WEDNESDAY:
In downtown Santiago there is a huge, old, yellow castle/shrine that is dedicated to the place where (I think) the Spanish explorers came and founded Santiago. Of course, there was already an indigenous temple there, but the Spaniards built over it. But now its a beautiful park with a beautiful castle sitting on top. And, wouldn't you know it, the castle turns in to a dance club on Wednesday nights! So, last Wednesday, my friend Sebastian got a couple of us on "the list" to get in to the super exclusive party where professionals go after work to mingle and dance. The inside of the castle is a 3 story dance club... it's awesome. And outside the castle is all lit up and there are couches and places to lounge. So that is where I think we could find our wealthy Chilean husbands (ha, ha).
THURSDAY:
We had the delicious frozen yogurt treat in the coolest patio in Bellavista Santiago to cool off in the afternoon. I don't remember if I have described it or not, but you can pick any fresh fruit that you want, mixed in with fat free frozen yogurt, no sugar added, for a delicious (non vegan) treat.
Then, we came back to the patio that night and sat in the most pleasant atmosphere I've been in, up top of one of the restaurants, with the sun setting, good music, wine and sushi. Very, very, very nice. I could live in that patio, there are probably 10 restaurants that are all delicious, and they all have a different theme and decor.
FRIDAY:
One of the really nice things about Santiago is that there are lots of cool places to see right outside of the city. To visit Cajon Del Maipo (mountainous adventure region), all you do is take the metro to the end of the line, and it's a 2 dollar cab ride into the quaint town nestled in the mountains. We found another great campsite, right on the raging river (which is brown from the sediment, not pollution), and cooked up veggies and fish in foil, sang songs around the campfire, then slept next to the rushing river.
SATURDAY:
I wake up to the sounds of a loudspeaker coming from a distance, some music, and my tent is blazing hot already by 9:30 so I get up and walk towards the loud speakers... Of course, we unknowingly pitched our tents at the Chilean Rodeo fair grounds!!! Of course! So I meander into the corral, half asleep, and watch the opening ceremonies take place. Everyone (including one girl) was on their horses (which are shorter than horses in the States), wearing striped ponchos, wide brimmed hats, and spurs that are probably 3 inches in diameter. The cowboys would ride out in pairs and shoo a cow against the railing, up, down, then shoo her out. Again and again. It was very entertaining, more so because the location was beautiful - tall trees, a huge mountain in the background, and tons of families out there bright and early to enjoy the rodeo. I felt very close to Texas, not to mention how the Chilean flags were everywhere there and reminded me of home :)
Inspired by the spirit of the rodeo, we rented some horses and went on a wild horse ride through the mountains. We were trotting and cantering, screaming and laughing, perched precariously on the edges of cliffs, hoping our horses knew how not to tumble down the mountain. My friend's horse was a mama and her baby followed us, running, the entire way. The scenery was beautiful, I saw lots of cool houses, fields, and little streams of water. There are probably few things more exhilarating than trotting on a horse through the countryside, trusting it and trusting yourself to hold on. And that's where the Texan in me comes out!
After our horse adventure we went and cooled off in the pool which was very refreshing, then took the bus back to Santiago. Jenna cooked an amazing dinner for us (best Ive had in Chile), shrimp cooked in orange marmalade, candied walnuts, coconut, roasted veggies, and real salad- and it looked so easy! thank you jenna!
Seems that every weekend here, by the time Saturday comes around, we want nothing more than to go home and go to sleep early.
SUNDAY:
Sundays are so quiet in Santiago, it's a completely different city. Most everything shuts down, so I spent the morning walking around Provedencia, another neighborhood I love, and just kinda getting to know the streets and seeing what was there, without the millions of people swarming around. Then came superbowl Sunday, which we spent at California Cantina. It was paaacked, but we got there early and got great seats, enjoyed watching the game and celebrating this American holiday with our gringo compadres. The Chileans/Latinos that were there said "I like football ok, but I don't understand, what is with all the stopping??? You play for 5 seconds, then take a minute break to walk around the field and discuss, play for 2 seconds, stop again" My sentiments, exactly.
In downtown Santiago there is a huge, old, yellow castle/shrine that is dedicated to the place where (I think) the Spanish explorers came and founded Santiago. Of course, there was already an indigenous temple there, but the Spaniards built over it. But now its a beautiful park with a beautiful castle sitting on top. And, wouldn't you know it, the castle turns in to a dance club on Wednesday nights! So, last Wednesday, my friend Sebastian got a couple of us on "the list" to get in to the super exclusive party where professionals go after work to mingle and dance. The inside of the castle is a 3 story dance club... it's awesome. And outside the castle is all lit up and there are couches and places to lounge. So that is where I think we could find our wealthy Chilean husbands (ha, ha).
THURSDAY:
We had the delicious frozen yogurt treat in the coolest patio in Bellavista Santiago to cool off in the afternoon. I don't remember if I have described it or not, but you can pick any fresh fruit that you want, mixed in with fat free frozen yogurt, no sugar added, for a delicious (non vegan) treat.
Then, we came back to the patio that night and sat in the most pleasant atmosphere I've been in, up top of one of the restaurants, with the sun setting, good music, wine and sushi. Very, very, very nice. I could live in that patio, there are probably 10 restaurants that are all delicious, and they all have a different theme and decor.
FRIDAY:
One of the really nice things about Santiago is that there are lots of cool places to see right outside of the city. To visit Cajon Del Maipo (mountainous adventure region), all you do is take the metro to the end of the line, and it's a 2 dollar cab ride into the quaint town nestled in the mountains. We found another great campsite, right on the raging river (which is brown from the sediment, not pollution), and cooked up veggies and fish in foil, sang songs around the campfire, then slept next to the rushing river.
SATURDAY:
I wake up to the sounds of a loudspeaker coming from a distance, some music, and my tent is blazing hot already by 9:30 so I get up and walk towards the loud speakers... Of course, we unknowingly pitched our tents at the Chilean Rodeo fair grounds!!! Of course! So I meander into the corral, half asleep, and watch the opening ceremonies take place. Everyone (including one girl) was on their horses (which are shorter than horses in the States), wearing striped ponchos, wide brimmed hats, and spurs that are probably 3 inches in diameter. The cowboys would ride out in pairs and shoo a cow against the railing, up, down, then shoo her out. Again and again. It was very entertaining, more so because the location was beautiful - tall trees, a huge mountain in the background, and tons of families out there bright and early to enjoy the rodeo. I felt very close to Texas, not to mention how the Chilean flags were everywhere there and reminded me of home :)
Inspired by the spirit of the rodeo, we rented some horses and went on a wild horse ride through the mountains. We were trotting and cantering, screaming and laughing, perched precariously on the edges of cliffs, hoping our horses knew how not to tumble down the mountain. My friend's horse was a mama and her baby followed us, running, the entire way. The scenery was beautiful, I saw lots of cool houses, fields, and little streams of water. There are probably few things more exhilarating than trotting on a horse through the countryside, trusting it and trusting yourself to hold on. And that's where the Texan in me comes out!
After our horse adventure we went and cooled off in the pool which was very refreshing, then took the bus back to Santiago. Jenna cooked an amazing dinner for us (best Ive had in Chile), shrimp cooked in orange marmalade, candied walnuts, coconut, roasted veggies, and real salad- and it looked so easy! thank you jenna!
Seems that every weekend here, by the time Saturday comes around, we want nothing more than to go home and go to sleep early.
SUNDAY:
Sundays are so quiet in Santiago, it's a completely different city. Most everything shuts down, so I spent the morning walking around Provedencia, another neighborhood I love, and just kinda getting to know the streets and seeing what was there, without the millions of people swarming around. Then came superbowl Sunday, which we spent at California Cantina. It was paaacked, but we got there early and got great seats, enjoyed watching the game and celebrating this American holiday with our gringo compadres. The Chileans/Latinos that were there said "I like football ok, but I don't understand, what is with all the stopping??? You play for 5 seconds, then take a minute break to walk around the field and discuss, play for 2 seconds, stop again" My sentiments, exactly.
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