Sunday, January 19, 2009

We woke up this morning, had breakfast and packed it up. Carlos and Sylvia in their car and Nicole, Nate and I in her car. We headed to Carlos and Sylvia’s home in Lo Orozco in Casablanca, about 30 minutes outside of Vina Del Mar on our way to Santiago. On the way, right on beach there is a crane holding up a restaurant some 40 meters up. I thought this was just internet legend but apparently it exists and it’s the only one in all of South America. If I have a chance, maybe I will do it.

We arrived at their home and immediately Nate just wanted to go swimming and so we did. Carlos started the barbeque and then whipped up a pitcher of Pisco Sours while Nicole and Sylvia made an appetizer plate of olives and hearts of palm. This was delicious. Once the Pisco Sours were gone it was on to wine. Then it was time to eat. The steak at home is corn fed and what I am used to. Steak in South America is pampas fed meaning cows eat what they would naturally eat. I noticed a huge difference in flavor. The beef was definitely richer and had a more gamey taste to it. I really enjoyed it especially washing it down with the amazing wine that was served.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out by the pool and just relaxing. Nate had been asking for Colomba and we kept telling him soon. Before it was Chloe he was hung up on and now it’s Colomba. Then it

was time to pack it up. We said our goodbyes to Carlos and Sylvia and then it was off to Sabine’s house in Santiago.

We took a beautiful drive and as we got closer to Santiago, there it was. You just can’t miss it – the Andes Mountains. They are huge and in your face tall! It is spectacular to see and love every minute of it. It took us about an hour and half to get to Sabine’s house and Nate slept the entire way. When we arrived they were not home. Apparently they were all at the neighbor’s house celebrating their friend Jamie’s birthday and they requested for us to just go over there and so we did. Nicole dropped us off and she said hello to everyone then left. Everyone came out to see and meet us. They all wanted Nate to come swim in the pool. Off with his clothes and into his swimsuit, there he went. I’m a little surprised he was ok with this. Jaime’s wife, Marisol (apparently my name is more common here), took me and invited to have a glass of wine and assured me Nate will be just fine. They have three children and Sabine and Rodrigo have three children all around Nate’s age. Nate definitely stands out next to the other kids with his fair skin and blond hair and blue eyes. I saw him come out of the pool wrapped in a towel and placed on a lounge chair. They gave him candy and all the kids just surrounded him and from where I was sitting looked like they were interrogating him. Poor little guy, I thought he would be terrified but apparently he was just fine. We hung out for about an hour and then it was time to go to Sabine’s house. We chit chatted and with four kids to deal with and Nate being so off schedule we did not go to bed until almost 1 am. A long and beautiful day.