Farmers' Market

Brett and I thought we hit the jackpot as far as farmers markets were concerned, when we moved here last July in the middle of winter. We had no idea what was in store for us when summer arrived! We spent the summer munching our way through fresh local produce, the volume of which we had never seen before. There were cherries, peaches, plums, stawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, nectarines, grapes (all kinds), avacados, grapefruits, you name it, we ate it! There were also fun new Chilean discoveries that we had either not tried or never heard of before: chirimoya, tuna (not tuna as we know it, but a little green cactusy fruit, which reminds me a little of kiwi), fresh figs, fresh dates, the list goes on and on! There are also several tasty fruits that we eat from time to time that we still don't even know the name of. There is some type of fruit that is orange and looks like a blown-up puffer fish, complete with spines. I keep asking the name of it, but my brain can't seem to remember what it is called. I think perhaps it's because I really just want to keep on calling it puffer fruit.



As fall is winding down and we're starting the long, cold march into wintertime, we are enjoying checking out the new array of produce. We've switched from eating many fruits to eating many vegetables. We've been eating lots of fresh beets (my favorite) and zapallo, a type of squash (Brett's favorite). We've also been buying monster butternut squashes...one of them could feed a family of 5 for a week! We've been making lots of tasty fall soups. (And by "we" you all know that I mean Brett, of course! I can't cook to save my soul.)

As a part of the Shaw tradition, Brett's mom makes a killer persimmon pie every year for Thanksgiving. I just noticed at the market last week that they had a mountain of persimmons, which I have never used before. I might not be able to cook, but I do fancy myself a baker. If I can manage it soon, I'll be sure to post a photo...



These shots are from our favorite local market, where we buy our produce every Sunday. The merchants are lovely, and always inquire where we've been if we don't make it each week. There is also another market nearby, La Vega Central, which might just be the biggest farmers market in the universe. It is housed in an enormous warehouse and spills out into a continual hodge-podge of vendors for blocks. It is open daily and sells everything you can possibly imagine. It is an incredible place to buy your goods, but we prefer our local little market where we can chat with the vendors.

We saw quite an extraordinary sight at the market just last week...there was a little old granny who I would guess to be about 90 years old. She was just a tiny little thing who was maybe 4'9"or so. She was thin and was peering from behind her big specs on a chain at the zapallo, the squash that grows to about the size of the Great Pumpkin. The vendors set a huge zapallo on a chopping block for the day and when you tell them how much you want, they pick up the big machete and hack off the amount you've requested. Granny didn't have time to mess around with the vendors. When she had decided how much squash she wanted, she went over, picked up the huge machete (which looked like it weighed more than she did) and she hacked vigorously at that zapallo until she had her little hunk. I had to pull Brett out of the danger zone, since he was standing right next to her when she started swinging. Go Granny!

The Mad Hatter's Psychedelic Hideaway

As our car was driving down the gravel road less traveled, what should appear to our eyes but this trippy sight:

As we went driving past this bizarre structure, Tara and I insisted on stopping to found out just what in the world this building was. Was it a wacky woodsman's LSD induced labor of love? Some cult's waiting point for aliens to suck them up into the sky? Nope. Turns out this odd little building is actually a super swanky resort for posh Chileans who would like a little down time in the middle of nowhere. And, once on the propery, we realized that it's not so little. This building is attached by a looooooong hallway to another, newer and much swankier, section of the hotel that was tucked into the trees of the forest. I was shocked to find such a luxurious retreat when I was actually expecting to see some nutter mumbling incoherently to us about the end of the world drawing nearer. I am anxious to return to this hotel and stay for a few nights, as I'm so intrigued by the oddity of it. It truly is beautiful inside and takes full advantage of someone's amazingly talented architectural mind. Brett, who loves woodworking of all kinds, was marveling at the intricately detailed design and trying to figure out how, exactly, they had built this place.

As you walk down the long hallway, the floor is actually made of glass so you can see the little indoor stream they've created, which, as you near the fine dining room, rolls over the edge of the floor and turns into an indoor waterfall. The waterfall pool is then the base of the circular floor plan that reaches something like 12 stories high, spiraling around one very tall tree. The guest rooms are centered off this circular spiral. The woodworking that went into this creation is quite incredible. If you'd like to stay for awhile, let me know, because I'm trying to plot my return adventure. If the description so far doesn't tempt you, it has a wondeful rooftop lounge with a pretty spectacular view.

Torture by Potato Chips

Our friend Jhan is a self-proclaimed potato chip junkie. If his wife Tiffany would let him, he would probably eat Doritos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That being said, there are always bags of chips around when Jhan is road tripping. Luckily for the rest of us, he is also very good at sharing. After the group polished off a huge bag of Cheesey Poofs one particularly satisfying afternoon, Tara declared, "That's IT! Not another chip will touch my lips for the rest of this trip!" She stuck to her statement throughout dinner, when the rest of us were enjoying corn chips with fresh guac. The next day, though, she found herself squished into the backseat with Brett and Jhan for a fairly long leg of the journey. You can imagine the big-brother like teasing that ensued. Here is a photo of Brett and Jhan torturing Tara by devouring several bags of potato chips right next to her. When you're looking at the photo, be sure to imagine all the comments they were making like, "Mmmmmmmmmm, these are the best chips I have ever tasted...they're so crunchy!" Nice pinky lift, Jhan...how refined.

Los Lagos

Brett and Tiff cooling off from the hot springs in the icy cold river

While I was all blissed out on the beach in Pichilemu, Brett bussed down to the Lakes District to meet up with our friends, Jhan and Tiffany, who are also teachers at Nido. When I got back from Pichi, I flew down to meet up (along with another friend, Tara) and the 5 of us had a ridiculously silly week, road tripping through the Lakes District and laughing our heads off most of the time. We camped every night and swam in the crystal clear water by day. I can't think of the last time I felt about 12 years old and so carefree! Jhan and Tiff had already been on the road for a month and a half straight, camping every night in an effort to see the southern part of the country. Their car was loaded down with gear, gear, and more gear. Add to that 3 bikes and 5 people, and you're talking a pretty tight squeeze! I think we weighed down the car a bit more than we realized, which eventually led to a disasterous creek crossing, followed by some time spent at a dusty mechanic shop. They patched us up with what was essentially a rubber band and told us that we "should probably be fine to try to make it back to Sangiago...maybe". We're here now, which means we obviously made it back in one piece. We returned just in time for Jhan and Tiffany to spend one night at home before heading back out to climb El Plomo, a nearby peak which towers somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 feet. Brett and I came back to Santiago to meet up with our friends from Carbondale, Dave & Shannon and their 2 kids.

The Sweet Spot

During our travels in the Lakes District we hopped around, camping each night at a different lake. There was one however, that outshone the rest. The campsite was ideal--there were shady spots to hang the hammock, our own private beach to lounge on, and a lake that was the perfect temperature for swimming. We came out of the lake pretty much only to eat, read, and nap. It made for a very relaxing few days. The only problem occurred when I realized the necklace Brett always wears was missing. It was a handmade gift from our friends in Hawaii, Eldred and Ancelyn, so it has a lot of sentimental value. Tara and I decided to go on a quest to find goggles in the tiny little town nearby and start searching for the necklace on the bottom of the lake. Growing up in the Midwest, I was used to lakes that are murky and mucky and where you're lucky if you can see your hand in front of your face. I felt certain that since this lake was so clear, we would find the necklace if we just looked long enough. But alas, after much searching, it was given up for lost. I did include a photo of Tara in the very stylish goggles, though. They have since been retired to the Halloween costume box.

The Sweet Spot also came with a little stray kitty that we managed to tame with some warm milk and late night cans of tuna. McFriskers, as our camp mascot became affectionately known, almost found himself traveling back to Santiago to make a new life in our apartment. We figured this beach bum kitty would be terribly upset with us if we moved him into an apartment in the city, so he's still roaming the beaches, searching for sucker Gringo tourists like us who feed him whatever he wants.

Zen Week

Pichilemu!! This fabulous little beach town is known for its laid back atmosphere, holistic wellness, and its incredible surf break at Punta de Lobos. I was lucky enough to spend 5 days here with a great group of women, acting as guinea pigs for a new eco-yoga retreat that is slated to open up in month or two. We did yoga on the beach, rowed up an estuary that was home to some amazing birds (I saw my first black-necked swan--a geeky highlight for me), had tarot readings, massages, and let them fine-tune their reflexology on us. We might have checked out a surfer or two, but that was purely a part of the research we were conducting for the yoga center. Our final conclusion: a girl could get used to this.

Mopeds and Maté

Uruguay just earned itself an A+ on our list. It is a beautiful country filled with mellow, laid back folks who are so kind and giving. Uruguay is relaxing no matter what you’re doing. Even if you try to get yourself worked up over something, the good people of Uruguay just won’t let you. We were shocked to discover that even in Montevideo we heard only one horn honked all day. That is quite a change from the usual symphony of horns heard during all hours of the day and night here in Santiago. Uruguayans are obsessed with maté—they drink it all day every day! Rarely did we see someone without the mate gourd in hand and the hot water thermos crooked in the arm. The other thing they are obsessed with in Uruguay is mopeds. Everyone drives them. Everyone. We saw every combination of passengers imaginable…from little old white haired ladies in their church clothes riding doubles on a dirt bike to family members stacked 4 deep (kids safely sandwiched between the parents of course)! We saw one or two fancy motorcycles, but for the most part they range anywhere from decent dirt bikes to the sad old mopeds that whine loudly and need a little push to make it uphill. I commented to Brett that the only thing I hadn’t seen yet was a dog on a bike, and then sure enough, puttering down the highway came a guy with a medium sized dog in the front basket. That was it…we saw everything.