They Fatten the Cows. The Cows Fatten Me.

And the homemade bread. And the unprocessed cheese. And the raspberry marmelade fresh from the garden. And the eggs laid by the hens I can see from my window. And the real french-press coffee. And the rich Chilean wine. Shall I go on?

I am a glutton. I eat more for each meal than I would normally eat in a day. My frame that was shrinking from activity and healthy food choices is steadily getting bigger. Not for lack of trying. I’ve been doing yoga every morning in my own “apartment”, and actually started running again, which I loathe. But I have no willpower when they set a basket of fresh bread, a bottle of great wine, or a slab of grass-fed very local meat in front of me. And really, why should I? This is, just like everything else, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There will never be another week where I will sit down at an elegant large table and dine formally for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Never again will I have a staff to cook and serve my mels. Never an overabundance of the best Chilean wines at my fingertips. Nor someone to do my laundry, make my bed, and draw my shades at night. So for now, I will gladly (well sort of gladly) pack on these extra pounds, and bask in the luxury of it all.

I planned to stay for only 3 days here, but that is quickly turning into a week, and if I didn’t have a flight in March to Brazil I might stay here forever. I have been sucked in by the landscape, the way of life, the hospitality. And I know that if I wanted to, I would be welcome to stay for much longer.

My days here have been packed with action, and more importantly, with Spanish. During meals I sit quietly observing, listening to the conversations around me. It’s hard to follow everything when 10 or more people are chatting away, but I’m catching a lot. And I know that just soaking it in is helping my skills. I spend most of my time with Pati, Dominique's aunt of 70 years, and Moni, a family friend from Santiago. 

My days go something like this…all approximate times, as there is no schedule outside of eating 3 meals a day and doing whatever you want in between

7:30 – alarm goes off, I tell myself I’m going to get up

9-9:30 – fail. I wake up now

9:30-10:30 – breakfast in my pjs with Pati and Moni

10:30-11:30 – yoga/relaxing in my bungalow

11:30-lunch – walking in the woods/on the farm with Pati and/or Moni

3-4/4:30- lunch with the whole clan

5-8:30 – lake/horseback riding/volcano crater walking/farm exploring/siesta/tea time

8:30 – shower/rest

9:30ish – to main house for drinks/conversation

10ish – dinner with varying amounts of people

11:30ish – back to my room and off to bed

Rough life this kid. Rough life.

Monday after breakfast Pati took me on a drive to see the farm. We took a walk in the Chin-chin, a wooded path along the creek, chatting in Spanish. After lunch I went horseback riding with Pato. Per instructions I met him at the horse barn at 4pm and we set off for a leisurely afternoon. Pato informed me, when I seemed confused because my horse kept bumping into his, that the horses are in love. This definitely explained the questions in my head, specifically, why I had never noticed how absolutely huge and long a horse penis is and also why his horse was sort of foaming at the mouth. Every day I learn something new. The views of the farm and surrounding landscapes were indescribable. 

Today I walked another wooded trail with Moni and Pati in the morning, rushing back for an "early" lunch at the outdoor twin picnic tables under a huge willow tree which finished at 5:15. Immediately followin, Alex drove Moni, Pati, Sally, and I up to Volcan Antillanca to walk around inside the crater. Un-believable.  

view of the farm and one of the volcanoes from horse back

Hey Dude

View of the top from the crater

La Sally, La Pati, La Kelly, La Moni - me and my big friends (you don't call them old here, but big)

statue

views from the volcano