Farewell to all that–for now.

Mar. 4, 2015

A gorgeous day, 19 C and sun. Big plans for our last day in Chile. Checked out of the house at noon with our hostess Sara, sister of the owner of the house (Marcela) who has emigrated to Norway with her husband.

Headed for Santiago on a brand new highway, the Acceso Sur. It ended before the line on the map ended and we were lost for a while, but found ourselves again and got to the center and parked. Had a great lunch at Bocanariz, a wine bar that has lots of wine by the glass in small (tasting) and full glass sizes. Jonathan had tongue/oxtail and I had rabbit in mustard sauce, pretty great for a last meal. After lunch we visited the Pueblito de los Dominicos, a faux village where craftsmen rent spaces where they can work as well as sell goods, as they choose. There is a wide range of goods and quality, but there were some exceptionally creative people making jewelry, woodwork, and woven goods. We chatted longest with an artist who makes jewelry but also sells work by two Mapuche families. They each produce metal jewelry based on traditional Mapuche designs. There were some long tupu/pins and metal breastplate-like neck pieces that were stunning.

By the time we got to the car we had very little time to get to the airport and no map that actually showed its location. By luck, intuition or divine intervention we made all the correct turns until Jonathan shouted “Aeropuerto!” (he’d seen an airport sign) and all was well. We got to the gate with time to have a coffee and spend the last of our Chilean pesos on chocolate bars. It seemed like we stood in line for ages (we did), and then we boarded (chaotic, crowded), and then we sat. The first announcement mentioned five minutes and routine maintenance check (why wasn’t this done earlier?), then the next and the next, each less accurate than the previous. This familiar story has a happy ending. After an hour and a half we left, arriving into Lima about an hour late. It would have been even later but for the 2 hour time difference between Santiago and Lima. We left at 9:40 pm Santiago time and arrived at 11:40 pm Lima time, but after 4 hours of travel.

March 5, 2015

It is even warmer in Lima than Santiago, but heavily overcast, part of the change from summer to fall in Peru. It warmed up and the sun came out, but by then we’d checked out of the Senorial, shopped at the Surquillo market and at Wong and were practically in Barranca. After being away for six weeks, Peru’s roads don’t seem as bad as I recalled, and the desert is more dramatic than ever. We went for our regular walk along the beach at 5 pm an then watched the sunset after 6 pm.  Home again.

I plan to keep writing, but perhaps a bit less frequently. Thanks for following along with us.