Tatio Geyser Panoramical View

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Save the Tatio Geysers
Part 2. The Problem
The Tatio Geysers are now about to be extinct. The Chilean government, in an alliance with CODELCO (the greatest copper exporter of the country), have bought the land that lies on top of this reserve water. The reason for this, they say, is that they want to drill this geothermic zone in order to provide the country with energy of its own. But was is not implied, and remained unmentioned until recently, is that once the government and CODLECO own the rights to the area, they will also, by law, own the rights to the subterranean waters of that area.
It has been proved through experiments performed by previous scientists, that drilling geothermic zones kills geysers and that the energy that this method provides is minimal.
For this reason, locals of the area as well as tourism companies that survive solely from the Atacama region are protesting against this profit driven crime against nature. The water and the geysers themselves are priceless and should therefore remain untouched. They should be protected by law due to their great importance in this fragile ecosystem.

Save the Tatio Geysers
Part 1. The Situation
What is a Geyser? It’s a hot spring that intermittently sends up fountainlike jets of water and steam into the air (dictionary.reference.com)
The Tatio Geysers, located in the Atacama Desert, are one of the main sources of attractions to tourists. In 2002, the geysers were declared one of the most important geothermic energy reservoir in the world. Before the new list, they were also mentioned as one of the great wonders of the world.
Besides a touristic attraction, the geysers are the desert’s main source and reserve of water. The people living in this region depend on them for both economical income (through tourism) and for the water itself.

Being Sick is not the Worst of It

So this week I have gone to the doctor three times (not counting the various visits to the Mercyhurst Health Center). Now I finally know how insurance works. NOT GOOD. I first found this out when I called them at 4 AM on Wednesday because I had scratched my eye the day before and it was so swollen I couldn’t open it. After putting me on hold for about 10 minutes they tell me that I have an appointment for 10AM the next morning. So, my roommate who was already awake and worried thought we should call 911 and go to an emergency room. We called our other friend who had done this last year, just so she would tell us what to do and stuff, buut…it turns out that when she had to go to the hospital in an ambulance last year, they ended up charging her about $9,000. Now I don’t want to call 911 anymore. So my roommate gives me a cold pack and puts it in my eye and I wait four hours until the health center opens. So at 8 AM we are up and ready and we walk to the health center, but it turns out to be closed. After waiting ‘till 11 for the Dr. to arrive, he gives me some ointment and tells me to use it for couple days and it will get better.
Great. But my eye still hurts. So I finally call my mom, who’s half way around the world and I didn’t want to worry, and she ORDERS me to go to an ophthalmologist. So now I have to call the insurance company again. They give me an appointment for Thursday. Now I have to find a ride. After calling everyone I know who has a car, I finally find a friend who can take me and is on her way to pick me up. When I get downstairs to meet her, she is frantically searching for something on the ground – HER KEYS!! Now this is just bad luck, what more could go wrong? Well, it turns out by the time we found her keys the center was closed. I had to once again call the insurance and get them to ask for an appointment somewhere else. Once I went, the doctor told me I had to go to the Erie Eye Clinic because they didn’t have the necessary equipment for what needed to be treated. As you can guess…I had to get another approval from insurance and another ride..

A Little Taste of Chile

This is my first blog. Ever. But instead of introducing myself and telling you what type of music I like and those sorts of things, I rather introduce my home country and tell you some interesting facts about it.
I come from Chile which is in South America (for those like me who didn’t get A’s in geography). More specifically, I am from Santiago, the capital and largest city, which has a population of around six million people. So unlike what most people think, Santiago is a modern, fast developing city. The photo to the right is an Aerial View of Santiago on a winter day.
Geographically, Chile is really unusual. It is the narrowest country in the world (110 mi), and the longest as well (2,650 mi). We are isolated, in a way, with the Andes Mountains on the right, the Pacific Ocean on the left, the Atacama Desert at the north, and in the south, we have glaciers, fjords, and islands reaching almost to Antarctica. Easter Island also belongs to Chile.
The best thing about Chile, to me, is the fact that (because of its geography) we have almost every climate there is to have. At the north, we have the driest desert in the world. This summer, which was actually winter down there in Chile, I visited this desert and decided that it was my favorite place in the world. I will be blogging about Atacama soon. Filled with salt deposits, volcanoes, lakes, and underwater reserves, I really recommend people to visit it.
Anyways, further down towards the center we have a Mediterranean climate: pronounced, yet not extreme four seasons. Because the country is so thin, you can be in Santiago for example, and drive 1-2 hours east and be snowboarding on the Andes, or 1-2 hours to the west and be tanning at the beach.
Finally, the south is always rainy so there is a lot of forests, lakes, volcanoes, glaciers… beautiful landscapes wherever you look.
If you ever visit Chile, there are also some things you cannot miss. If you like to read, then you might be interested in visiting the various houses of Nobel Prize Winner Pablo Neruda or reading some of Isabel Allendes’ books. Make sure you try some empanadas accompanied by a classic cocktail of Pisco Sour. You should note as well, that Chile is the world’s fifth exporter of wine and you’ll find wineries all around the country. It is therefore a must to try the wine; and don’t worry, the drinking age is 18.

Hello Blogs

This blog is starting as an assignment for my Multimedia class..but who knows, I might end up liking it and keep on posting, hope you guys like it aswell.
The theme of my blogging will be pretty much random, except for they will be things that interest me or are somehow related to things that are going on in my life. I'm going to try and talk about subjects relating to my home country, Chile, so people can know more about it and hopefully visit it someday. You are most welcome to hire me as a tour guide!