Chile

Don't judge a book by its cover - or a vacation by its first 24 hours, because ours went something like this:

Start out 4 hour drive to airport with the news that the freeway has flooded and is closed, we'll have to find an alternative route. Freeway opened - but I got the airport wrong and when we arrived we discovered we had to drive to the other airport in Buenos Aires. Flight delayed, fear of missing connecting flight. Hours traveling, plane runs out of food to sell one row in front of us. Finally arrive in Santiago with 2 exhausted children and two starving adults with 5 minutes to get rental car before office closes for the night. Customs agent is AMAZINGLY SLOW, I'm sure it's intentional and Mario is trying to prevent me from fighting with her and going to jail. Finally make it through, and car rental agency DOES NOT EXIST. Seriously, no one has ever heard of them, phone calls go unanswered. Decide to take taxi to hotel and deal with it in the morning. In the morning hotel finds us a new car rental, but at twice the price. We call all phone numbers in Chile and the US for original car company as a last ditch effort, and then call to confirm rental offered by hotel, but it's too late, no more cars. Finally get a car for an even higher price, and set out for Viña del Mar. Arrive fine, but when we try to use the car later that day, it won't start. We spend the rest of the day on foot and they bring us a new car the next day.

After that the trip was great, but there were enough stress-causing situations piled on top of each other for Mario to swear off traveling for good. (I don't swear off traveling, I just swear.) Below is the pictoral record.

Gabe totally occupied for all 4 hours of the car ride with his new Mr. Potato Head.

Gabe and Tomas with the funnest game ever - attack mom with water guns!

Us at Isla Negra - one of Pablo Nerudas three homes. It was meant to look like a ship, and the inside has all super small, short passageways and doors because it's okay to be eccentric when you're rich and famous.

Mario and Gabe on the little boat tour we took in the bay of Valparaiso. I sat inside to keep Lucia out of the sun and the captain told me all about the privitization of the ports, the upcoming presidential elections, and the ongoing disputes with Peru and Bolivia that force them to maintain the best navy in Latin America. It was fascinating.

Cool random wall art in Valparaiso.

130 year old "elevators" to transport people up and down the hills of Valparaiso.

on top of one of the hills.

Valparaiso feels like it hasn't changed in 100 years. There is nothing new or modern. I felt like I was experiencing exactly the place Isabelle Allende describes in her books. Pablo Neruda said he had a house there b/c it is a place that lends itself to nostalgia and imagination.

the rocky coast of Viña.

early morning before the beaches fill up.

Chile loves American chain restaurants, and I love things that taste like home!

first day in the sun.

Gabe LOVED playing in the waves, even though the water was freezing.

But at first he was hesitant to even walk down to the sand.

Los Dominicos - a church in Santiago with the best artists' market I've ever been to. We loved Santiago - a fantastic city.

Outside the temple in Santiago.

Santa Cruz, Chile. Chile is California, and this is Napa.

Gabe totally wiped out on our bus tour of Santaigo.Mario's brother is the mission president in Rancagua, Chile. One morning I made a big American breakfast for the family and the missionaries that work in the office with Esteban.

Gabe likes to be held, A LOT. When Mario and I refuse, he goes to "San-TAY-o", or his cousin Santiago, who was amazingly sweet with him.

flying over the Andes.

Cia did a lot of sleeping in car seat and stroller.

Estela, Esteban and boys were GREAT. We had an amazing time with them.