Adventure Club

Andrew joined his school's Adventure Club on Saturday for a 7 hour hike through the Andes. It was a beautiful day perfect for a moderate hike through the clean air in the mountains. When they reached the summit, they would have been able to see all the way to the ocean - if it were not for the smog. Even with smog, Andrew was able to capture several amazing photos!

The hiking crew.

Overlooking the city of Santiago

The Andes still have snow! Argentina is just over the summit.

 Tarantula 

G-Ma & Papa in Chile!

We had such a great visit! Here are a few highlights in pictures:

Mom and Dad arrived on Tuesday. We let them rest up on Wednesday and acclimate themselves to the time change - then off we went! Greg took a couple days off of work so we could show them around town.

Our first stop was the Santa Rita Winery. Greg's company owns several wineries, but Santa Rita is the closest - and it is absolutely beautiful. No, we're not wine drinkers, but the tour, museum, and restaurant are amazing!

The kids were off for the Easter holiday, but opted out of this adventure. That's ok. We had a blast without them.

The next day was Good Friday, which allowed us the opportunity to spend another full day together. We decided a picnic and hike was the perfect way to spend a beautiful fall day; so we headed to the nearby Santuario de Naturaleza. Apparently, half of the city thought that this was a great day to do the same. Luckily, we found a nice open area - a little away from the river to enjoy lunch. We then set off to explore.

The sights were beautiful, but we were a bit surprised to find that the trail markers were actually spray painted on rocks. Not something you would see in the US.

Saturday brought a day at the Farmer's Market and a visit to Los Dominicos. Los Dominicos is an area full of local artisans. It's a bit touristy, but a must-see in the area. A great one-stop-shop to see traditional crafts, handiwork, and eat yummy traditional Chilean dishes. 

Mom loved finding the Chocolo corn which is huge in comparision to the normal corn we find in the US. See it next to the Watermelon? It's about the same size as a small melon.

The fish mongers showing off for the camera.

The boys loved shopping...

Dad surprisingly liked his traditional Chilean dish. French Fries topped with shredded beef, sausage, and, of course, an egg.

Greg stuck with the old favorite: Pastel de Chocolo. 

This is the same place we first tried it way back in May when we were here house hunting. Memories...

We exposed mom and dad to church in Chile on Sunday. They got to listen the the speakers via headsets and a translator, and hear Andrew bless the sacrament in espanol. They were also able to meet most of my friends all in one place. It was fun to have them there.

There were a few days of hanging around the house. Sitting in the sun and reading - is exactly the kind of vacation my dad enjoys. So we let him soak up some rays before sending him back to winter in Missouri.

Mom and I enjoyed a couple cooking classes with my friend Teresa on Mondays. Teresa has been working for us for about a month now - and I'm telling you - I don't know what I will do without her. She is teaching me to make traditional Peruvian dishes (yum!) and my house has never looked better. My favorite part of the day is when I climb in bed at night after she's made it. I don't know what she does - but it beats any hotel. Serious heaven.

But I digress. Back to the cooking lessons:

Teresa and I

Ajo de Pollo is a creamy deliciousness made by blending bread with milk and cream for the base, adding spices, and chicken. It is served over rice. It is so, so, so, very good!

Pebre is similar to a fresh salsa but with Peruvian flair. It's a staple around our house. I make it all the time now. It is served with fresh bread for dipping. 

Aguadito de Pollo is a cilantro based soup. The green color is from the blended cilantro base. It surprisingly does not have a real heavy cilantro flavor. Interestingly, it has full boneless skinless chicken thighs in it. We shredded them up before serving, because we're gringos.  

Susprio Limeno

This yummy dessert is like a custard topped with meringue and sprinkled with cinnamon. So good and dangerously easy to make. 

The classic Lomo Saltado Pervano is pretty much a staple in our area. It's lomo beef (which is like a tenderloin) onions and tomatoes. 

We "gringo-ed" it up and tossed it on a tortilla and added cheese and pebre. 

*My mom was shocked at the $1 an ounce price for cheddar here. We're just grateful that ONE store here sells it - so we pay it and move on.

Wineries, hiking, shopping, and food - That is probably enough for one post. There are more adventures to cover during my parent's visit here. Stay tuned!

You Might Be In Chile If...

You drive a gasoline tanker with a cigarette in your mouth.
(but hey, the windows were rolled up - so it's perfectly safe)


You lean your ladder up against the wires to fix them - in the middle of the street with cars going by on both sides. 

You can check out a library book while you have your gas pumped, windows washed and fluids checked. Choose from 15 different titles!

You haul your friend, and lawn equipment on the back of your motorcycle.

Experiencing Chile from a Medical Perspective

Just before my parents arrived in Chile for a fun few weeks of exploring Santiago, my boys both came down with fevers and sore throats. Looking at the swollen, filled tonsils made my throat hurt. It looked like strep to me so we ventured in to the local clinic. 

This may come as a surprise to you, but I don't speak spanish very well; so I rely on Greg's expertise. When they called Andrew back, Greg went with him. I figured they'd take both of them at once, but they did not. Then, to my dismay, they called back Alex. Crap. 

The nurse was nice and spoke a few english words to be able to communicate basic needs. I imagine that is how things work at the clinics in the states. Basic words, sign language and lots of patience.

Luckily, we quickly discovered that Greg and Andrew were in the room directly across the hall. 

We waited and waited. Finally, the doctor saw Andrew. He chastised me for giving my child (my 17 1/2 year old child) more than 1- uno - Ibuprofen every 12 hours. Really? I was giving him 2 every 4 hours to keep the fever at bay and help with the pain in his throat. CALL POISON CONTROL! 

He really gave me a very stern talking to --- which does not sit well with me - ever. I did my best not to roll my eyes and tell him to shove it. (Sometimes my lack of spanish keeps my mouth in check. Maybe it's not such a bad thing.) I did share with him that the dosage I was giving them was exactly what I've been told to give both of my children in the past from our pediatrician at home. Even when they were much younger. This just fueled his fire and I just sat there looking at him, thankful that I couldn't understand his spanglish or I might just lose my head. Greg started to translate and I gave him the 'don't even bother' look. Greg's all up on this guy's bandwagon at this point - and since he speaks english, I told him to shut it. 

All of this happened AFTER he had told us that our kids did not have strep - although he wouldn't do a culture. "They no need medicine". Idiot. Culture them, THEN tell me they don't need a prescription. 

Luckily, we had some left over antibiotic and we used that. Why, oh why, did I waste my time and money. Surprisingly, my "no need medicine" kids, were better within 24 hours after starting the antibiotic. Hum... Coincidence I'm sure. 

The other problem here with caring for your kids medically, is that you can not get any medicine without going through the pharmacist. If your kid needs a decongestant - you can't just browse the shelves reading the boxes until you find something that fits your needs. No. That would be too much for us non-educated people. You have to go to the pharmacist, tell him your symptoms and then he'll bring you something that he thinks will work for you. I believe that you can go and ask for a specific product, but we don't really know the products here - so he has to give us something. 

These people have too much control over my life. Let me look through the stinking boxes myself, compare prices, and make a decision like a big girl. I'm smarter than you think. Although I did practically OD my kids on Ibuprofen. 

Needless to say - I'm not overly impressed. And yes, Greg will be bringing back some good old fashioned DayQuil, Imodium, Sudafed and Pepto from the states. Just a few necessities that I've realized you must have in another country.