Sept 21:
Susi, Natalia and I met up at CIEE in downtown and headed to the Baha'i Temple of South America. It took us two metros, a bus, a taxi, and a little bit of walking to get there, and it was totally worth it.**
**A couple months ago, I visited the Baha'i Temple north of Chicago and fell in love with it. Baha'i has always interested me - the way that it combines so many different faiths of different backgrounds - the emphasis it has on unity. The temples architecture is equally as fascinating to me. New life goal: Visit all of the Baha'i temples. Two down, six more to go.
The temple is located, up in the mountains that surround the city. On one side, you can overlook the city and on every other side, you can see mountains and beautiful gardens. The temple itself is fascinating, with 9 petal-like sides twisting together, into a geometric, organic form composed of crystal and marble. The pictures speak for themselves.
The interior is designed so that all of the exterior views are visible from the inside. Sitting in silence, looking around the temples, I felt an amazing sense of peace that I hadn't experienced in a while. I suddenly felt so grateful for all of the opportunities I've been given and the unbelievably fortunate life I've been given.
After a good packed lunch with Natalia, we headed back into the city and to the Centro Cultural La Moneda. There, we saw a cool exhibit on Chilean lamp design and ballenas (whales).
Jenny and Marina were planning a hike for the following day, so Jenny insisted that I buy some hiking boots, and a good pair that would last a long time. I headed back to the Costanera mall where I searched through every. single. store. that sold boots. Hiking boots are pricey, so I wanted to do my research and get a good pair for my money. A couple hours and some internet reviews later, I finally bought a pair, thanks to the assistance of a lovely salesperson that spoke English and had a lot of patience. Oh, also, that search was absolutely exhausting, and I grabbed myself a jar of Nutella on the way home. It's pricey here, but worth it - I was craving it hardcore.
