They got the car and the kids and I had a playdate at the Parque Santa Rosa with a couple of ex-pat moms and their kids. Diana and I really hit it off and we spent the afternoon at the pool at Cecy's apartment. She took her little one home for a nap and I kept her 7 year old for lunch and playing, as Tristan really liked her company so much. She showed him how to flip off the side of the pool! He is such a good swimmer now, with a new confidence in the water at the pool and the sea.
The next morning, on the 5th of January, we picked up Adrian across the city at his mom's house. She still works every day and was up before dawn to make us breakfast and sandwiches for the drive. Lovely grandma aka "abuela".
The drive was long and hot. Kiko drove us out of the city and then I drove the truck and Kiko drove his dad's car. Poor Kiko got about 10 minutes rest the whole way! We had one big stop at a gas station restaurant. Coffee and lunch for the boys. Bathroom. And back on the road. It took us about 9 hours to get to Villarica.
Piru and Fernanda took us to an artisanal market with local crafts and goods and with a focus on the Mapuche (indigenous people of Chile before Spanish conquest.) The kids got bows and arrows and swords. The adults got empanadas and indian fry bread (called sopapillas here). It was raining out so we had coffees and hot milo as well! The rain was a refreshing break in the summertime. It's been hot and dry here in Chile.
We went to a beautiful property between Pucon (an awesome little town/tourist destination) and Villarica that Anita and her sisters own. It is so neat! We hiked all over the property in the rainforest, went to a spring and drank the water as soon as it came out of the earth, got a bit lost, explored a dried up river bed, and just had fun!
It has several parcels that she wants to build cabanas on to rent in the summer time and then develop hiking trails on the rest of the property. It would be fantastic for that.
Here are some shots we took that day:
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