Chilly Chile

A good find at the wine tasting

I flew to Santiago, Chile, last Sunday afternoon and arrived there the following Monday morning – wow, it’s a long flight! It’s winter in the Southern Hemisphere, which was a welcome break from D.C. heat. The mornings were chilly, and I was glad for my beautiful alpaca wrap I bought last spring in Bolivia. It was kind of overcast a lot of the week, but the last day was just glorious – sunny and clear.  I could catch glimpses of the snow-covered mountains through the tall buildings.

View from the rooftop gym at my hotel in downtown Santiago

Santiago at sundown

Only in Chile do you have seven wines to choose from at the airport lounge – and that’s just the reds!

Monday evening I went to dinner with the TDY consular chief and his wife – they are both delightful. Friday night, several of us from work went out for an excellent dinner and enjoyed several bottles of wine.  I happened to catch a nice wine tasting at a liquor store one night and got to sample several really good ones. The prices are incredibly low, even in the restaurants – and boy, what great wine.

My friend Carla from Pakistan invited me to the Ritz for a spa day on Saturday – we enjoyed massages and the rooftop (glass-enclosed) pool, along with lunch and a little bubbly. We talked so much and time just flew by. Before I knew it, it was time to catch a taxi to the airport, and I got home mid-morning on Sunday.

Yesterday afternoon, my friend Pamela and her family dropped by while they were in the neighborhood – a welcome impomptu visit with them! The kids are getting all grown up!

John got a great “congrats” note from our Hendrix College “peeps” – very clever!

Thanks to Hendrix College for recognizing John’s War College success!

Today marks the one-year anniversary of losing the funny, wonderful Howard DePietri – what a great guy.

Pakistan 2014 with Mike, Ale Petit, and Howie at the Marriott Hotel

 

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