Friday, January 30, 2009

Today was a frightening day. We were having a great time. I took Nate on another kayak ride then back on the seedoo today. All appeared to be just fine. We all were hanging out by the beach. Apparently Walter's seedoo was not working right and they needed to bring it up on shore to work on it. They had a rope to pull it up on shore and Carlos, Sylvia and Walter were working on untying it. As we sat there relaxing and watching what was going on, we all suddenly heard popping and snapping. Sylvia ran up to see what it was and I turned to see the huge oak true on fire! Wow, how on earth? I grabbed all the kids as they were all frightened and everyone else grabbed buckets and such to try and put the fire out. We could see everyone running back and forth from the lake grabbing water. Nate kept asking if it was Halloween and Clemente kept asking if there were Indians on the island that started the fire. Sabine came back and said it looked like they had it under control. I asked if I could take some photos but Sabine told me that the situation was tense and they may not appreciate me taking photos. I decided to go ahead and do it anyway and turned out no one even noticed I was taking the photographs. Not only did they hose the tree with water but they used the fire extinguishers they had that later on they found out expired in 2002 and still worked. After it appeared to be under control and safe, we took the kids back up to the house. They were frightened. As they walked by the tree they just stayed close and did not even want to look at it. The fire department came while we were at the house and they cut some of the tree down. Carlos came back to the house and told us that the fire department could not determine why it caught on fire and said it could have been on of three things. It's been unusually warm and the tree spontaneously combusted was one theory. Another was that someone came on the island and set it on fire. And the last theory was that it was a cigarette. I guess we will never know but glad it happened when we were all there. Imagine if it happened while we were sleeping? They took turns keeping an eye out on the tree during the night to make sure it did not flare up again. Everyone worked in shifts. Fire - not fun!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Today we need to go into the town of Panguipulli for some grocery shopping as well as get our bus tickets back to Santiago. Sylvia, Colomba, Nate and I all went. We took the little boat across the lake along with Carlos and then hoped in the truck and drove into town. In town we first went to get the bus tickets. I decided that we should go Thursday, February 5 back to Santiago. We bought the bus tickets then we walked around town checking out some of the stores. I would have loved to do some shopping but trying to shop and keeping my eye out on Nate made it difficult. My heart was just not into shopping and there were so many local artisan work that I would have loved to check out more thoroughly. We did grocery shopping and then it was back to the island. Carlos suggested I take Nate out on a kayak ride and so Nate and I went. Kayaking is quite to core workout. Nate and I went around the island but as soon as we got back he just wanted to get back on the seedoo. So onto the seedoo we went and took a nice long ride. Later it's back to the house, bath, dinner and bed. Nate is going down fast. All this activity is making him super tired and he can't even keep his eyes open for even one story. Sylvia tells me she is impressed with the ease I put him down. He takes no naps during the day and when bedtime comes rolling around he is pooped. Now that Nate is down, it's my turn to come alive. Where's my glass of wine?

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

We got up and had breakfast. Then is was all about unpacking and getting situated. Once we were set it was off to the beach. On the island there are 2 beaches. One that is beautiful but unfortunately it is open to the public. So many vacationers come and kick it on that beach. The other beach is also open to the public but much smaller and not quite as nice and with all of us on it, no one really goes to it. It appears to be a private beach even though it's not. We kicked it on the beach for a while when Carlos came around in his seedoo. Nate was very excited about the seedoo. He called it the motorcycle. I was a bit nervous to take him for a ride since I was not familiar how to drive it. So Sabine went ahead and took him. I saw them take off and then stop then take off really fast. Kind of freaked me out. Apparently Nate was wearing a hat and it was flying off of him. Sabine stopped and while she was removing it and putting it away, Nate decided to take the wheel and just hit it and almost went full throttle. Scared the crap out of Sabine and she does not get that scared. When they came back Nate was all excited about it. It was my turn and a quick lesson and I was all over it taking a nice little ride alone. We spent the rest of the day on the beach but Nate really wanted to go on the seedoo again so this time I took him. He was so happy. I just loved seeing him like that. Later that day we went back to the house. Nate was doing much better. His infection appeared to clear up and his allergies were much better but Nate had a bit of the runs and did I. We took a shower and fed him and to my surprise he ate. I put him in bed and he was out before I could finish reading him his story. I guess he had a busy day. I went to join everyone for dinner but my stomach was just not right. So much so that I barely ate and even turned down the wine. Ugh, that pained me! Since I was not feeling all that great, I went to bed shortly after.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Sabine wanted to be on the road by 8 am. After I went to sleep I woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible stomach ache. Something did not agree with me and was up for most of the night. Nate slept hard, but when I tried to give him breakfast, no success. Very difficult for me to swallow, especially since I knew we had a long drive ahead of us. We managed to be out the door by 8:20 am. Not too late. The drive was going to take us approximately 8 hours. Colomba had left the day before to ride with Carlos and Sylvia. Sabine and I would ride with Nate, Clemente and Salvador. We met up on the Pan American Highway which I understand is a highway that goes from Arica, Chile all the way to Punta Arena, Chile.

Our first stop was a winery called San Pedro. The best thing about Chilean wine is that it’s amazing and inexpensive. I bought 3 cabernets and one late harvest. Carlos came in and bought a case. Looking forward to drinking more wine. The next stop was at a gas station which also had a store called “Pronto”. There we had a quick lunch. I tried to get Nate to eat some of my ham and cheese sandwich and he was only able to eat three bites. I hate for him not to eat. It really hurts. Back in the car and all three kids fell asleep. Sabine and I chatted all the way and finally arrived around 6 pm. 10 hours of driving.


The boys behaved incredibly well the whole trip. When we arrived we had to load everything in the boat then cross over to the island. Wow is it nice. The kids have been strapped in a car for 10 hours. Arriving at the island they had a lot of energy to release.

Sylvia told me to just watch Nate while they get situated. It was rather hectic. The place is beautiful. Carlos and Sylvia built a 3 bedroom house. Carlos’s brother Walter also has a home here and so does Carlos’s cousin Hans. So a private island with 3 homes. Place is amazing. The water in the lake is crystal clear, I am excited to see more of Panguipulle. I took all the kids to visit with Hans amd Monica. They happened to have a watermelon and all the kids just attacked it out on their deck. It was fun to watch them.
They gave Nate and I a room with 2 twin beds that we pushed together since I knew Nate would still crawl into my bed. We fed the kids and I ate a protein bar that Mike happened to put into my backpack. Apparently there was no wind. Carlos had turned on the generator and lights came on. Nate came up to me and dragged me over to a window and said “look”. Wow, I could not believe it. The amount of bugs on the window. Sylvia told not to even think about opening the windows. The window was covered with these tiny little bugs. This only happens when there is no wind and these bugs are attracted to the light. A little unnerving. It was late and Nate and I went to bed.

New Computer

In December of 2007, Mike bought me a beautiful computer. "The Beast" I called it. I did not want a regular PC, I wanted a laptop since I really do not have an office and just like to take it around the house with me, which now really consist of the couch, my bed or the kitchen. This laptop was heavy and had a 17 inch widescreen and a full size keyboard. I loved it! So then it's December 2008 and I am getting ready to take a trip to Chile with Nate. In the hopes to write a blog about my trip, I knew my "beast" was not a good idea to take with me. So Mike found the "mini". A small laptop that I can fit in my purse and weighs about 2.5 lbs. This was one of my Christmas presents Mike gave to me. I could not have been happier about taking this little laptop with me. And it served me well while I was in Chile. Only bummer part was that I was unable to connect but was still able to write. While I was in Chile, Mike let me know, that something was up with my "beast". The screen was not working and would only work connected to a monitor. A little more research and turns out the video card took a dump and also found out that my computer was going to die. Just after the warranty expired. Rotten luck I guess. So when I came back, I only had the mini to work with. While the mini was great for traveling, I did not enjoy it as my home PC. Too much scrolling up and down to view things and made for a difficult time for me to post anything on the blog. About 2-3 weeks ago, Mike brought me an old laptop he had and was excited but the thing just kept giving me that horrible blue screen. Too much rebooting! So back to the mini. Well last Monday, we were sitting at the kitchen table having lunch when we heard the doorbell ring. Mike went to answer and I heard him say thank you and closed the door. He comes back carrying a box. Nate and I started asking "What is it? What is it?" He opened it up and oh wow, he bought me a new computer! A 16 inch widescreen this time but still a full size keyboard. Mike really loves me! I am so happy with my new computer. I can now resume updating and hopefully finishing up my trip to Chile.

Monday, January 26, 2009

This morning we planned on taking Nate to the doctor. We were going to take all four kids with us when Sabine received a call from Carlos and Sylvia. They were in Santiago and suggested they come over to watch the kids while Sabine and I took Nate. What a tremendous help. When they arrived, we took off. The doctor checked him out and turns out he has allergies and they had gotten so bad that he has an infection. She prescribed antibiotics and an allergy medicine for him.

We went to the mall and entered a store that apparently was just bought out from Wal-Mart. We went straight to the pharmacy and then we did some shopping for food to take to Panguipulle. Nate was extremely grumpy and difficult. We got home and was good to visit with Carlos and Sylvia. Tomorrow we are all driving together to go to the south.

Nate was extremely grumpy so after he took his medicine, I took him to our room and he fell asleep. Wow, the first nap he’s had since we’ve been here. I came downstairs and realized I was hungry. Sabine offered me some Pastel de Choclo and it was delicious. Here I am eating and Nate has had no appetite for days and worried about him.

After I ate, I did some laundry and started packing. Everyone has made fun of me for how much stuff I brought and told me that I could only bring a small duffle bag because of how much room there is in the car. Oh boy, it’s true, I do bring a lot of stuff but I’m always prepared. Packing was a challenge but I did it. I took a shower and Nate was still sleeping. I realized he had been napping for four hours. I had a long night ahead of me. I was hungry so I ate dinner and then I had to finish up some laundry. Nate had woken up by now and was able to give him his medicine. The nap did him good as well as the medicine. I could see he was already looking much better. But he was still not eating. As a mother, this is hard for me to understand. I want him to eat but refuses. Looks like another night without dinner.

I decided to go to bed early so that I could finish packing and get a good night sleep and be prepared for the long day ahead of us. Surprisingly, Nate actually went to bed.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

When Nate woke up this morning I immediately checked to see if he was running a fever and he was not. I was relieved. Rodrigo took all the kids to run some errands while Sabine and I stayed behind doing housework. I had a bit of separation anxiety, since this was the first time Nate was not with me since I arrived. But I also knew Nate would have a good time. I also noticed I was a bit homesick. In all my travels I have done I have never felt homesick but this time I did. Maybe I was just missing Mike or maybe I was missing Mike for Nate. Not quite sure. Luckily Mike had called and we chatted for a while. After I hung up, I felt so much better. Nicole came by and while I was on the phone, both Sabine and Nicole were making “pastel de choclo”. A traditional Chilean dish that is the filling of empanadas and a sweet corn topping.
When Rodrigo and all the kids came back we all went to the pool. Nate was extremely clingy to me. I was not sure what was going on with him. He just would not let me go. We went in the pool together but something was up. He finally went with Rodrigo and Clemente get some wood and charcoal to start the BBQ. We all went to where the BBQ was at and Sabine and Nicole came out with empanadas from the day before and a bottle of wine.

While we were eating, Nate asked to go to the bathroom. I took him but noticed he felt a little too warm. I took his temp and it was 100.4. Not extremely high but enough for me to worry. I went and got Sabine and she found some medicine. Luckily we were able to bring the fever down but decided that on Monday we would take him to see a doctor. I spent the rest of the day worried about him.




After he went down, I joined Sabine and Rodrigo for dinner. They barbequed some pork and served it with “papas mayo” or potatoes with homemade mayonnaise. Yum. After dinner, I was still worried about Nate, so I went to bed early.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

When I opened my eyes this morning, I looked out the window and noticed that is was overcast and cool. What a relief from the heat. The plan was to go to ‘La Moneda” in Santiago. La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Rupublic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secretariat of the Government. It occupies an entire block in downtown Santiago, in the area known as Civic District. We also planned on going to Cerro San Cristóbal, a hill in northern Santiago which houses Santiago's largest public park. And we were to meet up with Nicole.

Sabine and Colomba went in one car, while I rode with Rodrigo and all the boys. Apparently, their children had never been to the city. Rodrigo was excited about not only taking Nate and I but also taking his kids. We parked in an underground parking structure. I got out and took Nate out. Then as I walked around I did not see the puddle of motor oil on the ground. I stepped on it and slowly I slid. I slid all the way down and landed right on the oil. Oh my god! I was wearing white shorts and was just stunned. Rodrigo was polite and told me it was not bad but I knew. I grabbed my jacket and wrapped it around my waist but was uncomfortable. I did not want to ruin the day for everyone so I just dealt with it.

We walked over to “La Moneda” and found Nicole. Then Sabine and Colomba arrived. We walked around La Moneda and took some pictures then we went to the center or Plaza. Lots of activity going on. I could tell Nate was a little spooked. There was a group of people playing the drums and dancing. It almost looked like Mardi Gras with all the costumes and people with large puppets on stilts. Nate said “Too loud!” Sabine had asked me if I was too uncomfortable we could go home and I told her no, that I’m fine but I also saw that she was not feeling well and all the walking was exhausting for all the kids. So no Cerro San Cristobol and back home we all went. Sure enough all the boys fell asleep on the ride home.

The weather was so nice. Sabine had picked up empanadas for us to have for lunch. We ate outside. She also made this salsa that was a perfect spice to add to the empanadas. And of course what would lunch be without another wonderful bottle of wine.

After lunch Rodrigo started playing with the kids. It was so much fun to watch. All afternoon they were all outside playing some sort of game. To see Nate laughing and playing like that was pure joy for me. This was first time Rodrigo was able to spend time with Nate. Since he works late, usually the kids are in bed already so the weekends are when he spends time with them. And you can tell he just loves it. I think Nate fell in love with Rodrigo. At one point Rodrigo came inside and Nate went looking for him. I could hear Nate calling for him “Rodrigo, Rodigo?” It was so cute. Later Rodrigo said he gets a kick out of Nate calling him by name.

When I put Nate down for the night, I noticed he was running a fever. I gave him Motrin and he fell asleep but I was worried. I know that fevers come because your body is fighting an infection. I told Sabine that I was actually tired and was going to bed early. Early by their standards was 11 pm. I ate dinner and off to bed I went.