Natural Disaster.

For my followers and to the people who randomly check in on me... thank you! I appreciate you for being so loyal. It means a lot to me that you stop by, and that you take time from your day to read my blog.

The following is my account of the events that happened on Saturday February 27, 2010.


I told my husband that (Friday) night that I thought we should have tuna sandwiches. I made a big bowl of potatoe salad the night before and I really didn't want it to go to waste. In my heart I knew that it would. He laughed it off, and said that we would eat it tomorrow. And then told me, "It's not going to go to waste. " Ha.

We have made a habit of taking the kids to pizza hut on some Friday nights. It's a short walk and we have enjoyed having a taste of the states pretty close by. Everything was as it should be. We laughed, had a good time. And we made fun of the Chileans for running out of straws. The service was how it always is. Slow. But the pizza was delicious. We didn't leave a single scrap .

We walked the short distance back to our high rise apartment building. Resumed our normal nightly routines, and got the kids into bed. There wasn't anything that was out of place. And by that, I am not referring to my cleaning. In fact, everything was pretty calm.

Maybe a little too calm. Who would know that in a few short hours, our lives would be so incredibly shaken that we would be questioning if we would live or die. In my thirty-err **cough**cough** years, I have never thought that I was about to die. Not once.

Sleep is always a beautiful thing. I treasure it actually. It's one of my favorite things. Since having two kids, I realize how much I used to take it for granted. I may have been dreaming. I certainly don't recall it at this point. I just know that I was most definitely sleeping.

Around 3:43 in the A.M. our queen sized bed complete with two grown adults began to slide back and forth on the hard wood floor. Unlike an alarm that you expect to snap you out of your sleep, being shaken so vigorously is an unnatural way to awaken. We looked at each other as we took only a a few moments to realize what was happening. Earthquake.

{Now at this point having been in the country for approximately 20 months, we have experienced some quakes. Those have been like hiccups in comparison to what was currently at hand.}

My husband said only this, "GET THE KIDS!" I didn't speak, I only ran. To Eddie's room. A blissful, young, innocent and unaware sleeping child lay there. I still don't think I spoke. I snatched that kid out of his bed and into my arms. I heard my husband scream from the other room with intense panic in his voice. "WHERE IS ALEXA!!??!!??!!??" I yelled back, "OUR ROOM!" We both ran back to our bedroom, and she still lay there in the bed. Asleep. He grabbed her up and we went and stood in the door frame of the closet. I cannot even put into simple words how violent the movement was. There were noises. Glass was shattering and falling. It didn't sound close. Maybe from a nearby building. Things were falling. The worst most spooky feeling was the back and forth swaying of our building. This earthquake lasted too long. The shaking went on. Eddie clung to me like a little kangaroo hanging on to his mommy. He didn't say a word. But the fear in his eyes was clear. My heart broke into a million pieces in that moment. I couldn't comfort him. I just felt this alertness that made me very quiet. It was a survival instinct.

I was thinking that my husband was standing close by, with our daughter in his arms. If the building started to fall, there was nothing that I could do. I was helpless. I was so small. The earth was so much larger. And this earthquake, at this moment was supreme. It was having it's moment. And all others beware. The shaking, swaying went on. In these moments I thought we were all going to be dead. Or worse, I would live with some of them missing. Those thoughts were the worst thoughts that I have ever had to live through. My heart hurt to even think them.

It was difficult to stand up. I propped my arms against the frame of the closet door. The sound that went along with this earthquake was (to me) like giant boulders rolling around in a metal pan. It was a very intense and deep rumbling. And you may have heard this before, people say that living through something like this is just like the movies. The movies do get it right, but they are unable to convey the feeling. The belief that you are about to die.

Once the shaking stopped, we scurried in the apartment looking for our flashlights. We were standing in total darkness. My estimate was that this quake lasted at least 90 seconds. I still don't know what the official word is. It felt like it went on forever. When we found our flashlights, we ran to the kids rooms and through our drawers looking for clothes to put on. We dressed with lightning speed. We grabbed a liter of water, my husband's briefcase, cell phone, and our passports. We headed for the staircase.

Ed carried Eddie, and I slung 34 lb Alexa up into my arms. We trucked down those stairs at a quick pace. I thought of the people in the twin towers having to run down 10 times the number that we had to. I felt the survival instint that didn't allow me to think about much more. I was fleeing from the building that had caused me so much terror. The building in my mind was a deathtrap. It was where the scariest event of my life had taken place. There is no feeling that feels worse. Nothing could compare.

We exited to the street and were greeted by other terrified faces. People in their pajamas, with blankets, cell phones and scared faces. Their hair was messsy, they looked pale. Shaken. Literally and figuratively. We sat on the ground for a moment to gain composure.

Ed went to grab the car from underneath the building. It was a short walk from where we stood on the sidewalk. We got in and drove to an open space at the park. We sat there for the next 3.5 hours. During this time, we experienced the strongest of the aftershocks (so far to date) at 6.9. It was so much different being in a car, on the ground, than being 13 stories up. It was strong, but still, felt so much better.

We slept. On and off. We watched the lights in buildings flicker. Most stayed off, in total blackness. There were many aftershocks during this time. After this short sleep, and wait for daylight, we went back to the apartment. We gathered some clothing for all of us and left once again. We drove the US Embassy.

I cannot even begin to tell you the incredible feeling of relief that came over me, just when we drove into that parking lot. It felt safe. We arrived there around 10 A.M. (or so) and were able to use the phones to call our families. Unbeknownst to me, my mother in law had heard news of the quake before I was able to inform my parents. They were worried, scared and panicked for hours before I was able to call. But when I did, I know that they were thankful.

It has been 5 days since the incredible 8.8 earthquake. Thank you God for our lives. The epicenter was 200 miles from Santiago. I know in my heart that things would and could have been much different if the epicenter was closer to us. We have felt (at my last count) over 140 aftershocks. My equilibrium has me feeling like I am constantly moving. I'm anxious. And each and every time it happens, I feel nervous, like it is going to get worse.

I can tell you that living through this has given me immense perspective. Those things I once thought valuable or important, meant nothing. And everything that I owned became trash in a moments time. I am alive today. And I am thankful. I will never take one single day for granted. It is a gift. We all need to treasure the time that we have here on earth, with one another. With our families. Everything else is just fluff. We, as beings are important.

Again, I thank God for our lives. For I would not be here otherwise.

My life right now has changed. I've been back to our apartment twice. Both times I have felt scared. And I certainly did not feel safe. We took pictures of the damage. I believe it is pretty minimal when you compare it to the people closest to the epicenter. I cannot live there again. I am happy though. We have news. My husband has a new assignment and we are leaving Chile.

We are coming home to the United States. Nothing pleases me more. Again. Thanks to God and to the many people out there who have prayed for us, for my family. I appreciate it. More than mere words can express.

My kind friends on facebook have given me love and support with their words. Something that I needed in these days since the quake. I don't know what I would have done if faced with silence. It has meant the world to me. I don't know if they will ever truly know what it means to me.

Thank you all!

New Day.

I've got nothing exciting to share. I'm down 4.5 lbs since I started working out on June 7. I guess that's pretty good. Considering it has only been 8 days. I keep expecting the numbers to be bigger. I think I've watched too many episodes of Biggest Loser. I don't think I'm going to drop weight like that. Not to mention, they are in the crazy camp of losing weight. And they do the treadmill while they sleep.

The kids are getting excited. Why, you ask? Well I don't think I've officially announced it yet. But we are heading back to the states! I couldn't be happier.

It's technically summer time for the US, and that means that Devon and Alyssa are out of school. So we want to get back there to visit them. Amazingly enough, my husband was able to swing the time off from work. He is only going to be staying for 2 weeks. We are all flying to Miami in July.

I can't even tell you how much I miss Florida. We haven't been back there since when I was still pregnant with Eddie in early 2005. We are staying at The Westin, right on the beach. And I am even more thrilled that we waited to make our hotel reservations. The price has dropped! So that's a bonus.

We are even able to rent a mini-van now to cart around all of these kids. 4 kids, plus 2 car seats won't fit too well into a small economy car. So with the price drop, it allows us to get the bigger car. I'm really looking forward to this trip.

We are staying for 4 days to visit with my husband's family there in S. Florida, and then we will be flying on to Tucson.

So, since I'm heading to the beach, I will be pushing hard with my workouts. Also, I just wanted to let you know, that I will not be eating cake tomorrow. (it's my birthday) I have been very good with my food choices lately, and for that I am really proud. OK, so though I will not be eating cake. I'll probably be thinking about it a lot. I love BIRTHDAY CAKE. Like, in a big way.

Oh and since I am thinking about it, today is June 15. One year ago today, we first arrived here in Santiago. Wow! It's been a year already. I can't believe it. Also, technically we now have less than one year left to go until we can move back to the US. DH says that we can leave out of here on June 1. Trust me, I'm counting down.

If you care to take a trip down memory lane with me, here is my first post from Chile.
We've Arrived!

Totally Random.

First of all, I'd really like to thank those of you who stopped by my blog yesterday and read my post. The comments you left me were very sweet, and I can't tell you how much they all meant to me. To know that there are so many kind and caring people out there, it just brings a smile to my face. No matter what is going on in our lives, there is always a reason to smile. Thank you guys for that!

Now on to my totally random post today. I just got finished eating a bag of m&m's. Well actually I made myself put them away, as it was a pretty large bag. And I felt like I could probably eat the whole thing. So I made myself do it. There was a small argument. But I won. The smart and sensible me, won. :) But man alive, were them suckers ever good.



Just a little while ago, as I was trying to watch Justin Timberlake on SNL, I hopped onto a link and then I get this message. I was totally and seriously bummed. I get this "error" message a lot when trying to view video links. I can view quite a few, but there are some I can't see. Hulu is one of the sites. Huge bummer.

And for the record, if you haven't seen Justin Timberlake on SNL, you should. He is absolutely one of the best guest hosts I've ever seen. (in my opinion). He is hysterical.

Today is the first day that I'm all bundled up inside my own home. I am wearing a hot pink v-neck fleece pull over from Old Navy. And black Fila sweat pants. (also fuzzy socks from JC Penney, but who cares right). Anyway, I just checked the temps right this minute, and it is at 57 degrees. In the "supposed" warmest part of the day.

If I hadn't mentioned it before, I am a HUGE baby, a wimp if you will, in regards to temperature shifts. I'm talking cold weather here. I do not, nor have I ever lived in a climate where white frozen crystals fall from the heavens above. Just has never happened. I didn't own a coat until recently. I'm a Florida girl through and through. So yeah, I'm bundled. The miniature heater is on. And I'm getting ready to break out my parka.

OK, next item on my random list: I let my son sleep with a shovel. It's true. He won't sleep without it. And he asks for it every night. Sometimes during the day I have to take it away from him. He gets a little carried away and will on occasion, hit his sister with it. But every night, like clock work, he asks for that shovel.

How do you guys feel about ipods? Do you have one? Do your children? And if they are begging you to buy them one, at what age do you think it's appropriate to buy it for them? Well. My kids have one. Each. And they LOVE them. Alexa sleeps with hers.

OK, yeah yeah. I know. It's not really an ipod. But my daughter, who is 2 actually started that. My dad has an ipod and he used to let her listen to it. When I bought these for Christmas, she just instantly started calling it her very own ipod. It was cute, it stuck and it didn't cost anywhere near the price. Also, it came pre-programmed with kids music and has an automatic shut off. So it doesn't matter if they sleep with it on, it turns itself right back off. I love it. One of my better finds.

And now I hear little people waking up from their naps. Time for mommy to get off the computer~~

Happy (early) Mother's Day!

So, I just wanted to say it. Now, before it's too late. Or before I forget, or get too busy chasing around the little people. I made a little video today. I made it for my mom, because she gets so much out of seeing the kids. And right now she can't see the kids. I wish I could change that.

So I made this for her. At the beginning of the video, you can see exactly how small Alexa used to be when we first arrived here in Chile. You can also see how short her hair used to be. She's grown so much. Eddie looks nearly the same, but he's grown.

Mom, I'm thinking of you. Hope you enjoy the video. And I promise I will take more videos of the kids and post them here. Thanks for everything. I love you!

McMommy goes to Chile!

The day that I got the call, I was pretty surprised myself. When I heard that she was coming to my neck of the woods, I was enthralled. I started planning immediately. I took time off from work. Oh wait, I don't work. I thought about it though, if I did have a job, I might actually take a day off, so that we could go play, and see the sights. Or at the very least, swing by the local Dunkin Donuts. Because if you know McMommy, then you know she's pretty big on the ole DD.

So anyway, she flew in and we immediately hit it off. We laughed, we cried, we talked for hours. I took her over to some shops. We walked around and bought a few things. She had a great time, as did I.

I was sad that she only came for the day. But still it was nice having her here. I took pictures of our time together. Hope you enjoy the slide show.

OK, but seriously. I'm a huge McFan of hers. She would totally love me if we ever did meet. She's cool like that.

As an aside, I need to mention that the donut pictured in my slide show, was nearly as bad (tasting) as the one I had blogged about previously here. I wish I were kidding. The chocolate was horrible and unsweet, the donut was hard and it was just generally bad. I can't believe that dunkin donuts in south america could be so different than the states. But yeah. True.

Here are a couple of shots I took while we were there. To give you an idea of pricing, and for comparison $1 USD = 583 CLP (chilean pesos). At least for today.

And for those of you non math whizzes out there, the cost for one dozen rock solid unsweetened south american dunkin donuts is going to run you about $10 dollars. Just thought I'd throw that in there. Oh yeah, and they do NOT have iced coffee or coolattas. Actually they do have them, but their coolattas are fruit flavored. They come in orange, mango or banana. So if you want an iced coffee of any sort, you are just out of luck.

Once again, thank you to McMommy for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed your stay here!

Museum Time

So, the family is feeling better. We decided to get out for a drive and stop by The National Museum of Natural History. My darling daughter was decidedly uncooperative for most pictures. So I don't have many of her. Eddie posed for a couple. And my husband has a slight photo phobia. So. I posed. I'm a poser.


I'm not too sure what this next guy is, but I think it had something to do with some old rituals. But I think he looked pretty cool.

And here is miss pouty thing. She started asking to go home half way through the museum. Nice. All in all, it was a good day. The kids did have fun. And I wasn't too traumatized by driving through the city. We only got minimally lost one time.

Chile, take two.

We arrived in Santiago on Wednesday morning just after 7 am. Corona made the trip, and seems to be in good spirits. We were given a bit of a hard time at the airport with him. I had the necessary immunizations done for him, including rabies and his current health certificate. Documented. But apparently the paperwork that we had with us was not satisfactory for them. The lady had to call supervisors and spend a lot of time on the phone talking about how we didn't have the right paperwork. I happened to have a receipt with the list of immunizations he received and they seemed to be ok with that. They let us leave with our cat, but minus the cat food.

I wish I could say that we had a lovely weekend. But that would be a total lie. I have had a fever for the past couple of days. A terrible cough and I'm very congested. Much of the last 4 days has been spent in bed. And today, when I feel a smidge better, my son now has a fever and I am trying to keep him and his sister apart. Though I fear that the germs we all have, may have been shared already.

So. No fun things this weekend. I just hope to get us all well. Just wanted to post that I am back in Chile.

6 weeks.

I spoke to my husband tonight through his ipod touch. Ain't technology the best? He was at a Casino in Antofagasta, Chile. What was he doing there in the casino? Losing eight bucks. He's not big on gambling, thank the Lord for that.

I think I might actually want to go to a casino too if I had to stay in the accommodations that he has been in. The Chilean Air base has him rooming in with another person. I think they are more interested in saving money than their airmen's privacy. So when in Rome....
The rooms don't have tvs in them, and they do not even have a single clock. The beds are about the size of a twin, and are pretty dated. They have wood slats in them that support the mattress. On each of his trips to Antofagasta, he has fallen through the bed. I'm so not kidding. Dh has been bored a lot. Especially since they are closing the base early due to personnel being out on leave. It's the summer time still, and people take vacation right about now, when the weather is the best.



Dh returns home to Santiago tomorrow. I'm glad. His mother is coming for a visit and should be arriving on Monday. She will be staying for 6 weeks. And when she leaves, he is heading here to Tucson for a conference. Yay! I'm so excited, the kids are going to be so excited. They ask for their daddy every single day. I feel bad for them, and I know it's hard on them. But they will see him soon.

So, in 6 short weeks, we will be together again. This is a good thing. A very good thing! :)

Vina del Mar

On Saturday, dh took us to the coastal city of Vina del Mar. (Vineyard of the Sea) I took over 170 pictures. Really. It wasn't a very pretty day out, mostly overcast, and heavily foggy on the drive down there. We drove through several tunnels and saw lots of vineyards along the way. It was 80 miles from our home to where we parked. So it wasn't a bad trip, and the kids took a nap. It could have been worse. But they actually behaved quite well in the car. Here's me.

There was a park area with trees and a playground that we stopped in just after lunch. The kids had a blast. The people there were renting out go-carts and bikes for kids to ride on. They even had horses too.

I even took 2 pictures of some style conscious Chileans for you to see. Here, this young lady is showing off her love for the color yellow.

These two were obviously fighting over which one of them owned the wackiest pair of pants. (She wins.)

Can someone tell me what's going on with all of these wires? Is this safe?

This is Castillo Wulffe. (Wulffe Castle) It is a very popular museum and national monument. It was built in 1880 by Gustavo Adolfo Wulffe Mowle. It has a variety a seafaring items. Unfortunately it was closed during our visit there. So we didn't get a chance to explore.

Now this is where the trip got a little hairy. And by that, I mean a touch less than pleasant. We followed this sign. We felt that it was pretty straight forward.

Unfortunately, it took us straight up the side of the mountain. We were in the very heart of the little homes you see in the pictures. And the mountain has a very unforgiving way of snaking this way, and that. The roads were in poor repair, and the ride was more than a little bumpy. We lost sight of where exactly any main roads might have been, and instead we were right on a narrow path winding upwards. It made me feel sick. And I wondered when we had gotten lost. But the sign was CLEAR, and said Santiago, was in fact this way. Right? Right? And then it happened. We veered a little to the left and somehow started going back down. So I knew that this was wrong. In an attempt to turn the car around, my second born child began to vomit.

Now, having recently had a child who vomited in the car, I was all too prepared. I had a small bucket under the seat. The only problem? While we were driving, I had a hard time getting turned around in my seat to assist. And my small child was not as cooperative with the bucket as I had hoped. She managed some in the bucket, and some on her. So we pulled over. On the side of the narrow shack lined street. And we were immediately accosted by one mangy and seriously emaciated canine. He stuck his nose everywhere he could think of, in search of food. I know we smelled good to him. And I bet he could smell the snacks just within our car. He begged. He pleaded, and I felt bad. But moreso for my daughter. So I pressed on in my duties. We cleaned her up and headed back to the point where we steered wrong.

And this is a picture of a sign as you drive into Santiago. It sits on the outside of some of the worst neighborhoods here. These homes are the true definitions of shack. It's hard to believe, but people actually do live this way. It's sad.

Translated, it means "This is the Chile that we don't want you to see." I don't blame them. But I'm not sure I'd want to construct a sign to publicize it either.

OK. That's about it for our trip. We left around 1 pm, and were back with the kids bathed and in bed by 9 pm. So, for our first long drive with the kids (an hour and a half), it was a success. Vina del Mar is a lovely city on the beach. We had a good time.

The drive that wasn't meant to be.

{Although posted on Sunday at just after midnight, the events in this post took place on Saturday}

This morning when we woke up, we pretty much were decided that we were going to be taking the car for a spin. We have been without transportation for quite some time. So having just received the plates to the car, we were given a gift. Our freedom to explore this new city (that we have been living in for 4 months and 3 days). But still, a gift.

On our first trip out, before ever leaving the apartment, I had a thought. Or maybe it was a conversation, in my head. So it went something like this, "Self? Yeah... kinda busy right now, what? I know you are cleaning a poopy child who did not use the toilet, and I can see that you were interrupted from trying to get her to sit on the potty because Eddie decided to pour his orange juice on the table on purpose... what are you getting at? I just wanted to say that, when you leave today, why don't you throw an extra set of clothes in the car for Eddie. You know, in case he poops or throws up or something. Huh? Oh OK. But Eddie hasn't really done anything like that in a while. I'm just sayin'. OK. Yeah. Sure."

So we left to take our drive. I forgot the clothes for Eddie. Not to mention that when we turned out onto a main drive, I realized that I had forgotten my camera as well. So we made our leisurely drive a bit shorter than it would have been, because we wanted to get some pictures. We turned back and went to the grocery store to get some food. After the store, we headed home to unload and make some lunch. We hung out here for a while and let the kids play. But once again, we were just itching to drive around. Actually, dh was itching, I was just wanting to get some pictures to share on my blog.

We set out again. Alexa fell asleep in the car, and that was just nice. It was peaceful. Quiet even. Wait a minute. That should have been a warning. Even with one child passed out sleeping, there was sure to be noise coming out of the other one. That still did not make an impression. I was too busy snapping pictures to really pay any attention to the subtlety of that little clue.

In fact, before we ever made it to our destination, we only heard one telltale sign that something was wrong. And it was my son's signature sound he makes right before he vomits. Oh yes. If you have a child who does this, then you know what I'm talking about. You get like 10-15 seconds notice, tops, before it happens. And then my little guy let it go. I tell my dh, "pull over!" and then, "find a McDonald's", like I'm in the freakin' United States. I was just thinking in the moment. I looked at my dh, and he looked at me. Oh. I'm not in the United States. There are no McDonald's "free-standing" restaurants here. Not in the sense that I was looking for, and there wasn't anything of the equivalent either. Ugh!!!! I only had two diapers and not a single stitch of clothing. I did not listen to me. I didn't put a change of clothes in the car like I thought of before, I just didn't. And now I had this pukey kid sitting in the backseat stinking up the car. UGH!! So we basically made a U-turn and headed straight for home. We were in a really old part of town, with terribly old buildings and lots of old bums and a mountain with really rickety old houses sitting on top of each other. There wasn't one single clear or safe place I would even feel comfortable about pulling over to try to clean my son off. Besides, we had nothing anyway to clean him up with. We drove home with the windows down.

Oh and one more funny thing that my child has said. Once we arrived home, Eddie looked down into his lap. He sighed a big hearty sigh. And then he said, "Oh man. How did I throw up on myself?"

Even though our trip was just messed up completely, I did manage to snap a few shots during our drive through the city.

Going into the tunnel. I have no idea how long it is, but it seems to go on forever.

Cerro San Cristobal. You can read a little about it here.

Not a really good picture, but these are the houses that are on the side of the hill. Some of them appear to be stacked on top of one another.

The United States Embassy. It's the short rounded building.

It's Santiago, Baby!

I'd like to take just a moment to say hi to my fellow bloggers who are dropping by today from Blog around the world. Welcome! Please pull up a chair, or grab some space over on the couch and get comfortable.

My maid should be by in a moment or two if you would like to try a Pisco Sour. It's the national drink here. It's not too strong, and it has the right combination of sweet and sour.

For my pregnant friends, I do have some lemonade. And for those of us (note, I say us ) who cannot make it through the day without a Coke beverage, I have some stashed in the fridge. Now because I have guests today, I went ahead and made some ice. As a friendly reminder, I should warn you that the rest of your stay here in Chile shall be for the most part, "ice free". For some reason or another, they are not big on ice.

My name is Leslie and I will be your waitress, flight attendant, nurse, hostess for today. Yes, sometimes I still get confused. I've worn many hats. For now, I am a stay at home mommy to two rambunctious kids. I am also an overly devoted Air Force wife to DH. He's camera shy, so you won't catch pictures of him here. In fact, he's just plain shy. Which is why he left the building when I told him you all were coming. He really is a nice guy though. And that's why I stick around. Oh, and he cooks too. (But I digress.)

Let's dig right in, shall we? Chile is the longest country in the world. It stretches roughly 2700 miles from tip to tip. That's about the same distance from San Francisco to New York.

The city of Santiago is nestled at the foothills of the Andes mountains. We are located just a short 25 miles to the nearest skiing. Home to 1/3 of the entire population of Chile, we have close to 6 million people here!

{Do you see the tan building just above the terra cotta colored roof at the bottom of the picture? This is the hotel we stayed in for 61 days. Really.}

There is a terrific resort that I am just itching to get to. It's called Valle Nevado. With fantastic tour packages, discount half day tickets, as well as off season pricing, one just can't go wrong. I see a trip here in the very near future for my family. Especially since I have never been skiing in my life.

Now if you might be thinking that it's hot here, it isn't! Here in Santiago, we are coming to the end of our winter. It's reversed from the United States. Winter is from June until August, with temperatures rarely dipping below 32 degrees, and staying mainly in the 40's and 50's. The summer months are from December through February. I have yet to experience a hot Christmas, but they tell me that the temps range from 80 degrees on up to 90.

Santiago also has an incredible walking tour that takes you up to the top of Cerro San Cristobal, which is the highest point in the city. Once you arrive, you will have the most incredible panoramic views of the city. There are two swimming pools up on the hill that open during summer, and a variety of gift shops and stops along the way to grab a snack and a beverage. If walking isn't your thing, there is also a funicular, or cable car ride. Be on the lookout for the car that took Pope John Paul II up the hill back in 1987.

Close by, is the Mercado Central. This steel constructed building was actually made in England before being brought over to Santiago. It is an amazing and busy market place with an abundance of fresh produce and a seemingly endless supply of seafood sliced and diced before your eyes. It doesn't get any fresher than this. You must try the restaurants in the middle of the market, they are fabulous!

Being that you are now in the center of town, you must swing by the Plaza de Armas, a large square surrounded by historical buildings that date back to the 1540's. You might see painters selling their artwork along the walk as you pass by. And without a doubt there will be a variety of young people (and some not so young) dancing, singing or performing flips from the shoulders of a partner in hopes of a tip from the onlookers. Some consider this place the heart of Santiago. Take a stroll, soak it up, and enjoy!


There are many beautiful things to appreciate about this city. On your way to investigate, you might want to hop on the metro (our subway system). It's very fast, quiet, surprisingly clean, and extremely cheap! You can get from one side of town to the other in a matter of minutes. I wouldn't go during rush hours, because that is when the bulk of the people are trying to get to or from work. And I promise you, you will get to know your neighbors up close and personal.

If you are a shopper like myself, then I must share a little gem with you. The Bellavista neighborhood is one you must see. This quaint old residential neighborhood has colorfully painted homes up and down it's tree lined streets. Some of the homes have been transformed into cafes, shoppes, restaurants or bars. Here you can find many of the local art shops, crafts, clothing, and the lovely Lapis lazuli a brilliant blue stone, which is made into a variety of jewelry pieces here in Chile. Along the way, you will want to stop at the former home of Pablo Neruda. He is Chile's Nobel Prize winning poet.

A few of the things that are on my to do list in the coming months are to hit up a couple of museums: The Museo Interactivo Mirador, which was recommended to us as being a great place for the family and kids. And the National Museum of Natural History. (Kids under 8 are free, and so are military personnel. Need I say more? I'm all about a good deal here.) I also want to take a dip in this little pool. And in case you didn't want to click on the link, the pool has made it into the Guinness book of world records. Pretty cool! When the weather warms up of course. Here is the actual website for San Alfonso del Mar.

Since I previously mentioned shopping, I wanted to add a word about the malls. Santiago has some rather impressive shopping malls. Our anchor department stores here are called Falabella, Ripley, and Paris. I would have to say that they are pretty first class, as far as shopping goes. You won't be disappointed.

So, in case you are wondering, some things here are cheap. MOST are not. And that includes our gas prices. At 660 pesos per liter, that works out to about 4.99 a gallon. (given an exchange rate of 500 pesos for the dollar) The dollar does fluctuate, so some days are better than others. Since I've been here (arrived June 15) I've seen the dollar go down to 490 pesos, and all the way up to 521. It hoovers around the 500 mark.


Now, on to some things that most likely won't be in your travel guide.

~The milk comes in a box. It's not refrigerated until after you open it. It tastes weird.

~It's perfectly acceptable to chain your dog up inside the grocery store while you shop. And though acceptable, it's annoying to hear said dog barking throughout your entire trip.

~In certain malls you must pay 150 pesos (about 30 cents) to use the bathroom.

~Don't forget to grab the funky coin they give you to pass through the turn style.

~You must also note that you should grab some toilet paper from the ONE dispenser on the wall before entering. Not all bathrooms are like this, so pay attention.

~If you use a public restroom near the street, you will actually have to pay more for #2. There is an attendant there, and they will hand you toilet paper depending on how much you pay.

~ They serve alcohol in Pizza Hut. (that's pretty cool) If you happen to stop in on Father's day, they will give you free Pisco Sours!

~ Pizza Hut in Santiago uses breakable dishware. Real glasses and ceramic plates. No plastic. It's like fine dining. Maybe this is why it costs so much to eat there.

~ Toys are insanely overpriced. I don't recommend buying any.

~Products such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, tomato sauce, and jelly all come in a bag. Which doesn't make for good storage does it?

~ They have a problem with strays. It's kind of heartbreaking to see it, but there are dogs all over the city.

~ Apartments here are called departementos.

~ People will run you over. And by that, I mean run into you, on foot, with a shopping cart, with a bag, they don't care. Just get out of the way. Don't block aisles, you will get hit. (yes, I've been hit)

~ People don't really have a "personal space" thing here like they do in the states. They will get all up on you. I'm not kidding.

~ There is no "right of way" here. It's all about me. Whoever me happens to be. And that goes for cars, bikes, motorcycles, and foot traffic. Don't assume someone will stop for you, they won't.

~ If you speak Spanish already, you will be confused when you get here. I promise. Santiaguinos have their own language complete with a large vocabulary of made up English/Spanish words and uncountable slang words that make my Spanish speaking English as a second language husband dizzy.

~ Trying to dial a number here takes a PhD. You first have to figure out if you are dialing land to land, land to cell, cell to cell, or cell to land. There are numbers you must dial first, sometimes and only if you are dialing a cell. None if you are dialing land to land, and then sometimes if someone has a funky cell number. I still can't explain it. And they gave me a laminated card to teach me how. I obviously do not have a PhD. So I haven't figured it out yet. I'd call to ask for help, ah but you see my dilemma

~ The grocery stores here have the largest and most extensive seafood section that I've ever seen in my life.

~ Some people stand at certain intersections and work for tips. They juggle, and do cheerleader type stunts while you wait at the light.

And there you have it. I'm certain that after I hit publish, I'm going to think of 5 more things I forgot to tell you. But you kind of get the picture. It's different. And it's my job as an Air Force wife stationed abroad to appreciate what this country has to offer.

Thanks for stopping by. Please visit me any time, and feel free to ask any questions or post a comment. I'll be sure to answer! Take care~

Ciao~ (Oh yeah, there's another one. They don't say Adios here. It's always Ciao~)