Friday, January 9, 2009

City Tour of Punta Arenas

The fifth day we were still in Punta Arenas, and we had a city tour. We went to the cementary, the port and the plaza of Punta Arenas. We first went to the cementary which was really different it wasn't your ordinary cemetary with grass and tombstones, it was quite odd. Everything was in gravel and in the front of the cementary were the big buildings (I forget the proper name for it) for the rich families that are buried beneath and all together. Lots of walkways were lined with huge cedar hedges. Here is what the family "shrines" looked like they were actually quite pretty (I would think they would have to be for how much money you would be paying for one). One family actually had a huge garden and gated it off and only in the month of November are vistors allowed to go into the garden.
The smaller (cheaper) burial grounds were quite different as well, most were above ground tombstones surrounded in cement or stone, and some were buried and if the family was vigilant enough they actually planted beautiful gardens. Some had a mixture of real and fake flowers, and some just stuck bright fake flowers in the dirt (This is Chile what can I say) They also had little shrine areas at the front. It would be covered by glass and the family could put Jesus, Virgin Mary, or a picture of the person, it was quite creepy sometimes of some of the things or pictures in the cases for everyone to see. There is also what looks like a wall of where cremated bodies would be, but it is actually tombs in the wall, and they also had "windows" of shrine areas, and one wall was devoted for children most died in the 70's and there was a bunch of toys and little kid ornaments in the window it was quite sad.
We stopped to overlook the port for a little while and there was a little stand of Peruvian people selling sweaters made from alpaca fur at a better deal compared to the stores around here. Although no one could understand them because of their accent, and the few missing teeth caused some speaking problems I am sure. The port kind of reminds me of Valparasio but without the hill.
We then went to the plaza to go to the feria, and most of us kissed the foot in the plaza. When you kiss it you are supposed to have good luck, and you can see many people do kiss it with the toes being all bronze again, maybe this is the reason why so many people got sick after this trip. Across the street there was a colonial house that we went into, but I totally forget the history behind it, I was distracted by to much english and some of the exchange students were playing the piano while the tour guide was talking in spanish (What do you think I would rather listen too). Later after dinner we all went back into the plaza and hang about, and I was able to climb up on the statue and kiss the indian on the top (double luck I am not sure) and the meanwhile we had gringos filming the staue while I was trying to hide from it eventually I did "salud" the camera just how rotary taught me too. Haha

4 comments:

Jared Stryker said...

Ah man that must be one REALLY dirty toe.

It's a lot like Washington D.C. There's a statue with a finger that sticks out and it's REALLY bronze.

Anonymous said...

That sounds pretty sick. Nice english =P. I highly doubt i could kiss that toe though because thats just nasty... koodos to you though. Now you can stop complaining that i don't comment =P

Anonymous said...

So to think you were in "gifted" English classes at Nelson, and ewe, kissing that toe, that would be like kissing the a pole on a subway car! Dad ;-)

Erica said...

Who has the crappy job of pruning those bushes :S

Quit kissing dirty public statues! Climbing them, okay. but no kissing!

:) way to never pay attention.