Some of you may have thought we had abandoned the world of blogging. I had to for the past few months! Ever since I started working again in March, "free time" is more like cleaning, playing with Grant, running errands time. Now that I'm on "maternity leave," I am committed to catching up, so here's a great place to start!
The first week in April, Grant and I flew to Chile to meet up with Will, who was already there for work. We decided it may be our last chance to visit a foreign country (mostly on work's dime) before we entered the world of two kids. Grant did amazing on the 10+ hour trip and I didn't swell up or go into labor. We were there for over 2 weeks, spending most of the time in Santiago; Will worked and Grant and I slept in, played and hung out in the hotel. On the weekends, we took buses to a few must-see destinations down south. Here are the pictures! Hang in there- I think there's 71. After reading our post, it will be like you visited Chile, too!
After sleeping for a day, Grant and I walked the 3/4 mile from our hotel to the Santiago Zoo. It was built on a big hill, located near Cerro San Cristobal and the famous Virgin Mary statue. I didn't want to climb the several hundred stairs to get to the entrance, so we road the "funicular." The view was gorgeous, overlooking all of Santiago and even the snow-capped Andes mountains.
Our first weekend trip was to Viña Del Mar and Valparaíso, just a few hours south of Santiago. We got there a little late and ended up dragging our bags at least 20 blocks to find a hotel (we were being spontaneous). Of course we stopped to watch a few street performers...
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Bus ride out to Concón, the country-side
We made this visit mostly to meet a family my brother taught on his mission. They had 8 kids, tons of land and animals and were very humble people. It was fun to hear stories about Elder Monahan and to know how much they loved him. We also drank fresh milk and ate homemade cheese from their cow.
The horse ride was, by far, Grant's favorite part of the entire Chile trip. Milking a cow was a close second. Playing with chickens and walking in manure was a bonus.
That Sunday, we attended a ward in Valparaíso, one of the last places my brother served. We were graciously welcomed and kissed many times. I was also told (more than once) how big I looked.
We found a little museum that had a park with old school equipment. It was Grant's first teeter-totter ride.
These paintings are done on rocks and are part of the buildings there in Valparaíso. The whole city has the feel of an old European town and is very artsy. I had to buy some lapis-lasole jewelry from the artists.
Back in Santiago... we went to the central market that was kinda like Pike Place, only stinkier and no free samples... though I would be afraid of free samples at this one.
We originally made it out to the market to eat dinner, but ended up at the nearest mall instead. We had pizza and fries. Yes, the "Chilean" food is more like bad American food. The exception was when we ate at fancy restaurants (with Will's co-workers) or had a friend grill for us. Best fish ever! This picture of Grant playing at the mall was taken right before he announced he had to go potty. Well, we were too cheap to pay 200 pesos to use the bathroom (standard at EVERY public restroom- that gets expensive for a pregnant lady). Let's just say we eventually paid it to avoid a serious accident.
Grant could not resist chasing and scaring every pigeon he saw. He was quite proud of himself.
It was another fun day that ended in Grant being carried everywhere. He loved it.
For our last trip out of Santiago, we took a 9 hour bus ride down south to Pucón, in the Lakes District. Of course, we didn't want to waste an entire day traveling, so we paid a little more to get bus seats that reclined. Will and Grant shared a seat, but as you can see, Grant basically took it over. That guy can sleep anywhere... all through the night!
This time we walked in the early morning hours to find a nice hostel. We scored one just outside of the main part of town that overlooked the volcano.
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| Here's a 30 week baby bump picture in front of our window. |
Still in Pucón, hiking to the waterfalls
Quick beach time before heading to Valdivia, a few hours away
Here's a market in Valdivia that really was like Pike's Place! I kept trying to chase down the sopapilla lady and by the time I found her, she was sold out!
The sea lions or "wolves" as the locals call them, came right up to the dock to get any scraps they could. Really cool to see them so close.
While in Valdivia, we rode a bus out to the coast to see some historic forts, where the Spanish came in hopes of conquering the land. The scenery looked like it was straight out of a pirate movie. The beaches were so serene and beautiful.
A perfect ending to our trip: Grant playing in the Pacific ocean in his undies, thousands of miles from home.
