We enjoyed our stay in Bahia Inglesa.  On November 11 we moved into a far nicer and spacious place which was in a condo complex with a patio, bbq (we had to buy carbon) and a pool.  Also, a bonus was that it had a free washing machine to use!    Using the bbq allowed us to make some good meals at home.  Bahia Inglesa was a quiet place due to the off season, being the weekdays, and two windy days.  The laid back pace was nice and the scenery was beautiful. We spent a lot of time looking for shells and sea creatures and hanging out on the beach.  I got too much sun myself one day. The water was cold due to the Humboldt current.  The kids and Shawn went in a few times but I was too much of a wimp. – Renelle

We saw a huge crab and a huge lizard at Bahia Inglesa and a huge crab claw, I mean two.  I climbed a humongis rock and I found a bunch of shells on it. We saw this cat and it came every night to our place. We called it Whiskers. – Gabriel

Today I will talk about English Bay.  My personal opinion was that it was really good despite the fact that the beach water was cold.  The place we stayed at was good but the floor was filthie.  The bed was nice and cozie.  What I really liked was everyday this cat would come and we would get to hold him.  By the beach on the big rocks there are lizards, some big some small, anyways they all suntan.  The desert has hot days and cold nights.  That’s all I have to say about English Bay – Sayer

In Bahia Inglesa we went to a house far from the beach but we didn’t really like it so we went to a different house one block away from the Bahia Inglesa beach.  At that house we met this abandoned cat and we named him Whiskers.  He is orange and he is very cute.  When we went to the beach it was very pretty and the water was very clear.  At the beach there was a lot of cool shells and I found a very pretty one.  We just left Bahia Inglesa and are now in Antofagasta. – Danika

Some Papa Frits and a completo that we found at a food truck.

The TV shows are a bit different here.

I am very fair. I should have read the sign.

One of the parks.

Walking along the ocean.

Reading on the beach.

A little swim in the pool.

Looking for shells.

Danika and Mom

Climbing the big rock

Loving Whiskers

Someone lost something. Can you guess what he was eating?

The tooth fairy came and left him some pesos.

Can you find the lizard?

Playing with the neighbour boys.

Playing with Nicolas. He is from Peru and his parents take care of the complex.

On November 16 we boarded another bus and arrived in Antofagasta, Chile 7 hours later.  We took a taxi to the Airbnb owner’s house where the 10 year old son hopped in the cab with us and took us to our apartment one block over.  He translated for his mom and we found another spacious place for a few days. Since we arrived late we walked to have supper at McDonald’s for the first time on our trip.

The beach is very close to our house and is jammed packed with people and sun umbrellas all the time.  Kids and adults are swimming day and night.  Last night there was a festival of some sort going on with different dancers dancing to a band  playing music.  There were food trucks, Incredibles 2 playing on a screen by the ocean, and bouncy houses for kids.

Today we took a taxi to Lider (Walmart) and stocked up on some food and sauces. We found syrup for French toast but sadly, I still could not find popcorn kernels. – Renelle

On another bus

Cool steps in Antofagasta.

The beach.

The beach is still busy at night.

The outdoor movie. We didn’t watch though.

Checking out the tide pools.

The performance. Notice the dog that wouldn’t move and they had to dance around.

At Lider (Chilean Walmart)

Of course we had to try strawberry milkshake Oreos.

Nov 10 – After we made it to Santiago on November 7th, we stayed one night at an apartment downtown that we found on Hotwire.  We had to vacate our rental by noon on the 8th.  We were not catching our next bus until 9:30 that night so we were in for a long day of wandering around. We were able to check our luggage at the bus mall for $1000clp a piece. Which is around $2cad.  Over 8 hours in a bus mall is a really long time. Even though it was a bit more than a bus mall.  It had a market outside, many stores, and a food court.  We spent some time playing cards in the food court to kill time.  Finally we caught our bus and headed out to Caldera (13 hour bus ride).  The bus was actually pretty comfortable and we slept almost the entire time.  We arrived into Caldera at 10:30 am on the 9th.  We found a cab and met the lady that owns the Airbnb at the accommodation.  We found out that our Airbnb rental was not up to par to say the least.  It was not close to Bahia Inglesa and it was not close to Caldera city centre.  Also,  it had no hot water and has what seems like a million dogs around it at night……barking everywhere!  One week here is going to be challenging, then we see the loop hole.  We are allowed to shorten our stay on Airbnb!!!!!  The lady that owns the Airbnb was very pleasant and accommodating even though there was a language barrier, the Airbnb site translates so it was easy to communicate that way.  We have booked our place in Bahia Inglesa for the next five nights starting Sunday, Nov 11th.  Our next accommodation does not have wifi and Renelle’s Chilean SIM card has run out of data. We may stay one night in a hotel on the 16th to get up to speed and book our next place.

The last two days we have cabbed to the beach.  It was only around 20-21 degrees but we all have signs of sun on our faces, necks and shoulders.  We will be out of touch for the next 5 days because we will playing on the beach and hopefully the pool at our next stay is actually in operation. – Shawn and Renelle

How we ride in cabs.

Chile’s malls are decorated for Christmas like home.

Where is Gabe? At Bahia Inglesa

All three kids wanted to be buried in the sand.

Bahia Inglesa

November 7 – Lujan de Cuyo is a nice little place.  It was quiet and seemed like a small town which was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of Santiago.  We spent a lot of time walking to the grocery store to buy our meals for cooking or grabbing pre-made ham and cheese croissant sandwiches for lunch.

We learned that people in Argentina have siestas.  Many of the stores close from 1-5 and the streets seem deserted during that time.  Our family usually isn’t out after dark but we decided to have a quiet afternoon and go out at night and see what was happening.  The streets and the main square were filled with kids and families.  The ice cream store was lined up at 10:00pm.  The kids by our house just seemed to start playing around at that time.

It was very hot on Monday but Tuesday we planned to go to Termas Cacheuta (hot springs).  We woke up Tuesday morning to rain.  The first time it was an actual rain day on our trip.  Our Airbnb host, Reg, once again picked us up and drove us to the the thermal baths. We arrived before the park was opened so Reg drove up into the mountains a little further and we got out for some pictures of the very scenic lake and mountains.  Once we arrived to Termas Cacheuta we were one of the first people there so we were able to get a locker and enjoy the baths.  It was just misting in the mountains but some of the baths were very, very hot so the weather was perfect.  They also had a lazy river and some water slides.  If it was 28 degrees the lazy river would have been perfect but since it was probably only 20 degrees only Sayer and Shawn (coerced by Sayer) took the lazy river challenge.  The also had a rock slide that was super fast and the water was cold in the pool. Our host with the most, Reg picked us up at 2:00 and it was the perfect amount of time there. -Renelle

Not on the ship anymore. We don’t get ice-cream everyday.

On a swing bridge.

The lake

At the Thermal baths.

You can see the lazy river and the big pool below. It was too cold today for most people.

Cool cacti

This bath was inside.

Today we again got a ride from our host Reg to the bus terminal.  We boarded the bus and headed off for the trip back through the Andes to Santiago.  The bus was super comfortable with leather seats like lazy boys and it had service like an airplane.  They delivered ham and cheese sandwiches, muffins, Coca-Cola, and coffee and tea. It was a comfortable way to travel. – Renelle

on the bus

more beautiful mountains.

There are those 29 curves again. This is the half way point.

November 4 – We planned to take the kids horseback riding as a surprise when we arrived in Argentina. We told them about it once we got settled into our new place.  Yesterday afternoon our Airbnb host, Reg, picked us up and drove us to the horse ranch.  Reg’s granddaughter Vicky was also able to ride along with us.  She takes lessons so she ended up being our fearless leader.  The trek on horseback was two hours of beautiful scenery through the vineyards, treed canopies and even through a stream.  Of course the view of the Andes mountains in the distance was amazing!  This was a beautiful day and the kids look forward to riding again in the future.  Next time Gabe wants to ride on his own. – Renelle

It was a really cool experience. – Sayer

My horse was a girl and she kept on eating so me and my Dad called her Snack Attack.  -Gabriel

My favourite part was when we went through the stream. – Danika

Sayer

Danika

They nicknamed their horse snack attack because she stopped to eat the willow trees whenever she could.

Vicky

Today we left to go to Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.  We are taking a supposed 5 hour bus ride from Santiago to Mendoza City.  The bus ride through the Andes was stunning, the scenery was breathtaking!  We rode up a 29 curve switchback that snaked up a mountain.  The ride was so smooth and carefree until……..our bus broke down just before the customs terminal.  We had to wait for another bus for about an hour.  We transferred to the other bus and headed to customs.  WOW!  This customs procedure gives you a real appreciation for every other customs experience that I have had.  They were ridiculously slow!  We were somewhat prepared for this as we did read about this infamous border crossing.  They get you off of the bus in a line to meet with one officer to go over your passport info.  Next, you go back on the bus and then they unload all the cargo to go through a scanner.  Then they put cargo back under bus and the passengers come off the bus again and go through a scanner.  After a two hour ordeal, that could of easily been done in 30 minutes top we were on our way.  (note: after reading online, our experience was quite speedy compared to others).  We were then stopped about 10 minutes down the road and another customs officer comes on the bus to insure that no one has smuggled anything.  The rest of the trip was easy going.  In total an 8 bus ride.  We were met by our Air BNB host in Mendoza City and brought to our place 20 minutes out. -Shawn

Some of the curves

Danika and Shawn on the bus.

The boys.

Danika and Mom.

More of the curves closer to the top.

This was around curve 16. Photo cred goes to Sayer.

While the bus was broken down.

Mountain climbing?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This slideshow above is of the beautiful scenery as we drove through the mountains.

We decided to try a truly unique Latin American experience.  We went to the cemetery on All Saint’s Day.  This is a holiday in Chile so the streets of the city were empty.  We read that around 1 million people visit the cemetery and pay their respects to their loved ones that have passed.  With over 2 million people buried in this one cemetery it was a sight in itself.  The subway was packed to get there. Named one of the World’s Most Scenic Cemeteries by CNN, Santiago’s sprawling Cementerio General is spread over 210 acres. We saw markets in the cemetery streets selling almost anything one could imagine (even ladies under garments).  People were cleaning, praying, hanging out and placing flowers on the grave sights, the amount of respect that is given to the dead is remarkable.  The most striking and magnificent part of the cemetery is the varying architectural styles of the elegant, massive mausoleums.  There were many and they were places of burial for whole families, some reaching up to three stories high.  I was left with a real respect for the way the Chileans celebrate their loved ones that have passed.  If you are in Santiago, this is a must! – Shawn

One family mausoleum

Some of the market in the cemetery.

Individual plots.

Entering the cemetery.

We were in search for Halloween costumes, decorations for our door and of course candy to give out today.  Along the way we tried another Chile favourite Mote con huesillo.  So…what did it taste like?

” When you open a jar of peaches, it is the peach juice.” Danika

“Uhhm, I don’t know…..I think like….I have no idea.” Gabriel

“It was disgusting!” Sayer

” Christmas wheat with a peach flavour.” Renelle

“A light peach drink with wheat kernels in it, I loved it!” Shawn

So today I got to experience a Chilean  Halloween. I don’t really know what I was but I’m sure that doesn’t matter that much. It was just like I imagined it to be, the candy  was mostly gummies and taffy. The first door the people ran out before we even got there and that was when I thought “are we even going to get anything?” So that was when I started running to the doors. It was awesome when this one lady emptied her bowl on me and after that door my bag ripped open. I waited for at least five minutes for an elevator with my hands covering the holes in my bag. By the time I got home my bag was teared down the side. I could finally take off my sweaty mask I that was how I wrapped things up. -Sayer  

For Halloween in Chile I was dressed as Minnie Mouse.  I had a Minnie Mouse bow headband, face paint, my hair in buns to look like ears and a long red shirt.  For trick or treating I used a plastic bag for my candy.  We had to trick or treat in the apartment so all the kids met up in the entrance.  We went to the top and made our way down with all the kids.  A lady asked me (in Spanish) to take a picture with her baby who was dressed up as a pirate.  He was so cute.  We got a tiny bag full of candy not as much as we would get at home, more than I end up eating.  We got no chips, chocolate or really any candy that comes out of a cardboard box.  But these candies were different than at home.  Over half of them were kind of like taffy taffy but they were good.  We got home and went to sort the candy and went to bed after a candy like day. -Danika

Beautiful view of the Andes.

The cute pirate baby I was asked to hold.

Getting candy at one apartment.

Danika’s loot

Going door to door.

We went trick or treating in the apartment in Santiago.  My costume was a zombie skeleton. -Gabriel

The candy we handed out.

Waiting for 8:30 to meet everyone.

Gabe’s loot.

At someone’s door

Scary Skelton zombie.

On the morning of the 31st we went on a hunt for inexpensive costumes.  We ended up going to the Chinese market down the street and finding masks for $1000 chilean pesos (around $2CAD) and a Minnie Mouse bow headband for $4.  Once the kids met in the apartment lobby, they took turns going to the top floor in the elevator and started going door to door together.  Around 50 kids were trick or treating.  You had to have a decoration on the door so kids knew which houses were participating.  Halloween was far bigger than I expected.  – Renelle

By our apartment two dogs wanted a treat from Shawn.

Waiting to begin in the lobby.

Our door decoration. lol

Checking out their candy. No chocolate!!!

Selfie with the Andes in the background.

Someone had to hand out candy.

The lobby full of kids and parents.

Pickpocketed again!!! Someone took the maps out of my back pocket on the subway, later this day I am leaving another subway as I feel a hand touch my pocket. I turn and notice a young man backing away as the doors close.  I guess we are 2-1 for them now.  Yesterday we went to Parque Forestal and saw some really neat murals.

Heads up, if anyone wants to spend Christmas with us.  We have our flight booked leaving South America on December 10.  We land in Auckland, New Zealand on December 12 and have rented a vehicle until January 10.  Hmmmmm………..Christmas and New Years in New Zealand, any takers??? – Shawn

We finally tried Chicha……. So what does it taste like????

“I don’t know, I don’t remember what it tasted like.” Gabriel

“Banana.” Sayer

“The middle of a banana cream pie.” Danika

” Like cake batter with a hint of banana.” Shawn

” Like a melted pooter.” Renelle

The kids voted to go to Parque Bicentenario today.  It is on the other side of Santiago.  We gear up and head to the subway.  Imagine this……… the subway is busy, the doors open and there is not much room, Renelle leads us onto the car…. I am pushing the kids onto the car as it is pretty full……as this happens a guy is trying to get on and I feel like we are blocking him……I step back and let him go next and then I jump on……..the door barely closes behind me…..as we start this guy bumps into me or I think I bump into him……he then moves away from us….I check my pockets and my cell phone is nowhere to be seen but am not 100% positive that I remembered to bring it.

We go to this amazing park and discover the most English speakers we have encountered thus far.  We find a way to do trick or treating and devise a plan for Oct. 31.  The park feels like the Farmers Market but a lot bigger.  We then go out for a Canadian supper to Chili’s and head home.  We search the apartment and then proceed to shut down my phone and erase it as it was definitely pick pocketed!  – Shawn

After a couple hours of trying to find a punto ticket outlet( for soccer tickets), we found one!  We wait in line and then are informed that you need to be a Chile resident to buy tickets.  They give me an email address that I could try to plead my case, I email and get no response.  Big disappointment as this is one thing that we really want to experience.  We salvage our day by going to Emporio La Rosa, apparently the best ice cream in Chile and perhaps the world we are told.  The price would indicate that it is the best, but……it was ok, too much build up maybe.  We then went to another museum and learnt about taking care of our oceans. – Shawn