Worn out and loving it!

Hi all! As always, I hope you are doing well. We just got back in from an awesome day trip to Isla Negra to visit Pablo Neruda's main house where he spent his last few months of life. If you're wondering who Pablo Neruda is, he's somewhat like a Chilean JFK (except communist)...here's a link to the Wikipedia page if you have time and interest to invest into reading about this complex man: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_neruda

We then went on to Valparaiso to visit the seaside market and city there. Of course, Martha and I were with our new favorite group of friends, the Chilean girls. It's amazing how close you become in a short amount of time when you're abroad, but they really are good friends that I can see remaining as such for a long time to come. We got a little bit lost in Valparaiso, but then ended up right where we wanted to be- a restaurant called "La Colombiana" (haha, with actual Colombians, no less!) that was noted to be excellent in our guide book. Let me tell you, it was totally worth it! We all had some form of fish topped off with local beer and sparkling wine. We then made our way around some of the shops and bought a few local things for everyone back home. We then almost missed the bus because it's hard to keep a lot of "reds" together and on time, but we somehow managed. I think we are all acting a little more "red" here, which, for us rigid types is a good thing! It does, however, make travelling in groups a bit stressful.

Of course, Martha has a never-ending supply of energy, so she just went back out to walk around the neighborhood and grab something to eat. I am too tired to go out tonight, so I let her go on her own, crossing my fingers all the while that she doesn't get stolen and sold into the slave market! Honestly, though, she'd probably charm her way out of it somehow :-)

We also went out Friday night until 6 AM...something I haven't done since....oh wait, last month. I'll let Martha tell you more about Friday night, because it was both hilarious and exhausting! In short, we partied on the top of the Cerro San Cristobal (the hill with cell phone Mary) with all the Chileans, and, of course, the Colombians, who were mad at us for going home so "early". I haven't seen a country party like this since I was in Spain, but it was definitely worse there (they didn't even leave the house to go out until 2AM and it was totally normal to go home around 9AM).

Each day, I am learning more Spanish and getting more used to the Chilean accent, though I have developed  more of a taste for the Colombian accent since it is easier to understand. I will continue practicing and hoping that people can understand my accent, which is a "gringa" mix of American, Spain, and Mexico...haha.

Ok all, I will leave you be for now. Have a great Monday and we'll be back on soon!

Jennifer