We are safe

Hello family and friends,
as you have probably heard on Saturaday morning at 3:24am there was a gigantic earthquake in Chile. Much of the country is in a state of emergency. Fortunately Eliana and I (and the Chilean Family) are all safe and well despite extensive damage to many of the buildings here in Rancagua. The power of the quake here was 8.5. Communication inside and outside of the country is tenuous at best as with electricity and water. For this reason we are asking you to tell other friends and family that we are looking after each other and in fairly high spirits despite the stress.

We are still experiencing aftershocks on a regular basis, but other than that we are working together to help clean and reorganize family homes and businesses.

We look forward to hearing from you and send our love,
Greg and Eliana

CANOPY and CAVES

Eliana and I have finished our trip to the south. We went out with a bang, going canopy zip-lining and on a  volcanic cave excursion. Unfortunately  our camera ran out of batteries as soon as we arrived at the volcanic caves (PUCHA!), but we met a nice german couple who are going to send photos that they took in the caves with us later. I do however, have some of the zip-lining photos! It was just over an hour of adrenaline as we zoomed through the forest and over a river. ENJOY!

Pay attention to the instructions... in spanish... we had a translator standing to our left.

Bye Eli!

weeeeee

weeee x2

Looks like a pro.

Smile, your equipment works!

yours too!

look dad, one hand!

look mom, no hands!

Yesterday we bought rasberries from Elvis...

Who knows what today will hold!

Tomorrow, we continue our jouney back north, stopping in Villarrica for a few days before taking an overnight bus back to Viña (and back to Spanish for Greg and thesis work for Eliana).

Missing home and everyone from home lots. 

Love,
Greg and Eliana

Blog

I am sitting at an internet cafe in Castro, Chiloe, and it is a lovely day. The first day with cloudy skies since we arrived on this amazing little island, but beautiful non the less. Castro is an enchanting place. I cant quite put my finger on one specific thing that makes it this way. The people are quirky in their style and look: short, round and smiling. The older generation, wearing the tradition knit wool sweaters and toques, sun darkened faces, lined and squinting against the light contrast sharply against the youth in their hoodies, sneakers, neon framed sunglasses and emo-anime look. In the pasture land and fishing communities surronding the city, it is refreshing to get the puzzled stare from locals as tourists pile off the mini-buses and take photos of the sheep, piles of wool, wind-worn houses, and old Jesuit churches.

Eli and are are at about 38 days until we begining the flight home to our dearest Nova Scotia, and despite feeling a little sad to be nearing the end of this amazing trip we are very excited to see our family and friends and settle back into some sembalence of normality. We have traveled about a third of the length of Chile in our 6 months here and visited many amazing places, and still have some adventuring to do. The last weeks will be spent between Viña and Valpo (where Eliana is finishing her research) and Rancagua (where most our chilean family lives). It is a wonderful feeling to have a new Chilean family, especially now that i can have conversations with them, in spanish. I have a ways to go, but my language skills have improved dramatically since arriving.

Anyway,

I hope that you are all very well and look forward to hearing from you (comments Jane?),


Much love,

Greg

The South!!!

After a very long overnight busride (with the small comfort of reclining seats) we arrived in Pucon... to rain and gloom! The only thing we could see was the forest floor.

However, after the heat and aridity of the north, we welcomed the rain and fog, and of course our wonderful family who shared their cabin with us, even when we were occasionally messy.

On day four, it finally cleared up , just in time for us to see Volcano Villarica... smoking!

Our next stop was Valdivia, where we enjoyed one of the town´s specialties...CHOCOLATE! It lived up to all expectations. Then, on to Puerto Varas, a beautiful city between two volcanoes, and finally to Castro, on the island of Chiloe, where we are now.

Just a little way down the hill is where we´re staying.

Yesterday, we took our first Chilean tour, that took us to an island beside the island we´re staying at. A very turbulant ferry ride that made some seasick...and Eliana relax and fall asleep. She is a true Nova Scotian!

We ate a traditional dish cooked in the ground and covered in leaves. Muscles, clams, sausage, pork, potatoes and potatoe patties, while laughing at the thought that we were vegetarians once (and will be again, we swear!).

At the very end of the very long tour, we stopped at a waterfall before continuing the mostly unpaved way back to our hospedaje.

As always, thinking of you with love.

Greg and Eliana

Only Greg...

We arrive safely to the South a few days ago and are enjoying our time in a cozy cabin with lots of family while it pours rain.

Yesterday, we decided to take advantage of the cold by going to one of the many natural hotsprings in the area (maybe related to the many volcanoes?). It was beautiful and relaxing. When we just couldnt take the heat anymore, I sat by a stream and listened to the birds. Greg walked along the stream and came back with a friend. A bumble bee on a leaf. Then, he fed the bumble bee from flowers growing on the streambank and petted the furry little thing with love, in a way that I am SURE only Greg could do.

I think I married a bee-whisperer.

Thinking of you with love,
Eliana

Nieghbourhood Meeting

This morning, while taking a colectivo (like a bus, except a car) I saw something beautiful... a nieghbourhood meeting that was as Chilean as it gets. About 20 or so organized in a circle in a small plaza with everyone voicing their opinions (at once), and I thought to myself: "If only we could be as organized as these dogs!" Oh yeah, did I mention that all of the participants were street dogs?

I hope this brightens your day.

Love,
Eliana