Winter Trip to La Serena

Late in August, we were invited to present atzone conferences in the Vina Del Mar Mission which is west of Santiago on the Pacific coast and runs north several hundred miles. It was great to get out of the city and see some of the beautiful countryside. It was about a 5 hour drive north west to arrive in the colonial city of La Serena.

These missionaries translated for Cathy Dixon and me in the zone conference and did a wonderful job. Both of them are from countries in South America.

La Serena has many beautiful Catholic cathedrals.

It also boasts beautifully cared for colonial style government buildings.

Here is an example of a local neighborhood housing development. Charming.

City streets were busy and very clean which is in contrast to many South American cities.

Traffic congestion is common which is amazing to me because many people use public transportation. If they all had cars this country would be grid locked!

The local museum had a statue from Easter Island which was interesting but not as interesting as the 2 shrunken heads exhibited! I was so startled by them that I did a little research online. I discovered that shrunken heads were only made by a couple of tribes in Peru and Equador. The warriors would kill their victims and cut off their heads. They would then spend a week or two preparing the shrunken head. Basically, they skinned it, and then tanned it. During the process it shrunk. Then they stuffed it. UCK! Unfortunately, North American tourists in the late 1800's and early 1900's liked to collect them. This lead to a market for such things and the countries had to outlaw the sale of and importation of such souvenirs. I didn't take a picture and I won't be bringing any home!

Along the beach there is a light house. There are also about 40 high rise condos with views of the ocean. La Serena is a popular resort town.

This is a view of Coquimbo looking back to La Serena. Coquimbo use to be the stomping ground of Sir Frances Drake the explorer one time pirate. This picture was taken from the inside of a giant cement cross called Cruz del Tercer Milenio. The cross dominates the city and can be seen for miles. You take two elevators to arrive at the horizontal portion which houses an observation area. It is not for the faint of heart. It is 93 meters tall. But some experiences are not to be missed.

These flowers were at the foot of the cross. We have these flowers even in winter in Chile.

This photograph gives you an idea of how the cross stands out on the horizon of this small city.

The horizontal piece has windows for photos. It was an anxiety invoking experience for me but Bryce loved it.

At the foot of the cross is large chapel with a replica of the Pieta by Michaelangelo. I actually saw the original in Rome two summers ago. This one didn't have a crowd around it so we could enjoy it. They also had a museum with papal robes and hats and jewels that was unique.

July 4th A Winter Holiday!

We had the pleasure of celebrating the 4th of July in a foreign country. We Norte Americanos gathered for sloppy joes and potato salad and swapped patriotic stories. Our group leader, Elder Benson dressed for the occasion.

We are not so self centered that we don't appreciate the fact that not everyone celebrates the 4th. Our Canadian brothers and sisters came dressed for the occasion. Vecinos is Spanish for neighbors.

President Ted Lyon, is the president of the Santiago Temple. He is a retired Spanish literature professor. He recited from memory Patrick Henry's famous "give me liberty or give me death" speech. It impressed and touched us all.

Our fair city is putting on its winter finery. It is cold at night and our apartments are very uncomfortable. I now wear long underwear and am thinking about getting a night cap.

This picture of the Andes was taken from our bedroom window. I will miss this when I leave but sometimes our bedroom feels like the Andes look. BRRRRRR

We spent the actual 4th of July at the US Embassy enjoying a celebration. We needed our passports to get in and had to go through a security check like at the airport.

There was a flag raising ceremony. The thing I loved about this experience was that it was all in my beloved English. I have been longed to hear my own language in public settings. It was a treat.

And of course, we were thrilled to meet the Obamas and enjoy the day with them. I will never forget the 4th of July in Santiago, Chile.

Real Estate in Chile

I have been interested in the unique homes in Chile. So I want to share a few of the more interesting ones. In every town in Chile, you will find huge mouldering mansions that are literally turning to dust. This one was on the coast south of Santiago in San Antonio. These old houses don't appear to be apartments now. They sort of look like maybe ghosts have moved in.

This next series of homes are all within walking distance of my apartment. I am convinced that the Latin mind is much more tuned to color and design. I don't think this blue would make it in our neighborhood in Boise.

One of the amazing things about Santiago is that in the year I have lived here, the power only has gone out once. Now in Boise that is a common event. Perhaps, we need to bring some of the Idaho Power crews down here so that they can learn how to run power lines.

All properties in Chile are gated and there is no getting to the door without ringing a little buzzer and talking to the people inside. Most fences and gates have sharp things on the top.

This apartment is not in my neighborhood but in Los Andes about 1 hour north of Santiago. I show this as a contrast to my neighborhood which is upper class. Some of our missionaries live in this apartment so it isn't considered too terrible.

Many of the upper class live in apartments like this lovely Mediterranean style building which was constructed in 1948. Santiago has many of these older buildings which give the city a distinctive European look. This building is one block from my apartment. There are always bird cages hanging out the upper left hand window. The canaries and parakeets compete with the traffic noise.

Another neighborhood gem. Thankfully there are no paint covenants in our part of town.

Isn't this fabulous! It is actually a duplex which is common in the city. Maybe you would call them townhouses. We watched this one get renovated and it is now for sale. The place looks like it came right out of the art deco era of a Hercule Poirot movie.

Another amazing house marred by amazing wiring!

Now if I could choose a sweet little house for me in Santiago, it would be this one. It is right across the street from a neighborhood park and is neat as a pin. The arches that you see are actually vines that have been carefully pruned. Charming. But........I bet it doesn't have central heat or air conditioning. The windows are all single pane and the garage is only big enough for a Volkswagen bug. There is no yard to speak of and the neighbor next door has 9 stories with windows all looking down into what little yard you have. Welcome to life in a city of 7 million people with an economy that keeps most people so poor that a home like this is only for the very few. Chile is one of the best governed countries in South America. Unfortunately, its public education is of such poor quality that only the children of the rich can get ahead because their parents can afford private school. There are about 1000 families in Chile who control all the wealth. As a result the price of everything is fixed and there are no good deals anywhere.

As an American, I always knew I had it good. It isn't until you get to live out of the United States that you come to understand just how good you have had it. That is one of the blessings our young missionaries are getting as they learn to live in South America.

Santiago Saturday - A Perfect Day

After a week of hard work, we are happy to have a day of recreation and learning. On May 3oth, we decided to go find some culture and enjoy a day away from the office. But first, it is always a good idea to check with a local citizen, Jose, to get the lay of the land. He speaks un poco de ingles and I speak un poco de espanol. That leaves a lot of room for error, but we are brave souls and venture forth.

Fall has come to our fair (smoggy) city and it is actually a delight since this is our first fall in Chile and this is more a city of trees than Boise, Idaho will ever be. Every street is lined with huge Sycamore trees that protect us from the burning southern hemisphere sun.

This is the very street where we live. It offers beauty that I will miss when I leave here.

These street scenes are our neighborhood. We often walk to the metro or we can take a bus. This was a great day for walking. The yellow building with the red roof is actually the Uruguay Embassy. It is lovely and always neat as a pin. Not a leaf out of place ever.

Our destination today is the Presidential Palace at La Moneda. We get the subway and hop on for a speedy trip. We are dumped out into another world all together. It is now overcast and raining a little.

We head down the stairs past a fountain and wall of water to enter the cultural center. We are delighted to see a giant display of ribbons. It was enough to delight an old girl's heart.

They also had a great museum shop that reminded me of my other life long ago in another galaxy when I was a museum store buyer. Oh! Life was simple then.

Now we are walking in search of the Pre-Columbian Museum. That has been our goal from the beginning. But then, it is always important to enjoy the journey. That is a good lesson to apply to life as well.

Santiago has flowers all year round. It also has flocks of pigeons everywhere. This little darling was just taking a break and enjoying the weather. The primroses are the winter blooms most often seen here.

The doors in Santiago are very European. This is an especially beautiful one with an especially beautiful man in front of it.

I bet they didn't get this door at Home Depot. You probably can't special order one either.

We have arrived at last to see a group of embarrassed Pre-Columbian statues. They all look like they got caught without their undies. Oh dear! I guess even the ancient ones sometimes had nightmares about being in public naked.

The pottery collection of Mayan, Olmec and other cultures was awe inspiring. I think these pots inspire modern day potters.

I put this picture in for all the cat lovers in the family. This is probably a jaguar since they are revered in these ancient cultures. Oddly, it said there were not any living around the area. I wonder how they knew about them. Word of mouth I guess. Notice her four little kittens!

One final pot and it is time to leave the quiet and peace of the museum and enter the noisy plaza and thread our way though the hoards to the subway. Little did we know that even more artistic surprises awaited us.....in the subway.

Isn't she grand in a gross sort of way? I think that is a cow floating on a cloud. Actually, all the subway stations have permanent art displays. This one makes me want to laugh out loud. What a great way to end a day in the city of Santiago.

Now we have a walk home from the subway or we might catch a bus. This is our part of town and it strangely feels a little like home to us.

While we were enjoying the museum, it was snowing in the Andes. We are snug in our apartment and enjoying the view from our patio. Another day in paradise, we feel blessed to have this experience.