First football game!

This weekend, the three of us went to the Triangle. Dan-daddy's 60th birthday on Friday where we celebrated at blair and Elizabeth's home. Then the UNC game on Saturday - Adam did so good! He spent the first 3 quarters in the Bjorn with Daddy, then the 4th quarter with Jonanna on the north side concourse. She and Dan-daddy came back to Charlotte with us, and Adam got lots of good grandparent time!

He is growing so much - holding his head up well, "standing", and "talking" up a storm!! Today, he spent a good 5-10 minutes staring at himself in the mirror, reaching out for his reflection, kicking his legs, and smiling. He is so cute and has completely stolen my heart!!!

A way to tie it down . . .

As the past twelve weeks have passed, a joy has bubbled up within my soul! Adam Barefoot Brookshire, my son, is a miracle from God who never has ceased to amaze me. Understanding that his flesh and blood is a miracle in and of itself, the upwelling of emotions and shift in our being that his presence has created is . . . indescribable. As each day passes, and I am opened up to a new world of friendship, inward instinct, and a whole new kind of love, I marvel at the gift with which our Lord has blessed us.

Not only is he a marvelous gift in and of himself, he makes me recognize the blessings of my precious childhood, my wonderful family, and my beloved husband. All of it takes on a new significance, welling up inside me where I can hardly believe it! I can only describe it as . . . a heart so full.

Back to blogging ...

As you can see, the last time I blogged with any frequency, it was in another country, in totally different circumstances. Now, I write as a mother of a 2 month old precious baby boy. As each day goes by, I ache to capture each sweet smile, each milestone, even each cry (he's so cute, even when he cries!) that I figure a blog is one way to do that. Also to keep close to those who geographically are not.

Today - (he'll be 10 weeks tomorrow!) my sweet one held his head up - I mean UP! On his forearms, lifting his chest, head up. I was so proud - and had to hold it together from becoming a bubbling mess.

I'll close for the evening, but each day, as feel the love from all my family, tell Beau "night-night" (and he goes to his bed), I love on my baby, and I wrap up in my wonderful husband . . . I give God thanks for a heart so full.

Back in South America!

So Tim, Clare Barry, and I have been in South America for the last week, and we've had lots of adventures. I'm going to try to recap as best as possible now that I have free Internet for the day!

We landed in Lima, Peru, on Thursday night, the 15th.

Back in the real world . . .

I am just now getting to the point where I have our pictures somewhat together. You can view them with captions at

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=2dcbupg1.79k6kevd&x=1&y=4hczfh

If you EVER have the chance, I highly recommend skipping the country for a period of time. You have to just make it happen, no employer in the U.S. is going to encourage something like that. (Seriously, in some countries, they do.) Our time in Chile was an unbelieveable experience and enriched our lives so greatly. Thanks for taking the journey with us!

Ciao!

Our last day . . .

As we pack up this morning, getting ready to come back home, it´s hard to believe how blessed we have been to have had this truly incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity to live and travel in another country. We thank all of you the ways you´ve supported us, and knowing that you guys are sharing it with us through the blog has made this trip even more special!

Last night we had a great Spanish style meal with Andres in a neighborhood called Nuñoa, one that I had not yet seen and wanted to experience. Great atmosphere and conversation made our last night here perfect.

We leave from Santiago on Lan Chile at 5:15 for Buenos Aires. Then we hop United at 10:05 p.m. to Washington Dulles, where we´ll get a plane back to RDU at 8:50 that will bring us back to the Triangle at 10:00 a.m.

See you in the States! ¡Ciao!

The magical island of Chiloe . . .

is often how this place off the west coast of Chile is described. It is interesting as it has it´s own culture due to its isolation after the spanish colonization, forming a Indian-Spanish mestizo people. Jesuits had a big influence over this area in the 1700´s as well, as manifested by the unique churches for which the land is known. Getting up early to get in a full day there, we left Puerto Varas and drove south to the ferry which would take us over. All the guide books and our Chilean friends emphatically told us not to take the main road, Ruta 5, down the island. We were instructed to head west, to the coast, and follow the dirt road to see the ¨real¨ Chiloe. Well, we did just that! We wound up in some people´s front yards, dead ends that drove out on the beach, across the beach. Granted, we followed signs best we could, but when the sign leads you to a fork in the road with no direction at all, what could you do?!? After the kilometers and kilometers we had driven the day before, we weren´t all so keen on driving all day with no directions, so we just drove west to find pavement!

Back on the main road, we continued south to Dalcuahue, where you can catch the ferry to the island of Quinchao. The first town here is Curaco de Velez, where they are most famous for their oysters. We found a outdoor restaurant and chowed down on HUGE oysters on the half shell and seafood empanadas.

Next town was Achao, which boasts the oldest church, built in 1730. Totally plain outside, and pegs used instead of nails, the inside shows intricate carvings in muted blue, white, and yellow. The people´s dependence on the water is reflected in the rounded ceiling, as the hull of a boat.

Back to the mainland, snapping a shot of the church in Dalchuahue, we continued south through Castro, the biggest and busiest town in Castro. The thing to see here was the palafitos, which are brightly colored houses built on stilts at the edge of the water. On we went to Chonchi, which was our stopping point and as far south as we were going. Here we stayed at a hostal called Esmerelda by the Sea, and it indeed was on the sea! The owner also was a seafood farmer, and you could see his nets and salmon farms from the window. We got a great room with view of the water, and had an AMAZING dinner there. Called cancato, it was a traditional Chilote dish - a HUGE salmon stuffed with sausage, cheese, tomatoes, and onions. He served 10 of us, and there was still plenty left over. Even better about the dinner was the chance to talk with the other visitors staying there and comparing travel stories. Here we met a couple from Northern England, who we recognized from Puerto Natales who also should have been on the Navimag ferry! We had a great time exchanging stories with them all.

This morning we enjoyed another great meal there (though there wasn´t a lot of room since last night) and got on the road for our flight back to Santiago. We´re currently waiting here in the airport in Puerto Montt, and trying not to think about the fact that our wonderful trip will be over so soon.

Up and Down the roads . . .

After a good night´s sleep in Puerto Varas in a great hostel called Casa Azul, we woke up for their breakfast of eggs and oatmeal. Not bad! We then headed out for our adventure on the Carreterra Austral, the 1000 km government highway project to attempt to connect the country from north to south. It has come a along way from nothing, but it is still a big gravel road, connected by ferries and bridges of all shapes and sizes. The ferry we took had an unexpected treat - they took us by a colony of sea lions, sunning on rocks. They were huge, and we got so close! We drove as far as Hornopiren, where one would take another ferry to get to the southern part of Pumalin Park, the land of which was bought several years ago by an American, the owner of North Face, as a preservation project. Time constraints and the expense and infrequency of the ferry prevented us from seeing that end, but we enjoyed watching the folks board the boat and the activity of this very isolated town.

We decided to follow a different route home, one that allowed us to skip the ferry by going around the Estuario Reloncavi. Not the Carretera Austral, but another gravel road through nondescript towns. Beautiful views of the rugged skyline and body of water, also a peek into the way back, backcountry of Chile. The lack of gas stations made for an interesting time, but we made it safely back to Puerto Varas for a great 2 for 1 pizza and drink deal at an authentic Italian restaurant for dinner.

Mapuche Farm and Volan Villarica!

After shaking the dust of Puerto Natales from our heels - good place to stay for one night but not much more, as we learned the crazy and nasty side of our hostal owner - we flew to Puerto Montt, where we rented a great little Toyota Yaris , i.e. Echo, and headed for a farm hostal near Pucon, in the lake district, that a friend had recommended. After about a 4 hour drive, we arrived late to Kia Leufu, a farm turned hostal owned by a Mapuche Indian family. Fortunately, Phi, Kelly, and another student Corrie were there, and told us about the great stuff they offered. An included breakfast of homemade bread, jams, fruit, real coffee! A sweet american girl worked there and helped us set up all of our excursions. The first morning consisted of sleeping in! which we needed, then relaxing around the place, talking to other backpackers, and observing the farm life. HUGE cows, lots of sheep and poultry. The afternoon we went on a 4 hour horseback ride. Gorgeous horses, beautiful scenery. Didn't do much more than trot but it was nice to be back on a horse again!

That evening we squeezed in a thermal hot spring. As we were short on time, we went to one close to the farm, which was rather crowded, but we soaked out our soreness from the previous days and talked to some folks. We made it back in time for a magnificent and so cheap feast! Steak, I mean a huge cut of fresh steak, potato salad, beets, ceviche, bread, salad, and an apple postre for dessert. SO SO good. There were lots of interesting folks there, many americans, a couple brits, some germans. Good conversation. One older guy who works for a small county newspaper in Delaware and I had a good chat about our commonality in local papers!

The next day was our VOLCANO day! We packed up from the farm, and headed into Pucon, where we found our company with which we had been set up with via the hostel. We climbed Volcan Villarica, the same one we could see from Calafquen. It really was EXTREME. First an hour hike up the side of them mountain in volcanic gravel, then a 3-4 hour hike across and up ice fields in helmets, crampons (spikes clipped to the bottom of our boots), and ice axes. It really was intense, and not easy! Finally we got near the top and could take off the crampons, but now we were so close taht we were inhaling the sulfur. I know, not good, but it was not constant, and we held fleece over our nose and mouth to keep from breathing it. A few more steps, and we were at the top! And what did I see, but a huge ice sheet in there! Bearing some fierce winds, we creeped around the edge and . . . we saw it! Hot Lava! There was lots of dust, but we could see through to it splashing up, burping, erupting out of the ground! I can only best describe it, seriously, is it looked like a bright orange lava lamp, except much more agitated! The coolest was not over yet, as we slid down on our butts! Waterslide like luges had been carved out, and we slid down, using our ice picks to slow us. We slid for at least a km twice, then about half a km. Needless to say our rears were frozen, but it was really the coolest thing!

Dirty and dirty, we jumped in the car and headed for Puerto Varas, were we have been for the last 2 nights. Will fill in more in the a.m. This hostel has free internet, but you gotta share!

Change of plans. . .

So we´ve had a little change in schedule . .. The boat that we were to take from Puerto Natales last night had some ¨technical¨problems, so we spent another day in that tiny town, which was actually nice to rest awhile. We were fortunate to have found out early in the day, thanks to our hostal owner and were able to book airline tickets to our destination city. We´re currently waiting in the airport in P. Arenas for our flight to Puerto Montt. There we plan to rent a car and stay at a farm in Pucon, where we will check out some natural hot springs and try to get that volcano trek we missed before in the lake district, as well as do some driving down the Carretera Austral and in some other national parks. Then we´ll reassume our itinerary in Chiloe, a quaint island. So far, all else is going well. A little disappointed, but we just are looking forward to our other opportunities! Love you! Blake

Glaciers, Trekking, Torres del Paine, and . . . .

Well, I have lots to recount! Fortunately, I have plenty of time.

So I left you here in Puerto Natales, the jumping off point for backpacking in Torres del Paine National Park. Our whole group awoke very early for breakfast with ¨real¨coffee (as advertised in the hostel) before our bus to the park. The 5 day, 4 night trek we planned to take was called ¨The W,¨as that is basically its shape. Once we were in the park, we had time to take a 40 min round trip hike (without packs) to get our first good look at the Cuernos, a very impressive mountain set. Here we experienced the first of what they talk about the wind here. It literally blew me UPHILL, all I had to do was move my legs! Then we all boarded a catamaran, which took us to the left ¨base¨, if you will, of the W. On the catamaran we had the first glimpse of many folks we would probably see again on the trail, including a couple of older Japanese women, probably in their 60´s, with a guide, dressed to the hilt with ¨Gear¨. We were dropped off at Refugio Paine Grande, a nice campground and hostal, with a store and small restaurant/grill. (This park gives travelers quite posh options.) A quick lunch here of PB&J, and we were off to Glaciar Grey, which was the top left of the W. Whoa, what a way to start out. Quite a lot of elevation change, and though Tim does have experience reading topo maps, either the skills were rusty or we just had an awful map. But do you know the Japanese ladies cruised right past us! However, we got to a river crossing with rather high water and used a rope tie to scale across (reminded me of the Goonies bridge - ¨It´s our time, down here!¨) where they were resting. So we passed them again here. Eleven kilometers we hiked on that first half day, and scaling down some steep rocky faces made it even more interesting. The map said 3.5 hrs., probably took us a good 4. But we made it, packs and all, to a crowded Campamento Grey, a paid campsite very near the enormous Glaciar Grey. A short hike to a lookout that evening (without packs!) let us get up close and personal with some glacier ice! From our vista point, the glacier looked like a big backyard covered with played in snow! Amazing! Dinner that night was yummy tuna melts, courtesy of Jorli. Sleep that night came easy for some, others were disturbed by the camp hosts who came to get our money, the noisy neighbors yelling ¨¡Amigö!¨ for much of the night, and I could have sworn I heard a ¨cuatro y veinte¨ reference . . . . Also rather chilly that night, I think Tim wanted to try to acquire frostbite on the rest of his toes. (P.S. - the ladies got to the campsite ahead of us! how did that happen!!!)

However, we survived quite well and enjoyed a hearty oatmeal breakfast, which we needed for the trek back! (Because it is a W, we have to backtrack to move on to the next trail.) I thought it was better than going up; the day was beautiful and many surfaces had dried which made things easier. Lunch at the same place as the day before, although we took advantage of the store for cheese, salami, and bread for an unplanned meal. After a short rest, Tim, Kelly and I trekked on ahead to the next campsite as the rest of the girls stayed for the free showers and would follow close behind. Knowing how crowded the last site was, we wanted to reserve good spots for the next night. This took us to Campamento Italiano, at the bottom of the middle upright of the W. Another 7.6 kms, with amazing views of the Cumbres to the north and lakes to the south, took us across the raging Rio del Frances and into camp for the night. Our tents were pitched about 15 meters from this beautiful river, and the rest of our group arrived soon after. Dinner of mac and cheese with hot dogs, green beans, and boxed wine (also a store purchase) was a nice end to the evening.

Monday was our ¨easy¨day! We slept in a little, then after a cocoa puff breakfast (don´t recommend this, not very sustaining) we took a day hike further up the middle W upright into the Valle de Frances. Reaching the peak of this trail, Los Cumbres are to the left, Los Cuernos on the right, and the aqua colored lakes behind! ¡Que rica! Not too much time to gaze, as we planned to leave after lunch for our next campsite. Again, Tim and I pick up the pace a little to reserve spots at the next campsite. We very much enjoyed this hike together, as it took us along Lago Nordenskjöld, which was aqua blue, and sprays whipped up to greet you as wind gusts built up against the mountains and rushed down. Hiking a good ways down the bank, which was all rocky, we experienced more of the massively strong winds. Going across another rocky river that fed into this lake, we literally had to squat down and hold onto boulders to keep from falling! The Los Cuernos campsite was not excluded from the gusts, which made setting up tents quite a challenge! A warm, nice refugio here at the site with wine and cookies for sale and hot showers made up for our inconvenience! As it began to rain a little, and the wind would have made a gas stove rather difficult, we settled for the common stove inside to make our pasta and marinara dinner, with a side of slurped mashed potatoes passed on by a chilean. Another packed place, but that just increased the number of cool people to meet! (Of course, the Japanese ladies were here, and luckily our friend Phi speaks Japansese and had a conversation. Indeed they were 60 and 63, and they came with a group that was going to climb Aconcagua!) The wind raged later that night, but our tents stayed intact! The wind did do us a favor by blowing away the clouds to reveal a UNBELIEVEABLE starry night sky. I thought I would never see anything to top Calafquen, but this really did. Millions, all over - amazing.

We woke up to another beautiful day and chose oatmeal for our last BIG day. It was our goal to see the famed Torres del Paine this evening. This was the last upright of the W, and I remember it as rather rocky and dry, and we dodged lots of horse poo as many riding trips were led up this way. We stopped for a tuna lunch on an outcropping into a small lake, then Tim and I took off again to get camp set up asap so we´d have time for the Torres hike. This was definitely the toughest pack hike for me, as I basically kept Tim´s pace uphill, on an exposed dusty mountainside. Fortunately, it was not a long hike, and we finally turned north along a valle that would take us to torres. Much of this portion of the hike was along an 8 foot ledge that looked like above or below would avalanche at any moment! The frequent horseback trips here without problem somewhat reassured us. We quickly saved our spot in this campsite called Chileno by setting up both tents - we were pros by this point! Our group soon joined and we had a hearty snack (some had ramen, other had apple and hot cake from the refugio here - you decide who chose what!) before our hike to the base of the Torres del Paine. The first hour was pretty easy, but the last was a straight uphill climb for what felt like a mile (or a least a kilometer!) over huge boulders. None of us thought we would make it after our intense day. Tim shimmied up, I was quite a ways behind. But it was worth every single step. I don´t believe I have ever seen any natural work so amazing in my life. The 3 clay brown ¨Torres¨ or towers soaring over to the right, thin waves of earth frozen high above us. The rock face below was vertically striped brown and black layers, like the ¨legs¨ of wine on a goblet. But what made it most spectacular is the surprising greenish-blue salt lake that lay below. The three distinctive features came together in what was for me truly a breathtaking, once in a lifetime experience!

Our final morning was an easy hike down to the Las Torres hosteria where we were to catch a transfer to our bus back to Puerto Natales. Sad as I was for the trip to be over, my left little toe was grateful! Sore, blistered, swollen, and a little sun and windburned, we left the park. I think it´s fair to say that none of us knew what we were getting into, but for Tim and me it was for the best! We found ourselves easing back into our backpacking/camping selves of years before and ready for more.

Punta Arenas

We arrived safely here in Punta Arenas via Lan Chile late Wed. night without any troubles, with our friends Phi, Jorli, and Kelly, other students from Tim´s program. After a little sleeping in Thursday morning, Tim and I got up and walked a few blocks to see the Straits of Magellan. And you know you had to stick his feet in! Walked around some more in the light rain and mist - though we couldn´t complain as this was the first we´d seen here! We met up with the other girls and did some shopping, then found the town´s cemetery which was incredibly impressive. Huge mound-like cypress trees lined the walkways, and aboveground private family mausoleums held tombs, flowers, pictures, memorials.

After lunch at a local place, Tim and I got on a tour bus for the pier where we took a ferry to Isla Magellanes. This is a national monument as it is an enormous Magellanic penguin breeding ground. It was a small island in the straits, and from Oct. to April, home to more than 150,000 penguins (also known as jackass penguins because of the braying sound they make). They come here to mate and breed. These of course were not the ¨march of the penguins¨type, they seemed to have it a little easier! We were close enough to reach out and pet them, as we walked through roped paths amongst their below ground nests. You could distinguish the babies, who were adult size now, by the peach fuss around their necks. We saw penguin pairs (they are monogamous) ¨kissing¨, and a parent feeding their baby by regurgitation - all less than 5 feet away! One even nipped my pants leg. So unbelieveable!

Last night, another friend Lindsay joined us, and we had dinner at a place recommended by Carolina´s family, Sotitos. They put us in a room by ourselves - wonder why - and we had great seafood. We all tried albacone and conger eel, I had centolla, or king crab, with parmesan cheese . Yum!

Today we got up early to catch a bus to Puerto Natales. An hour into the trip, our bus ran out of gas!!! After waiting about 40 min. on the side of the road, 2 buses stopped so our driver coud SIPHON out gas (yes he used his mouth to start the suction). After this he wasted no time in lighting up a cigarette.

An hour or so after we started, we got back on the road and to Puerto Natales. Once here, we found our hostel, called Niko´s. Basically a woman with a large house with extra beds and bathrooms - cool and cheap. Lunch included the largest burger we´ve ever seen, even in teh US! Called the hamburgesa completa, it had a homemade bun, plenty of avocado and cheese, tomato, lettuce, and a burger that tasted much like meatloaf. (I tasted Tim´s.) We are spending the rest of the afternoon getting outfitted for our camping, sending emails, etc. Tomorrow we head into the Torres del Paine National Park to rough it a little! So, no more updates until next week!

Love ya´ll - Ciao!

Blake

¡Hasta luego!

Tim and I are currently in the midst of packing for our trip to the South! We leave today for Punta Arenas, which is a city down south, were we will meet up with friends before we head for Torres del Paine.

Here is our approximate itinerary:

Wed. Jan 25 - Flight to Punta Arenas
Thurs. Jan 26 - Sightsee in P. Arenas and surrounding area
Friday Jan. 27 - Bus to Puerto Natales, buy food and outfit for camping
Saturday Jan. 28 - Bus into Torres del Paine National park
Saturday 28th - February 1 - Hiking and camping in Patagonia
Wednesday February 1 - Bus back to Puerto Natales, spend the night
Thursday Feb. 2 - Sightsee in P. Natales, leave this evening on a ferry cruise up the coast
Monday Feb. 6 - Arrive in Puerto Montt in the a.m., rent a car and drive to Chiloe, a small island off the coast, spend 2 nights here
Wednesday Feb 8 - Fly out of P. Montt to Santiago
Thursday Feb 9 - Come home!

We are also meeting Matt Beardsley (Rob´s brother who is down here as a missionary) for lunch today. Gotta go! Will update everyone as soon as I find cheap internet down there!

Lots of love!

Santiago

Recognizing that our time in the city is quickly drawing to a close, we took time last night and today to hit a few more of the important spots.

Last night, we had dinner at an out of the way peruvian restaurant with our friend Vinny and UNC student Mark. Interesting seafood (including an octopus ceviche, yum) and good drinks made for a great dinner for Blake and the three bankers. We had some insightful discussions on the ¨game¨ and the ¨story¨. (Investment banking related issues.)

Today we played tourists and went to the Iglesia San Francisco, an ancient cathedral here that has survived 3 destructive earthquakes. Fascinating inside, as attached around the various saint altars are hundreds of small gold plaques, pieces of notebook paper, or wooden signs posted by visitors. Each one specifically addresses the individual saint in thanks and praise for a specific prayer request. Again, different from more european or north american cathedrals in the symbology and decor is more rich, more paint and texture, almost to the point of gaudy. A huge and visibly frequented St. Francis of Assisi altar was here, and absolutely covered with pictures of pets and thanks for the life and health of various mascotas (pets).

Beside the church was a museum with early american catholic-inspired artwork, and an exhibit on Gabrielle Mistral, another Chilean born poet who won the Nobel prize for literature and was also a member of the Franciscan order in the Catholic church.

Close by was the Barrio Paris-Londres, which we strolled through to see. It boasts cobblestone streets and European inspired archictecture, and is home to many hostels and several nice hotels.

Next, Tim showed me the stock exchange building and the Palacio Moneda, which borders on a huge plaza and is where many presidential offices are located. It was also the building that was bombed on Sept. 11, 1973, when Pinochet staged a coup over the reigning populist government of Salvador Allende. Allende committed suicide in the building as the coup was occuring, Tim and I just wonder if there´s a conspiracy theory lurking there. Allende´s statue in in the plaza (second picture above) and reads, ¨I have faith in Chile and its destiny.¨

We were interested in visiting a nearby restaurant, and chose a risky option in taking the local bus system. Hopping ¨micros¨ here in Santiago is very interesting, as they don´t really have stops, you just stick out your hand, then ring the buzzer when you´re ready to get off. We made it safely for an early evening snack and beverage at Confiteria Torres, a historic building rescued by a Chilean couple and turned into a wonderful bar and restaurant.

A later snack and beverage were enjoyed with Andres and business school friends, with whom we will be travelling with in the South.

Lake Calafquen . . . ¡Que rica!

Rica, rica, rica . . . a word used frequently down here - and a perfect way to describe the long weekend. It means good, great, awesome, pretty, awesome . . .

After an all night trip on a very comfortable bus - the seats lie basically flat - I awoke in Pangipulli, the nearest bus station to the Lake. Family friends of Carolina´s gave me a ride to her home. Arriving around 8 a.m., no one was stirring except Carolina who greeted me at the door. After a shower and a little nap, folks finally started arousing at 10, 10:30 - yessss, good precedent! At breakfast I met Carolina´s parents, Fernando and Margarita, her oldest brother, also Fernando, her sister-in-law, Rosario, and saw her girls, Emilia, Antonia, and Florencia, the baby. ¡Ellas son muy preciosas! (They are so precious!) (Grandparents and the two older girls are in the picture above.) We established that everyone would speak Spanish to me, as long as they would speak slowly. However they all spoke very good English if we ran into a snag.

The most fabulous thing about their place is the view of Volcan Villarica. It is perfectly framed by the huge bay window in their living room. (See above!) On Thursday the sun was shining, but there were clouds in the sky, so I couldn´t get a good look of the top. ¡Que pena! Carolina gave me a walking tour of the area where they live. This area on the edge of Lake Calafquen was bought by her father and about15 of his friends in the Catholic church (including Andres´father). They have been vacationing there since the early 80´s. The land is adjacent to a small Catholic church and school that teaches and serves the native Mapuche population. Across the lake of course is the stunning volcano. When these folks vacation here, they hold misa (mass) quite frequently as a padre comes from Santiago as well.

After our walk, we went down to the playa (beach) which, instead of sand or mud, was all small pebbles and rocks. Margarita took me out on their 2 person kayak, so neat! That evening, I went to mass with the family, and met many others folks who vacation there. Very interesting to go to an spanish-only mass.

As I groggily made my way to the breakfast table the next morning - oh why not, it was 10:00 - Fernando pointed out the window and my jaw dropped. The volcano was fully visible and just as perfect a view of a volcano as one could ever find. I could even see some smoke rising up out of it! ¡Que linda!

At Calafquen every year, this weekend is celebrated as ¨San Sebastian¨. A celebration in rememberance of their acquiring this land, the tragic passing of a child years ago, and to remember those who may have passed in the past year. They had a special memorial service on Friday for this, and this year was especially tragic as Andres´younger brother, Tomas, died in a car accident at the end of 2005. It was a sweet service and showed how united this extended family was. They placed a memorial plaque in an outdoor shrine type structure with a sainted statue (again, help me out my Catholic friends) to remember him always.

Next was an outdoor reception with empanadas and different types of appetizers. More time on the beach that afternoon with lots and lots of kids! A wondrous nap before dinner, then after, a outdoor slide show set up on a huge projector of pictures taken that weekend, as well as pictures from the weddings of the original couples from the 60´s, very cool.

Early (relatively, I mean, it was 8:45) next morning, I got a ride with Carolina´s cousin to the bus station to pick up Tim. He came back to meet the family and enjoy breakfast as well. (Here, fyi, breakfast is usually bread, butter, jelly, cheese, cafe (they love instant here, it´s amazing), and fruit.) Later in the morning, we were joined by Carolina´s two other brothers Matio and Felipe, as well as Matio´s wife. Tim couldn´t wait to get out on the lake, so we paddled out in the kayak around a small island. However, we couldn´t spend too long exploring as the next event of the weekend was lunch on a larger island in the lake. Here, four of the couples had massive homes with pristeen yards. The picture of us above is from the island, with the volcano in the background. We were ferried out on a huge pontoon boat, and fed corillero, which was lamb and deer roasted outdoors rotisserie style. I preferred the empanadas and salads they served as well. We had a good time walking around the beautiful yards and talking with Carolina and her family.

That night was sort of a Calafquen talent show at the church. Carolina had given me a head´s up ahead of time, saying it´s really not that good. There was definitely a mix, ranging from bad karaoke to a beautiful Chopin piano piece. The best was Carolina´s older two girls and three of their friends singing ¨Twinkle, Twinkle¨, I´m a little Teapot¨, and ¨1,2 Buckle My Shoe¨ in English with precious chilean accents. Afterwards, Carolina´s brother, Fernando pointed out the stars - more than I have ever seen in any sky ever! We think we saw the Southern Cross, and definitely saw a cloud-like galaxy. What made this night even more amazing, was the fact that you could see a rosy glow of lava at the very top of the volcano. Absolutely fascinating.

On Sunday morning, the volcano had what the folks call ¨sombrero de chino¨, or chinese cap, which means that rain would be coming in the next few days. Still, this day was gorgeous, and we attended mass in a full church that morning. Fernando, Sr., took us water-skiing in the afternoon with one of his friends. You´ll be happy to know that Tim and I both got up on the first try!

In the afternoon we bid good-byes to the Pullido family, who had accepted us so warmly and treated us so graciously, exchanging addresses and emails. We also agreed with Carolina to get together to show all of our Chile pictures.

So now we´re back in Santiago, Tim is finishing classes and we´re readying ourselves for the next portion of our travels - to the very, very south - in Patagonia!

Wednesday night

I am leaving this evening on an all night bus (that I hear is really nice) for Lake Calafquen. It is one of many in the Lake District of Chile, which is further south. Many Santaguinos have summer homes there, including Andres´ family, and Carolina´s family. Carolina is Pato´s wife, who is one of Tim´s Chilean friends from business school. Carolina has invited me down for the rest of this week, and Tim for the weekend, as he has classes up til Friday. Again, I believe internet access is limited, so we´ll fill you in when we get back, unless Tim has something interesting to share between now and when he leaves!

Love ya´ll,
Blake

Tuesday, a gastronomic day . . .

Just so ya´ll know, I´m not going hungry down here! I´m just definitely not on an American eating schedule. Breakfast is optional, lunch usually at 2:00, and dinner is 9:00 at the earliest!

Tuesday I went on a Santiago culinary tour, led by an ex-pat (American who has been in Santiago about 5 years) who came down here as a banker, then decided to make her hobby her work. She now does culinary and wine tours and writes for local magazines and newspapers. She took us to this unbelieveable outdoor produce market (above) to buy the ingredients for our lunch. We had samples of cherries, melon, and peaches that were just out of this world! Like nothing I had ever tasted before. (Even better than David´s!) We then went back to her 1920´s renovated loft apartment where she effortlessly prepared a beautiful meal. We were served roasted vegetable and goat cheese empanadas, corn tamales with avocado salsa, roasted chicken and potatoes with a golden raisin and almond topping, and roasted peaches with creme for dessert. YUM! There were 4 other Americans on the tour, and we had a super time talking and getting to know each other. One was on a cruise ship that had just finished sailing all the way around the bottom of the continent from Brazil - anyone up for that!?

That evening we met Vinny, a friend of Tim´s NY office mate, Gabe, for dinner at a second location of Bar Liguria. Vinny is originally from Ecuador, but grew up in NYC. Another late dinner evening with great food and the enjoyment of meeting new folks.

A note on the Presidente(a)

Back in December, I recall seeing a brief mention in the WSJ that a primary election in Chile had led to an historic run-off between the two moderate candidates vying for President in Chile. I was happy to see that the January run-off was between moderates, as more dynamic persons have come to power in Bolivia, Barzil, Venezuela, and now perhaps Peru. (leading some to question if Latin America is reverting to Populism)

Even more significant than the run-off for a simple majority was the fact that the lead candidate, one Michelle Bachelet, was contending to be the first female Presidente(a) of Chile. Note that Chile has had to debate the fact that the word Presidente is in the masculine tense, fueling the suggestion that it is time for Webster´s to add Presidenta as well. Debate on this subject was stifled once Bachelet´s theme song was scripted to rhyme with Presidente. (Bachelet (soft T) & Presidente go nicely together)

Representing the middle ground of the left leaning wing of the political spectrum, Bachelet was seeking to gain favor with Liberals, Populists, Communists, and even a few progressive moderates in there. Hailing from the party of the outgoing president (Lagos), Ms Bachelet enjoyed the support of a wildly successful outgoing administration.

Running against her was one Sebastin Piñera, a wealthy businessman from the conservative party (la derecha) who did not hesitate to remind folks that Ms. Bachelet enjoyed neither high levels of education nor possessed the Catholic faith shared by he and 70% of Chileans. As Ms. Bachelet also parented a couple of children out of wedlock (with different men), but also had a father tortured under the Pinochet regime, we saw a very intriguing candidate and the makings of quite a spectacle.

Unfortunately, the Chileans have a much more civilized democratic process, and other than one late night television debate and a couple of well-attended rallies, Bachelet carried the day in spite of the concern expressed by many of the more well-heeled folks we´ve met in town. Turns out the left leaners have won every election since Pinochet stepped down in 1990, so the results should not have surprised.

In spite of that, after election results were announced last nite around 6pm (Chileans vote on sundays with 70% turn-out on a day treated like a national holiday), Bachelet supporters took to the streets throughout the nation to celebrate a decisive 53%-47% win. In Vina del Mar for the weekend, Blake & I appreciated the banners and horn honking (as well as the strong police present and absence of alcohol sales as well).

So there you go. Politics are alive and well in Chile, and it´s been fun to sample process down here.

Viña del Mar

On Saturday, after lunch, we hopped on a bus to Viña del Mar. The bus system here is great! Cheap and easy to use! Viña (as locals call it) is a beach resort about 74 miles northwest of Santiago, and it is busy during the summer, the high season.

We made reservations at a German-Chilean owned hostel (http://www.offenbacher-hof.cl/ if you want to see spruced up pictures), and the workers there were so nice. Each time we ventured out, they asked if they could help and always redirected us in the right direction. Such was the case Saturday afternoon; we wanted to walk down the main beaches. Juan gave us a map and outlined a walking tour. It took us from our downtown location to the beachfront, where we had our first view of the Pacific Ocean! We walked down the sidewalks and boardwalks, past the casino, rocky coast, sandy beaches, artisians selling their crafts, mini-amusement parks, snack stands, and PEOPLE! Lots of them! The beaches were very crowded with Chileans enjoying their weekends. We walked towards the northern part of town, to beaches that were much less crowded, and decided this would be a better option for our Sunday plan of soaking up the sun.

We were ready to eat about 8 p.m. (around here that´s way early) but found an amazing Italian restaurant recommended by Frommer´s (our ol´ standby guidebook) called Divino Pecado. They are famous for their pisco sours, so of course we had to try them!

SUNDAY - We had a lot we wanted to pack into this day, so we awoke early to a delicious breakfast at our hotel (included in the price). As we weren´t exactly sure how the commuter train worked, we hailed a cab for Valparaíso, a closely neighboring coastal city. Frequently used as a cruise ship port of call (there was a Norweigan ship docked there), ¨Valpo¨ could be compared to San Francisco with steep hills surrounding a flat downtown and seafront.

From the flat downtown where we left the cab, we walked toward Prat Pier, where private, cruise, commercial, and military ships were docked. (This is the above picture.) We spent a good amount of time here, watching the ships load and unload, browsing the shops angling for cruise boat folks, and just taking it all in. This was also the start of our brief walking tour (thanks again to Frommer´s!) From the port, we walked through two impressive plazas, rode up an ascensor (a rickety sort of outdoor elevator, there are many here to navigate the hills), snaked through the narrow, curving twists and turns of some of Valpo´s streets and passageways, and lingered across paseos (sidewalks artfully built along the edge of a hill that provide fabulous city views.)

Unfortuately, several other important spots, such as Pablo Neruda´s Valpo home, were closed this day due to the election (more on that from Tim later!)

We figured out the commuter train back to Viña - much cheaper - and got ready to go to the beach! Our first choice was a beach closer to downtown, but again, our hotel host redirected us to Reñaca, which is supposed to be the place to be and be seen! The guidebooks were all in agreement. Not to miss out on being ¨in¨, we grabbed sandwiches from a mini-mart, and hopped a micro (local bus) to Reñaca.

We were not disappointed! Many less people, much less ¨stuff¨ and a beautiful view of the ocean and coastline. Here we ate our lunches and enjoyed the sun. A cool if not chilly breeze was present, but kept us from absolutely baking. Not to miss a dip in the Pacific, Tim was the first to brave the waves. But gracious, how frigid they were!! I could only bear to splash my toes in. Our guidebook told us the Humbolt current is responsible for the freezing waters. Probably a good thing that the water is not more pleasant, because the undertows were grippingly strong. Lifeguards assisted by helicopters ensured folks didn´t go out too far.

For dinner, we had to be flexible! Several places again were closed due to the election, and we finicllay decided on a place called ¨Las Delicias del Mar¨ a seafood restaurant also recommended by Frommers. YUM! Another memorable dinner.

Again, flexibility was the key for our after dinner plans. A selected salsa bar appeared to be out of business, and another was closed for the evening, so we headed to the casino to look around. Seemed a little complicated and wanting to conserve funds, we just ¨observed.¨ The highlight of the night was watching the waves crash against the huge boulders along the high rocky part of the coast.

We squeezed in one last thing before our trip back to Santiago on Monday morning! El Reloj de Flores, or Clock of Flowers was just a few blocks from our hotel, so we went there for pictures. The entire thing is fashioned of flowers, and the hands really work and keep time. It was created when either Chile hosted or was in the World Cup (didn´t get the translation on that one.)

It really was a packed weekend, but we wouldn´t have done it any other way! Very cool to be able to see another part of this country in a short little weekend.

Mas viño por favor . . . Ventisquero!

Lucky me, I got to go on a field trip with the students! Their curriculum includes tours to Chilean companies, and Friday´s was a wine company. As it was going to be a full day trip, Tim got permission from the school for me to come along. (Didn´t feel bad about going along because some of the Dookie students decided to skip - stinks for them!)

We took a 2 hour bus ride to the south, into the Maipo valley. (There are several other wine producing valleys of Chile, and many wineries have land in more than one of them to diversify their wines.) The winery was called Ventisquero, a relatively new company with a huge, very modern facility. We were able to tour the area where they process the grapes, ferment the wines (in huge metal vats), age the gran reserva and premium wines in oak barrels, and the bottling area. All were really neat, especially the bottling process - the automated corking and labeling. Cool! Except for the hairnets.

As we were there for ¨business¨, they gave us a lecture on their marketing strategies and showed some of their advertising campaigns from the past. Being that it all was in Chilean spanish, it was very difficult to follow, but seeing the ads was interesting. They explained how most of their best wines are not yet sent to the states, and they re-brand and re-label their varietals before sending them out to the states, to target Americans.

Then we got back on the bus and they took us way out on the vineyard in a shady grove for winetasting and lunch. When we got out of the bus, the smells from the barbecue were mouthwatering. First, though, we had the tasting of a saviugnon blanc and a carmenere led by one of their winemakers! Got to try some really good wine, and learned a little about how to taste it. Then . . lunch at a beautifully set long table . . . a buffet of very typical chilean food. As I have heard it described, very simple but good. Grilled pork and chicken, a rice and vegetable salad, sliced tomatoes and onions, and quarter heads of lettuce. Don´t forget a postre for dessert. How cool was this?

Well then, of course, we were set for a ride home including a nap! But not before we were able to buy some of their wines for wholesale. ;)

Later on in the evening, Alberto, a full time student originally from Germany, had organized a party and barbecue on the rooftop of another classmates apartment building. Met several other students, some from Chile and Colombia, had some good pisco sour, and some not so good pisco, and some delicious chorizo (spicy sausage). I have never enjoyed grilled sausage in the states as I have here!