Santiago, Chile

Cory got invited to a conference in Santiago, Chile for the first week of November - we thought it might be fun if I went along. I guess he gets a lot of these offers, but rarely accepts (???!). Since Cam is old enough now, we can leave without worrying too much. We flew down on Delta from Atlanta - I will honestly say it was the worst long flight I have ever been on. The kid right behind me kicked my seat for about 3 hours - until my dirty looks caused his mom to change seats with him before he fell asleep AND there was a baby on board who bawled the entire, and I mean the entire flight! (I don't blame that on the baby of course - but the mother!) Anyway, when we arrived I was a mess! When we got to the hotel we didn't have a reservation! All I wanted to do was sleep (and when I need sleep - I can be kind of moody). Anyway, after sitting in the very posh reception area for a couple of hours everything was sorted out and we made our way to our very posh room! The company that invited us put us up in the Ritz Carlton - which was sublime! Here is a shot of our "melt your cares away" bed.

We took a nap and then Cory had to attend some meetings. When he left I started getting myself together for a dinner with the partner who had invited us. Funny thing happened in my bathroom routine. I brought along my adapter and had my curling iron plugged in just right (the blow dryer was the hotels and worked without incident). Well, my very first curl - which is center, top, mid head - the iron wasn't engaged for 3 seconds but it started to smoke and smell. I pulled it out as fast as I could with a bunch of my hair attached to the curling iron!! I burned a big clump of my hair off! This stunk up the entire room and my head stunk too. I had to re-wash. Luckily it wasn't my bangs or one side of my head. Maybe I only felt okay about it because it was in a spot that I can't see. It was shocking and I screamed when it happened. After that - I not only put my curling iron on the lowest setting but I watched it like a hawk! You might say our trip had a rocky start.

A shot of Cory in our room at the computer, probably trying to contact Cam - who we later learned was having computer problems at home which made it hard for him to contact us. We were starting to get worried when we didn't hear from him for a couple of days - but he managed to text to our email which eased our minds. We were about to call a neighbor!

Cory had meetings to attend the 2nd day there too. And on the 3rd day he just had a morning meeting. The good news was that we were finally free to see the sights together. The bad news was that we had to move to a more affordable hotel. We stayed at the Best Western Hotel Majestic - which was no Ritz that's for sure!

The first stop on our agenda was the Santiago Temple - which was kind of smallish but beautiful. They have an MTC, a hostel and rooms for the temple workers behind the temple. We went in and ended up getting a tour of the MTC by the Mission President and his wife - which was very nice and informative about the different missions, the church in Chile and the immediate area.

This is the Mapocho River that runs down the middle of Santiago - our taxi driver told us in his broken English "it isn't dirty - it is just dirt." We laughed about that statement the rest of the trip.

Walter, our tour guide - he was fantastic. I fell in love with him - he had a wonderful laugh that made us giggle to each other in the back of the bus. We decided that we would take a bus tour out to Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso because we needed to go there and we didn't have much time. It is good to take the bus tours because you don't have to worry about driving - or be stressed about how much a taxi will end up costing AND you get to hear all about the things you are seeing. I love bus tours!

This is some sort of ampi-theater - you can just barely see Cory standing there - in the blue shirt. It is huge!

One of our stops in Vina Del Mar had this Easter Island fertility statue. There was a Lapis Lazuli shop around the corner and we bought my first pair of earrings and Cory bought a small statue of this.

The city of Vina Del Mar. We came at it from the back - so this photo seems out of place but it isn't.

Some shots of the coastline from Vina Del Mar on your way into Valparaiso.

A tour mate from Brazil took our picture for us.

I think this may be some kind of municipal building (thanks Liz) in Valparaiso. This is the square where we parked our bus for lunch. The restaurant sits right on the water and there was an outside market set up for touristy stuff (which I love!).

A shot looking the opposite direction from the municipal building.

Cory had to take a picture of our lunch in Valparaiso - it was the best meal we had the whole trip - salmon! The restaurant was fabulous, not only the food but the view.

These are some shots we took from our table at the restaurant! This was one of those perfect days in life where you just sit there thinking how amazing life is and how happy you are to be where you are and with the person you're with.

Blue, blue water!

From the restaurant we got back on the bus and continued through Valparaiso. They were having a garbage strike - so it was a little littered and dirty but you could see the beauty through the refuse. I still loved it. We climbed up these steep hills, pretty much one lane in a huge bus. Kudos to that bus driver. This is where I got a couple more Lapis Lazuli items.

One of the many funiculars in Valparaiso - you just can't imagine how these houses are stacked up on these hills and this is how they get to them. They are old and rickety - it seriously makes you think about your safety.

On our last day there - we decided to make our way to San Cerra Cristobal or San Cristobal Hill. Sorry about not being able to see Cory's face. I did happen to purchase more Lapis Lazuli items on this day - hey what can I say - my favorite color is blue!

The statue of the Virgin Mary that is at the very top of the hill.

Looking out over the hugeness that is Santiago - you can just barely see the Andes Mountain range in the distance.

This is a view (heading back down) from the funicular that takes you to the top of the hill.

You can kind of see how steep of a climb that is.

This is one of the many "street dogs". They have an over population of dogs in Chile. They don't belong to anyone and no one takes care of them. They are everywhere! It was really upsetting to me. Although. . .I have to admit that out of all the dogs we saw, there was only one with an obvious health issue. Cory and I had an ongoing debate about what should be done. I guess their government doesn't fund anything similar to our SPCA. Our taxi driver told us that the veterinary students there are spaying them and this problem should be resolved in a few years. I don't know though?

Cory wanted to take this shot in tribute to his mother. Whenever we go to a mexican restaurant she orders her meal according to what entree is served with guacamole. We always tell her to order what she wants and to get the guacamole on the side. In Santiago she could order just about anything and it would have guacamole on it -they love it as much as she does. The other thing they eat with everything in Papas Fritas (french fries). I have had my fill for awhile.

This was some kind of performing arts building downtown.

We had a wonderful trip - even though the start was rocky. It was lovely to spend time alone with my husband. It was beautiful in Chile and I was amazed at the way EVERYTHING grows there. We decided that almost every export out of Chile is a natural resource - nothing man made.