Visitors

Shawn and Will visited for a week and came with lists of things to do. Some of our Chilean friends have been amazed at what we managed to hunt down. Will read about some pre-Incan ruins not far from where we live. After using Dave the annoying GPS and getting in the general area, nobody seemed to know what we were talking about. The boy scout camp leader just over the hill from where they ended up being claimed no knowledge of the site, as did the townsfolk we asked. But thanks to sleuthing ahead of time, a willingness to get shot, and Jay's legendary perseverance, we found Pukara de la Compania, the "final frontier" of the Inca Trail. Some guys working on a car beside a park at the end of a very narrow street gave us general directions and we headed off through a plum orchard in search. The plums were luscious and worth the trip.

 But we did find the ruins--at the top of a hill with good views in three directions. The air was not as clear as usual because of a volcanic eruption to the south a couple of days before.

 There were a number of these sites, some with rocks stacked up like these, and others with just the foundation stones.

In Santiago, we paid homage to the many missing and dead at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights documenting the abuses of the Pinochet Dictatorship--very well done and interesting about one of the many parts of recent history that I paid too little attention to at the time; but noting that like all history, this one had a point of view, and one that gave no attention to the abuses of Allende, who was overthrown by Pinochet.

 Shawn took some amazing photos throughout the week. This guard tower is one of his best.

We baked in the horno de barrow (mud oven) twice! I want one. We even baked bread in the coals like the primitive people did and Chileans still like to do from time to time. I hear ashes give you curly hair?

A friend helped us locate a real Chilean rodeo. I loved the outfits and the horsemanship and teamwork they use to trap a calf against the fence. "Punto mal!" the announcer would shout, or "Punto bueno!" (Bad point, good point) It's our new way of judging various actions. "Punto mal!" when the joke just falls flat or I spill the mate. "Punto bueno," for Jay's successfully negotiating the visa process and getting ever so much closer to our visa renewals.

San Cristobal Hill and another acensor--this one over three minutes long. Halfway up, you can get off at the zoo, but we zoomed on past and explored the top of the hill where you can look down in all directions and see the metropolis of Santiago, where a third of the population of Chile lives. 

I love this place so much, I could almost weep to think of leaving. But I love those boys and the others we can rejoin in just a few weeks, too, and I could weep thinking of the joy of being there. Gains and losses. We loved this time with our boys.