Cap Ducal, Santiago, and Cajon del Maipo

This week was amazing! I had fun week spending time with old friends and meeting new friends in Viña, and then took the weekend and went to Santiago for wine tastings, city touring, and hiking. It was the perfect mix of everything :) 

I worked late Monday, but luckily I made it out of the office with just enough time to catch this picture perfect sunset. I’m going to miss being able to see the sunset like this every day! 

Also, Trevor finally received the card I sent him for his birthday! It only took about a month and a week. And somehow it changed colors along the way..

 

Maybe CorreosChile was just trying to make it more interesting

Tuesday we went to Salsa dancing night again at a local bar. The instructors are really fun and eager to teach us clumsy gringos how to dance properly. They made us promise to come back every week. I guess we’re really that bad haha.

I wish I could dance like that!

Wednesday we had a get together at our house, and Alan brought two fellow Mountaineers that are studying abroad here for the semester. So of course we had to take an App State picture! It was so good to be able to reminisce about all the things I miss most about Boone and Appalachian.

Go App!

Thursday we decided it was due time for a Treat Yoself night, so James Alex Brittany and I got fancied up for a swanky dinner at Cap Ducal, a classy seafood restaurant on the water, specializing in Chilean classics, like Machas a la Parmesana (Razor clams in a parmesan cream sauce), Ceviche, and of course, Chilean Sea Bass (which is way better in Chile) The whole evening was perfect. The candle-lit ambiance, the delectable food, the view overlooking the illuminated shoreline of Viña and Reñaca, the company, and just allowing ourselves to do something extravagant and out of the ordinary. 

So swanky, right?

Chilean sea bass in a cheese and cream sauce, with mixed seafood on top. Amazing.

Our lovely view

Suspiro de limeña, a Peruvian style custard, for dessert

Also that evening, Alex and I went to the Casino (I mostly just stopped in to get out of the cold for a bit and it’s on my walk home) and I watched Alex play blackjack for a few games. I’ve never gambled in a casino, other than penny slots on a cruise ship, and knew nothing more about blackjack than that it’s good to have 21, so I had no intention of actually playing. But after a while of watching the other players, I started to understand the strategy and patterns, and I was feeling lucky, so I bought myself some chips and started playing a hand. It was so much fun! I played a few hands, and by the end, actually won 5,000 Chilean Pesos, which is about $10 US Dollars! Everyone at the table was so friendly and funny, so we had a good time just hanging out. I can’t believe that I technically got paid to do that. I would have still had a good time even if I had lost the money I put down, so actually winning money was an unexpected surprise. Probably just beginners luck though…

The next day, after work, Alex and Brittany and I headed to Santiago for a weekend trip away. We had the best time! We spent the weekend wine tasting at the original vineyard and headquarters of Viña Concha y Toro, the largest wine producer in Chile, hiking to waterfalls in the Cajón del Maipo (Maipo Gorge), ziplining over the Maipo River, eating plenty of amazing meals, touring Pablo Neruda’s house, the Museo de Bellas Artes, wandering around Cerro Santa Lucia and getting a 360 degree view of Santiago, and learning about Chile’s tragic and recent political history. It was so nice to get spend the weekend exploring new places, and the variety of nature and city was a great way to balance out the trip. Our time in the Maipo Valley was especially wonderful for me. It was so great to hike among rivers and mountains again! And it’s crazy that all of that is only about an hour and a half away from the bustling national capital. Exploring Santiago on Sunday was fun as well, though. It’s always interesting to see the different neighborhoods and vibes within a city, and there are so many cultural and historical aspects housed in a city as large and significant as Santiago. I’m always down for a good museum! I was really glad that we were able to visit the Museo de la Memoria y Los Derechos Humanos (Museum of Memories and Human Rights), which is dedicated to showcasing artifacts and information from the time period following the military coup d’état, during which Chile was ruled under the violent, manipulative and harsh dictatorship of Pinochet, resulting in the disappearance, execution, and torturing of thousands, Chileans and foreigners alike, from 1973 to 1990. Eventually, democracy returned to the country when President Elwin was elected, and his powerful speech, Nunca Más (Never More) gave the Chilean people hope once again in their country. In spite of the unspeakable political strife that they’ve experienced, Chile is a strong country and it’s inspiring to me to see the progress, perseverance and loyalty of its people, and I have the utmost confidence in its ability to thrive in spite of its dark past.

 

Welcome to Viña Concha y Toro

Winter is coming to end here, and the grape vines are starting to sprout. Keep growing, little guy!

The modern cellar

And the original. Called the "Casillera del Diablo" (Devil's Cellar)

Keep pouring!

On the drive from the vineyard to the Cajon del Maipo (Maipo Gorge)

Our impressive view for lunch

Cascada Colibri, one of the 3 waterfalls part of Cascada de las Animas

Ziplining across the Maipo River (175 meters long, and 25 meters high)

My view right before I take off flying

Pablo Neruda's House, La Chascona

Museo de Bellas Artes

A park on Cerro Santa Lucia

In the distance is the Gran Torre, the tallest building in Latin America at 64 stories and 984 feet tall

A path on Cerro Santa Lucia

The Andes Mountain!

Overall, this week was yet another week filled with a wide variety of experiences. I learned a lot, saw a lot, did a lot, and made some more unbelievable memories in this unbelievable country. Where else in the world can you experience wine tasting, salsa dancing, museum hopping, waterfall hiking, sunset watching, ziplining, blackjack winning, eating some of the best meals and drinks of your life all in the same place, all while meeting some of the kindest and most genuine people along the way?? Chile is pretty much the best. 

Also, I'm in a contest for $500 with a video I made of my trip thus far. Just click this link, look for the video titled "A Peak into my Unbelievable Chilean Life" and has a freeze frame of the desert. Just click the "vote" button underneath it, and you'll see a green checkmark appear. (You have to like the Adelante Abroad facebook page first, but it will prompt you to do that). If I get the most votes, I'll be in the running to win the money, which I could totally use for my next trip to Machu Picchu!! Thanks in advance :) 

http://woobox.com/8m6u3g/vote?web=1

 

Besos xox