Weekend Getaway: Concon Chile

When we need to get outside of the city -- and fast -- we head to a tiny beach town nearby Valparaiso and Viña del Mar called Concon. We've got a spectacular apartment that we rent there, and from the 25th floor we soak up the views of the dunes, watch the waves and relax to the twinkling lights of the Valpo.

Our view from the 25th floor, looking toward Valparaiso

The city of Concon has everything you'd need to spend a great weekend -- from good restaurants to a fully stocked Jumbo (grocery store), as well as fresh seafood stands, veggie markets and bakeries. While finding a decent coffee can be a bit of a challenge, you can always bring your own.

The beach at Concon is popular with surfers

The yatch club in Concon

The beachfront at Concon is dotted with surfing schools, and Patrick enjoys renting a paddle board or surfboard for a couple of hours (including a full wetsuit to be able to brave the frigid waters), and Trip and I can spend hours building sandcastles and playing pirates. There are usually friendly kids to play with as well, which gives me some time to read a book or just enjoy the sound of the waves crashing. 

There is also a popular empanada restaurant that is right there on the beach. La Casa del Mono has more than the typical pino (meat) or cheese options, but also spinach and oysters and corn and pineapple in many different varieties, or where you can build your own. The empanadas are fried to perfection, and the sea breezes make a lunch here pretty special. 

For Patrick's 42nd birthday, our neighbors Valerio and Soraya met us in Concon and introduced us to Pica el Horizonte, which is completely understated and somewhat hard to find, but also a gem of a spot that is always packed and always serves the freshest seafood with a smile. Dishes here are big enough to share between two people, and we've fallen in love with the broiled buttered salmon and the congrio a lo pobre (fried congrio with french fries, fried eggs and sautéed onions), but most people come here for the fresh loco con mayo (conch with mayonnaise).

Patrick's favorite is a sandwich spot that serves up somewhat gourmet options, including a spectacular blue-cheese-stuffed hamburger and a sandwich with tiny french-fried potatoes that Patrick loves. Plus, the guys who make the sandwiches are so nice, they've even invited us to family barbecues. Not bad.

Road Trip: Popping over to Pomaire

Just about an hour outside of Santiago, Pomaire is a tiny little village filled with shops selling clay pottery and restaurants serving Chilean dishes.

Our first trip to Pomaire was with our Chilean friend Ilonka, and she told us that as a child she and her family would catch a colectivo (taxi) to Pomaire to have a big Chilean lunch and pass the day shopping. Things haven't changed much since then, and Pomaire still serves as up a tiny slice of Chilean culture.

There are a number of different types of greda, or clay, that can be found in Chile, and you can tell where the pottery came from by the color of the dishes. The greda in Pomaire is similar to a brick red,  while other towns boast greda that is grey or blonde.

Many typical Chilean dishes are cooked and served in these greda dishes, including pastel de choclo (a corn casserole) and pastel de jaiba (a crab, cream and cheese delight) -- not to mention that any self-respecting pebre (tomato, cilantro, chile salad) is always served in greda.

From bowls to casserole dishes, piggy banks to planters, jewelry to vases, anything you can make from clay, Pomaire has it. Plus there are plenty of tienditas (little shops) selling membre (Chilean wicker) light fixtures and baskets, as well as hand-knitted scarves, sweaters and hats.

And even if you aren't super interested in buying anything to take home, there are tons of restaurants serving up very typical (and very tasty) Chilean food -- from lomo a lo pobre (a pile of french fries topped with a  steak topped with fried eggs and finished with sautéed onions) to chauletas (pork chops) to pino empanadas (Chilean meet pie) to pure con merken (mashed potatoes with spicy merken), surtida salad (fresh green salad with corn, tomato, peas, beets, avocado and more) to casuela (amazingly fresh veggie and meat soup).

Mi Ranchito Restaurant, our favorite for the food and the play park

So if you find yourself looking for something to do on a weekend not too far from Santiago or needing to cure a shopping fix or just craving a good lunch in clean air, Pomaire is a great short day trip from the city.

An Interview with Trippie on his 5th Birthday

I know that our blog is really about our adventuresin South America, but what's more exciting than turning 5 years old?! Usually, I keep my doting posts about Trippie to his page, Trip Notes, but I had to share a bit about him here, too.

Trip's 5th birthday party at his school

We came to Chile the week Trip turned 2 years old, and we've just celebrated our third anniversary of living in Chile, as well as Trip's fifth birthday. Beyond our travels, a lot has happened in the last three years. Our life here in South America has been wonderful and complicated, exciting and challenging, but the best part of the last three years has been watching little Trip grow from a baby into a big boy.

A Power Ranger for Children's Day at school, August 2014

Our Superman when we came to Chile, October 2011

Yes, Trip is bilingual. He attends day school at a completely Spanish school, and he speaks and sounds like a Chilean in Spanish -- and of course a Texan in English. Here's a little more about our littlest member of the family:

Trip's homework: "Bombero" (fireman)

Trip Troy

Age: 5 years old

School: Vitamina Augusto Leguía Norte
Teacher: Camila

Trippie, Kiki and Santi at Plaza Peru

Who are your best friends?
Santi and Kiki, and all my cousins

What is your favorite number?
Five -- because that's how old I am.

What is your favorite color?
Yellow

What is your favorite animal?
Giraffe -- because it is yellow.

What is your favorite super hero?
Wolverine -- because he is yellow.

What are your favorite foods?
Watermelon, pizza, noodles (Asian, Italian or Ramen) and mac-n-cheese

What is your favorite TV show?
Scooby Doo

What is your favorite toy?
Legos

What is your favorite book?
Goodnight Goon (a spooky parody of Goodnight Moon)

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A toy reviewer (He even has his own YouTube channel: Trip Reviews Toys.)

The Troy family at the beach, October 2014

Beach Retreat: Escaping to Zapallar Chile

The beachfront in Zapallar Chile

Zapallar Chile has been one of my favorite discoveries in our three years here. Something like sushi, I wish I had tried it way sooner -- we've been missing out not having visited! Just a couple of hours driving from Santiago, Zapallar is a beach town perfectly positioned along the Chilean coast with a beautiful sandy beach and exquisite views of the sunset.

Sunsets in Zapallar are breathtaking.

We planned a trip here with our family friends the Chacons, or as we commonly refer to them as "the twins," aka Santi and Kiki, and their parents Leanne and Christian. We rented an amazing home on AirBNB, and set out on a Friday afternoon to celebrate four birthdays -- mine, Santi and Kiki's, and Trip's.

Little Trip having fun with his best friends Santi and Kiki

Known as a beach retreat for the elite of Chile, Zapallar features mountains spilling into the sea, a peaceful beach cove and amazing architectural feats. Truly, many an architecture or home design magazine could be filled with the opulent homes that dot the mountains of Zapallar.

Both days of the weekend, we enjoyed the beach -- that of Zapallar and nearby beach town Colchagua. We also soaked up the sunsets from our mountaintop terrace, and Patrick cooked amazing meals on the parrilla (barbecue). The children had tons of fun playing at the beach and running around the yard, and the parents stayed up late star-gazing and giggling.

The women keeping watch on the ocean (see Chilean artist here)

Christian preparing to go boogie boarding in Colchagua

Even though it's quite small, Zapallar hosts plenty of restaurants serving up fresh seafood, and cute little shops to duck into and find a piece of art to take home.

All in all, I highly recommend this sleepy beach town. There are plenty of options for renting homes, although all choices are pretty pricey, further supporting the town's reputation for being only for the wealthy. Nonetheless, it is fun to see how the other half lives -- and I can't wait to go back!

Happy birthday!

Discovering Chilean Heritage: Zenen Vargas and his signs

In line with our September 18 post about Fiestas Patrias, there is a design style that you see here that just says, "Chile," and we discovered the source of that design.

Zenen and his wife Panchita at his studio in San Joaquin

Zenen Vargas is an artist that designs letreros, or signs, that are used throughout Chile. From local grocers to major brands, the signs that Zenen Vargas creates can be found in every neighborhood, as well as in every supermarket. He is the designer of the Emperio la Rosa ice creamery art, in addition to being contracted for dieciocho campaigns for VTR and Becker, among others.

At a fonda in 2013

Patrick met Zenen at a festival, where his kiosk was surrounded by tons of Chileans wanting to buy a bit of history. After spotting he and his wife a number of times, Patrick asked Zenen to create a custom sign for Trip and shared a beer with the artist. They made friends on Facebook, and we've been connected ever since.

The original bus stop sign

This month we were invited to Zenen's workshop, and we got to catch up with this Chilean artist and his wife, learn about the history behind the design, and watch the man at work.

One of the buses that Zenen painted when he was a boy

The story goes that Zenen's father owned a micro (or bus) back in the early 1940s. Back then, Zenen explained, the micros were privately owned, rather than run by the state, and the bus drivers had a lot of pride for their buses. Zenen's father painted his bus and the sign that showed the stops it made, and the other bus drivers liked his so much they commissioned him to do theirs.

Zenen said he started his own style of design for the buses back then when he wasn't much older than our little Trip, and he's been painting letreros since then. Now he's had art exhibitions throughout Chile, and has been named a national pride.

Celebrating Fiestas Patrias in Chile

Fiestas Patrias is spanish for national holidays, and in Chile Fiestas Patrias refers to independence day on September 18, as well as army day on September 19. Commonly referred to as dieciocho (or 18), the holiday includes fondas (neighborhood celebrations), parades, family barbecues, terremotos (a drink, not an actual earthquake), dancing the cueca, watching Chilean rodeos, imbibing in copious amounts of carmenere and other Chilean wines, and definitely at least two days off of work (but sometimes as many as five!).

Cute Cowboy: Little Trip dressed as a huaso at his jardin's fiestas patrias celebration

Dieciocho (and national pride) is serious business here. In fact, there is a law that during the holiday every public building must hang a Chilean flag -- from a while flagpole. The flag must be pristine, and hung a certain way. (A small anecdote: Patrick has a Texas flag handkerchief, and I remember someone being concerned that I was blowing my nose on the Chilean flag -- after all they are very similar. I reassured him that it was in fact a Texan flag, but I've felt weird using that handkerchief ever since.)

Before: The boys get the meal ready

After: Typical Chilean barbecue

First off, being in Chile for their independence celebration is fun and a very unique experience. Nonetheless, it is also a bit lonely because while life here reminds you constantly that you are an extranjero (foreigner), there's nothing like a national holiday to rub your nose in it. (Because of that, we now take advantage of the time off and visit the US that week. But the celebration begins the first of September; so we've still been able to get a bit of the feel.)

Yikes! Trip gets to meet a snake

Fondas

A fonda is a community celebration that can be found in every small town across Chile, and in the metropolis of Santiago, the celebrations spill out of nearly every public park and certainly in every comuna. In three years of celebrations, we've now been to three separate fondas: that of the comuna Vitacura in Parque Bicentenario, the Providencia fonda in the Inez de Suarez park, and Las Condes' fonda in Padre Hurtado park.

Tug of war with Mommy & Trippie

Starting September 18 and lasting until the following Sunday, the massive community parks transform into something akin to a county fair. While the fairs are pretty family friendly during the day, I understand they can get rowdy at night -- and who wouldn't after a couple of terremotos or a glass or two of chicha.

Rough Rider: Trippie riding a tiny pony

Fondas usually include a Chilean rodeo, which is quite different than the ones I've watched in Texas, cueca dancing (which seems easy enough until you try it), empanadas, asado (grilled Chilean meats), a petting zoo and other kids activities, and kiosk after kiosk of handcrafted local goods. Wear comfy shoes and lots of layers as it's likely to be cold and hot and cold again, and bring cash, because there is sure to be something lovely that you can't live without.

Bigtime playtime at the fonda at Bicentenario

Our favorite parks in Santiago

While we are used to having a yard to play in, living in an apartment in Santiago hasn't been so bad because the city is filled with public parks, green spaces and places to play. From where we live, we can walk to more than six play parks within 15 minutes -- and we do so regularly.

Trippie plays on the Spiderman webbing at Parque Bicentenario

Parks here are places to relax. At lunchtime, people have little picnics in them. In the afternoons, you can catch yoga classes at the park, and there are various skateboarding parks and running and biking trails.  Additionally, you find loads of snuggling couples throughout the city's green spaces, as well as multi-generational families strolling after lunch on the weekends.

Trippie plays with his brother Gavin at the park next to our building

Situated right next to Trippie's day school, we certainly frequent Plaza Peru the most. This is a neighborhood park for our area, and Trip loves it because he knows he'll see a little friend there (and because of the sand).

Little Trip plays with blocks at Plaza Peru

Ready, set: Slide!

Another park we love to visit is the El Golf park, in front of the San Francisco Catholic church. A little longer of a walk, the El Golf park is nice because it is shaded -- which is a must during the summer.

Playing on the up-down next to our building

Just a couple of blocks from our apartment, Parque Bicentenario is one of our favorites because there is a ton of room to run, multiple play sets and lots of public umbrellas and chairs for lounging on a nice day. Additionally, Parque Bicentenario tends to host neighborhood events, such as the fonda celebration during fiestas patrias, wine and food events, and even outdoor movies.

Parque Bicentenario on a beautiful fall day

Near my office, we love to play at Parque Araucano, which houses multiple play sets, a skatepark, rose garden and stunning views. Trip calls this park "the roundy park" because the play equipment is circular, and many times the boys go here while they wait for me to get off work. Parque Araucano  hosts similar events for the Las Condes neighborhood, and on Wednesday mornings, there is a feria that offers farm-fresh veggies at prices less than the grocery store.

Parque Araucano with the snow-topped mountains in the distance

Street dogs of Santiago

Moving to South America meant leaving out sweet puppies behind. It was such a hard decision because Beetsie, Brindy and Bonnie Blue were family. Thankfully, our sweet family took our girls for the time we were gone (but sadly, they have all passed on since we left).

Beetsie and Baby Trip in 2010

Nonetheless, we are able to get our puppy fix with all the dogs around Santiago (and Chile in general). Adding to the culture of the city, Santiago is filled with street dogs -- everywhere you look, there are street dogs dotting the landscape.

Snuggled up at the entrance to Tobalaba metro station, Santiago

Going for a ride at la vega

In Valparaiso

Guarding his artist on Cerro Alegre

Even if the cabbies pass me by for petting them, the street dogs pull at my heartstrings every day. And I'm not the only one who loves them; there are droves of people who care for these dogs, from neighborhood sweethearts who leave out food and water to commando groups who clothe the pups when it's cold outside. Additionally, there are a ton of pet rescue groups.

Wheels on the go

Cat nap in Viña

Patrick began capturing the city and our adventures from a dog perspective, and it has been a fun pastime to collect these images as we explore our new home. In that, Patrick started a group on Facebook called Santiago Street Dogs, and the city paper, El Mercurio, interviewed him and published a piece about it.

On the beach in Pichilemu

In Portillo

Santiago is beautiful in the winter

Parque Araucano, Las Condes Santiago Chile

Santiago is breathtakingly beautiful in the winter. When the sun breaks through the clouds, after it's snowed in the mountains, Santiago is so gorgeous it surprises me.

This park, Parque Araucano, is just a couple of blocks from my office. Trip plays here often, and I've practiced yoga on its green grass. It's a quiet urban park in an area they call Nueva Las Condes, full of open space to run free or lounge the day away. Parque Araucano boasts a lovely rose garden, basketball and tennis courts, a skate park and plenty of play equipment for little ones to explore.

Now I know why they positioned the pope just so. It's a view that elicits gratitude and faith in God's hand.

I've heard Chileans explain why they are so reserved, and they say the mountains have kept them humble, that the mountains remind them that they are just a small part of the big wide world.

The mountains have also served as a natural protection. They say that the indigenous Mapuche evaded being conquered by the Europeans for so long because they would retreat into the mountains where no one could follow. Beyond its location al sur del mundo (the south of the world), Chile is even more remote because the nation is sandwiched between the Andes and the Pacific, with miles of glaciers to its south and miles of desert to its north.

I've never lived near mountains. The Rio Grande Valley, New Orleans and Houston are all Gulf Coast locales that are as flat as a pancake. Santiago is something completely different -- a huge city of nearly 7 million people, nestled in a valley of the massive Andes mountain range. Living here, so far from home, can be scary at times, lonely at others, but I think the mountains are a reminder that we are small, but certainly significant.