Gringo It Up

"Hey, Buddy" (Use the voice Sara would use with a dog)

Another beautiful day out in wine-country

   Hey, everybody; Matt here.  It's been a while since I rapped at ya' so here it goes.  Not too much is new around these parts.  We're working (Sara moreso) a lot to make ends meet until Sara gets her killer job going in March.  This will finally allow me to work on my killer tan (meant literally as a likely candidate for skin cancer).  It's summer here, so we're still having countless beautiful, hot, and sunny days.  We never thought we'd say it, but a rainy day (gotta fit in The Temptations whenever possible) would be nice.

Sara biking through Plaza de Armas near sunset.  She isn't
always happy when we ride bikes.

Homer Simpson @ Plaza Italia

   So when I left off last time, I mentioned that I started a new job working for a bike guide company.  The job is really great; I get to talk history, work with fun people, and every tour includes a free snack and/or drink.  Some tours include trips to bars, wineries, and even cafe con piernas (coffee with legs).  It would be nice if the pay was better, but the work is far more satisfying than tutoring.  Like guides everywhere, I rely on tips which are usually forthcoming from Canadians & Americans.  I've had particularly bad luck with Aussies, British, and Brazilian visitors as far as tips go; maybe there is less tipping-culture there.  I also suppose my legendary gringo-charm doesn't work on other gringos.

GRINGOS, THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!

  On the note of gringos, Sara and I finally made it to the main gringo-bar of Santiago, the California Cantina.  It is run by American expats for American expats.  Why go?  Well, they play American sports on the TVs and it's pretty much the only choice for seeing NFL, MLB, and NBA games (you remember what a sports nut I am, right?) in Santiago at a bar.  We went there the first time before our friend, Mashini's, birthday.  We were blown away by how many gringos we saw ("So that's where they hide.") and the American pricing on drinks/food ($$).  We went back last night to see the Ravens vs. Pats game and by the time we got there (2nd Qtr.), they had already run out of wings....c'mon, really?!  They were suggesting reserving tables for Superbowl as well and they apparently fill up by 2 hours before kickoff.

Sara & the birthday boy/man/ghost, Mashini

   Going to Mashini's birthday party was a load of fun; we got to stay up late, see friends, and have a ridiculous time.  The only downer was that I had to work the next morning because of the new job (all weekends).

Statue of St.Michael in the National Cathedral.
Yes, Mom & Dad, I went into a church.

   On another gringo note, I'm considering another get-rich-quick scheme (shelving Barbaroja's Cheesesteakery for now) that plays the gringo card: peanut butter.  Many folks have been so kind as to send us peanut butter (chunky!) due to our (my) frequent bellyaching about the availability of PB here.  While you can find it here, it is of low quality, expensive, and generally creamy (blech!). With that in mind, I'm thinking of making and selling my own brand of peanut butter featuring Chilean ingredients.  If you have any suggestions for company names, flavors, images, programs, or whatever, I would love to hear 'em; just drop me a line at my email.  Of course, this will most certainly not make me rich or do it quickly, but along similar lines to the bike-work, I think I'll enjoy it.  As this is also a major wine-producing country, I might be able to float some product on PB & wine ideas (think PB&J, same concept, stole the idea from the Peanut Butter & Co. guy in NYC).

Live music in Parque Balmaceda @ sunset

As always, we hope that all is well and that you know that we think of you often.  You are highly encouraged to send/post pictures & stories of what's happening in your life.  Until next time, ciao.

New Year, Old (insert something clever)

@ Ciudad Vieja in Bellavista, killer sammies.

@ Cerro Santa Lucia by the Neptune Fountain

Hey ya'll, Matt here.  It's been a while since I rapped at ya' so there's plenty to report on from the Southern Hemisphere.  First of all, Happy New Year to everyone and a rousing "Screw you, 2011!"  We were able to send off 2011 and see in 2012 with our friends, Millsy & Danielle, from the US (G-Town).

Costillar w/ mashed potatoes & onion/tomato salad

  It was very nice to have the opportunity to show off what we know of the city to others.  With trips to the parks, restaurants, and nightlife we had a fairly full schedule.  We made excursions to the major lookout points of the city, Cerros Santa Lucia and San Cristobal, which provide great views and a load of sunshine.  There was also a good amount of eating out at great Chilean food-spots.  We had some of the classics: 

@ Le Petite Frances

• lomitos (sliced pork w/ avocado)
• completos (hot dog w/ mayo & tomato)
• chacarero (sliced pork, aji chiles, green beans)
• pollo asado (grilled chicken)
• costillar (pork rib)
• pastel de choclo (corn pie)
• mote con huesillo (peach juice, peach, barley)



@ Le Petite Frances

• leche con platano (milk & banana shake)

Millsy & Danielle seemed to take kindly to the mote & completo.  I believe her comment on first having a mote was something to the tune of "this is exactly what I wanted."  Of course, we had some of this great stuff at La Vega, where a random Chilean repeatedly (approx. 6x) told me that there is where Chileans eat.

These were seriously everywhere.  Panties, panties, panties!

BOAR!!!

 We also made an excursion to Cajon del Maipo to spend a night in the Andes.  We stayed at a nice little place called Le Petite France, which was in the style of a French Mediterranean villa.  Between swimming, taking in the views, consuming an immoderate amount of wine, and having a great meal (I had boar, like a king!) it was an excellent way to spend the last day of 2011.
  We made our way back to the city for New Year's Eve.  One item that should be noted, Chileans have their own distinct New Year's traditions such as:

• wearing yellow panties (sold all over the streets)
• really fun confetti blasters (80cm popper tube)
• putting money in your shoe
• eating 12 grapes



Do I have to?

• eating lentils

The roof of our apartment (26th floor) was packed with people taking in the view of fireworks going off all over the city.  The main display was from the Entel (a telephony co.) Tower.  The show lasted about 1/2 hour and had fireworks shooting up, sideways, and down (I had never seen that before); it was pretty cool.  Most people in Chile ring in the new year with their families and then go out after to party into the night.  We went to sleep at a reasonable 2 or 3am.  When we were waking up on Jan. 1st, we still heard revelers until about 11am; people here take their partying seriously.  

Terremotos @ La Piojera

  On their last day here, we did try to cram as much as possible into the final few hours.  By that, I mean we went to La Piojera for some terremotos and then to the SoHo-esque Lastarria neighborhood for some Peruvian drinks & snacks.  In an interesting turn of events, right as Millsy was getting money at the ATM for the airport taxi, someone was creating trouble a block away throwing molotov cocktails at a policewoman (How about that?).  For more pictures from Millsy & Danielle's trip (non-explosive), check Millsy's facebook.

The Rio Mapocho & La Bicicleta Verde across the river

Making sangria.  Thanks, Chi & Gabby!

  In other new year news, I landed another job, and this one I have more interest in.  It's at a place called La Bicicleta Verde (The Green Bicycle).  You may have heard of them in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, or on TripAdvisor.  They provide bike tours of the city; it is a nice intersection of my interests: being active, history, and food/drink (every tour has a snack and/or beverage).  I'm in training right now, but hope to be leading my own tours soon.  Downside: it takes away my weekends currently, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back into the mountains for another high altitude trip (bummer!).  

Ocarinas at a craft fair.  The sign says don't play as it will
spread colds and HERPES!

  Sara is still working like crazy tutoring English.  She has started attending professional development and planning sessions at Santiago College and says the people are very kind and helpful.  She seems very optimistic about the coming school year.

One very happy kitty atop Cerro Santa Lucia

   Oh, yeah, yesterday we had our first Chilean tremblor (earthquake below 7 on the Richter scale).  It was a 5.1 (pretty small), but we felt the apartment shake a little bit.  I'm not too worried about a big one as those are generally about 10 years apart (last big one was in 2010).  Another "oh, yeah," you should tune in to "CashCab" on Jan. 26th (I think, ask Brandon for details) to see your favorite tall, smart, handsome (and slightly tipsy) hero try to make some easy money.
  So with that, I'll close out.  All is well and we hope all is well with you.  Shoot us an email and let us know how you're doing, post pictures, do something because you know we miss you.