Valparaiso 

This city rules. It's what SF would be if Google never happened.

 

Nighttime is the Right time

La Familia

Time with friends and family & Dieciocho at the Thai temple where my jefa lives...

I wanted one so bad. But they're 1/2 Bull Mastiff 1/2 Bernese Mountain Dog.
You'd need to take a loan out to feed one of those things after a while.

Ovaldo. This kid's a hot mess.

Leo grillin'. This meat's just the tip of the iceberg.
There's like $100-worth more just outside the frame.

Nango & Niki

Kristina & Niki

Marjorie, her BF with Lance Bass eyebrows, Diego, Jose Ignacio, Mama Maria
We're on, like, hour 4 of eating. Everybody's so over it in this photo. 

Entry #3 - Closing in...

So from the mystical Atacama we headed back to Antofogasta, a coastal copper mining town. A friend of a friend, Keka (shout out!), let us stay with her and her mom before our trip back down south to my home away from home, Cachagua. We spent the last week there wandering the beach, eating empanadas, and reading. Oh and getting geared up for the 18th.

Getting a lesson from Luisa about chorros (and so much more). The beach here is made of shells.
I guess that's only appropriate for a city built on sand.

Keka and Luisa breakin it down to what I remember is "Smoke on the Water"

Interlude - Emily eating empanadas "Queso-Camaron Queso"

'La Vanesa' had us waiting on those steps ever' day.
Claudia has made a deal with the devil.
These things are crack.

It's hard to get back on the wagon after a 4-week binge of empanadas. I'm feeling for my lady, who no longer has a steady supply of deep fried cheese pockets available to her at all hours of the night. If you or anyone you know has an inside tip to get some in Northern Cali/Nevada, please leave a contact number in the comments box. Much appreciated. 

                                                                               - Nina And Desparate Affiliates

CACHAGUA - AKA Stinson Beach, Chile

This is by far and away the most detailed map we have seen of the area. It was in a driveway in Valpairiso and everytime we tried to take this pic, a deafening alarm would sound.
Man, knowledge IS power.

See that island? 10 whole penguins live on it. 

My neighbors.
Those of you from West Marin will understand what this means.

EH! EH! EH! PAcifiCA! PAcifiCA! PAcifiCA!
I live here! It's a school!

My kitchen/ the school office. Secretary pictured (left).

So beautiful, right?!?!?!?!
It averages about 40F degrees in here.

September 18th is Chilean Independence Day. Nerds will tell you it was actually the 11th but pshhh whatever, Luis. The important thing here is that it's CINCO DIAS DE DESCANSO!. The way the holiday fell this year, we got 5 days of meat eating, cueca dancing, and an opportunity to watch cowboys push cows around (rodeo).

Antichucho with NikiPatti

Captive audience. 

SOMEBODY got shwill on chicha.

That's whole puff's goin inside that kid's stomach.

We don't even know this kid

Entry #2 - I don't know what happened. Start from the other page.

People were laughing at us from the lift - 2 adult women tubing down a ski resort. And we were all like, "Concha tu madre! We get to trudge all the way up this giant fucking volcano and then take turns going down cuz we only have one tube between the two of us and then hitchike home all wet and cold! Haha suckers! "

Today was a good day.

We went back to Santiago and then to the Norte Grande, where lives the Atacama Desert. We rented a car (Emily learned to drive stick!), car camped, traversed salty landscapes, and generally experienced Burning Man, try as we might to get away from it.

An ominous foreshadowing.... (FYI this organization organized the protest from the week before.
Look em up: Londres 38)

Tres Marias. There was a fourth, but she wandered off to collect rocks and get a curse put on us.

This one's for you, Dad.

Tent for a new generation.

These people thought we were NUTS. But that's because they slept in a Swiss ice cream truck.

Water is 40% salt. Only for floating.

AHAHAHAHAHA

Super sabio Luis.