Around Town

Posted by Lisa on August 11th, 2005 — Posted in Activities

Today, my friend Joanna and I went walking into town. It still always shocks me the differences in Chilean culture and American culture. There was an outdoor art exhibit in the middle of town, in the shopping district. The artist featured photographs taken of the human body, all naked, but beautiful and posed (I do have to admit, I was a little taken aback at some of the pics). Some of the bodies were painted, and some were pictures of people expressing different emotions. The subjects were of all ages, all races, and all sizes. It was an amazing thing to see, especially when you look around and see kids and teachers on school trips to see the art. You would never see this back home. We also went to La Recova, which is a market that sells all kinds of things- beautiful hand crafted items, jewelry, all kinds of papaya produce and so on. Of course I bought some things, but one of my favorites is a mask. I had gotten Steve a mask from Aruba when I went with Cara and Karin, so I’ve decided to start collecting them. I also bought a bracelet, and a surprise for Steve- a miniature lapis penguin, very cute! One of my other favorite purchases for a little under 2 dollars, are these wooden flowers. It’s a beautiful bright bouquet, all handmade. The man makes them on the street next to this beautiful square full of purple flowers (see picture). I can’t wait to get a vase and put them on the table. They’ll last forever!

square flowers mask

Click here to see all the pictures, including some of the artwork (WARNING: Contains tasteful artful nudity).