Before we go on the
flashback of the amazing experience I had in Latin America, let me give you a background of this Travelogue. Working in the ever growing IT industry and I like to believe that I am
contributing in the growth of the business of the company I work for :). The perks
that come with the hard work are the Onsites. The most sought after Onsite being
the US. Well, for my first Onsite assignment, I get to go a little further
south, the Exotic Latin America. Now Latin
America consists of everything from and south of Mexico. Now, even though this
part of the world is bit infamous for drugs, mafia, crime, well… I'd like to
break the myth, I travelled alone each time and I am here writing this
travelogue with really fond memories from the trips. So one just need to avoid
the troublesome areas and stay alert while travelling. Due to the heavy
influence of Spanish culture, the countries (except Brazil which was a
Portuguese colony) give you a very culturally rich feel, Spanish cuisine with
local flavors, wonderful music and all things Spanish. Having said that, each
country has their unique blend of their own native culture. So let’s dive into
their world through my journeys which I hold so close to my heart.
Chapter 1: 1st Assignment-Chile
In the month of
January 2013, this travel is finalized and I am the first one from the team
going from India to Santiago, Chile. So, having the visa formalities and
tickets done, I am ready to fly. On a personal front, it was a big deal for me
for multiple reasons. Firstly, it was my first ever overseas travel(which will
always remain special); secondly, I was the first one going to a country where
none of the people I know have ever been to; thirdly, I was travelling alone on
a trip where one way, I have to take 3
different flights, journey hours totaling to over 2 days; fourthly, because I
didn’t know Spanish; and lastly, I booked my own accommodation at one service
apartment(in a safe area near my office) and the online receipt was the only
string holding me on in a land of unknown. And another sigh of relief was, I
had my onsite manager's phone number who would be in Santiago when I reach and
told him that he might get a panic call any time! :D Well, well, well! I prayed
to God and hoped to be back safe and sound.
My trip was via
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai-Schipol Airport,
Amsterdam-Lima Airport, Peru on KLM and the from Lima to Santiago, Chile via
a LATAM local flight. And the return
being the same. Phew! So, I just followed protocol and kept hopping airports,
clicking pictures while my body clock got royally confused and trying to
connect home from wherever possible. Lima
had paid WIFI and I didn’t know how to go about it(lesson learnt on
return trip and then it was cakewalk) so for almost 1.5 days India time, I was
off the grid and thankfully everyone was a little prepared, so no one back home
freaked out( at least I was told that by my Mom :) ). So, after the really,
really long journey, I reached Santiago at around 4 am. And it was pitch
dark…Day break happens around 7.30 am. So, I just followed protocol again and
got some local currency, Chilean Peso for the USDs I had received from our
FOREX and booked a cab from the airport to the address I had. The cab ride felt
pretty safe and in about 20 mins I saw the service apartment which I recognized
from the photo I had seen online and I can't begin to tell you how relieved I
was. No glitch. And I took my luggage of 3 weeks and got in. I saw the
reception guy half asleep and I woke him up and said booking by my name. He
looked at me confused and reluctant. I thought, I am screwed now. And then I
kept repeating, said about the online portal, and finally, he said
"OH!", (spelt my name in a
weird way) and handed me an envelope. I saw my name written there and
opened it to find the key to my room and some paper with numbers to contact to.
So, once in the
apartment which was just perfect with nice furnishing, a fully equipped
kitchen, living room with a small balcony, one bedroom and an attached
washroom, I was happy and relieved. And, it became my home for the next 3
weeks. I slept for some time and woke up around 9 and reached office which was
not very far around 10. I met everyone there, my manager, the client-side team
and everyone asked about the long trip and the day went on pretty busy. Here,
I'd like to mention, I didn’t feel any jet lag, may be because, I gained time
when I flew west and didn’t get a lag. So, I was fresh and got to work right
away. And gradually the rest of the team started pouring in with a gap of 3-4
days. I heard Chilean Espanol all around me, tried to make sense of it and
gradually started learning by ear and some help from Google Translate :).
During lunch break I used to follow my other colleagues, 3 from Mexico and 1 Brazilian
to the restaurants around our office. So, I ate my first raw salmon sandwich there
and I was too naïve and my taste buds were still very Indian to appreciate the
sweet and slightly salty salmon taste by itself so I asked for all kinds of
ketchups and Tabasco Chili Sauce became my best friend from then on. I began to appreciate their
local cuisine, also enjoyed some delicious Sushi for the first time there (apparently
Japanese cuisine is pretty IN there) and a very sumptuous place called the WOK
where they would toss a range of elements together as per your choice. The weather
was excellent, it was beginning of Autumn in February, since its Southern
hemisphere. Lovely breeze, a cozily warm sun, lots of greenery around. And the
gorgeous Andes were visible from the driveway up our office, a sight to behold.
The Chileans are very beautiful and friendly people, always greeting with a smile,
two kisses and a hug :)( when you are friends/colleagues), always eager to help
out even though we didn't speak their language. We resorted to sign language
many a times :) and then a smile will
convey a lot more than our broken Espanol of Hola, como estas, uno, dos, tres,
beunos dias, beunos noches, Mucha Gracias! :)
So, in matter of
days, I started feeling at home because of my excellent colleagues who were
always there to help out, especially with the menu ;), the neighborhood store
guy, who was learning English and we became quite good friends :) and overall
feel of the city. Very warm and welcoming. There was a supermarket nearby as
well where I would get my groceries. And then the first weekend when we all
were there, we went to this wonderful UNESCO Heritege city called Val Paraiso
and lovely beach town called Vina del Mar(where Shakira was spotted at a talent
show and her career began there). This was a day long trip where we first went
to Val Paraiso, which is a port and was where the Spanish first stepped foot in
Chile. The guide was saying that there's a saying that the women from Val
Paraiso have the most beautiful and slender legs. Why? Because the city is on a
steep hill facing the Pacific and in earlier days they would have to walk up
and down the hill to get around. Quite some price to have slender legs!
Anyways, they later got an almost vertical tram-cum-ropeway kind of system to
commute. It is now only for tourists to have a little ride and feel the olden
days. As the whole city is conserved under UNESCO, the preservation of the old
is pretty good. All in all, a very quaint city which looks like it is still in
the bygone era and that gives it a special charm. Also, this city had survived
huge earthquakes and we saw one Red building which went untarnished after a
huge earthquake when many other buildings collapsed. This is the oldest building
there. So, after walking through the town and getting quite some exercise of
the legs, it was almost afternoon and we proceeded to Vina del Mar on the bus.
The travel agency had booked us for this nice restaurant with an open seating
facing the blue ocean. The sight was breath-taking. We ordered the choices from
the special menu that they had, and there was one item called the Ceviche. The
waitress recommended it. I was game for trying all I could being a hard-core
non vegetarian with a very inquisitive and experimental set of taste buds, so I
was eagerly waiting. My fellow colleague who is more conservative
gastronomically, ordered but said will have only the vegetarian portions. And
to go with the menu, I ordered for a nice Chilean red wine. When I tasted the
Ceviche, I just fell in love with it. I had already began to appreciate raw
salmon and now this one had raw yummy salmon, shrimps and some more sea food.
The lemon based marinate that they make it with was also very delicious, and
there I had the best Ceviche of my life yet (though I had eaten only at may be
3 more places :D)! There were salads, salami, breads and I tasted a bit of beef
too, nicely roasted. It was a beautiful time, with the sun moving west giving a
golden haze to everything, me sipping on excellent Chilean red vino with bites
of the Ceviche looking out at an old couple selling some bonsai plants, another
couple just enjoying the afternoon at the beach, a kid playing; it was indeed a
feel-good sublime feeling as if am there on a holiday and not on work…
To be continued...
