Linares again, Isla Negra and Valparaiso, Chile (Feb9-Feb13, 2011)

Oscar and Alicia are thrilled that we have come back to see them. At their place, their friends, Monica and Carlo as well as their son, Carlos called Caco are staying with them for their vacation. Caco, 24 years old, had an accident two years ago, when diving in a rio and has stayed paralysed since then. Caco is now playing tennis at a national level in Chile. When he is not training, he spends some of his time using his creative mind to paint on acrylic and this is how he is trying to make a living. See below. His art is truly special and original. This is his email address if you would like to contact him to see more and buy something from him : cacles_24@hotmail.com.

Yesterday, more of Oscar's family visited and we ended up cooking a cabri. The day was fun (and as Oscar would say : C'est la Classe !)

 loud and entertaining. Above short video shows Alain alias Aldo Macchione and Oscar, The Argentino !

Picture above of Alicia, Oscar, Carlos, ''Caco'' and Monica

It was time to leave Oscar, Alicia and their friends. This was a bit emotional for everyone, but this is part of travelling. You share wonderful times with people and you move on... We are on the road again to Isla Negra, Pablo Neruda's favourite house. In this house, Neruda has left an incredible collection of shells, ships in bottles, nautical instruments and colored glass, but the visit was spoilt by the guide, Marcela, who was busier checking her nails while talking rather than showing any interest in the poet. We leave the city of Isla Negra not in a very good mood, as this is very touristic and the guide really annoyed us. Once again, in search of a camping, we stop at a residence and try to speak the best of our ''Castillano''. The lady immediately picks up on my accent and says : do you speak English ? After chatting for a little while, we end up camping in her backyard and are being offered the tea, the breakfast, and a hot shower in the morning. We even get a warm blanket for the night. Thank you, Olga !

It's February 12, 2011 and we have a special thought for our oldest son, Thomas, who is turning 23 years old today. We arrive in Valparaiso at around noon that day where we quickly locate on Hospitaje, la maison de la mer. We decide to explore the city by foot. The city is all colours, hills, slopes and stairs. At first, we don't find it extraordinary, but then a visit in one of the city lift and on the boat will inspire us.

 A special thought to my former colleagues of TheMIGroup as we all  have shipped containers to Valparaiso ! Here they are on the docks, where they have just been offloaded:

We also try the Churillana in the Restaurant Casino Social, where the ambiance is friendly, sharing the table with strangers.

                                                                          Before!

                                                                     After !
We quickly walk to the last house of Pablo Neruda, La Sebastiana dans le Cerro Bellavista , but this time we decide not to visit it. Tomorrow, we are On the Road Again to... "Le Nord'' (for the French speaking people, with the accent of Michel Galabru in les Ch'tis)