Sad news from Rapa Nui / Easter Island: a fire has burned Rano Raraku, the crater and source of the Moai stone. Authorities suspect the fire was deliberately set by someone and that it was not an accident. Rapa Nui has had a long and complex history involving the Moai. At times the island has […]
Archives for October 2022
Visiting Embalse El Yeso, Cajon del Maipo
The narrow dirt road to the reservoir rattled our nerves, especially in the winding turns in the shaded spots on the cliff still covered in ice. Slowly and steadily, we made our way to the cliffs over the water. We opted to park when we found a wide spot in the road wide enough to […]
Slot Canyon Hike at Rio Maipo
With some time to kill after visiting Embalse El Yeso, we drove along the Rio Maipo for a short hike / scramble in a slot canyon. We passed the well-advertised and popular slot canyon on the river, which had a gate, crowded parking lot, and appeared to charge a fee for entrance. We pressed on […]
Here Comes Christmas in Chile
I had heard Christmas starts showing up in Chile as soon as their September Independence month ends. But this week when I went on a grocery run and was greeted by a stuffed elf that was a full story tall, I realized Christmas in Chile was on its way. Granted I’m sure Costco and Lowes […]
Carlos, Our Homemade Halloween Monster
What started as a pile of 1.5 gallon water bottles that needed to be recycled, turned into “Carlos” our Halloween decoration. Originally, I had wanted to craft someone a robot costume or make the bottles into layers of ribbons for a skirt and head dress to resemble those from the Kari-Kari dancers we saw in […]
Chilean Brands We’re Loving
Since being in Chile, we’ve found a couple cool Chilean brands that we really love. There are loads of amazing Chilean outdoor brands here, much like Patagonia and North Face who have some of their roots in Chile. We just haven’t needed anything like that thus far, and since we’re going nomadic soon, we don’t […]
Wolverine Woman
Jane’s got some quirks. She keeps an untidy room that she claims is part of her creative space and process. She unwraps packages and leaves the wrappings on the floor where she stands. She stuffs used water cups into dresser drawers instead of bringing them downstairs. She regularly starts projects and leaves them unfinished, usually […]
Jane’s Getting a Rabbit (One Day)
Jane’s using her time in Chile to amp up case for getting a mammal for a pet. It seems she’s quite set on a rabbit, though she’s bounced around a bit. At time she’s wanted a mouse, gerbil, guinea pig, or dog. She’s now onto rabbits, I believe the dutch bunny in particular. She has […]
Nightlife in Vitacura
Chileans in general seem to be all about the nightlife. Dinners happen late, pre-partying starts about 10pm, and nightlife really gets going after midnight. We’re long past spending nights in bars, alcohol-fueled parties, and discos (which are abundant in Santiago), partying until the sun comes up. We view the nightlife out our windows, and we […]
Festival at Lo Matta Cultural Center
After choir practice on Saturday, we biked to a festival in Vitacura at Lo Matta cultural center. This is the same place where we attended the piano and strings concert. The festival included live music, crafts, games, food vendors, and a petting zoo. It was like a fall festival at home in October, but it’s […]