Valle de Elqui

After Easter Island, Achilles wanted us to go north.  Elijah and I would have been happy to stay in Pucon, but the weather was getting colder and wetter and Achilles was ready for some sunshine.  Back in 1998 he had explored the north of Chile and there were some places he wanted us to see.  The most beautiful of all – Valle de Elqui.  En route we stayed in a town named Vicuna.  Wilson and Anna, Chileans we had met in Easter Island offered us their second home to stay in so we accepted their generosity and spent a few days just outside of the valley exploring the local area.  We had the good fortune to go to Mamalluca, one of the world’s premier observatories.  It was magnificent.   This area in northern Chile is known for its clear skies and amazing quantity of stars. 

Next we went to the valley proper.  The land is much like California chaparral, dry desert like but also good for growing grapes.  It is a narrow gorge with a small river running at the bottom, and steep hills of the Andes rising up on both sides.  Cabanas Caballieri is built right on the side of the hill.  Our cabin was gorgeous with a fantastic view and had the bonus feature of 3 young boys for Elijah to play with, along with ping-pong and fusball.

On the Wednesday before we left, Claudia, the owner invited us to an asado on her patio.  She had invited some local friends over and we felt honored to be included.  It started at 1:30 and went well past midnight. We ate rich delicious food and drank good Chilean wine; talked and laughed, both in English and Spanish.  At some point it got dark, more folks came and another round of food appeared.  Achilles brought out his guitar, little did he know Horacio was a passionate folkloric guitarist.   Imagine us sitting around with a group of Chileans, the kids running in and out, Horacio, sparkling blue-grey eyes, long grey hair, passionately singing folksongs with the Chileans chiming in.  It was a magical time!  And it was Wednesday!

We took some good hikes in the valley, Achilles did a motorcycle tour, and we did a lot of good relaxing, but the highlight of the north was definitely Claudia’s place and the asado on Wednesday!



The moon taken through a telescope at Mamalluca observatory




Hiking in Valle de Elqui





Horacio at the asado




Cabanas Caballieri - view from our cabin




Achilles takes a motorcycle tour




We also went to a real "Huasco" (Chilean cowboy) rodeo



Tango

On my list of travel adventures is to learn to dance tango in Buenos Aires.  I imagine the elegant couples gliding across smooth wooden dance floors, the band playing well into the night in a dimly lit club down a hidden alleyway in the city center.  Well, Pucon is not exactly Buenos Aires, there are no swanky clubs or live tango bands, but nevertheless I did find tango.  Pucon, while being a small town is big on the arts.  They have a place called La Casa de la Cultura, (house of culture) which offers all sorts of cool classes.  There are dance classes, including tango, folklore, afro, ballet, as well as music, singing and theater classes. These classes are for all age groups and most of them are free.  That being said, I signed us up, but didn’t expect much.  I was pleasantly surprised after our first class as our instructor, Daniel, was awesome.  So, beginning in March, every Monday night at 7, we gathered in the dance studio along with 5 or 6 other couples and learned to dance the Argentine tango.  Starting of course with the basic steps and then moving on to the cicada, caballito, ocho atras, ocho enfrente, we began to pick it up.  About 8 weeks into it, Daniel announced that the town of Pucon was putting on a dance show to celebrate the International Day of Dance.  Our tango class would be performing.  Well, those of you who know me know that I am indeed a showgirl at heart.  Could it really be that I was going to be in a Tango Show in Chile?  This was too much!  Achilles had never been in a dance show before, but was up for the experience.  The next few weeks were full of excitement.  Extra rehearsals and a scramble to find a show worthy outfit!  I had brought dance shoes with me, but nothing glamorous enough for a tango show.  Luckily Monica, one of the other dancers was my size and she hooked me up.

The show was to be held in the gym, to be honest we expected a kind of small town “high school” like performance.  We should have known better. When we arrived the gym had been completely transformed; stage, lighting, decorations, backstage areas.  The stakes had definitely been raised.   By the time the show began the gym was completely full; standing room only.  We waited our turn peeking out to see the performers that went before us.  It was unreal.  The level of dancers was as good as you’d see in any big city.  We were blown away.  How could this little town foster such talent?  Finally it was our turn. Camila, our live tango singer sang, we danced and smiled.  It was dreamy.  We were rewarded with big applause, and extra cheers went up as Achilles danced me off the stage. (He is a bit of a superstar in Pucon).  It was intoxicating!  Elijah had watched the show with our neighbors the Aussies and was the official videographer.  After the show he went home with them and Achilles and I went out with the dancers to continue the tango fun. 

After the show we continued classes each Monday night.  But now we weren’t just dance students, we were part of the “Club de Tango.” When we finally left Pucon it was this lovely group of people that gave us the nicest send off; after our last class they held a party in our honor.  Tango dream come true!  Buenos Aires can’t touch that! 

Easter Island

The Rapa Nui people of Easter Island believe that their Island is the belly button of the world.  They might be right. 

We spent a beautiful seven days on the island getting to know the place.  The Moai, which are the giant statues are immense and impressive.  Try and get 200 folks from your community and carve a gigantic human form (the largest one ever transported was 11 meters long and weighed about 90 tons) out of pure rock and then transport it 10 miles over rough terrain just using ropes, palm tree trunks as rollers and muscle!  By the way, once you get to the final spot you have to somehow stand them back up and then put a giant hat (Pu Kao) on it. 

The Rapa Nui that we met were welcoming and kind.  I had a great time with the owner of a restaurant who was also a musician.  Every night he would play traditional songs with his friends in his restaurant while his wife cooked.  We drank wine, ate good food and laughed a lot.  We’ll tell you all about the trip when we get back. 

However, one story that reiterates how great and welcoming the Chileans are goes like this:  We rented a 4x4 (small Suzuki Jimmy) to go on one of the island circuits.  This particular circuit was roughly ten miles long.  We passed massive caves, Moai, farms and could see the big blue Pacific ocean almost the entire journey.  But at one point the road turned almost impassable.  It was a 45 – 60 degree incline that was severely rutted with loose rocks.  I got out of the car to assess the possibility of making the climb.  Just as I got out, a group of Chilean tourists with two cars (both SUVs) were at the top and the men got out of their car to make the same assessment as me, except they needed to navigate going down.  (In the U.S. due to insurance concerns I would have most likely just turned around.  But since I was on Easter Island, the place farthest away from another inhabited place in the world, I thought let’s make it happen!)  So I talked with the other folks and helped then navigate down the path.  Both SUVs made it down safely with just a little excitement.  Now it was my turn.  Chris got out of the car just in case I rolled and the car burst into flames.  Elijah decided to stay in the back seat and read his book!  So a route was chosen and up I went.  I made it 2/3 of the way up and then the tires started to spin!   I had to go back, or so I thought.  Three of the Chilean men from the group came behind the Jimmy, put rocks underneath my tires and wanted to literally help push the car over the part where I was stuck.  The tires were spinning and mud was everywhere!  I turned the wheel and gunned it and with the help of our friends we made it to the top.  I got out of the car and there were hugs all around!  We then took a group photo to celbrate and capture the moment.  Chile just makes my heart smile.



Massive cave at Ana Kai Tangata




Achilles at Rano Kau



Chris and Elijah with Moai at Rano Raraku



Hole through top of massive cave at Ana Te Pahu



Little Jimmy gets by with a little help from my friends



Group photo after car rescue

Basketball is a Brotherhood by Achilles

If you don’t know, you should.

Basketball is a Brotherhood and a Sisterhood.

I’ve seen it for myself while visiting Pucon.

No translations needed because “The Rock” is a modern day Rosetta Stone.

A wry smile says, “Cut back door!”

Hands up with four fingers on each hand, means “my jumper just tied the score.”

A scowl warns, “Not in my house!”

A wink beckons, “Give me the ball in the post ‘cuz I’m being guarded by a mouse.”

A quick slap on the rump means, “That was a job well done.”

A massive group hug after the buzzer sounds screams, “We are the champions!”

On a warm day in February I walked into the Municipal Gymnasium and saw Jose Antonio teaching a bunch of Chilean kids how to play hoop.  At that moment I knew I was about to meet some more of my brothers and sisters.  I walked right up to him and asked if I could help with some of the drills.  It was obvious from the way he greeted me (a handshake and a hug) that he was a ball player.  He invited me over and we began to teach the kids how to play lightning.  They loved it.  Jose was working as a basketball instructor for kids during their summer break.  They ranged in age from 6 – 17.  For an entire month I helped teach the kids for 3 days a week.  Elijah joined in some of the sessions.  Jose arranged basketball tournaments with some of the surrounding towns like Temuco and Villarica.  Summer break ended at the end of February.  The kids then had to go back to school.  It was a bit sad not to see them 3 times a week.  But I would still see a few here and there around town or at the gym on weekend.  I always gave them a handshake and a hug.

Two nights a week the local men would play pick-up ball.  I immediately had 12 men I could call brothers.  I stood out a little bit not only because of skin color, nationality and height but I also play ball decently enough for a 42 year old guy with a surgically repaired Achilles tendon!  Anyway, we all bonded and I ended up playing on the local team called “Palestino”.  We played on Tuesday night in Villarica and Saturday night in Pucon.  The team has been in existence for over 30 years with members coming and going.  Dads, uncles, cousins and brothers know each other.  Every once and a while a foreigner like myself gets the chance to play ball with them. 

 The last game of the season ended up being quite the affair.  We were to play against the team sponsored by the local casino called “Enjoy”.  The gym was ¾ full at 9pm at night.  The anticipation was so thick you could cut it with an Asado knife (Inside joke).   The game was originally planned for Saturday July 6^th.  However, since I was going to be leaving town on July 1^st they re-scheduled the game to Friday June 28^th!  I was the only foreigner in the league.  Other than myself the league was supposed to be composed of players only from the small town of Pucon.  However, Enjoy recruited players from the two neighboring towns of Temuco and Villarica in order to have a stacked team.  However, everyone figured it was fair since they brought in this crazy looking foreigner from the States!  Most Chilean men are 5’8” and around 200 lbs.  (They have strong legs and thick mid-sections as a rule.)  So I was surprised when I saw the Enjoy players for the first time and saw that they had two cats over 6’2” and one cat a legitimate 6’4”!  I hadn’t seen them before because their game time was always at different hours than our games up until this point and I figured scouting them was just bad form!  It was an enjoyable but fierce game.  Our team ended up winning the game and the championship that night.  They handed out trophies to each team for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place.  They also handed out individual trophies.  I received a trophy for good sportsmanship for my participation in a lot of the functions at the gymnasium (chess, ping-pong, hoop and dance.)  It was a very special moment.  

However, the coolest thing of basketball in Pucon I think is that the women’s basketball scene is just as intense in Pucon as the men’s.  Three of the guys on the team have wives or daughters that play on the Pucon Women’s team.  The Villarica women once scored 100 points in a game!  So on the night of June 28^th the women of Pucon played the women of Villarica for the championship just before the men’s final game.  It was exciting.  The Villarica team won, but after the game there were hugs all around. 

Later that night around 11:30 we had an Asado for winning the Championship!  An Asado is what the Chileans call a BBQ.  It was one of the coolest moments of the entire trip for me.  Way back in the country side at a “Quincho” which is a place where the Chileans make serious BBQ’s we had a feast prepared for Kings and Queens.  One of the ball players on the team grew up a young man who owns a farm.  Their dads grew up with each other.  On this farm he built this magnificent lodge complete with a stuffed Puma growling near the fireplace and a set of Ciervo antlers hanging on the wall.  We had BBQ, salad, wine, mixed drinks and music.  It was a great night.  I got home around 6am.  The ladies basketball team made me a homemade beanie with Chilean flag on it side.   Amazing, right? 

Now I know that I have a group of brothers and sisters in Pucon anytime I return.  They are all welcome to my home in California at anytime. 

If you don’t know, you should.

Basketball is a Brotherhood and a Sisterhood.

I’ve seen it for myself while visiting Pucon.

No translations are needed because “The Rock” is a modern day Rosetta Stone.



Palestino Basketball Team Pucon Champions




With Jose Antonio, B-ball Coach who became a close friend



Un Dia Magnifico

Some days the sun shines on you and the Earth let’s you know that you are loved and the wind whispers your name.  Our little family had such a day on Sunday June, 16th.  One of the moms from the futbol team knew that we wanted to visit a real farm.  Her name is Clareth.  She is super sweet.  Her son’s name is Juan Pablo.  He is 11 and the goalie of the team.  She also has a daughter named Carla who is 13.  Clareth arranged for us to visit a fondo or ranch in the town of Huife.  The area is absolutely gorgeous.  It has rolling hills and towering peaks full of dense forests that have Arucaria, Cohihue, Robles, Laurales and other native trees.  The fondo has a view of the volcano Villarica.  The ranch was huge.  It had 2 dogs, 15 sheep, 8 horses, 3 bulls and 123 cows with more than enough room to spare.  We arrived at 10:00 in the morning just is time to feed the animals.  We loaded 20 bales of hay into the back of the tractor.  (They feed them another 30 bales in the afternoon.)  It was a joy to see the kids tumbling around in the barn and trying to deal with the hay.  Each bale weighs about 50 lbs.  After all bales were loaded we commenced with the feeding.  It was a blast to see the animals get excited as the tractor made its rounds.  We broke up the bales and sent the hay hurling over the sides.  The cows seemed to be the happiest.  Then we took a walk of the entire which included property right along a beautiful river and 6 houses including that of the caretakers.  The caretakers treated us to some coffee, cake, cheese, homemade marmalade and nuts.  We played soccer with the kids and talked of life on the ranch.  It was a day of breathing deeply and sharing smiles.  The visit ended around 2 in the afternoon. 

As if that wasn’t enough, we had arranged for later that afternoon to have a talent show at our cabana with our neighbors the Australians.  I named it “Noche de Talento – Camino Volcan”.  I like dramatic names, right?  It was to be a night of culture with music, spoken word, poetry and other expressive arts.  The Australians have a mom (Rowina), dad (Ian) and three kids (Bridgett -6, Lila-8 and Finley- 10).  The night started with the kids, Chris and I doing the play "The Three little pigs" or "Tres Cochinitos" in Spanish.  Chris wrote the script based on a Disney version she found on YouTube.  It was performed outside complete with props and masks with the Australian parents being our audience.  The play received a standing ovation (although they were already standing!)  We went into the house as the darkness overtook us.  We had a few appetizers, some drinks and then we were off in our little living room.  I started the festivities by reciting, “Touch of the Master’s Hand”.  Chris followed with “All of My Loving” by the Beatles on Recorder.  She nailed it.  Elijah took center stage and played “Norwegian Wood” on Recorder.  Lila sang us two beautiful songs in Spanish.  Then her little sister jumped in and they did a couple of duets with “Otono” being the jewel and cornerstone of the performance.  Then the mom Rowena asked for Chris to bring a pot from the kitchen.  She proceeded to sing a beautiful tribal rhythm in Spanish while beating the pot.  We all joined in by clapping hands.  It was a very visceral and moving performance.  We took a 10 minute intermission.  After intermission Lila did a Karate form.  Elijah followed with a Taekwando form.  Finley then serenaded the audience with his violin.  He followed up by reciting a poem by Lewis Carol, The Walrus and the Carpenter!  Classic.  Ian then brought it home with a great oration from the Australian tradition.  Everyone was on a high and me being the MC I was prepared to wrap up the festivities and serve the dinner prepared by the beautiful Christine.  However, young Mr. Finley asked if could perform an original composition.  We all agreed that it was an excellent suggestion.  Who won't support the sharing of inspired creativity? 

He ran across the way (75 ft) to his house and came back with a journal.  He took center stage, opened the book and began to sing a Sea-Shanty!  This young boy straight composed a Sea-Shanty!!  He began to sing just like a cabin boy who had spent his formative years on a pirate ship.  When he got to the chorus after the first verse we were all pumped!  After the end of the second verse we all joined in the chorus that went like this…

“O’er the land, and under the sea,

Where do I expect to find she?

On a rock, with my crew, I look to the west.

For a glimpse of her one, great shining breast!”

Yeah!!!  If you had been outside of the house as we sang the last chorus you would have swore the skull and cross-bones was flying high outside of the house!  After a rousing applause we ate pasta, drank wine and discussed the world turning around.  The Aussies went home and then we put Elijah to bed.  Chris and I smiled and laughed in bed to the sound of the swelling Puelche.  Some days the sun shines on you and the Earth let’s you know that you are loved and the wind whispers your name.

The Incredible Stormy Night

It has been storming here for the last week.  Amazing.  The fiercest wind, the most thundering rain you can imagine. The whole house shakes, the windows rattle, wind howls around the house and slips in through the cracks and makes you feel like it is coming in to get you.  I feel like the house is going to lift off the ground and fly away just like in Wizard of Oz.  Last night was the biggest of storms.  Achilles went out to play basketball.  I stayed up waiting for him. We finally got in bed around midnight.  We couldn't sleep right away as the storm was so loud.  We layed in bed listening to all the crazy sounds and talking about how amazing it was.  I got up to use the restroom and realized that the power had gone out.  Oh well, we'd deal with it in the morning.  I felt my way downstairs and grabbed a flashlight and put it near my bed.  Finallly sometime afer 1:00am  I drifted off to sleep.  Around 4:30 I awoke to a sound louder than the wind. It was Elijah throwing up.  I rushed to his room only to find, of course, that I couldn't see a thing. Where had he thrown up?  Was it on his bed?  his pillow?   I fumbled back to my room, found the flashlight and went back to him.  Poor little guy.  At least there was a pan nearby (unfortunately this wasn't his first time being sick in Chile and we keep a pan near his bed.)  I got him throwing up into the pan but when I went to wash out the pan, I realized that as we had no electricity, that also meant that we had no water (our water is run by a pump that is run by electricity).  I rinsed out the pot the best I could with the few drips that came out of the tap, and went down to get at least a glass of drinking water for him to wash out his mouth with.  At this time I realized that I was probably going to be up for a while and I did not want to be cold. The fire had died out  but I thought there may still be a few embers. Time to rekindle the fire.  I shined my flashlight into the wood stove, it was still a little warm, but no embers, I would have to start from scratch.  I shined my light over to the wood box.  Of course... we were out of wood.  Then I heard Elijah again.  Upstairs I ran.  By this time Achilles had woken up.  Mind you the storm is still raging outside.  "Babe, I said to Achilles through the dark, "We are out of wood, the lights are out and we don't have any water."  "Ugg"  he grumbled, "This is ridiculous"  Nonetheless what could we do?  Achilles put on his jeans, rainjacket, and boots and headed out into the darkest of nights with the flashlight.  I stayed with Elijah at his bed with the candle.  The main breaker to our house is not actually on our property.  It is up the hill, through a barbed wire fence and is a perilous journey even in the daylight.  Him doing it in the pouring rain, made me super nervous.  He was gone for a while.  I kept peeking out the door hoping for his return.  Suddenly the lights went on... he had done it  Yeah!  Now just let him come back safely!  I was relieved to see a small light heading down the hill back toward the house.  He even stopped at the wood shed and brought back some wood.  My hero!  Elijah continued to be sick, but at least we could see, could wash up, and warm up the house.  Achilles and I took turns staying with Elijah.  I eventually fell back asleep and then when morning finally came Achilles came back to bed too.  The next morning we laughed as he told us about his trip to the breaker box and how he had fought bravely through the rain and wind only to step in cow poop!  3 times!  Aaaaaahhhh we love Chile!

All healthy again with his pan pipes and hat that mama made!



Elijah gets his face painted at a Rapa Nui show




Mama and Elijah on Mother's Day at the Volcano




Young family at Copihue waterfall in Pucon



Argentina

If you look at a map, Chile looks like a long string bean.  It is fascinating because  it encompases so many different climate zones.  Imagine taking the west coast of North America and flipping it upside down.  The north of Chile is like Baja California or northern Mexico, hot dry desert; then you head south and you get a mediterranean climate similar to southern California, this is where Santiago, the capital is, as well as the central valley where they grow so much of their produce.  Continue south and you get the wine region, similar to Napa Valley in northern California  Further on it gets wetter and greener and it reminds you a lot of Oregon and Washington, super green, lots of forests, rivers, and lakes (this is where we live, called the lake region).  If you go far enough south you end up with the extreme cold and glaciers resembling Canada or Alaska.  Going from the very north of Chile to the southern tip of Chile is a very long trip and would take days and days of travel.  Crossing the country horizontally however, west to east, takes only a few hours.  The Andes form the border to the east and from our place it's just a hop, skip and a jump to cross the border into Argentina.  You can drive straight over from Pucon or even cooler you can cross over by traveling on a lake!  Lago Pirihueico is a stunning, long narrow lake that runs east/west through the foothills of the Andes, and has a ferry service that takes you to the border with Argentina.  We chose this route and ended up visiting  a very picturesque mountain town called San Martin de Los Andes. Here are a few photos from that incredible journey.  


Our transportation to Argentina on Lago Pirihueico

 



Hanging out on the ferry

 


Our hotel inSan Martin surrounded by the stunning  fall leaves




One of a huge flock of wild green parrots busy eating downtown




San Martin de los Andes on the shore of Lago Lancar  



Volcan Lanin where we went hiking, on the Argentian side

Elijah Hiking Quetrupillan

On May 7^th Elijah and I hiked Quetrupillan together.  It was something he wanted to do.  Elijah wants to tell about his experience on the mountain.  We decided that the best way to tell his story would be by means of an interview.

Daddy:  Elijah, what made you want to climb Quetrupillan?

Elijah:  The name was so inspiring.  It didn’t look too difficult and I want to come back saying that I had done something successful besides learning Spanish while in Chile.

Daddy:  Tell me about your experience.

Elijah:  Me and daddy went through 3 forests.  A burnt forest, a green forest and a red and yellow forest.  Then we reached the base.  We had lunch in the shelter of the trees because the wind was real strong.  It is Fall in Chile right now and the trees are very small, with no leaves and they looked burnt. 

Daddy:  How long did it take us to hike through the three forests?

Elijah:  It took us two hours.

Daddy:  Then what happened?

Elijah:  We kept hiking through this beautiful landscape looking for the next “who-do” to get to.  A “who-do” is a pile of rocks stacked on top of each other that is a marker for the trail.  The ranger makes them.  If a person thinks there is a lack of “who-dos” they make another one themselves.  We kept going way up and picked up a couple of pieces of sulfur and a beautiful rock and kept going up-up-up.  It was super exciting walking up and seeing the clouds appearing and disappearing. 

Daddy:  Was it cold while you were hiking?

Elijah:  It was pretty cold while we were hiking.  My hands got really cold.  Almost at the top, my left hand stopped functioning.  So I made the call it was probably time to head back down.  I couldn’t walk so daddy had to carry me down. 

Daddy:  So why didn’t you turn back earlier before you got too tired and cold?

Elijah:  Because my motivation really wanted to make it there.

Daddy:  How close were you to the top?

Elijah:  We made it to the cone.  We were 200 ft from the crater.  Halfway down the volcano piece my right hand wouldn’t function.  You warmed them up.

Daddy:  How did you feel once you saw the forest down below?

Elijah:  It felt like we wouldn’t have to spend the night on Quetrupillan!

Daddy:  Tell me about the view from the cone of the volcano?

Elijah:  The view was of the other volcano, Llaima and the other volcano, Villarica.  It was super beautiful.

Daddy:  How high did you climb?

Elijah:  Starting altitude was 780m.  We made it to 2211m.

Daddy:  Wow.  I think the whole hike was 7 hours from start to finish.

Daddy:  Is there anything else you want to say about the trip?

Elijah:  No not really.

Daddy:  I heard that you wrote a poem that was inspired by your Quetrupillan hike.  Will you share it with us?

Elijah: OK.  (He goes upstairs to get his journal.)

NATURE by Elijah written May 9^th 2013

“WHEN YOU FEEL YOURSELF CONNECT TO NATURE YOU FEEL GOOD.

YOU FEEL NATURE GIVE YOU POWER AND YOU GIVE NATURE RESPECT.

YOU FEEL LIGHT SHINE ON YOU AND YOU SHINE LIGHT BACK.

NATURE SHOWS YOU ITS ANIMALS, ITS ELEMENTS.

NATURE IS AMAZING!”

Daddy: What lessons did you learn from your Quetrupillan experience?

Elijah:  My limits. 

Daddy:  It was my honor hiking Quetrupillan with you.  Will you hike another volcano with me one day?

Elijah: Yes.

Well friends and family, there it is.  I only had three lessons that I wanted him to learn from that experience.

1. The weather can change quickly on the mountain.  Be prepared at all times and give the mountain a lot of respect.
2. A person can know their limits only through experience.
3. On a grand adventure it is a good idea to have a buddy.

Mission accomplished.  Love, Achilles.

Quetrupillan in the back ground at the base



At a "who-do" about a 1/3 of the way up



Adventures of Daily Life

I like to write about adventures, but I realize too that so many of the things that we take for granted in daily life are in fact a bit of an adventure here in Chile.  Take cooking for example.  When you walk into our home directly to the left is the kitchen.  It is fully functional, yet it functions in a much different way.  The stove has to be lit each time you need to use it.  Elijah is my official match lighter.  Also there are no numbers on the oven and in fact, the dial actually goes from low to hot and then down to medium. Go figure?  So when I bake, I have absolutely no idea what temperature I am baking at.  Measuring is a little complicated too (esp. with butter) as they use metric measurements but as I don’t have any measuring cups or spoons, it doesn’t matter much. I just put some in and hope for the best.  So far so good.  I have actually made some super yummy things.

Many foods that come prepared at home have to be made from scratch here.  There are times I really miss TJ’s, but for the most part I have enjoyed learning to make my own. I make hummus and beans, soups, breads, sauces, jams and juices.  I even tried making saag paneer. When I see something interesting in the local fruit and vegetable market I always ask what it is and give it a try.  Different things appear seasonally.  The berries are gone and now we have pinones and castanas (chestnuts) in the markets.  There are also some fabulous squashes.  One is a gigantic orange squash that they actually cut up with a saw and then sell in chunks. 

On rainy days Chileans have a tradition of eating sopapillas, a fried sweet bread type treat.  It's kind of like us and curling up with a cup of hot chocolate.  A few weeks back we were visiting our friend Jose Antonio, and indeed it was a rainy day.  He introduced us to the custom and taught Elijah how to make sopapillas. 

Back to house adventures.  To try and minimize chilinitis (or montazuma's revenge) we boil our water to drink.  This is an ongoing process of boiling water and then storing it.  Boiling, storing, boiling, storing.  Not hard, just different.  As I do the cooking, Achilles has taken over dishes.  This is such a treat!  No dishwasher though, or garbage disposal, but we do usually have hot water in the sink. 

Now that it is getting colder there is the issue of heat.  There is no central heating (of which I must say I have discovered that I am a huge fan!) instead, we have a wood burning stove.  It is very charming, but if you have ever used a wood burning stove as your only heat source, the charm soon wears off.  It is a lot of work to start and then keep a fire going.  Achilles is in charge of bringing in the wood (luckily our rent includes access to a wood shed), but he still has to chop up kindling.  Sometimes he makes the fire, but more often than not it is me as I am the cold blooded one who needs the heat.  Of all the conveniences of home this is the one that makes life the most different for me here.  Starting and tending a fire is much different than selecting a number and flipping a switch on the thermostat!

Washing clothes is also way different.  We do have a washing machine, but it only washes with cold water.  To dry the clothes we put them outside on a drying rack and hope for a sunny day. Sometimes we have to bring them in and dry them inside as the weather changes quickly here.  They get clean and dry eventually, but not ever super clean and never that soft yummy just right out of the dryer feeling.

Luckily since we are on vacation there is time to do all these things.  I really feel that I have blossomed as a cook and can make delicious interesting meals from all sorts of different raw ingredients.  I also can say that without the pressure of time each day cooking and housework become creative endeavors.  It is funny after three months things that seemed so different at first seem quite natural now.  Life is good!



Jose Antonio and Elijah making sopapillas



The famous sopapillas cooking



Bridgett, Elijah and Lila with their bounty of murtas, a berry that grows along our road





The market in Temuco with lots of fresh veggies



Making plum juice

Slowing Down

How lovely it is to sit in my dining room, drinking a cup of coffee feeling the warmth from the sun coming through a sunny window.  Life is peaceful here.  Slow.  Nothing opens before 10 so there is really no reason to rush.  We don’t worry about getting up and rushing to work or school in the morning; it is really a quite civilized way to live.  I have a feeling we will be good retired people.  It sure is a blessing to be able to slow down for a few months.  We realize every day how very lucky we are to be having this adventure. It truly has been everything we could ever have hoped for.

Today Elijah and Achilles are off hiking a volcano.  Ever since Achilles climbed Quetripullian Elijah has been aching to do it.  He just does not see why an 8 year old cannot.  So today Achilles decided to take him up.  My back is in no shape for such a hard climb and I didn't want to slow them down so I have a day to myself which is also a bit of a treat!  Elijah who is not an early riser, was so excited, that he was up at day break, dressed, teeth brushed ready to go.  I made them lots of food and sent them on their way.  I will report on their adventure next time I write. 

We have decided to stay here in Pucon through the end of June.  We are all doing so well here there seems no reason to move on.  Elijah is still taking Spanish classes and playing futbol on the local Pucon team.  Achilles and I have been taking tango lessons and believe it or not we are in a show this weekend! It is to celebrate the International Day of Dance.   I could not be more excited.  I am now in search of an appropriate tango show dress!  This will be the first show Achilles and I have ever done together.  It should be super fun!


Sunset view from our amazing home




Elijah playing futbol (soccer)




Elijah's Chilean futbol team




Karin, Elijah's Spanish teacher at Language Pucon



Dancing tango