Chile II
July 10, 2023
It took about 24 hours going to and coming from Chile due to multiple flights, layovers, customs and security lines. But the upgraded seating (I love traveling with my frequent-flyer husband!), airport restaurants, posh LaTam lounge goodies, and breathtaking views from the airplane, almost made it all worth it!
Flying into Atlanta Airport from Lexington, KY
Flying into Concepcion where we were greeted by Aubrey, Raul, and Raul's father. Raul's father then drove us another 30-45 minuets to Tome, where Raul's family lives, and where Aubrey & Raul are staying the summer (which is really winter in Chile).
Tome, Chile
Aubrey & Raul's Apartment
The complex was located on a hill above Tome in a nice gated area with 24-hour security. It also had a nice pool but unfortunately it is winter in Chile and way too cold for swimming!
Raul still had to work from home so most days we walked into town with Aubrey, shopping and exploring, or hiking along the beach on the outskirts of town.
Their nice spacious patio
View of the ocean from their patio
View of town from the patio
The Town
Walking down the long hill to downtown with Aubrey & Raul our first day there
After some shopping we stopped for dinner at Aubrey & Raul's favorite sandwich place for Churrasco (steak sandwich) and Completos (hotdogs). We topped it off with churros from another little place. It was all so delicious but my bad stomach couldn't quite handle it so Raul had to quickly find me a bathroom downtown (which is not easy task). Raul saved the day, and in fact, saved me several other times over the course of our trip!😆
The rest of the week we walked to town most days just to get out of Raul's hair. Even though it rains almost everyday during the Winter we lucked out and had mostly dry days (but it was still chilly, especially inside Aubrey and Raul's apartment that didn't have heat!).
Town Square
Right across from town square are Raul's parent's store-fronts. His mom owns the boutique on the right and his dad owns the internet/copy store on the left (they were off for their kid's Winter break).
Town Hall
Large church downtown
Two of our favorite places to go downtown were the bread and nut stores...here is a sampling of our nut treasures! The bread we bought fresh and ate everyday.
One day while Brad and I were exploring downtown on our own (Raul was working and Aubrey wasn't feeling well), we discovered a huge outdoor market that was selling everything from meat and produce to clothes and kitchen wear.
While there, we just happened to bump into Raul's grandmother and uncle George! It was crazy! Raul's grandmother is so talented and makes leather dress shoes in addition to most of the things you see here. Her little doggy winter outfits and doggy door-stops (to keep the cool from getting in) are just the cutest!😍. We said hello and then asked if we could take their picture (we called Aubrey & Raul and had them translate for us). We then bought a pillow and let them get back to work.
We loved this big old tree just a block up from Aubrey & Raul's place. The reason it's so unique is because it is taller than any other tree around, and you can see it from anywhere in town, and even miles outside of town.
We thought the tree must be located in some kind of beautiful park or something, but in reality it was located in someone's backyard, surrounded by trash and lines of laundry. This was the closest we could get to the tree...I had to peek through a wooden fence to take this picture!
Sometimes, when coming back from town (especially after grocery shopping), Aubrey & Raul would take a cab or the bus back to their apartment so they wouldn't have to climb the huge hill!
The Beach
Another sunny day, Aubrey, Brad, and I took the walking path (above--right next to the biking path) on the edge of town and then a trail that goes right along the coastline to the next town. It was the perfect day for a long walk along the coast, checking out the beautiful scenery...
Larger fishing boats with a fishing market located at the other end of the pier
