Obama ate my shoe

When I last wrote we were about to leave Santa Cruz and head to the larger city of Talca (maybe 500,000 people? the 2nd largest city in Chile anyway, after Santiago with its 5 or 6 million). So the Santa Cruz Rotarians piled us with all of our luggage in a rented van and we made it down to Talca in a couple of hours. Melinda and I were hosted by the most wonderful family- a retired couple with a gorgeous pad that included a private cabin for us. It was so adorable that Melinda and I were instantly transformed into 10-year-old girls and we actually held hands and jumped up and down squealing. Our hosts were like doting grandparents who spoiled us rotten and we didn't want to leave them or the city of Talca this morning. Highlights of our time in Talca included an afternoon basking in mud and medicinal herbs at a spa and a most decadent picnic on a lake which was so inspiring we all swore we'd recreate it one day this summer on the Parkway). Oh, and the baby German shepherd named Obama had himself a grand old time with one of my brand new $100 Danskos. (And the following day scored a bra from Melinda!) Our time in Talca was well worth the sacrifice to Obama.

Sorry no time to upload photos now; headed off to a 9pm Rotary meeting and god knows what else afterwards. It's Friday night after all with a nearly full moon and the team is invested (more and more each day as our departure date quickly approaches) in savoring every minute!

Hobbit House to Santa Cruz

Hola once again! It's Tuesday now and we're leaving our very quaint hostel (photo on far left is its grapevine-roofed courtyard; photo on right is the city plaza) in the small city of Santa Cruz. Here we've won and lost money at the Casino Colchagua, owned by a local Rotarian, as well as lolled in the spa of the casino hotel, eaten some more awesome seafood, and visited both a public high school and what we were told is the biggest and best cultural/historical/anthropological museum in South America (photo at left). It was extensive to be sure, and the sun had set by the time our Rotarian guide got us all the way to the end, where we strolled through a roofed but open-air (and dark) shed of sorts which housed a few centuries' worth of agricultural equipment. It was all we could do not to trip over the various appendages sticking out at at threatening angles everywhere. The next day at the high school we spoke to two classes of juniors and seniors. We introduced ourselves and spoke about some exchange opportunities available to the kids through Rotary. Our Rotarian guide for the day, a retired teacher, then seized the opportunity to harangue the kids about studying hard and learning English so that Chile is not left behind in the global economy. They listened patiently and mostly respectfully and then asked us a few questions.



On Wednesday of last week, in San Fernando, we visited an organic fruit processing plant- the only one in Chile and possibly the largest in South America, if I remember correctly. Organic food is not yet profitable domestically as there is little to no demand, but they do export it. And do well at it, if the manager's plantation is any indication. After our tour of the plant and a taste of probably the best apple I've ever had in my life, the manager took us to his ranch down the street. There he grows organic apples and various vegetables and has built the most amazing hobbit house you could imagine! All wooden, with woodburning stoves, situated on various levels, some of which were literally in the tree. Below is a photo of some beehives on the property, but my camera batteries died shortly after we arrived, so I have nothing more to post from there until my team gets together at the end of the trip to share photos. I am so sorry because it's truly your loss that you cannot see more of this crazy place.

I'll just close by saying I wish I could share so much more with you because what I'm able to describe in these infrequent and too-short posts is such a tiny portion of all that we are seeing and doing! But the bottom line is that I'm having a tremendous time, learning a ton, and making lifelong friends...exactly what Rotary said this trip would be all about. Thank you, Rotary!