at Hotel America. We're going out now for a quick bite to eat and drink before heading to bed- we have a full day tomorrow, consisting of a 7:00 am wake up call and a trip to the Universidad! I'm looking forward to meeting more of the Chilean students and seeing the campus. That's all for now. Buenas noches!