Summer day in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar

Saturday, February 15


We spent the day in Valparaiso and Vina del Mar -- two lovely beach towns.  The middle of February is like the middle of August in the US so everyone in Chile was on vacation at the beach!  We drove to the center of Valparaiso and then up the hills to the quaint homes overlooking the bay.  We went to a house of the Nobel Prize poet -- Chile's most famous poet -- Pablo Neruda-- then back to the center of town to a giant fresh fruit and vegetable feria that had a "food court" of local Chilean foods.  It was so fun to eat with the locals!  We then drove to Vina del Mar to stroll along the beach.  It was a day of fun people watching!

In front of a fountain in the plaza of Valparariso

Dr. David and Terresa Johnson, Sandra Thompson and us.

Richard showing the way to Valparariso

Every central plaza in every Chilean town has a Catholic Church facing the plaza

The home of Pablo Neruda -- the most famous poet in Chile

I took a picture from the brochure of the house.

This handsome fellow was riding down the street as we left the museum

We went back to the center of town to a giant feria.  Upstairs was a "food court" with local cuisine and local patrons.  We had a ball!

Watching our food being prepared.

Waiting for lunch

Being serenaded at lunch

 

 

 

 

 

View from the patio

 

 

 

 

After a number of weeks of abandoning our blog site, we felt that we better get back on track and try to catch up on all of things we have been doing.  When we last wrote, we were trying to update you all on a little trip we took over to the coast of Chile to a town called Vina del Mar/Valparaiso.  We were having such a difficult time downloading pictures that we got frustrated and finally gave up.  We then got very busy with our new office location and trying to launch a new initiative as part of our calling, that well, what can I say, we just ignored our site.  Please forgive us.

With our change to a new location of work, we now have about a 2 mile commute to work each day.  Evone walks to work nearly every day, and then back home in the evening.  I was walking with her, but a month ago I herniated a disc in my back and had a number of other issues with my back and now my left leg.  On good days I walk with her, and on not so good days I take the bus and meet her there.

One of the true pleasures of living here in Santiago are the wonderful street dogs.  There are literally hundreds of dogs who just live on the street and have become part of the human population.  They are very passive and never bother anyone.  They are quite cute little dogs but as you would imagine look a little unkempt.  They wait at street corners and usually don't try to cross the street until the people begin moving.  They then step right in and cross with the rest of the humanity.  People put dishes of dog food and water out on the side walks to feed and water them.  The dogs act like they own the place.  They lay down wherever they get the notion and take naps in the middle of the sidewalks.  People are very careful not to disturb them and walk around with great care.  I saw one of the cutest sites I have seen since being in Chile.  I was waiting for Evone at a bus stop and began visiting with a local lady who had a terribly scarred face from burns.  We were just visiting when one of these cute street dogs came up to her and began nuzzling and loving her.  As she was petting him a bus came along and stopped for passengers.  The dog walked away, got in line with the people and boarded the bus.  Who knows where he was going, but the people and driver just accepted the dog as though it were nothing.  Evone and I have seen dogs on buses before and thought they must belong to the driver or one of the passengers.  We now know that they just take a bus whenever the notion hits them.  Evone walks three mornings every week with a couple of other senior missionary sisters.  They usually have one of these little dogs who follows them on their entire walk, as though he were their guard dog.  It's all very cute.  You would love it.  We certainly do.

We have had some wonderful experiences in our new offices.  We have taught several career workshops for missionaries returning home and for individuals who are looking to upgrade their employment or just to find work.  Our news offices are called Self-Reliance Centers where we offer many resources such as career workshops, employment services, school and career counseling, self-employment workshops, school loans, etc.  One of the hardest things to get used to here in Chile is the slow pace at which things get done.  It is a culture where North Americans find it very difficult to wait and be patient.  It is very different from the United States in that regard.

A group of missionaries from the Santiago East Mission taking the Career Workshop one week before finishing their missions and returning back home

Sabastian, a young man ringing the bell at the Self-Reliance Center indicating that he found a job after several weeks of hard work

Evone and I with 3 wonderful people who just finished taking the career workshop.  The tall girl in red is a lawyer from Paris.  The tall fellow on the right is an architect from Venezuela, and the shorter girl next to Evone, a secretary from Santiago.  What a wonderful group of young people they were.  We thoroughly enjoyed working with them.  It is amazing how you grow to love people as you work and serve with them.  A wonderful feeling of joy!

This sign captures the essence of Chile.  Carpe diem (sieze the day), MAÑANA (tomorrow).  Evone and sister Evelyn Candland saw this at a mall one day.  They were so tickled to find the essence of Chile on a store window.

Well, enough babbling.  We have had some wonderful meals in the last few weeks, and have seen some fun street events.  There always seems to be some kind of entertainment going on in and around Santiago.  Here are a few pictures that will hopefully catch the essence of this beautiful city.

This something you will not see in the United States.  "Pizza A La Pobre".  Basically means a fried egg on top of what ever you're eating.  A cheese pizza with a stake and fried egg on top.

A stack of bread in 12 inch circles about 1 1/2 inches thick, baked in an outdoor over.  Absolutely delicious.  In Pomaire, Chile

A typical Chilean food.  Empanadas cooking in an outdoor oven.  Meat, onions, boiled egg and olive on the insides.  Like a little meat pie.  Very tasty! (Pomaire, Chile)

Another typical Chilean food.  Pastel de Choclo.  Sweetened ground beef and boiled eggs covered with a cream corn, cooked in a bread dough (Pomaire, Chile).

A pottery maker in Pomaire, Chile.  This little town is known for it' s pottery.  They particularly like to make little piggy banks.  They also make wonderful cooking pots which Evone was so sorry she could not buy.  We couldn't figure out how to get it back home.

Just in case you thought you couldn't get chocolate in Chile.  It took Evone and I two days to finish this piece of cake.  It was absolutely amazing.  The restaurant had 25 different cakes.  I guess you know where we will be going back to a few more times -- 24 more cakes to sample!

One day, Evone heard a band playing very lively music outside our apartment.  She went outside to find this band and dancers.  Someone told her it was a group from Venezuela, but we could never confirm.  They were having a great time celebrating something.  We just never really found out exactly what.

Same group as above.

This is the Roberto Vega family.  They are in our ward, and we have become wonderful friends.  We are enjoying a wonder Korean meal with Roberto, his wife Maria, and his two oldest Sons, Roberto on the right and Rodrigo on the left.  We love this family.  We had dinner at their home a couple of weeks before this dinner, and it was one of our funnest days in Chile!