Happy Holidays!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing holiday season!

The holidays in Chile started out with the end of school for Ella and Mabel!  We were running from class asados (all day family barbecues) to graduation ceremonies.  It was fun to meet more families, even if we were not going to see them again for a few months.  They take celebrations seriously and the first one was Mabel's graduation ceremony followed by a coffee, cake, and candy reception.

Waiting for the big moment

Mabel and AnaMarie (her teacher)

Mabel's whole graduating class, Kinder A

After all was said and done Mabel ended up with a framed diploma, class picture, funny hat, great memory, and another 3+ months of classroom learning.  She seemed pretty happy with it all.

Apparently when you reach 3rd grade you are no longer a child and things happen a little differently.  Ella's class also shared a great Saturday asado at a local park (with pool).  These families have shared the school connection since kindergarten so the event felt like a big reunion.

The mile long picnic table.

More meat at the asado.

 

Though not as well-advertised, Ella's final assembly was pretty formal as well.  Ella was not only promoted to the next grade (luckily) she was also awarded the distinction of "Best Friend" in class 3B.  

Enough said.

Now we are fully immersed in summer vacation!  This also means the solstice/Christmas holiday was right around the corner!  

So we packed the family in the car and explored our first Chilean winery and first Artesanal liquor producer. This had been on our list of things to do but we never made the time. The winery was about 2 hours away and a total treat once we found it.  Now we're inspired to find some more.

Vineyard of Chillan

Our trusty car.

Full Moon over Concepcion on the summer solstice.

We were lucky to share a very special Christmas holiday with our friends Lisa, Roger, and Ruby who came all the way from Missoula, Montana. After a bit of a scare when they didn't show up on the expected flight, things really started to take off for us when they caught the next flight arriving only a few hours later! 

Our first stop was the beach so they could dip their toes in the south Pacific and explore some of the creatures living in and on the rocks.

Ruby finds a star!

Searching for treasure.

Kate, Roger, and Lisa at the beach.

After a little adventure and a great dinner we all called it a night so we could get an early start for our trip south.  On Christmas eve we packed up the rented van and headed 5 hours south to Lake Caburgua.  We rented a cabana only a couple of blocks from the lake and settled in for a few days.

View of Volcan Villarica from Caburgua.

 

Since we arrived late in the day we simply gathered up a few more provisions and cooled off in the lake.

It was already a cloudy and cool day but that didn't stop these girls.

Xmas eve in the lake.

Christmas tree in our apartment.

We brought our tree with us!

A cozy Christmas Eve in the cabin.

In the evening we shared a wonderful mussel stew made by Mike and an antipasto by Kate.  Later the girls set out the appropriate goodies for Viejito Pascuero (aka Santa Claus) and then everyone went to bed.  

Viejito Pascuero found us!

Ella, Ruby, and Mabel in new holiday regalia.

On Christmas day after enjoying a leisurely morning we ended up relaxing in some beautiful natural hot springs, in a place called Huiefe.  It was strange to apply sunscreen on Christmas day but we all adjusted just fine.

Soaking up the sun, poolside.

The day was spent soaking and hiking together. Late in the afternoon we headed back to the cabin for an asado of our own!  It was great to try to emulate the local traditions with friends.  We ate lots of meat and slept very well after a very special Christmas together.  The next day we were all ready for a long hike (and that's just what we got)!

We headed to the closest national park only 1/2 an hour away.

If we had read the hike description more carefully we would have been better prepared for the long hike up to Lago Chica.  All we had to eat were some peanuts, chocolate, and crackers.  As it turned out the views were amazing and the company even better.  By the end of the hike we were all beat, hungry, and happy (I think)!  Remember, what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

Yes girls, we're headed way up there!

The whole gang hiking.

A steep part of the trail.

Lago Chica

Muddy banks of the lake.

After all this we headed home, ate a huge snack, and headed down to Lago Caburgua to cool off.  It was a perfect way to recharge our bodies.  The next day we headed back to Concepcion after a little more sight seeing closer to the town of Pucon.

We visited a traditional Mapuche family. The Mapuche are the native people who live in southern Chile. They were one of the only native groups to keep the Spanish off of most of their lands.

Traditional Mapuche structures.

A Mapuche kitchen.

Mike and Roger playing Mapuche field hockey

We made it home to Concepcion safe and sound after an absolutely wonderful time.  It was such a treat to explore more of Chile with great friends!  We couldn't have asked for a better holiday week!  

Roger, Lisa, and Ruby headed up to Santiago and we headed back to our pool.  We're looking forward to a quiet New Year celebration in Concepcion.  If you feel like following some Chilean traditions for good luck here's what we're told you have to do on New Years eve:

Wear yellow underwear at midnight

Eat 12 spoon fulls of lentils

Eat 12 grapes

Bury money under ground (you can retrieve it after midnight)

Walk around the block with an empty suitcase before midnight (only if you want to travel)

That's about it.  You can bet we'll be trying them all. Yes, this could be a snipe hunt but ya never know 'til you try.

As the year comes to a close we have all been spending more time reflecting on the year past.  Though I don't have any great new insights to share I did want to let you all know how much strength and happiness your friendship has given us.  Our adventures away from home have been amazing and we couldn't do it without knowing we are returning to such an incredible group of friends and family.  Thank you for all the emails, Skype sessions, packages, letters, nice words, and support!  You have no idea how important they are to us.  We look forward to lots of long walks and catching up in 2011.

We are wishing you a very happy, healthy, and peaceful 

New Year! 

Volcan Villarica

Adventures renewing our visas!

Believe it or not we've been here in Chile for three months!  At times it feels like three years and at others it feels like three weeks.  However, three months is the magic time span that we can stay here on our tourist visas. So it was time to head out of the country to get our passports stamped so we can stay another three months.  We decided to go north and visit the desert while the temps were not outrageously hot.  We ended up in Arica, a beach town just south of Peru. 

Look as far north as you can in Chile and you'll see Arica.  (Tacna is farther north in Peru)

Arica is a busy town with lots of great seafood.  It is also a major port town because it's where 30% of Bolivia's international trade takes place (since Bolivia lost it's access to the sea during the War of the Pacific in 1879).  It is definitely a working town with lots to offer.

Port of Arica.

This is the port section of town.  Notice all the containers, most of which are destined to be driven over the Andes into Bolivia!











We climbed the Morro which is a huge bluff south of town.  It gives a great view of how dry it is here, only 0.04 mm of annual rain fall.  In other words, nothing!  It's strange to see the ocean waves wash up onto the biggest beach you can imagine.  The sand goes for miles all the way up into the Andes.

The Morro

Top of the Morro

This is an 11 meter tall statue of Cristo de la Concordia located on the top of the Morro.  Notice all the vegetation here!

Iglesia San Marcos de Arica

Arica has it's share of beautiful old historic buildings.  The main cathedral in town was designed by Gustave Eiffel, yes, same as the tower in France.  It was destined for Peru but somehow ended up in Arica. 

Navy Base

Old customs station.

After a day in Arica we decided to get to business and headed up to Tacna, Peru to get our passports stamped. 









The day started out auspiciously when we met a man from the first hotel we stayed at (the hotel was too far from downtown so we moved).  He let us know that the Chilean custom agents were on strike and he had no idea what would happen with our passports.  That didn't sound good but we all got on the bus anyhow, just to see what would happen.  Everything was fine getting to the Chilean border but then we had to walk to the Peruvian boarder (400 meters).  After crossing onto Peru we found there was no transportation to Tacna because no buses or cars were crossing from Chile.  We were stuck!  After about an hour we decided to just return to Chile.  As we explained our situation to the Peruvian border guards they insisted we stay and see some of Peru so they found a taxi for us and away we went (we should have gone to them earlier!).

Walking into Peru.

Tacna is a strange city because it is big and smack in the middle of a serious desert!  The city is not glitzy but the main drag is nice to walk along and the open markets are big, clean, and fun to explore.

Big arch in downtown Tacna, Peru.

Main cathedral in Tacna.

They have a Union Club in Tacna, just like Missoula!!!

As we returned to Chile we found this was going to be where the strike had the biggest effect.  We sat in line for over an hour as the guards would only let a few people pass and then close up shop until another 15-20 minutes passed and let a few more cross over.  It was interesting to watch it all happen.  When we finally did get through one of the guards spoke in perfect English to Mabel and Ella and apologized for the inconvenience but explained they needed to fight for higher wages.

Waiting to cross the boarder.  Mike and Ella are on the right of the picture.

Whew!  We had accomplished what we had come for, we got the little piece of paper and special stamp in our passports, we were ready to head inland to Parque Nacional Lauca with a guide (since we were going to end up at 4500 meters, over 14,000 feet)!!!

Hold on, I almost forgot, we spent Thanksgiving sitting on a beach thinking about how strange this holiday was being away from family and friends.  The four of us shared what we are thankful for and you (our family and friends) made the top of everyone's list. Here are a few pictures of Ella and Mabel on Thanksgiving.

The market sign

 OK, we started off the tour with our guide Victor from Raices Andinas (http://www.raicesandinas.com/) at the largest open air market I had ever seen.  It had everything!  We loved selecting our olives from huge barrels and seeing all the different types of fruit piled high. 

Tons of tomatoes!

Lots of fruits and veggies.

We then went up the Azapa valley to see the geoglyphs on the mountain sides.  These are pictures that were made to signal the trade routes between the altiplano and the coast (~1000 years old).  It is clear that there is not much rain here!  They were also protected from the prevailing winds.

Llama geoglyphs

After this we went to a really great museum, Museo Arqueologico San Miguel de Azapa, that followed all the cultures who lived in this area up to the present indigenous Aymara culture.  The oldest group were the Chinchorro people who existed more than 5 thousand years ago (they were around before the Egyptians).  These people were masters of mummification.

 The skulls had clay masks on them.
 

This is a room of over 300 mummies, kind of macabre and cool at the same time.

We're all smiles after a great lunch.

Then it was time for lunch which we ate at a Harri Krishna outpost called EcoTruly, it was fantastic.  The girls had a great time playing here and feeding the llamas.  One was only 5 days old.

Adobe cabins for rent at EcoTruly.

 

Looking down at the Azapa valley.  The farms depend on ground water.

We headed up the valley and as you can see it is dry!  This desert is incredibly dry, nothing lives outside the valley where there is limited water. However, when water is present it seems like anything can grow.

As we went higher we saw some beautiful cactus that live by capturing water from clouds on their spikes.

Tuna cactus

The previous day in Arica we looked at a juice menu and saw Tuna juice as an option, of course we were all grossed out and no one tried it (remember Arica has lots of fish).  It turns out there is a Tuna cactus and the juice is made from the pulp of the leaves!  What a relief.

Ella after an algae dinner.  She felt fine but was exhausted.

Then we headed to the town of Putre (at 3000 meters,~ 9000 ft)  where we would eat dinner and spend the night before heading up really high.  As it turned out only Victor (our amazing guide), Ella, and I made it to dinner.  Mabel was not feeling well probably due to the altitude and Mike didn't feel much better so they stayed at the cabana.  I enjoyed a meal of alpaca and Ella enjoyed a dinner of algae and potatoes, it was actually really good.

Victor, Ella, and Mike

Our van for the trip.

The next day was the big day, we'd actually make it into Parque Nacional Lauca.  Everyone was feeling better after a little bit of sleep and a good breakfast.

Vicuna

Right off the bat we were greeted by a group of vicuna.  These are a close relative of the llama. They were almost hunted to extinction by 1970 but are doing well now that they are protected inside the park.  This turned out to be a day of seeing all sorts of animals.

Llama, of course!

We were lucky enough to see all four camelid animals inside the park.  There is the vicuna, llama, alpaca, and guanacos.  They all look similar but if you look hard there are distinct differences.

Puna teal (blue beak)

Long tailed rabbit

Andean flamingo

Llareta,

This moss looking plant is actually a densely packed tree.  If you touch it is feels rough and hard.  The llama herders and miners actually used the dead plants as fuel for their fires.

Volcan Parincota

We spent the afternoon looking at no less than 5 volcanoes, only one was active (quietly steaming).
Up here there is a lot more moisture from snow melt.  There are actually two very large lakes at the base of this volcano which support a large bird population.

This volcano is actually in Bolivia.

Waiting for it to blow!

After a great lunch we headed back to Arica and spent one more day on the beach before heading back to Concepcion just in time for Mabel's choir concert.  I'll leave you with some footage of Mabel singing with her classmates.

The trip was great and now it's good to be back in Concepcion.  Everyone here is gearing up for the end of school and the Christmas holiday.  I hope everyone is enjoying the snow in Missoula!  Please fill us in on all your holiday and skiing adventures.  We miss you all!