norte chico

Wow... yes, I'm alive, yes, I'm feeling better, and yes, I'm finally back :). Thank you so much for the well wishes everyone! I actually just got back from my planned 4-day vacation so my health obviously made good use out of the combination medicine, rest, and encouragement! The trip was another amazing one to say the least. We traveled up the coast to the region known as Norte Chico and explored more than I thought possible in our time there. Here's a clue... "Thanks to an exceptional climate, this area boasts high quality beaches and a beautiful azul sky which contrasts spectacularly with the verdant fertility of it's valleys." (gochile.cl) And now, enjoy another photo essay:

The bus ride was long. Luckily, I did have gorgeous views like these to feast my eyes on! By the time we got to La Serena we found our hostal, unpacked and rested up a bit and then went for a night on the town.

I wasn't feeling 100% yet so after talking with our waiter I got a plain vegetable soup, they made a special order for me :) It was probably made with a touch of cream because it was absolutely delicious, and if I had been hungrier I would've licked the bowl clean.

After exploring downtown we walked over to JUMBO to get some dessert. I didn't share in the snacky frenzy that followed but enjoyed our fun through the aisles. This is Tim with his potato chips... literally.

The next day we drove up north with a guide to a dessert terrain next to the ocean with cold weather animals. The weather left much to be desired but the experience was so worth it because I got to see...

...sea lions...

...and penguins up super close and in their natural habitat.

It was a million times cooler than a zoo ;) and the water was a completely unreal turquoise blue.

We stopped on one of the larger islands for a little hiking, picture taking, and basking in the beauty of it all.

On our ride back to La Serena we stopped at a small, family-owned restaurant in one of the beach towns with our guide. The appetizier was a tuna-filled tomato over lettuce with olives. I despise olives with a passion but my friend took care of them for me and told me they were the best olives she has ever had in her entire life. I proceeded to buy a bottle of the family's homemade olive oil after eating :).

One of our many salads at the table was this veggie medley.

And it helped turned my bland plate of grilled swordfish and rice into this pretty assortment. Yummy, especially because it was about 4 in the afternoon... I'm pretty sure I inhaled it, oops!

Because of our late lunch we weren't really feeling dinner so we went to JUMBO for more snacks. Dangerous. Here's our plate of cheese and crackers that we ate with wine.

This was followed by a make-your-own sundae. Mine had the works- vanilla ice cream with crumbled cookie a peanut butter drizzle and hot fudge. Talk about a splurge!

We sat in the patio of our hostel all night with our plates of goodies and 2 bottles of wine and it was fabulous. Although I'm usually a 3-square-meals kind of girl it was nice to loosen up with some treats and great conversation. Plus, I'm sure my calorie deficits over the four days before allowed for a little wiggle room ;).

The next day we woke up early to head to Elqui Valley, a picturesque Mediterranean-like region inland. We passed so many vineyards with rolling hills and lakes in the background, I felt like I was in a dream.

Our first stop was Pisco Elqui a small, adorable town where the famous Gabriela Mistral grew up and taught. We spent the day looking in the tiny museum, and just wandering through the many artisan markets. We stopped for lunch at an awesome little cafe where I had a anything but awesome soup. You can't win 'em every time!

It was a good day but we were all exhausted and a bit delirious from our busy schedule. As we waited for the bus back to our second hostel I asked them to pose "how you're feeling" for a quick picture, haha, and this is what I got.

We had a quick dinner and nap when we got to Vicuña and then headed to Mamalucca observatory. I saw Jupiter, the Moon, and Scorpio (a constellation that is only visible from the Southern Hemisphere) through a series of telescopes. It was one of the most phenomenal things I've ever done and now I feel like I want to be an astronomer ;).

The next morning, back in Vicuña we had a magical breakfast. I say magical because it held me for almost 6 hours when I expected to get hungry in another two. I started with this plate of fruit which I split with one of my friends.

Then I had one of these fresh fluffy rolls with almost half an avocado spread onto it. I also drank a large coffee that was half water and half whole milk (probably). Fats galore! and now that I think about, that's probably what kept me full for so long!

We then walked about a mile and a half to the Capel Vineyard. The entire establishment is set into the hills outside of the city basically in the middle of nowhere so we were all taken aback by the complete oasis within its walls. I could've basked in the sun all day in that place!

These are a few of the different types of grapes they grow there, most important the Muscatel variety. I'm sure the plants are much more attractive during harvesting season in January and February.

The grounds tour was followed by a tour of the distillery. By the way, Capel doesn't make wine, they make Pisco:

Pisco is a liquor distilled from grapes, developed by the Spanish in the 1500s and named after the Peruvian city, Peru. It was first made as an attempt to create an version of Orujo, a Spanish brandy.

The tour ended with a tasting, of course! We tried a few mixed versions along with a straight shot of the liquor. I prefer the later in a popular Chilean drink, the Pisco Sour. There's YumSugar's recipe, if you like alcohol at all and are feeling adventurous :) you should try it!

*Edited to Add: I forgot about Tuesday's lunch pictures O:).! My friends Kristen and Tim got Cazuela con Pollo. It was different than the way my "mom" and "grandmother" make it but amazing all the same. There were big chunks of chicken, pumpkin, carrots, potato and... ?

I, on the other hand, wasn't that hungry so I split the token Vegetariano with my friend Emily. It consisted of lettuce, broccoli, beets, tomatoes, palm hearts, potatoes, olives, cheese, avocado, carrots and a hard-boiled egg. As much as you'd think it would be difficult for a vegetarian to eat out at a South American restaurant it's surprisingly easy, if nothing else most of the places offer yummy plates like this!

But alas, all good things must end, and with our newly purchased bottles and filled to the brim backpacks we headed back to our homes Santiago. Coming up is a real Dieciocho celebration! I'm pumped, the next few days are going to be filled with parties, asados, fondas, and cueca commemorating Chilean Independence. Hope you have exciting things planned for the weekend, take care!

no excuses

WARNING: RANT BELOW, PLEASE SKIM PAST IT TO THE YUMMY FOOD PICTURES IF YOU WISH :)

So. I didn't go to my morning Spanish class this morning. Why not? Umm...? No, actually I do know, I woke up in a funk. My alarm went off at 6 for my run. I hadn't slept well at all the night before, took me forever to fall asleep and then I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, so getting out of bed at 6 was not at the top of my list. I turned it off and decided to make up for the run tonight. My second alarm went off at 7. I usually need to get up at this point to make sure that I'm showered, dressed, and fed to leave for class at 8.30. But getting out of bed was still not on the top of my list. I turned it on snooze and decided I'd shower after my run tonight. I actually didn't wake up to the second time around and only got out of bed when my "mom" knocked on my door to get a jacket out of one of the closets in my room... at 8.15! Yes I was out of bed but it was a cold, gloomy day and I wasn't in a good mood at all. Although I'm sure this would of brightened Erin's day, lol, the combo did nothing for me and I found myself crawling back into bed. I had woken up in a weird mood, I was disappointed that I missed my morning run, I was mad that I was missing class without a real reason, and then I was even more upset that everything and nothing was bothering me so much. You see, I'm one of those people who not only wakes up happy but also peppy and ready to take on the day! This whole series of events is so unlike me! Not to mention that I HATE feeling down without an excuse because I have a strong perspective in the fact that I'm incredibly blessed and lucky, more so than an unfortunately large number of people on the planet, and have no reason to feel sorry for myself. I suppose it's good to not be so self-centered, but this kind of thinking usually ends up making me feel worse because I put myself down for feeling down in the first place. Oh gosh, haha, it's sooo ridiculously counterintuitive. Doesn't it suck when that happens?

When I finally got up around 9 I was craving oatmeal as I do most Monday mornings. I went for a banana, milk, flax, and PB combo, as usual, and savored the deliciousness of it all alongside a cup of coffee. Then I went back to my room and sat around, unproductive and in my funk for a while. Suddenly I got the idea to go on my run, now, since I wasn't in class. Yeah, ugh, but I didn't want to, I didn't feel like running or doing anything. Well, that wasn't cutting it for me. I didn't have an excuse for missing my class and I definitely did not have an excuse for not spending my free time doing my scheduled run. So, I dragged myself out the door and did it... and it felt amazing. I wouldn't call myself crazy, per se, haha, but running is such a wonderful way to keep myself sane. The half-an-hour exploring a new part of my neighborhood in the cool weather really gave me the time to sort my thoughts and I when I was done I was back to my usual happy self again. Thank God! Back at the house I took my shower, straightened up my room, and got to work on some homework, all in a good mood. And at one point I also snacked on 2 clementines as I was starting to get hungry for lunch but wanted to wait for my "mom" to get home from work. When she did, 1:30ish, we ate the left-over frittata with ensaladas y arroz. It was a tasty meal and I appreciated spending the time together. Now, I gotta run to the bus so I'm not late for my remaining class of the day! If you did have the energy to read above, thank you for letting me vent about my nothingness, I just felt the need to share. Enjoy your Monday!

moody's point

Word on the street is that somebody needs a big dose of optimism. (psst, it's me). I don't know why I'm letting it get to me, it's just stupid. I shouldn't feel as bad as I do, I know it's not my fault, but I wish I knew how to dissolve the situation. Friends are unfortunately limited abroad.

My only real meal of the day yesterday was lunch, Tortilla de Acelga, Ensalada de Apio, Ensalada de Repollo, Ensalada de Papas y Zanahoria a.k.a. swiss chard tortilla and salads of celery, cabbage, and potatoes & carrots. Otherwise I just snacked when hungry.

Breakfast this morning was a bit more exciting. I decided that I needed a yummy breakfast to start my day of right! I made a bowl of oats with skim milk, flax, an apple, and strawberries. First strawberries of the season is always exciting and they were berry, berry good ;).

As for lunch, we had Pasta Bolognese and Ensalada de Repollo. For some reason I was starving... and ate up especially fast. I guess that's a good sign? Ha, as you can see, I'm trying to look on the bright side of things :). Back to homework with "put a smile on, put a smile on, everybody come on, put a smile on," the mantra of the day. Hopefully it'll work and I come back with a better attitude tomorrow, Happy Sunday!