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!