Beauty and Beatings – A Recall of the Adventures in the Andes – PART 2

“Veinte dos mil.”

“Twelve mil.”
 
“Veinte mil.”

“Fifteen mil.”

“Diez y ocho mil.”

“Eighteen mil? Okay done.”

My haggling over the price of a taxi to my soon to be new friend’s place in the Santiago suburb of Vitacura was done. Maybe I should have just requested a taxi with a meter, but ignorance won over critical thinking when going on a few hours of sleep. 

As I rode to Rafa’s place I couldn’t help but return to the image of the sunrise I captured on my phone while descending into SCL.

Now finally at Rafa’s place, which is located in a nice younger middle class neighborhood, I was finally able to start my adjustment to the Chilean way, but I wasn’t given much time.  After meeting the cool family of three (Rafa, Victoria, and Nieve) and a quick shower, Rafa and I headed out to gather the meat and drinks for the asado (BBQ) Rafa was throwing for my arrival.  During our errands I got to know Rafa through his fairly descent and slang filled English.  The man is pretty cool and loves to have a good time.  It was so easy to adjust and relax when being taken care of by a guy like this.

Man I love Chilean asados, sitting around a grill slow cooking marinated meats, having drinks, chatting everyone up, not worrying about schedules, or that all the food is ready to eat at the same time.  It’s just such a relaxed part of their culture.  So what was the surprise dish for the asado?  How about mollejas, also referred to as sweetbread.  Yep there’s nothing doughy or baked with this “bread.”  We’re talking about the thymus glands of a cow.  And how was it? De-freakin-licious.  We devoured two or three jars of it as soon as each piece was ready. 

The sweet savor of a fresh cut of meat, that had just barely become ready for consumption, hovered around us throughout the night almost certainly dancing around us and into our senses in beat with the mix of Chilean and American music played.  A steady stream of friends and compadres stopped by bringing more rations for the grill and those enjoying meeting the new “gringo.”

The invitation to continue the party at a dance club in Santiago came about 1:30 am.  Having the Chilean way influencing me, how was I supposed to let everyone down and say no, even having been up since 5:00 am?  Challenge accepted.  I was left in good hands with Rafa’s brother Juan, and away we went.  So after 3 hours of dancing, I finally made it to bed around 5:15 am.  Plenty of smiles, laughs, drinks, and fun times were had.  I started my first day in Chile the Chilean way partying hard late into the night.  I went to bed with a smile on my face, ringing in my ears, and a single final thought; this is going to be a very good vacation.