Down by the Bay

Welp. 

Meat

Welp, there is an old saying about how to make the most of your weekends. And it is as follows; the weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless. And i actually did a lot of pointless stuff this weekend! I slept in late, read a lot, fixed an old string of Christmas lights by checking each individual bulb, threw stones into the ocean, contemplated the ever changing weather of Southern Chile, manned the grill at a parrilla (Chilean for BBQ) with some of my Chileno amigos, and watched the newest Harry Potter movie!

While i didn't make it out fishing this weekend, i am not perturbed. It's okay really. The weather just wouldn't allow it. With the way the wind was blowing casting would have been damn near impossible and probably not very fun, taboot taboot. Nevermind the fact that i didn't have any beta or any means of transportation to get to where i didn't know where to go.  I have come to terms with the lack of fishing access close to town. It is what it is. I only hope to be able to make it out on a good trip soon. Though i am not really doing too much of what i expected to be doing while i am down here (traveling, hiking, climbing mountains, and fishing) i feel fortunate to experience to be living abroad learning about and experiencing the Chileno culture. 

Language Lesson of the day: I am a prince, i have it all... Say it with me now! Soy príncipe, yo lo tengo todo...

When the Tigers Broke Free

25 years ago today...

John the Fisherman

Welp, i didn't do too much this weekend. I stayed up too late and watched the sun rise friday, went on a run saturday, and walked to the grocery store sunday. In the midst of all of that, i wasted time reading and sleeping. Oh, and i went out for dinner and treated myself to lamb chops! Almost forgot about that. 

Life seems so much smaller without a vehicle at my disposal. My entertainment options (outdoor and otherwise) are confined to where i able to walk. And unfortunately, most of the Patagonian wild lands are not within walking distance from my house. Or biking distance, for that matter. Ever since i've arrived in Chile i have been anxious to get out on a river and get my hook wet. I am determined to make that happen this weekend. Car, bike, or bus be damned.  

Language Lesson of the Day: When i grow up i want to be a fisherman, one of the harvesters of the sea. I will live and die a fisherman... Say it with me now! Cuando yo crezco yo quiero ser un pescador, una de las segadores del mar. Voy a vivir y morir un pescador...

This Must Be The Place

Welp, i traveled six hours north to Parque Nacional Torres del Paine this weekend and spent three nights sleeping under the stars. What a tremendous piece of country that park is! I don't think i have ever been in mountains of such immense size or grandeur before.  Over the three days i spent there, i was able to witness the parks namesake (the Three Towers or los Tres Torres) veiled in clouds, dusted with snow, under sunny skies, and at dawns first light. 

While there aren't any bears or wolves in Torres del Paine, or South America for that matter, i did see flamingos, ostriches, and a giant rabbit. And when i say giant rabbit, i mean like the size of my dog. It was awesome. 

One More Cup of Coffee

Welp, i'm cutting the work week short and heading out early for a long weekend. And because i'm treating this thursday like a friday, i needed to adhere to a newly founded friday tradition i have started since arriving in Punta Arenas. This morning (conventionally on fridays), in a nod to one Homer J. Simpson, i had coffee and doughnuts in the office. Breakfast of champions, i say.

Sand and Sea

Welp, i spent a lot of time on the coast this week, not doing too much of anything. I thought i was going to be learning to kayak, but messages were misconstrued (or miscommunicated...) and i thought wrong. It was still really nice to get out from behind the computer for a while though. I spent a lot of time combing the shore for interesting little rocks or pebbles. Turns out i found a bunch of sea glass instead. I didn't even know about sea glass untill now! I thought you bought it Wall Mart or a craft store or something.

And i thought the sea glass was real cool. Pieces of glass were littered all along the shore  and  in a variety of colors - blue, white, brown, green ( green being the most common), and even some ruby red.  But i need to clarify, because when i say green i mean like every shade of green imaginable -  sea foam green, emerald, sage dust, kelly green, medium key lime, fern green, pond scum, lotus green, tarragon, deep forest, peacock, granny apple green. You name it. Walk a short distance thinking of a certain shade of green, and chances are you will stumble upon a tiny piece of sea glass that very color. Very cool, indeed. 

And each piece of sea glass was a different shape, a different texture, a different clarity, a different size, and in a different state of of the erosional process. Some were jagged and dull while others were smooth and polished. None were the same, kinda like finger prints or snowflakes. What was even cooler was picking up a piece and trying to figure out where or what it came from. The neck of a beer bottle? Part of a vicks vapor rub container? The bottom of a wine bottle? The screw top of a ball mason jar? A polished shard from an old time Coke a Cola bottle? Hard telling, not knowing. But it sure was a good way to pass the time.

Language Lesson of the Day: Here by the sea and sand, nothing ever goes as planned... Say it with me now! Aquí en la costa y la mar, nada según lo previsto...