Another Taste of Chile ...

So I thought I would put up a few more pics from my retreat to Chile. It was a great chance to see Chile through the eyes of a tourist opposed to the eyes of a missionary. We hit up parties, concerts, the beach, and were able to shop in a relaxed state. I loved every minute of it. I continued to soak up the culture and learn everything I could about these people. They have so much pride in their country. It was great to experience their independence day as a normal "chilean". Haha. I can usually convince people that I am chilean while I'm there ... but my friend Amanda just can't fool them with the blond hair and the blue eyes :)

The Valparaiso tram thingy.

That is called a completo. Stuffed inside that homemade bread is a hot dog, diced tomatoes, and smashed avocado. Rico rico rico.

Rodeo ... Chilean style

This is Andrea and her two girls Karen and Romina ... Her husband was the Bishop of Las Condes when I served there.

Pia and Tomas eating some DELICIOUS empanadas. They were the best I have ever had, plain and simple.

When the lights go down in the city ...

In Valparaiso

This is where all the action happened. They sold shish kabobs, empanadas, sausages, and a whole lot of alcohol.

Preciosa.

Another snippet of the light show that happened downtown.

Coolest walkway ever ... at the Wulff Castle.

Perfect location for future vacation home. Yes, please.

So there was this hippie roping off sections of the beach so he could make these sand creations, and then he put out a towel to put donations on. Not a bad way to make a living, I guess.

The gang after we walked along the boardwalk in Viña.

One of my favorite people in the world. Dominique Gachon is one of the most amazing converts in all of Chile.

Some more of the Cueca

"Todos los Domingos" is a fantastic song. It basically means "every single Sunday" and it's a song about a guy trying to convince a girl to go to mass on Sunday. It was a party seeing it performed live.

This is what they do at the ward activities in Chile. They are dancing the cueca. The cueca is a dance that was created to model or mimic the courting ritual of a rooster and a hen. The way they stomp or kick their feet and wave their handkerchief over their head kind of looks like a rooster and hen. Very cool tradition.