Eating My Way Through Chile

In my conquest of world wonders, I knew I had to get to Easter Island (Rapa Nui which means “ Navel of the World”) to see the giant stone statues. You couldn’t pick a farther place maybe besides Antarctica (which is coming in the next year hopefully). No one else wanted or could go with me so I bit the bullet and paid the $1500.00 round trip from Tampa to Miami to Santiago for 12/28/13 to 1/9/2014. I had enough points on my credit card that I was able to pay for the flight from Santiago to Rapa Nui ($761.00 which was the lowest I could find over the past two years) and get that money redeemed to make it a free flight. Lan Airlines is the only game in town and they only have one or two flights a day. It’s also 5 ½ hours off the coast of Chile, thus its name.

You know it’s bad when you tell people you are going to Easter Island and they look at you wondering why. I finally gave up and just started with “You remember the movie ‘Night at the Museum’ and the giant stone statue that says ‘dumb dumb want gum gum?’” and then they get it. I know that most people’s idea of a vacation is Europe or Mexico but we all know I’m not in that box. Then they wonder why I’m going by myself and I explain that I have to see it and if no one wants to go, I won’t wait. It couldn’t have come at a better time because my beautiful Nana passed at 100 years of age at Christmas time and this trip was good for me to just walk and think and cry when I wanted to without explaining myself to anyone. I literally flew back from Atlanta Christmas morning and was heading to Chile that Saturday.

I love the South American flights leaving in the afternoon. I was able to sleep in that morning, get a pedicure, meet my guys (Jason and Shawn) for brunch at Red Mesa Cantina and then my lovely friend Margaret (who should have gone with me) took me to the airport for a 3:45 pm flight. I had gotten my Global Entry card so it was great just blowing through the TSA Pre-Check and then sitting for a Mimosa waiting for my short flight to Miami. When I arrived in Miami (hate that airport), we pulled into Concourse D and I had to go to Concourse J which was at the exact opposite side of the airport. Once I arrived at my gate, there was a bar just across from it so I grabbed some chips and guacamole and a few wines and then boarded the plane. No one was next to me which was great and I had my headphones with me so I just curled up with my neck pillow and passed out for the overnight flight to Santiago.

I literally slept right up until we touched down. When I’m traveling, I love that I have myself together and know what I’m doing. Unfortunately, this wasn’t one of those times. I get my one checked bag that American Airlines forced me to check, head to Passport Control and while standing in line realized that the airline did not give me the form to complete for entry into Chile. When it’s my turn at the counter, the very nice man says to go to the side counter, fill out the form and come straight back to his window so I don’t have to stand in line again. I go over, rip off a paper, fill it out and rush back. He then tells me it’s a carbon form so there should be two papers. He steps out of the booth and goes and gets me what I need and then asked me if I had paid my visa. DOH! He laughs (which is odd at Passport Control) and points to the direction that I came from and says to go back and pay the visa and come back to him with everything completed.

Backtracking to pay the $160.00 visa, now I run back and there is someone at his window but another man waved me over and very nicely processes my documents, stamps my passport and off I go to get a taxi to my hotel.

I pre-paid for the taxi and then when exiting the airport, I tell the guy that I need to get money from the ATM which he didn’t understand. So then I said “Pesos? Bank Machine?” and then he got it. He takes me to an ATM which usually has an English option out the gate but not this one. He has to help me walk through about three screens before I can ask for Foreign Currency which is odd because I need the local currency. Moving on. Finally get my 150,000 pesos (about $280 USD), securely stuff it into my shoulder bag and off we go to Galarias Hotel.

Naturally when I get to the hotel at 9:00 am, they do not have a room ready for me so I put my luggage in storage and in a long black cotton dress and 6 inch wedge sandals, I stomp out into the city on a Sunday with everything closed until at least 10:00. I walked in circles using my GPS trying to find the closest Starbucks and when I finally found it, it was closed on Sundays. WTH? So I stopped into a little store and in my worst Spanish asked for an empanada con carne. The guy asked me something and I realized he wanted to know if I wanted it warmed up. Si. Then he points to a register where I have to go pay for it, get a receipt and then bring it back to him. Ten minutes later, I walk out to a government building, sit on a park bench in front of a fountain, no idea where I am and eat my empanada that ends up with beef, a hardboiled egg, a black olive WITH the pit which I found the hard way and some delicious sauce. It was yummy but not what I was expecting.

I decide to head back to my hotel and there is an older couple from Australia asking about the on/off bus for the city. I eavesdrop and then ask if I can walk with them to catch the bus. They said, “Sure, as long as you could understand the directions he just gave us!” So we walk about five blocks and meet up with some others waiting for the on/off bus. I’ve taken these in many cities and usually you just buy the ticket on the bus but the girl said we had to ride about four stops and then we could pay and get our headphones. So one or two stops later, I realize that we are missing the information along the way so she finally understands and gives us some headphones.

Santiago surprised me at all of its modern new age buildings. I found out that it’s become the financial capital of South America and thus the booming economy. I decided I would ride the bus until I got to the Barrio Bellavista where you can take a funicular to the San Cristobal Hill at the top of the Parque Metropolitano to get an awesome view of the city. (Before I left, I went to my trusted Frommers.com site and used the Suggested Itinerary for one week in Chile. Always a reliable source and this location is where they suggested you start.) Waiting in line in the sun I realize just how strong it is and realize that I will be needing sunblock and a hat quickly if I want to save my face. I walked around the park with its giant Statue of Mary at its peak and then took the funicular back down to the bottom.

I loved the Bellavista area. Lots of restaurants and bars and they have very artistic graffiti on pretty much every open surface. As I walked I came upon Patio Bellavista. I was trying to find some place to have something to eat but it was almost overwhelming with too many choices. I came across this small shop in the courtyard of this restaurant / mall type place and struck up a conversation with the sales clerk, Joanna. I ended up buying two pendants made with lapis (a material that can only be found in Chile and Afghanistan of which I most likely won’t be visiting…) One pendant has other minerals to make it look like a crescent moon in the dark sky and the other was the one I was waiting for. A small round lapis ball with a map of the earth. Joanna and I talked about dancing salsa and she told me of a club just around the corner called Maestra Vida that was really popular on Saturday and Sunday but since I had an early flight the next morning I told her we would go when I returned.

I ended up walking down another busy street full of restaurants called Constitution. As I walked, this young lady says to me “Are you traveling by yourself?” and when I said yes, she invited me to join her for a drink because she was also traveling alone. She was funny because while I didn’t look lost she says she knows the feeling of traveling solo and sometimes wanting some company. Her name is Claire and she’s a British accountant who does contract work around the world. She is currently between jobs and decided to travel South America and New Zealand for three months. (See America, you just don’t get it. It’s normal to just travel and backpack the world…) She was finishing her meal and oddly enough I just wasn’t that hungry so I just had a couple wines.

I finally had to say goodbye because the last bus for the tour to finish up the rest of the on/off bus route was going to be at 4:30. We exchanged information and off I went. I ended up waiting for almost a half hour for the bus but it finally came and I was able to give my feet a rest. They were smart enough to have a canopy top instead of just an open top bus so I was given a reprieve from the sun as well. Once back to my original stop, I walked back to the hotel, checked into my lovely room and took a hot shower and a nap. It felt good to just relax for a bit and not go, go, go all day. I ordered room service instead of going out. I was too excited about heading to Easter Island the next morning. I ordered a glass of wine and the Chilean Empanadas (same concept as earlier). I relaxed and caught a movie while I watched the sun set on Santiago from my hotel room. I did head down to the bar for another glass of wine and to check in on Facebook so all knew I was still alive. I loved the hotel I chose because it was like a mini museum of Chilean Mapuche artwork on display and I walked from the lobby to the restaurant to the bar taking pictures.

The next morning, I took a taxi to the airport and jumped on my 5 ½ hour domestic flight to Rapa Nui / Easter Island. I had a window seat and it was great to see the Andes Mountains and the South American coastline to the Pacific and then it just turned into five hours of blue water. I watched a couple of movies to pass the time. We finally descended into Rapa Nui and the airport is so small. As we come off the plane and walk down the jetway staircase, I’m literally giggling. A lady welcomes us with a yellow flower and then I jumped in the line quickly for the $60 park entry fee as the manager of my hotel told me to. I grabbed my checked luggage (which was the last piece of luggage off of the plane I’m thinking and it freaked me out) and walked out to the transportation. There is Alvaro, holding a white board with my name on it. He laughed because he thought I was Chinese or Japanese because of my last name.

Alvaro puts a lei around my neck and takes my things to his jeep. He drives in a small circle around this little town of Hanga Roa giving me my bearings and showing how easy it is to walk through the town. Once we get to the hotel and I’m checked in, we sit outside in the lovely garden with beautiful landscaping and a covered picnic table and he starts dissecting the island and offering suggestions. Since it was almost 2:00 pm, he suggested that I take the “very easy” 1 ½ hour hike to the Rano Kau crater lake which is at the top of the inactive volcano just outside the town. He also suggests that I have one of the fabulous empanadas just down the road first to fuel up. So I change into a pair of shorts, my sketchers (my version of hiking shoes), a tank top and a long sleeve cotton shirt to cover my shoulders and arms and then head down the street.

I first stop at this gift shop and buy a hat because no matter how much I hate hats, I knew my face wouldn’t make it in this hot sun. Then I went to a grocery store and bought two bottles of water (note to self – the blue cap is CON GAS so I bought two bottles of seltzer water. Always look for the red caps for bottled water.) Then I hit the empanada restaurant and ordered a tuna and cheese empanada to go. Possibly the best empanada I’ve ever eaten. So delicious. I devoured it as I walked to the base of the volcano and then started my trek upwards.

Now, there is a road that you can take to the top but Alvaro made the hike sound so inviting. This girl from flat Florida almost didn’t make it. I literally had to stop multiple times to just sit down until my heart stopped beating out of my chest. I would take a swig of the water con gas and burped my way up the mountain – very sexy. I passed these two girl hikers coming down and with all the breath left in me, asked how much further and they said about ten minutes. There were times when I just thought I should turn around and head back but I pressed on not wanting to be beaten on the first day. As I get to the top, I come upon this group of tourists that arrived in five minutes in an air conditioned bus and thought “you didn’t earn it!” not even knowing what “it” was. Then I peered over the rim into this crater lake and my mouth dropped open. It’s gorgeous! Blue, blue water with green moss growing inside this giant crater. It was so worth it – even though my feet are now black and I look like I live outside. I just sat for a while looking at the lake and then decided to trek around the rim to the visitor center.

As I approach the Orongo visitor center, I remember that I emptied out my backpack for this trek and possibly left my $60 park entry fee and was hoping to God that no one asked me for it. I passed a ranger at one point who had a whole bunch of papers in her hand and thought that would be the end of it – me arrested in the state park. But she just said hi and I kept on walking. It was a great hike and then I started to walk down the trail. At one point, there was some people with a red truck that I almost asked for a ride but I sucked it up and just started walking. I had my Fitbit on (counts your steps) and it freaked out on the way up because I had hit 10,000 steps which is my daily goal. By the end of the day, I didn’t realize I would have over 26,000 steps but they were well earned. The angle was so steep that a couple times I was literally running down the hill from the gravity pulling me.
Finally at the bottom of the volcano and I see a sign for Ana Kai Tangata and remember Alvaro telling me to check that out too. So I wandered with achy feet through the little trail that took me to the edge of the island and a half man made half erosion made staircase that led down to a cove with caves and the tide was bringing the water crashing in on the rocks. I just sat and watched it for about a half hour. I couldn’t stop trying to take a perfect shot of black lava rock, blue and white water crashing up with a blue sky above. I finally took a video and posted it on Facebook to show people just how powerful it was and my awe of it all. Finally dragged myself away and headed back to town.

After a well needed shower to wash the hike off of me, I got dressed and decided that I would rent a car and just drive myself around the island for the next two days especially since I realized quickly that NO ONE was going to be working on New Year’s Day. I picked up a 4 wheel drive jeep for about $100 a day and drove the short distance to the town’s cove. They have a Moai statue at the cove which was the first one I saw. There is a very small man made beach that some kids were playing in. It was great to just sit and watch the sunset and a bunch of surfers out catching the last waves of the day. For me, the sunset never gets old and as it disappeared into the Pacific, I clapped. The lady next to me laughed and said she does that too as if it’s the best performance of the day.

I saw some people sitting on a balcony looking over the cove and decided I would go up there to get something to eat. Andres, a very cute French guy was my server and he found me a table in the corner looking out over the cove. I ordered a filet mignon because after all that exertion, I needed meat! It was delicious with a creamy mushroom sauce and a side of au gratin potatoes. When I finished my meal, Andres told me that he was closing up but would I like to join him for a drink at this local Dominican Bar and I told him yes because it was right across from my hotel. I meet him there and have another glass of wine.

I was feeling exhausted from the day but super satisfied. I knew I didn’t want to be out late because Alvaro suggested that I drive to Tongariki in the morning which is about a half hour away to watch the sunrise over 15 Moai. Naturally, Andres had other plans but I explained that wasn’t part of my itinerary. Said goodnight to him and went to bed. Of course, I was so afraid I would oversleep that I kept waking up all through the night. The roosters on Rapa Nui are broken because they were cock-a-doodle-dooing all night long. Finally I just get up, grab some layer clothes, my bottle of water (without gas) and head out in the dark on the only road the island seems to have.

The jeep they gave me was beyond beat up. I had to laugh when I saw it because it had a dent in the front bumper, scratches all over it and the back cover for the spare tire had a rip in it. I was not happy to pay that much for such a beat up car. That is until I started driving around the island and realized I was glad it was so beaten up. No one would ever notice anything I added to it. But it had great gas mileage and handled perfectly on and off road!

I found myself speeding trying to beat the sun because I didn’t want to miss it. I was talking to it as if it would listen. I knew that sunrise was not until 7:24 am but wanted to see the entire event. As I come around the corner of the road hugging the coastline, I see the 15 giant Moai and start laughing. Seriously! I’m obviously the last one to the party as there are a bunch of cars in the parking lot. I parked quickly and ran out into the open field where people dotted it waiting for that moment. There are wild horses all over the island and a pack of them were grazing nearby.

Finally the sun starts peaking up and I must have taken 100 pictures looking for that perfect shot. As the sun came up, it made giant shadows of the Moai along the field and I would run back and forth taking different angles. When it was just light enough, I saw this couple and I asked if I could borrow one of them to take my picture. The husband takes my camera and starts taking pictures and I loved his perfectionism. His wife also takes a picture for me with my IPhone. I was trying to get it to look like the statue was sitting on my shoulder. She pulled it off. We walked back to the parking lot and introduced ourselves and exchanged information. Sudeip and Anusha from New Jersey. They met through work and just got married five months ago. Great couple. Sudeip offered me Chips A Hoy which I couldn’t turn down because I didn’t have breakfast and forgot to pack something. They had rented a four wheeler and so they put on their helmets and off they went to another part of the island.

My next stop was going to be Rano Raraku which is the mountain where they quarried the statues from. When I pulled up, it said that the park was not open until 9:00 am so I went back to the nearby coastline, parked and went exploring the caves there. Unfortunately, even though I saw another car there, I didn’t expect to come around the corner and find a couple “busy” in the cave. Embarrassed I flipped around and pretended I was taking pictures of the coastline. Back to Rano Raraku and the gift shop and cafeteria were just opening. I sat down and had a hot chocolate and a biscotti and waited for the park rangers to open the park. When they did, I started my hike through this amazing site!
The ground is littered with these giant statues. Some standing upright, some laying down, others somewhat in between. I followed the trail and it takes you around the mountain where you can see the 15 Moai off in the distance. I saw my shadow in the ground and laughed. I looked very Indiana Jones-ish. They have a couple statues that are so large, they never even lifted them up but they are still laying right where they were carved.

A tour group passed by and one of the guys asked if I wanted a photo of me with the statue. Being vain, I decided to take off my hideous hat and in the process managed to slide the push button that holds the hat underneath my chin right off the string. So the guy who is from Moscow, Russia and his mate both took turns trying to fix it. After a few minutes, I said, “It might be better to just go buy another hat.” But my Russian wasn’t going to give up! Finally he got it straight and I snapped a picture of us and his proud accomplishment.

I took another trail that went to the left around the hill and came upon another crater lake. There was a young horse that was grazing in the grass and I went a little closer to get a picture of him but being cautious as I knew he was wild. As I got closer I realized that he was hurt. The poor thing had wire wrapped around his back leg and it cut deep into his skin. You could tell the leg was broken and there were flies all over it. I hate to watch any animal suffer and for a brief moment I thought I would try to help but when I saw how serious it was and the fact that I didn’t want to be kicked by a horse in pain not knowing I was only wanting to help, I decided the best thing was to go find a ranger. Back to the front of the park, I tell the woman in the ticket booth and she immediately calls for help. I was torn mentioning it because I didn’t want it to suffer but the fact that they might put the horse down because of the injury made me sad. The ranger said that they are always finding these horses in the lake but she was glad that I didn’t try to help it other than reporting it to them.

I decide to head back to town and get some lunch. I went straight to the empanada restaurant and sat and had the tuna and cheese empanada and a small bottle of wine. Then I drove to another site called Tahai. I was looking for the Ahu Nau Nau statues but kept getting turned around. I was hoping to find a tour on horseback up to Maunga Terevaka but no luck. I tried driving a road to the location but when the pavement ran out and the red clay rocky dirt road began to shake up my insides, I turned around. I went back to Tahai where there are some statues with painted eyes and topknot hats. I walked down to the shoreline and stuck my very tired feet into the cool water to soak. I found it relaxing to just sit there and watch the waves crash. I found some cute little kids running in a sprinkler trying to cool off from the heat. The park next to Tahai was setting up for the New Year’s Eve celebration and I started to consider my options for the night. I knew I didn’t want to spend $100 for a dinner party when it was just me.

I decided to go home and get cleaned up for dinner. I watched the sunset from Tahai park and then went back to see Andres. They were having a buffet dinner but it was too expensive. So I walked a bit further up and found this guy dressed in a loin cloth, with face and body paint and palm leaves around his legs, wrists and ankles. He’s the cook for the Maori Tapuna dance show. He asked me my name and I told him and when I asked his, he said, “My name is Bob”. I was like, “you don’t look like a Bob and that doesn’t sound Spanish or Islander-like.” He said that his name is Roberto but Americans say Bob. I laughed. He takes me to the receptionist and they try to figure out a way to get me in. Finally we decide that I’ll pay 25,000 pesos for the show and party only. I buy my ticket and then knowing I have only a ½ hour before the show starts, I decide to pull up to a little street vendor and have something to eat there.

The lady says, “We have something called ass which is a hot dog bun, beef, avocado and mayo.” I laughed and said, “I think your ass sounds perfect.” She laughed too and said, “It’s spelled AS but she loves the American translation too. I went and sat outside at a card table watching a guy poking the fire of his grill just next to me. She comes out and says, “Madam, your ass.” This went on for a few moments of laughing and then I bit into it. It was like a Philly Steak with avocado and it was perfect. After I finished, I walked back to the show and grabbed a seat to the right of the stage.

It was a traditional Polynesian show and I was so glad I could get into it. I was sitting next to one of the mothers of the girl dancers and when the show finished, the girl came flying off the stage, handed her fresh flower wreath headpiece to her mom who turned to me, placed it on my head and kissed me on the cheek wishing me a happy new year. They were obviously trying to make a party themselves as they ran out. I grabbed a glass of wine and Bob ushered me and the other guests up to the rooftop to watch the fireworks at midnight. Once upstairs, he guided me past all the other guests and we ended up with the family from the show all hanging out and drinking. There was a middle aged couple who kept kissing on each other very romantically and I told them how sweet they looked. They ended up with a bottle of champagne and three glasses so I could join them at midnight.

 The fireworks went off at midnight and Bob was howling at the sky so impressed by the show. He turned to me and said “That was at least 15 minutes!” and I thought of our almost monthly displays of fireworks in downtown St. Pete and realized that we are spoiled. Of course, Bob came straight at me at midnight with all of his facial hair and facepaint and kissed me. I looked at the pictures later and laughed because I have soot on my face after the attack.

Now the party was started. We head back downstairs where the DJ is playing music. Lots of cumbia (Colombian style salsa) but we danced for about an hour and a half. He had excused himself to go wash his face and change into real people clothes. When he came back with an AC/DC shirt on, I couldn’t help but laugh. Then this lady passed by and took a polaroid of us and handed it to me. I put it in my backpack because it was taking a while to develop. (The next day at dinner, I was looking in my bag and found the picture. It was great!) Finally I had enough and walked back to the hotel to get some sleep. That was stupid because people were partying and drinking until all hours of the morning but it was a fabulous way to wrap up 2013!

New Year’s Day 2014! Woke up and grabbed my water and the jeep and headed off to the other side of the island. I had finally found out that the Ahu Nau Nau were near the beach that I wanted to go to. As I was driving, I see a grocery store open and pop in to buy some snacks. I bought some goat cheese and some Parma ham and more water.

First stop was the Puna Pau which is the red rock quarry for where the topknots or hats come from. Then I stopped at the Ahu Akivi site with another set of seven Moai. I was searching for the next site but ran out of road. I decided to follow the road for a little bit because I saw a little car go down it. If they can do it, so can I. Rough road! But when I parked I realized I was at the Ana Te Pahu site which is the underground lava tubes and caves where the natives lived. The cute little car was two German couples and their local guide who was walking them through it. The guide told me it was okay if I joined them because there is no light in the tubes and she has the only flashlight. So glad I did because I was able to enjoy the entire site and learn more of the history of the island. I tried to tip the guide when we came out but she wouldn’t have it.

Back in the car, I head to the north of the island to Anakena. I arrive to find most of the island is there relaxing on their day off. I snapped pictures of the cool statues with topknots with the ocean and palm tree background. It looked like a postcard. I was surprised to find that there were some food and drink vendors but I just took my snacks and headed down to the beach. It was such a relaxing day and the water was perfect. After I soaked a bit, I went and found a grassy place (because like an idiot I forgot my towel) and snacked on my cheese and ham and then decided I would scout out a wine from someplace. One of the kiosks had a bottle of chardonnay and so I bought that and sat with my glass in the shade and just looked out over the beach. I was trying to dry off and finally when no one was looking, I slipped out of my bathing suit and quickly into my dry clothes before anyone knew it.

I ended up driving the coastline back to town. I passed a couple more sites, took more pictures and passed my 15 Moai once more before rounding the southern coast line back to the town. I took a shower and got ready for dinner. Not much was open on the holiday so I found one place that snuck me in without a reservation called Kanahau. The waiter suggested I try the spicy Shrimp Pil Pil so I went with that option. As I’m sitting there eating my dinner, I hear, “Helene?” I flipped around and Anusha, her husband and their two friends are sitting right behind me. We chatted all through dinner. I ended up taking a picture with the waiter and then he kissed me to their delight. Anusha loved how red my face got. He wanted us to wait for him so we could all grab a drink after but we all decided how tired we were and we found out that we were all on the same flight back to Santiago the next morning so we called it a night.

The next morning, I got up and walked to the post office to mail my postcard. (This was hard because I used to mail one to myself at work and one to Nana.) Then I walked to the cove and had a hot chocolate while watching jealously a dive class get ready. I wasn’t able to pull off diving or horseback riding but I have no regrets on this leg of my trip. It was exactly how I wanted it to be!

While walking back to the hotel, I run into Anusha and we go shopping at the town market. I found a nice slider necklace with a stone that looked like stars in the night sky. We walked back to our hotels and I grabbed my things, checked out and Alvaro Sr. (the dad) was taking me to the airport. I was trying to speak in Spanish and he was very impressed while I was super embarrassed.

Once at the airport, the lines are slow but we are the only flight so it’s okay. I loved watching all the people coming in and leaving the country with giant coolers. Heaven knows what was in them but it was the most normal thing if you looked at the people checking them. I found Anusha and the gang and did some last minute shopping.

We get on the plane and I have a window seat. Anusha had mentioned that they flew over in the middle last time so I gave her my seat and sat in the middle. Her and Sudeip enjoyed the takeoff leaving Easter Island and later that night could watch the sunset over the Andes as we arrived into Santiago. We decided to split a taxi five ways into the city and they were dropped off first and then me. After I got checked into my single room at the Hostel Forestal, I got a message that they were going to dinner in Bellavista.

I took the very short walk to Bellavista and ran into them on the street. The place they originally wanted was closed so we went to Galindo instead. The waiter was Peruvian and every time he would take your order, when he got to me, he would pause and just stare at me. I love a good flirt so I just handed it back to him. Unfortunately, he got the wrong message because he whispered for me to join him in the bathroom. Not thinking, I got up later to use the bathroom and he came flying around the corner at me and kissed me (that’s three for those counting). I thanked him for his interest but declined letting him join me in the bathroom. Of course, when I get back to the table, the group is all laughing at me and the rest of the staff in the restaurant know what’s going on too.

We all ordered different appetizers and split them and I ate until I couldn’t move. I also decided to try the Pisco Sour but had too many memories of the one that I got sick from in Peru. I’ll stick with wine please. After dinner, we head down the street looking for a place to have one more drink. I hear a guitar being played at this one place called La Otra Puerto and know that Sudeip plays so talked the group into going inside. When the guy finishes, I tell him that Sudeip plays and the guy hands him the guitar. Next thing you know, he’s up there playing a ZZ Top song and then Back To Black. It was a great impromptu concert. He looked super happy to be playing. They walked me back to my hostel and we all hugged goodbye. I had hoped to catch them the next day but it didn’t happen. No worries because now I have great new friends to visit and to have visit me.

I was thinking how nice it was that I would be able to sleep in the next morning. That is until I had a knock on my door saying my wine tour was ready! I had emailed Hostel Forestal asking if they could set something up so that my first day back in Santiago, I had something planned. When I checked in, they said that there was no reservation but turns out there was. Michael, this super lovely Brazilian knocks on my door to let me know. When he sees that I literally just woke up, he says, “no problem!” and goes to tell them we are rescheduling it. About an hour later, I come downstairs and apologize to him and he’s not even concerned. So I decide I would head to Starbucks and check the internet, Facebook, etc. and enjoy my hot chocolate.

I had messaged Anusha but her and her husband slept in. It was their last day before flying home through Panama so they were just relaxing and I don’t blame them. I walked around the Parque Forestal and took some pictures and decided to join the free walking tour at 3:00 in front of the Museum of Fine Arts. The guide was nice enough but the group was large. I couldn’t hear him that well but it was a decent walk through the city. We ended up at the Plaza de las Armas. The guide took us to the top floor of this one building that was a hostel and you had a great view of the city. We all tipped him from there and he suggested I try Bocanariz Wine Bar. There was a Russian girl traveling on her own named Elena so we both decided to hit the wine bar.

We found it easy enough but were greeted by a very handsome young man in a grey suit and his first question was did we have a reservation. I was dusty from the tour and my feet hurt but I decided I really wanted to stay so the batting of the eyelashes began and we talked him into letting us have a corner table out of the way and only for one glass of wine. Everywhere you looked there were these super young lovely looking sommeliers. Juan Pablo was ours. I could have given birth to him. 23. Yikes. So he very intelligently finds out what we like and starts building our suggested flights of wine. Then he asks if we want something to eat. I found this one item called Prosciutto and Salmon candies. He recommended them and I decided to get that as my meal. They brought these individual bits of prosciutto wrapped mozzarella and salmon wrapped cream cheese wrapped in wax paper just like taffy candies! I hate cooking but I’m so trying this when I get home! They were delicious and so was the wine. Elena and I talked about our various travels and had a great evening.

Elena ended up heading back to her apartment and I went to get changed to go to the salsa club. I felt very safe in the city but didn’t want to push it so I just put on a pair of shorts and a nice top and my dance shoes. I figured if I needed to, I would grab a cab for the short ride but never felt like it was necessary. Once at the club I was standing to the side moving a bit to the music and this guy asked me to dance. After one dance, I didn’t get a break. They all saw I could dance. I loved the dancing but the music reminded me of a social back home. I hardly recognized any of the songs. But I had a good time and then decided around 1:30 am that I would go home.

I had signed up for a tour of Valparaiso, Vina Del Mar and a winery the next day. They picked me up at 9:30 in a small bus and it was just a group of about 12 of us. The guide was super cute but was frustrating me because while I don’t speak Spanish or understand all of it, I get the general idea and he was going into great detail in Spanish and then giving short facts in English. I just had to work harder at understanding Spanish.

The town of Valparaiso was really cute. All different color row houses and many with a nautical theme to the outward design. We stopped in a shop and I bought a pendant that I really liked and some seasoned oil. While waiting for the bus to come get us, we hear this man whistling coming down the street with a cart. People were coming out of their houses with knives. He would spin this wheel and sharpen the knives. Back on the bus, we head to Vina Del Mar and get a chance to walk on the boardwalk above the beach of the Pacific. I would have loved to had lunch on one of the outdoor cafes but we didn’t have time.

Next was going to the Casablanca Valley to a winery called Indomita. This area is known for its white wines and Pinot Noirs. We arrived at the winery and sat down immediately to a lunch we had to pay for. Since none of us tried any of the wines yet, we had to guess at what to order. There were three girls on our tour on business from Under Armor and they were able to scoot away for the day so they took this tour. They didn’t speak Spanish either. The server, bless her heart, couldn’t speak English and our handsome guide was nowhere to be found. We put one of the Brazilians to work at the table helping us out.

I ended up with a beef and goat cheese gnocchi that was delicious and a decent glass of Pinot Noir.There was floor to ceiling windows looking out over the vineyard and a handsome saxophone player moving about the room. We each paid our bill and then were informed that we are going on a tour. Slightly backwards? Four of us English had our own tour in the lobby of the winery while the ones who spoke Spanish had a nice room to sit in with a great presentation. Not my best wine tour but it was still a good time.

I had gotten an email earlier that day from Elena wanting to know if we could meet up for dinner. We decided we would head back to Bocanariz. We were greeted with large smiles still wanting to know if we had a reservation. Nope. But they sat us anyway. I got a different flight selection of wines and the shrimp and calamari plate. She told me of her travels and I shared some of mine and I look forward to keeping in touch with her. She was heading off to the South of Chile for the next week. I was jealous.

Sunday I just walked around the Plaza de las Armas and that area for a while and checked out the National Historic Museum. I went to Emporio La Rosa, the famous Santiago ice cream shop and got an ice cream cone. It was super confusing because I was standing in a long line and then I would see people going inside and then coming back out and getting in line. They I found out you had to go in and pay for what you want first and then get in line. What if I change my mind? Plus, I hadn’t even sampled anything yet. Not efficient. But the ice cream was good. (Nothing compares to Pacuigo Gelato in downtown St. Pete – just saying). I went for a walk in the park eating my ice cream and watching all the couples making out in the grass. Turns out that people live with their parents until they are married or out of college and so they have nowhere to go to be together. The park of public display of affection is what the tour guide called it.

Then I ended up at an outdoor café across from the Fine Arts Museum because there were a bunch of jugglers practicing in the front park. I wanted to sit and have a wine and watch but I found out quickly in Santiago that people either have wine or beer licenses but not both. So I ordered the one beer that I can tolerate, a Michelada, and they were out. So I picked up and headed to Lasterria where Bocanariz is but went to the roof top restaurant bar across from them called El Biografo. It sits over top of a theater and has movie theme decorations and I managed to find a table for one to have some more shrimp pil pil and a bottle of wine. I went to the salsa club one more time and found my first dance partner from the other night. I just wasn’t into the music at all so after about an hour I left.

The next morning I was getting up early to join the Concha Y Toro wine tour. Again, my little bus with Sergio the driver was there to get me. Not Andres the cute guide but Sabastian was very nice and helpful. We drive north into the mountains to get to my mecca – my winery. The Miapo Valley is known for its red wines and they were delicious. Concha Y Toro is also home to my Casillero de Diablo wine. The moment we arrived, I went into the gift shop to look around because our tour wasn’t starting for 20 minutes. I knew I wasn’t bringing any wine back because I can buy it in the stores at home but I found a wine topper that was a Moai statue and a warm scarf that says Concha Y Toro Chile on it. I came out from the store and the tour had already left without me so I ran literally to catch up with them.

We walked through the vineyards and the guide told us about the grapes and history. I found it amazing that Chile is the only country to currently have Carmenere because a worm killed the vines in the rest of the world. They are very serious about keeping their country free of bugs because when I was flying back from Easter Island, after the door was shut, they announced first in Spanish and then in English that they were going to spray a pesticide throughout the cabin. I barely had time to cover my mouth before they sprayed us with this mist. All I could imagine was thinking of the Jews being told to go take a shower and collect their clothes on the other side. Not funny but funny at the same time. After the wine tasting, I went into their restaurant and ordered an empanada and a glass of wine to go. We got to keep our wine tasting glasses.

I went to my lovely little Lastarria neighborhood and ate dinner at Sur Patagonico. I was told I had to try the Conger Eel which tastes like a tuna steak. The one I had was in a shrimp cream sauce with orzo and it was delicious. (I made the mistake later of looking it up on Wikipedia to see what the fish looked like and it looks like a monster eel and the second picture was of a man with his cheek missing after he was bit by one. Nice.) While eating, I’m enjoying the various street performers coming up and down.                                                                                        
I loved dinner but I had to stop at my Bocanariz to have a glass of wine. When I showed up, Lautauro, the super cute host was more than happy to seat me outside and get me a fabulous wine. The others came by to greet me and hug me. I felt like I was home. I managed to stay and close the place. As I was leaving, Lautauro said he bought a bottle of sparkling wine and wanted to share it with me. He walked me to the hostel and we sat down in the lobby and drank the wine and chatted but then I had to throw him out because I had a tour to the Andes in the morning.

So I didn’t sleep well thanks to the sparkling wine (sweet wine – yuk! Stick with what you know!) and then I got up and got ready for the Andes mountain tour. A small bus picked me up deceivingly and dropped me at a place with larger buses to go on tours. The good news is I ran into a couple that was at the wine tour the day before.

I managed to forget my sunglasses and hat and it couldn’t have been a brighter day. My stomach was also not settled. We stopped to use the bathroom and get some water so I grabbed some water with gas on purpose to try to settle it down. It would have been fine except the bus started up the mountains and it’s 40 switchbacks to the top. We managed to stop at a viewpoint and I bought some sunglasses. Alan and his wife, Latricia, and I ran around taking pictures and swapping cameras. The scenery was beautiful and it was hard to imagine that in January, it was summer in the Andes.

We get to the Valle Nevado Ski Lodge Resort and there isn’t one square inch of snow at over 10,000 feet. We have two hours and decided that the three of us would buy the lift ticket to the top of the mountain and lunch option. We hike down to the chair lift and take the 15 minute or so ride to the top. It’s a beautiful view and then we decide we will get back for lunch. The ride down took longer than we thought and then we had to hike a steep slope up to the lodge and we were at a high altitude so all of us were panting hard.

When we make it to the lodge restaurant, we explain that we only have 30 minutes but the staff was taking a long time to get our order, bring our drinks and appetizer. We got our main course just before 2:00 pm which was the deadline to be back on the bus. We were panicking and finally got them to wrap our leftovers and bring the dessert to go with the bill. We get back on the bus at 2:15 pm and immediately apologize as we walk towards our seats. There was an older German couple and the husband says “I hope you get sick from your food!” and I said, “Really?” and he said, “You are a terrible person!” and then I said, “Wow, you are serious! Okay then!” The bus was mortified. The guide came running back and apologized to me saying “What can you say? They are German!” I was so shocked but then I had to laugh when the entire bus came to our rescue. There were some Americans from Utah in the back and they all went out of their way to make us feel better. It was now a mission for me to not get sick on the 40 switchbacks down the mountain just to spite that nasty old man. One of the Americans said right in front of them as they were leaving the bus, “When you get off the bus, you will be a nice person still. When they get off the bus, they will still be old and miserably unhappy.”

When I returned to my hostel, I had a message from Lautauro saying he wanted to get together since it was his day off. I agreed to meet him and we went to the ice cream shop and sat in the park eating it and watching the people go by. He had a big lunch earlier with his friends trying different wines so he showed up slightly drunk and laughing a lot. I kept thinking that the good news is young hot guys are still hitting on you and the bad news is . . . young hot guys are still hitting on you.

I went back to the hostel because they were having a free beer party at 8:00 and I wanted to say goodbye to some of those that I met that week. I tried one of the beers and it was super gross so I went and got the remainder of my leftover bottle of wine from the other night. I enjoyed just relaxing at the hostel and went up to my room, put on my Trio and played music. It was good to do nothing. I also needed to get my stuff straightened out and packed since I had to check out in the morning.

The next morning I slept in . . . until Michael knocked on my door telling me my taxi was there to the airport. “No Michael! My taxi is at 9:30 PM!”  Ah, I love him anyway. I had looked over my Santiago On/Off Bus tour brochure and mapped out a plan to knock off what I hadn’t seen yet. I stopped into Starbucks and the lovely barista behind the counter says, “Elena! Grande chocolate caliente con crema?” Si! That proves that a good wine bar and a Starbucks can make you feel home anywhere in the world.

Then I trekked to Pablo Neruda’s house which was turned into a museum. He has a great sense of humor and a great collection of things from around the world. He named his house Chascona for his third wife because she had crazy hair like Medusa. My favorite part of his house was in the china cabinet, he had a salt and pepper shaker marked Morphine and Marijuana. It was very cool to see his Nobel Peace Prize in person.

After that, I walked to the Santa Lucia Hill to climb to the top of the castle for another great view of the city. Took some pictures and then headed toward the Mercado Central which I managed to find closed or not find at all the other days. Along the way, I managed to find about 30 shoe stores and I couldn’t help myself. I stopped in each one along the four block route to the fish market. I managed to come out with three pairs of shoes. I felt very Carrie Bradshaw walking down the street with my shopping bags holding my new shoes. Finally I come upon the fish market. It smelled so bad that I wondered why I worked so hard to find it.

As I walked down the first row of stalls selling fish, different ones would try to get my attention. Finally one guy tells me to come behind the counter and take a picture holding the fish. The other guy takes my camera (I’m watching him the whole time thinking if he runs with my camera, I’m going to take him out with this fish!). So I’m posing with this smelly nasty fish and taking pictures. Finally, I wash my hands and go get my camera. I look back at the photos and the guy actually took a picture of my butt while I was washing my hands.

I end up at the Donde Augusto and had a table in the corner with a view of the entire market. I ordered a ton of food and a bottle of wine. It was fun just watching everyone around me and talking to the lovely couple next to me. I never ate so much seafood in my life. I finally had to walk it off and head back to my hotel to drop off my bags. I got fixed up a bit and headed to see my family at Bocanariz this time with a 7:00 pm reservation! I loved getting hugs as I walked in. I had my lovely little prosciutto and salmon candies and some mozzarella, zucchini and tomato on toast. It was a great last supper in Santiago.

I returned to the hostel, hugged the staff goodbye and grabbed my taxi for the flight back to Miami. I was ready to go home. Overall, it was a very relaxing vacation. Before I left, my great friend Susan had given me a newspaper article featuring Easter Island and a book of poetry by Pablo Neruda “The Separate Rose”. She noted inside “Helene – I hope you always pursue your wanderlust.” Well Susan, I can’t imagine living any other way.