Algarrobo

People, I'm sorry for the intermittance of posting recently.  Truth is, life has picked up its pace a little bit more of late, and the normal down time I had reserved for blogging has disappeared into the bowels of the metro and innards of classrooms and offices all over Santiago.  So, I plan to continue with my daily trip postings from Patagonia, while also mixing in some daily anecdotes and other short-form posts which will help to cover more ground.  Something's better than nothing, right?

This past weekend was a long one for us, thanks to Good Friday (here, it's called "semana santa", or holy week).  Friday morning, we took off in the car with Felipe, Arturo, and Kelsey to Algarrobo, a city on the coast just south of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar.  The drive out is one I know well at this point, but I still can't help but take pictures every time we go.  The surrounding countryside is still otherworldly to me.

The last picture is in Valle de casablanca, apparently one of the best places in the world to grow Chardonnay.  Can't say I know the wine from there, but likely soon.

After driving a while, we arrived in Algarrobo.

The neighborhood was surrounded by these large trees, which is something of an abnormality for Chile.  I assume they were artificially planted there.

Me, in my hipster glasses, ready to party.

Kelsey making a common salsa for barbecues here - a mix of chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, salt, lemon juice, and some veggie oil.  It's delicious on chorizo and bread.

For the night, we went to Arturo's friend's house, where we took some of his cornucopia of wood to fuel the fires for the weekend.

Fresh meat, right off the grill.  It got cold outside quickly by the coast, so we ended up eating inside.

Relaxing the next morning with Micheladas - a mix of light beer, lemon juice, and salt.  They are actually quite refreshing.

A light lunch - ceviche and mariscos (whitefish with onions and citrus juice, and a mix of shellfish)

The beers started flowing much more quickly after lunch.

Headed to the beach.

The beach was a bit of a hike, but it was well worth the effort.

Felipe, aka the mountain goat, making his way down to the playa.

After the day, we walked back along the coast until we were forced to hike up the hill.  This was kind of a cool view we had as the sun was setting around the other side of the hill.

It's difficult to see in this picture, but there is some fungus that completely ate away all the pine needles in this one section of tree, and covered it with a strange fuzzy substance.  I've noticed some very nasty, aggressive fungi in the trees in my time down here.

Night 2 - the barbecue continues

From the left: Wasi, me, Felipe, Arturo

All of us, with 2 of Arturo's friends for the barbecue.

Pil pil - pork pieces cooked over the stove with spices, then spread over toasted bread.  It was amazing.

Our last meal, before taking off for home.

We found out that there was a huge traffic jam thanks to an accident very close to Santiago, so we took this back road that led us through the mountains over dirt roads and switchbacks galore.  It took us 2 hours, but the traffic jam was taking people more than 4 hours to get back, so we ended up saving time while also seeing a cool, backcountry side of the outskirts of Santiago.  This picture was taken from the top of one of the cordilleras we drove over, as we took a break to stretch our legs.

Happy belated Easter!