Wild Time at the Zoo

There are a couple of zoos around Santiago. First, there's a zoo on the hill at San Cristobal, but just about everyone says to steer clear of this zoo. They say the cages are too small, and that makes the animals seem sad.

The happy family at Buin Zoo.

On the other hand, everyone recommends the Buin Zoo, which is close by and lovely; so we headed out to the Buin Zoo a couple of weekends ago for a wild adventure.

Trip was very excited to meet his first celebrity
-- taking a picture with Nemo.

Aptly named, the Buin Zoo is in a town called Buin, which is right outside of Santiago. You can drive there in about 30 minutes, or you can take a train. Due to the fact that we don't have a car here, we chose the public transportation option, which included taking the metro to the central station and then bought a ticket for the train to Buin.

Who needs to go to Easter Island? Gavin with Dum-dum.

The weather prompted our trip to the zoo, and we weren't the only ones with the idea, which made the trip on the train tight. We managed a seat on the way there, but the way back was standing room only.

Buin is lovely, and there is a wide variety of animals, fish and birds. There are a ton of trees and shade and benches, and it actually had a very similar feel to the Houston Zoo. Nonetheless, while the animals have a bit of room to move around, I still felt like the cages were a little too much like cages and not enough like living spaces.

Patrick and Trippie walking through the zoo.

Interestingly, Chile is not a suing nation, which could spark a blog post in itself. I regularly see things that would never pass in the US, including the regularly used stairs that appear out of thin air which I refer to as "ankle-breakers."

Trippie dancing with joy to take a picture with an elephant.

This non-litigious mentality (which feels more innocent than non-caring) is present in the zoo, as well, with mere hurricane fencing keeping the animals separated from the guests -- and sometimes not even that. Some brat could if he wanted, hop the wooden separator and run around with the ostriches or the llamas. (Good thing we have no brats in the family.)

The bear with a tractor tire for a play toy -- and a little too close for comfort.

Despite a slight worry about safety and a somewhat uncomfortable train ride home, it was a really lovely day, and I recommend going to the Buin Zoo and hope to do it again soon!

Snow Day in the Andes

The road trips abound around Chile, and this weekend we took advantage of being so close to the Andes mountain range and skipped up to see the snow-capped mountains (and play a little).

The snow-capped mountains near Santiago.

We actually tried to have a snow day about a month ago, but the conditions worsened on our way up the mountain, and we had to turn around and come down.

Our first attempt to visit the snow was to go to Los Farellones, which is the hub for the majority of the very-near ski resorts, including Colorado, Valle Nevado and Portillo.

Wow!

Let me tell you, this trip is not for the faint of heart. The road up the mountain contained no less than 30 turn-on-a-dime switchbacks, along essentially a one-lane road. It was paved, but little other luxury has been spared. The edge of the road most of the time marked the edge of a cliff, and at one point, we had to stop and wait for some wayward cattle (although they likely thought we were wayward tourists) to mosey on out of the road and let us pass.

They don't make snow in Chile, which means that when the snow has been skied or it hasn't snowed enough, there isn't much skiing to be done. So, we headed up the mountain the day after a big snow. Unfortunately, the snow began to fall again while we were nearly to the top of the mountain, and this produced near white-out conditions. Not the best, but our trusty driver (Patrick) stayed calm and got us down safely, as I nearly hyperventilated in the back.

Getting ready to take a sled ride!

Our second attempt was much more pleasant. A number of factors improved this trip. 1.) We hopped a ride with a semi-local who had traveled up the mountain before. 2.) The weather was spectacular. 3.) We tried a different mountain that wasn't as steep of a climb.

Life is good.

This time we traveled up the mountain by Cajon del Maipo, which houses the Lagunillas ski resort. While the resort has been closed the whole season, we just rode up until the snow was thick enough to build a snowman, hopped out and started playing. We rented a sled on the way up the mountain and enjoyed a nice picnic.

Trippie made sure we packed a carrot for the snowman's nose.

The happy family, with Chilly (aptly named by Trip).

It was one of those days that I thought, "Now this is worth it. This is what living in South America can be... an amazing adventure." Glorious.

Road Trip: Quintay Chile

While Santiago is a lovely metropolitan city, packed with people and highrises, sweetened with history and mountain views and the metro, getting outside of the city becomes paramount on the weekends (especially when the smog takes over the sun for weeks on end).

One of our favorite spots to escape is the sweet fishing village of Quintay, on the Pacific Coast and just outside of Valparaiso. Quintay is slow, but the views of the ocean are amazing. There are two lovely restaurants right on the beach, and there seems to be a big draw for scuba divers (although the water is icy cold). 

The touristy part of the town is at the bottom of a hill (I would call it a mountain), and except for a public parking lot along the beach that quickly fills up, most visitors and residents of the village have to park their cars at the top of said mountain and walk down. This seems pleasant as you descend into the town and the views of the water take your breath away, but after a big meal and pisco sours (or gasp! carrying your luggage from a long weekend), the climb back up to reality seems a little unbearable. 

Quintay was a major whaling community back in the day, and there is now a very informative whaling museum there that tells of the trade. Chileans say that the waters of the cove used to wash red on the Quintay coast due to over-harvesting the whales. Fittingly, even though they stopped hunting the whales a long time ago, the whales no longer grace the Quintay cove with their presence. I wouldn't go there either if I was a whale. 

Long before the sun rises, brightly painted fishing boats head out to take local fisherman to their days tasks, and as we sipped our coffees in the mid-morning sun, the fisherman returned with their catch. Then the boats start taking out the scuba divers, some to have fun and some to dive for crabs and mussels and urchin to sell to the restaurants and at the fish markets. 

The fisherman then stand on the beach and clean their catch, much to the delight of all the beach dogs who take the skins and bones and tails to their little corners of the world to munch on. (True helpers, the puppies also curl up in their respective fishing nets at night, cleaning the lines of their smaller captives.)

To say the least, the restaurants serve amazingly fresh fish. We tried the congrio frito (fried white fish), marchas a la parmesan (mussels in parmesan cream goodness) and grilled salmon (with lots of butter). 

Not a fish fan? The fresh air and views of the sun setting on the water are worth the trip.

We're Back! The Blog is Revisited

 So we've been in Chile for nine months now. It's been a whirlwind, but very fun. Work is busy, weekends are adventurous, and our Spanish is improving.

Trippie has grown and grown. He's such a good talker, and he's really starting to understand and speak Spanish. His favorite is dinosaurs, and he knows all of them, more than I ever knew. His favorite is the T-Rex, but he knows the spinosaurus, cantosaurus, stegasaurus and more! Cars are still very important, but blocks are gaining on them.


We've made a few friends here, mostly American and very lovely. We've learned how to get around on the metro (subway) quite well, and are no longer intimidated (usually...) by the massive crowds. I actually commute now on the metro, and I've learned how to push, literally, onto the car and why people close their eyes when they ride (I think it's a mix between not wanting to stare directly into a stranger's face and not wanting to have to get up to give their chair to old people. Although Patrick is convinced it's because of the whoosh of air that happens when the train takes off.).

While we have paid a random guy in a less than stellar neighborhood to take us somewhere, we have not yet tackled the micro (bus system). Talk about cramped: there are so many people crammed into the buses I can't get myself to ride one. People do say that they many times have musicians riding for entertainment and tips. They've found a captive audience.

Patrick is learning how to use Chilean ingredients to make American, Chinese and anything else. In general, other than select Peruvian food, Casa Troy is the best place to have a meal in Santiago. Nonetheless, we keep trying new things and tasting fun food.

Speaking of Chilean delicacies, we've figured out that hotdogs here are sacred. They call them vianesas, and the most popular completo version is a hotdog with mashed avocado, diced tomatoes and a whole lot of mayo. (They take their mayo very seriously too.)

There are lots of new things to update you on (and we will), but we just wanted to welcome you back.

Love,
The Troys

One of Our Favs

Intriga Cabernet

This is a strong favorite of ours. Would love to drink Intriga as an everyday, or I guess "house wine," but there are so many good ones here for a little less expensive. We find this one easily at Mundo del Vino, and the price per bottle is less than $20. (I know, we're spoiled.) Certainly, it's one to take to a nice dinner or enjoy for a special night -- and we have!



From their site www.intriga.cl

The Edge of the World

A view of the harbor and coastline from above.

We scored a little time off from work at the holidays and traveled to the Pacific coast. We rented an apartment for a couple of days in a little town called Reñaca, which is near Viña del Mar and just up the coast from Valparaiso (to which the locals refer to as Valpo).

Enjoying a meal perched on the edge of the world at
La Colombiana restaurant in Valparaiso.

The coast is really lovely; it felt a lot like Greece, and there was plenty to explore. Dotted in the blue waters of the Pacific, are rocky islands, many times covered in sea lions sunning on the rocks.

Sea lions basking in the sun -- right in front of our apartment.

Viña and  Reñaca and another little town called Concon are preferred locales for Santiagians to visit, because they're a little more resort-like, where Valpo is really historical and lovely, but a little less family friendly.

Patrick and Trip on a beach in Reñaca.

The cliffs of Valpo are filled with homes on stilts, and this town's history lends for some lovely old buildings, despite the fact that it's been plagued with earthquakes. Many of the tiny little communities are only accessible by foot or funiculars, which Trip loved.

A view of the stilted homes in Valpo.

A beautifully painted funicular.

Trip's thrilled going for a ride on the "train." I am not so much.

The weather along the coast is quite cool in the mornings and evenings because of the Humbolt Current. Even when the sun comes out and warms everything up, the water remains frigid. Apparently, the waters are coming from Antarctica, and this makes for an icy swim.

Patrick surfed on a beach in Concon. He took some lessons
from a local surfer called Mono, and managed to catch some
waves despite the water only reaching 60 degrees.

Nonetheless, the beaches are beautiful, the waves are gigantic, and the seafood is fresh and yummy. We went to a local favorite called La Gatita, and this tiny little restaurant commanded a wait, and a line outside, but the food was wonderful, and the feel: really happy.

Our last sunset in Reñaca.

Our last night here, we discovered a little gem, high on the hilltop and overlooking the water below. I had a typical Chilean dish called pastel de jaiba (or crab cake), which is a cheesy, crabby casserole cooked in a tiny clay pot -- rich and good. We're already eager to return to El Secreto and share the secret with our friends.