Chile: the land of my ancestors, the place mum was born,
full of history and memories and long lost relatives. I couldn’t go through the
Americas without making a stopover, no matter how brief, with the relatives. While
I was nervous to visit family I hadn’t seen in 6 years- when I arrived I found
only warmth, hospitality and kindness. One thing about South American families,
they really make you feel like you belong.
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| Drinking a Mote and enjoying the view of SANTIAGO!! |
After a spontaneous flight over to Chile(the pass for the
bus had snowed over) my aunt Vicky picked me up with a big smile and warm hug.
It was good to be around family again. She dropped me off at my uncle Anthony’s
house where I would be staying for the week and I was greeted by Mata, a maid
who is practically part of the family, who showed me the luxury room I would be
staying in (bigger than the BA apartment with a bathroom and a bed that heated
itself up) and asked about my parents. No one else was home but I was keen to
catch up on sleep after the crazy month in BA.
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| The best room ever with the best bed ever!! |
The week unfolded with me spending most of my spare time
with my two cousins Katty and Vally and my travel friend Jose who I met in
Bolivia. Katty is the most chilled out person, a world traveller and lovely.
Valey is gorgeous, engaged, building a house and fond of Champaign. We explored
bars, went out to lunches and ate the best sushi in the world(Chile’s sushi
owns Australia’s, sorry but they wrap it in avocado and salmon and have tempura
flavoured sushi!) Meanwhile, Jose took me to interesting seafood restaurants(with
themed rooms like ships and submarines), controversial socialist bars and to
climb up a hill for the best view of Santiago. He also taught me how to cook
delicious Chilean so easy even I can’t ruin them!
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| My beautiful cousins |
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| The best sushi ever |
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| My awesome guide Jose, showing me around |
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| Seafood pie |
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| Sea themed seafood |
During the day Motty, my aunt, would drop me off in
Santiago- an absolutely gorgeous city with beautiful art galleries(free),
amazing parks, bohemian areas with good coffee and streets jam-packed with
independent designers. Unfortunately my bag weighed a tonne or else I would have
bought everything. The city is so clean, the food so good and while you don’t
feel exactly safe(I was told under no circumstances speak English in the street
or I would get attacked), it is so chilled compared to BA. I loved it.
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| Park |
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| Bohemian |
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| Beautiful art |
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| Every park has a pair of pololos |
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| Beautiful art |
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| Beautiful architecture |
It was also a place for reunions. I had high tea with all my
great aunts to discuss family, gossip and love-lives. One night my uncle threw
a huge cocktail party with all the cousins, aunts and uncles. It was amazing to
see so much family in one room and hear about so much history. The food was
unbelievable too with mini-empanadas, so much cheese, chocolate cake and
delicious jugs of pisco sours.
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| Visiting Tia Ruth |
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| Family gathering |
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| Another beautiful cousin: definite similarities with this one |
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| Moty, Anthony and a pair of cousins |
After such an epic week it was with a heavy heart that I
left the Americas. In the end I conclude that there is so much history and so
many connections in Chile that it was a travesty to only spend 6 days there. I
could have spent 3 weeks there and not visited all the people and places that
needed visiting. I think I will just have to return and soon!! Next stop:
Europe!
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| Chile and Australia: rally not so far away |
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