Writing this post fast, before I start to forget, so please excuse grammar and other errors.
Saturday morning, Feb. 27, about 3:45 a.m. woke up with a start -- my bed was moving and the ground was rumbling. Got out of bed very disoriented and walked a few steps towards light switch to see what was going on. In those few seconds, I realized what was happening. "Un temblor," or a tremour, which I'd experienced as kid in Chile, lots of them. I turned on the light switch but the light was only on for a second and it all went dark. By then, the room was not just trembling but shaking violently. It was as if my dad's summer cottage was made of cardboard, the way it shook back and forth.
I screamed to the kids, who were still sleeping in the same room with me, to get up and come join me under the door frame to our room, which is what I remember doing during those long ago tremours. At about this time, I heard Gladys' daughter-in-law, Jacqui, and her two girls coming down the hallway. Jacqui was praying, loudly. "God, protect us; help us, Lord; we are your children, we need your help right now...!" I immediately thought of my mom, Lita, because that was exactly what she would have been doing, at a time like this.
I started to pray too, but just in my head. The house was still shaking, things were falling off shelves and breaking, the rumbling was deafening, but the kids were now with me, and we just waited. Thankfully, the house just shook but the roof didn't collapse, the walls stayed put. When it finally stopped (they say the earthquake lasted about three minutes) I realized this had been no "tremour," like the ones I'd experienced as a kid. At all.
I managed to get on the internet, for just a couple of minutes; the only thing I found was a warning issued by a U.S. weather service of tsunamis hitting major coastlines of South America, and Chilean ports, starting at about 6:30 a.m. Chilean time. It was now 4 a.m. (I also sent Peter a brief message, letting him know we were OK).
Gladys, her son Alejandro and his wife Jacqui, and me briefly discussed leaving the beach house, as we were now seeing cars heading out, one after another. Alejandro said the roads to Santiago would be jammed, plus we didn't know what sort of damage was out there (downed power lines, broken pavement, collapsed bridges), so we decided not to panic, and to stay put. (Inside though, I was terrified of a tsunami, as the beach house is only about three blocks from the actual beach. Thankfully, a neighbour accross the street, a local firefighter, came over at one point to tell us he'd been told (radioed) by other emergency personnel that the tsunami warnings had been lifted for our area... which made me feel just marginally better. Not a lot.)
At around 5 a.m., a truck pulled up to the house. It was my dad! He'd been at his farm house, but worrying about us, he'd gotten dressed and driven the hour or so, to the beach. We were all so happy and relieved to see him. He'd told us there was damage on the roads (fallen rocks from hills, etc) but because no one was heading towards the beach, he'd been able to avoid/swerve most of the damage to get there fairly fast.)
I should mention that all through this, the ground kept shaking. Every five minutes, sometimes every ten, everything would shake again. Not like the first time, but everything would shake. Not sure how to describe this, and how I felt, but "terrified" is probably a good word. Terrified we'd get a worse shaking than the first time and that walls would start coming down. By this time, we had no power, no water, and neither cell phones nor the internet was working. Also, it was cold, with breeze from the beach waters making everything damp. Fortunately, the gas stove ...
(It's shaking AGAIN and badly. Just now, another big huge tremour hit, at 8:28 a.m. our time, and we are now on the sixth floor of a Santiago apartment building!!! My heart is beating wildly... but, it just passed. Nicky just came out of his room, said the tremour woke up him. "That was a bad one..." he said. I think everyone else is still sleeping -- Dad and Gladys are with us, as there was still no power or water at either of their properties last night.)
As I was saying, the gas stove worked and Gladys made us all tea, just after the earthquake.
I kept trying to call Peter but the cell phone kept saying "No connection." I tried calling my mom, both of my sisters, my brother. Same thing. Just after 6 a.m. Chilean time, I managed to get through and spoke with Peter, got only a few details before the call got cut, but at least he knew we were safe. Most of us then went back to bed for a couple of hours, and some of us slept.
By mid-morning, and once we were all up, we started packing up and cleaning the beach house (this had been the plan all along, but not till Sunday, as the Chilean summer vacation is now over). Just after 2 p.m., we headed out -- Alejandro and his family towards Santiago and us to the farm house near Melipilla. Again, we saw downed rocks but for the most part, the toll highways were absolutely fine and by this time, traffic had considerably thinned out.
Damage at the farm house had also been minimal, but all the furniture and kitchen appliances had moved. Still exhausted, we all slept again a bit. When we got up, we decided to head to Santiago, a day early, because we heard most of it had power and water (and we all needed showers, etc.).
We arrived about 8 p.m. and when we opened the door to the apartment, it didn't look at all like when I'd rented it. There were books on the floor everywhere, broken glass as well (from a couple of lamps that had come down), the art work on the walls had shifted, and again, furniture had moved. (Obviously, no one had been by after the earthquake, to check on the place. Understandable, given everything that had happened.)
After cleaning up, I went out for some food and found a lone Indian restaurant open (everything else was closed, apparently unheard of, for a Saturday night in Santiago). Dad started watching the news and realizing the magnitude of the earthquake, the kids just chilled. (Unfortunately, I missed a call from Peter but we are connecting today).
We had a late dinner and spent the night here.... and here I am. It looks like a beautiful Sunday morning out there and actually, damage in the centre of the city is minimal. Large skyscrappers look as if nothing had happened and smaller buildings don't even have windows broken. (Heard on the news that construction in Chile had greatly improved following the major quakes of 1960 and 1985.)
As I said, however, the ground is still shaking. Unbelievable. There's been dozens and dozens of follow-up tremours after the initial quake... and they all feel absolutely awful... but my dad says there's never been a larger earthquake following up on an earlier quake...
Let's just hope he's right.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Can I wash your car?
As I've posted before, so far, so good, down here. However, there are some things that do drive me a bit around the bend.
Buying ANYTHING in a Chilean store is quite the undertaking. Let's say you take a bikini off a rack in a big department store (for Carmen, not for me!) and you want to pay for it, of course. So, you go to the nearest cash register. Eight times out of 10, you can't pay there. Instead, they'll take your bikini and send YOU, sans bikini, to something like a central cash register, where you have to pay and obtain a bill. You then must go back to the desk where they have your bikini, and show them you have PAID for it, at which point they'll put your bikini in a plastic bag, and SEAL it, with some tape, so that you cannot put anything else in the bag, on your way out.
It works pretty much this way everywhere you go -- whether you're buying a box kleenex in a corner store or a TV at "Fallabella," a popular and large department store like The Bay. Pay first, at a designated cash register, often encased in glass, obtain your bill, go back and present it, then get your item(s). Apparently, it's to avoid "grab and runs," but, it's incredibly inefficient and time consuming.
Another annoying thing is when you try to park somewhere. Parking meters are non-existent (from what I can see). Instead, civic employees circle parking areas on foot and as soon as you arrive, they'll place a ticket on your window to mark the time you get there. When you come back, you have to find one of them, to pay them for parking. Fine; no problem. (Again, inefficient, BUT I guess it keeps people employed.)
What IS a problem however is that many of these guys have a little business on the side. Before you walk away, they'll invariably ask: "Can I wash your car?" And this would be fine too, because their fee is usually two or three bucks for this service.
The problem is that they ask you this every. single. time. So, you could be asked to have your car washed two or three times a day, depending on how many stops you make. The other problem is, they never start washing your car when you're there. As a result, Gladys swears that nine times out of 10, your car actually never gets washed! She says it's an imaginary wash and in fact, people pay this "car wash" fee so that nothing happens to their car -- a bit of insurance, if you will.
Oh yeah, and the other annoying thing about this is that if one of these civic employees happens to be right there when you're trying to park, they'll immediately begin to "help" you.
"Back up! Back up! NOOOO!!! Not like that! Go straight! STRAIGHT!!! Now, move forward...! I said, FORWARD!" and on and on it goes. As if you didn't know how to drive, or park, yourself. As if you hadn't been parallel-parking for almost 30 years! That's what I told one of those guys one day: "Hey, I've been driving for nearly 30 years, buddy. I KNOW how to park!" He got offended, of course, and walked off in a huff. (Likely doubly-offended at being talked to like that, by a woman driver, nonetheless).
The nice thing about that was that, because he was so mad, he forgot to ask me: "Can I wash your car?"
Buying ANYTHING in a Chilean store is quite the undertaking. Let's say you take a bikini off a rack in a big department store (for Carmen, not for me!) and you want to pay for it, of course. So, you go to the nearest cash register. Eight times out of 10, you can't pay there. Instead, they'll take your bikini and send YOU, sans bikini, to something like a central cash register, where you have to pay and obtain a bill. You then must go back to the desk where they have your bikini, and show them you have PAID for it, at which point they'll put your bikini in a plastic bag, and SEAL it, with some tape, so that you cannot put anything else in the bag, on your way out.
It works pretty much this way everywhere you go -- whether you're buying a box kleenex in a corner store or a TV at "Fallabella," a popular and large department store like The Bay. Pay first, at a designated cash register, often encased in glass, obtain your bill, go back and present it, then get your item(s). Apparently, it's to avoid "grab and runs," but, it's incredibly inefficient and time consuming.
Another annoying thing is when you try to park somewhere. Parking meters are non-existent (from what I can see). Instead, civic employees circle parking areas on foot and as soon as you arrive, they'll place a ticket on your window to mark the time you get there. When you come back, you have to find one of them, to pay them for parking. Fine; no problem. (Again, inefficient, BUT I guess it keeps people employed.)
What IS a problem however is that many of these guys have a little business on the side. Before you walk away, they'll invariably ask: "Can I wash your car?" And this would be fine too, because their fee is usually two or three bucks for this service.
The problem is that they ask you this every. single. time. So, you could be asked to have your car washed two or three times a day, depending on how many stops you make. The other problem is, they never start washing your car when you're there. As a result, Gladys swears that nine times out of 10, your car actually never gets washed! She says it's an imaginary wash and in fact, people pay this "car wash" fee so that nothing happens to their car -- a bit of insurance, if you will.
Oh yeah, and the other annoying thing about this is that if one of these civic employees happens to be right there when you're trying to park, they'll immediately begin to "help" you.
"Back up! Back up! NOOOO!!! Not like that! Go straight! STRAIGHT!!! Now, move forward...! I said, FORWARD!" and on and on it goes. As if you didn't know how to drive, or park, yourself. As if you hadn't been parallel-parking for almost 30 years! That's what I told one of those guys one day: "Hey, I've been driving for nearly 30 years, buddy. I KNOW how to park!" He got offended, of course, and walked off in a huff. (Likely doubly-offended at being talked to like that, by a woman driver, nonetheless).
The nice thing about that was that, because he was so mad, he forgot to ask me: "Can I wash your car?"
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Geez... and here I thought I was LOSING weight....
So, another great part of being here is the food, of course.
The kids and I have been eating a LOT of fresh fruit and veggies, picked directly from my dad's farm or his friends' farms. (Plums, peaches or grapes for breakfast; fresh tomato salad with basil with almost every lunch; and either more fruit or veggies with dinner).
When it comes to actual meals, nothing has been processed; we've been making everything ourselves or have bought food others have made. As such, we've been eating a lot of Empanadas, one of Chile's most traditional foods, consisting of pastry encasing a mixture of ground beef, onions, pieces of hard-boiled eggs, an olive and a few raisins:
The kids and I have been eating a LOT of fresh fruit and veggies, picked directly from my dad's farm or his friends' farms. (Plums, peaches or grapes for breakfast; fresh tomato salad with basil with almost every lunch; and either more fruit or veggies with dinner).
When it comes to actual meals, nothing has been processed; we've been making everything ourselves or have bought food others have made. As such, we've been eating a lot of Empanadas, one of Chile's most traditional foods, consisting of pastry encasing a mixture of ground beef, onions, pieces of hard-boiled eggs, an olive and a few raisins:
We've also had Humitas, made of fresh ground-up corn, basil (again!), some onion and garlic, a bit of fat to season and some sugar, all wrapped up in the corn's actual husks:
One thing Nicky in particular has fallen in love with are Chilean hot dogs, or "Completos." While the bun and wiener are the same as the North American version, nothing else is! No ketchup or mustard on these babies! Nooooooo. The main toppings here are piles of mashed up avocados, fresh tomato salsa and lots of mayonnaise. (Delicious! if you can get past the wiener part....):
I myself have (re) fallen in love with the ubiquitous "Mote con Huesillos" drink, which they sell EVERYWHERE. The national drink of Chile, it consists of thick peach juice, one or two dry, cooked peaches, and lots and lots of barley. (A bit like a Bubble Tea, only, better!) As it's both food and drink, you have to use a spoon to drink this refreshing concoction:
And of course, no evening would be complete without a serving of the deliciously fried Churros (all fat, all sugar, sometimes stuffed with chocolate paste, or Dulce de Leche):
And no next morning would be complete without "Pan Amasado" (home made bread... though nowadays, it IS made with a machine) and "Dulce de Membrillos" (Quince fruit jam):
As I said earlier, because nothing is processed and all comes from the garden, I was pretty sure I was losing weight....
Well, actually, NO. And while I haven't put on a hundred pounds, I need to start watching. Really soon. Just after these two "Papas Rellenas" (cheese-filled potatoes) that the kids made, and this double Mote con Huesillos.....:
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Another day at the beach
Collecting sea shells (before the big waves hit), with Javiera, 11, Gladys' grand-niece.Carmen, wearing a more "grown-up" bathing suit -- her first non-kid bikini!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Different.... but (kinda) the same
We've now been in Chile for 10 or 11 days and... where to begin?
Because I left Chile when I was a kid, I forgot how the people are and didn't know what to expect. I'm finding that overall everyone is nice, polite, eager to help. People also love to laugh down here, tell jokes, have a good time.
A man on the street was selling clothes pins the other day (people sell everything on the street here -- pastries, candy, band-aids... paper Origami figures!). Clothes pins are informally called "perros" or, "dogs" which makes sense because they sort of "bite." Anyway, the old man was calling out "Perros! Buy them here! Absolutely no fleas... these perros are fully vaccinated! Guaranteed!" Another day, on a city bus, a mom was standing at the very back, her teenage daughter at the very front and the two were carrying on quite an animated conversation -- about what to have for dinner that night.
"D'ya think we should have chicken?"
"No way! I'm sooooo sick of chicken... I'll be happy if I never see another chicken face again!"
"But mom, chicken don't really have faces....!"
"Of course they do!".... and on in went, with everyone on the bus having quite the laughs, especially kids.
Went into Santiago one day last week and loved it! Extremely modern and cosmopolitan. Lots of good looking and stylish women (and yeah, a few men too, if you go for Latin guys which, I don't -- right, honey? ; ) As I've posted earlier, one of my biggest worries was safety, but, from what I've seen so far, Santiago is just like any other big city. Sure, you have to watch your stuff, but, that's what Peter and I did in Paris last summer, what will all the signs warning us of pickpockets, everywhere we went. So, no more dangerous than any other place and for sure far safer than many others.
Another similarity I see down here are the big, wide open spaces, everywhere. Driving down Chile's newer highways, you see vast expanses for miles (actually, kms!). Driving is also extremely safe (another of my worries). Drivers keep to the speed limit, respect signs (for the most part) and will help another motorist, if needed. (We were moving some new couches from Gladys' place in Santiago to the beach last week, when one of the cushions flew out of the back of my dad's pick-up truck. Just after he pulled over, another motorist came by... with the dusty but otherwise fine cushion.)
One nice difference is that everything is about half the price in Chile than it is in Canada! Better than that, they're now having all their end-of-summer sales so things are cheaper yet. Earlier this week I bought two pairs of gorgeous, Italian-made summer wedgies -- for $18 Cdn a pair (in Canada I would have paid 3 to 4 times as much). Carmen was really wanting high-tops, so, I got her a really pretty pink pair for $10 and Nick got some good-quality running shoes for about $25 (at a Bata Shoes store, nonetheless!).
Again, it was a third of what I would have paid at home.
Gotta love that!
Because I left Chile when I was a kid, I forgot how the people are and didn't know what to expect. I'm finding that overall everyone is nice, polite, eager to help. People also love to laugh down here, tell jokes, have a good time.
A man on the street was selling clothes pins the other day (people sell everything on the street here -- pastries, candy, band-aids... paper Origami figures!). Clothes pins are informally called "perros" or, "dogs" which makes sense because they sort of "bite." Anyway, the old man was calling out "Perros! Buy them here! Absolutely no fleas... these perros are fully vaccinated! Guaranteed!" Another day, on a city bus, a mom was standing at the very back, her teenage daughter at the very front and the two were carrying on quite an animated conversation -- about what to have for dinner that night.
"D'ya think we should have chicken?"
"No way! I'm sooooo sick of chicken... I'll be happy if I never see another chicken face again!"
"But mom, chicken don't really have faces....!"
"Of course they do!".... and on in went, with everyone on the bus having quite the laughs, especially kids.
Went into Santiago one day last week and loved it! Extremely modern and cosmopolitan. Lots of good looking and stylish women (and yeah, a few men too, if you go for Latin guys which, I don't -- right, honey? ; ) As I've posted earlier, one of my biggest worries was safety, but, from what I've seen so far, Santiago is just like any other big city. Sure, you have to watch your stuff, but, that's what Peter and I did in Paris last summer, what will all the signs warning us of pickpockets, everywhere we went. So, no more dangerous than any other place and for sure far safer than many others.
Another similarity I see down here are the big, wide open spaces, everywhere. Driving down Chile's newer highways, you see vast expanses for miles (actually, kms!). Driving is also extremely safe (another of my worries). Drivers keep to the speed limit, respect signs (for the most part) and will help another motorist, if needed. (We were moving some new couches from Gladys' place in Santiago to the beach last week, when one of the cushions flew out of the back of my dad's pick-up truck. Just after he pulled over, another motorist came by... with the dusty but otherwise fine cushion.)
One nice difference is that everything is about half the price in Chile than it is in Canada! Better than that, they're now having all their end-of-summer sales so things are cheaper yet. Earlier this week I bought two pairs of gorgeous, Italian-made summer wedgies -- for $18 Cdn a pair (in Canada I would have paid 3 to 4 times as much). Carmen was really wanting high-tops, so, I got her a really pretty pink pair for $10 and Nick got some good-quality running shoes for about $25 (at a Bata Shoes store, nonetheless!).
Again, it was a third of what I would have paid at home.
Gotta love that!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
A world away....
My dad's house on his fruit farm near a small town called Maria Pinto, about 30 minutes west of Santiago. The house resembles a cottage -- simple but spacious, surrounded by trees, lots of windows at the back
.
The house backs on to the Chilean "coastal" mountains -- a series of smaller hills, as opposed to the mighty Andes, which are further east.
Two or three varieties of grapes are now ripening on farm house's yard. These grapes taste -- and look -- like Ontario blue grapes -- sweet, tart, delicious! Every morning I grab a whole bunch for my breakfast.
A few days after we arrived, my dad built a swing for the kids, hanging from one of the avocado trees. Everything here is "home made" -- notice the ladder behind him!
Yup, the swing works great! (Even mom can sit on it sometimes, though Carmen has first dibs!)
There are also half a dozen home made hammocks at the back, all under various shady trees -- perfect for late afernoon "siestas" or for just hanging out, looking out at the mountains.....
Peaches, plums, apples, raspberries, grapes, quince fruit, passion fruit, kakkis, lemons, limes, avocadoes cherries, walnuts, figs.... and tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, squash, potatoes... Nicholas and Carmen could pick all day!
Some of the more than 75 fruit trees on the property.
Taking a break from grape picking!
.
The house backs on to the Chilean "coastal" mountains -- a series of smaller hills, as opposed to the mighty Andes, which are further east.
Two or three varieties of grapes are now ripening on farm house's yard. These grapes taste -- and look -- like Ontario blue grapes -- sweet, tart, delicious! Every morning I grab a whole bunch for my breakfast.
A few days after we arrived, my dad built a swing for the kids, hanging from one of the avocado trees. Everything here is "home made" -- notice the ladder behind him!
Yup, the swing works great! (Even mom can sit on it sometimes, though Carmen has first dibs!)
There are also half a dozen home made hammocks at the back, all under various shady trees -- perfect for late afernoon "siestas" or for just hanging out, looking out at the mountains.....
Peaches, plums, apples, raspberries, grapes, quince fruit, passion fruit, kakkis, lemons, limes, avocadoes cherries, walnuts, figs.... and tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, squash, potatoes... Nicholas and Carmen could pick all day!
Some of the more than 75 fruit trees on the property.
Taking a break from grape picking!
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