For May 15, 2011
Sooooo...
today, was another free day, so I could decide how to spend it. Being that I went to bed around 4:30 or something, I slept in until around 1:30. Once I got ready, I found out that almost everyone was gone. Only Chris, Marquis, Ryan and I were left. I guess they had gone to the mall. I was just so tired and couldn't be bothered by getting up quite yet. So I blogged a bit and checked email in the hall. Soon, Ryan, Marquis and I decided to go back towards Plaza Mexico for the shops, restaurants and flea market. With it being Sunday, a lot of places were already closed. So I took a little while longer to decide on what to do. We stopped at the flea market (or I should call it the arts / craft market). I was ready to spend! Like ten steps in, I found a man nearly buried behind the counter in his kiosk lined with many sorts of purses and things. I asked him, in Spanish, how much they cost, and he told me 3,000. As if I had seen a green traffic light, I swiftly picked out three nice ones in different styles. He got them of his secure metal bars, and I was really happy about it. The combination between my relaxing agenda, a lazy Sunday, decent weather and a desire for new stuff / souvenirs all hit me. Quickly, I was in the perfect spirit to shop. Soon, I was working my way down the aisles packed with tons of colorful trinkets, clothes and handmade crafts. I had noticed last Sunday that there were some nice scarves throughout the building so I kind of had an idea of what I wanted to get. Welllll, I ended up buying my little cousin a t-shirt that reads "Alguien que me quiere mucho me ha traido esta camiseta de Chile. Vina del Mar" which is "Somebody who loves me a lot brought me back this t-shirt from Chile." He better cherish it.I found some thick and colorful scarves that had like 3 textures (ruched, regular and loose ends tied in knots)but the lady wanted like 3500 pesos for them. I wasn't excited by the price, so I said thank you and told her I'd think about it. I also bought 2 painted leather keychains (500 pesos each), 2 rings made of wire and stones (both for $3000) and 4 rings made of metal and other various stuff ($1,000 each). If you haven't noticed, I like my bargains. The bug got me. I've got an international shopping itch that can't be scratched. I really want to go back. At the end, I saw some handmade sandals that were unique and cute for 10,000-11,500 pesos that I think I want. What if I bought all the rings they had???
We were hungry. Though it was about 3pm and we were to have a nice dinner at 6, we wanted to get food because we hadn't eaten. We walked back to a typical-looking diner we had stopped in earlier where an employee spotted us and tried to convince us to stay. He spoke pretty good English and seemed really nice. We noticed it was a bit expensive, so we told him we'd think about it. In a buffet counter by the register, they had what I would call "sunday dinner classics" like corn, green beans, chicken, pork, beef (sorry the meat isn't descriptive, I just don't pay attention to it reallly), mashed potatoes, rice, noodles, gelatin, flan and other stuff. You could pick one of like 5 deals where you chose the meat, like 2 agregados (sides), bebida (drink) and postre (dessert) for around 3500 pesos. Good deal. Just not for me. I settled upon the the completo (hot dog with avocado, mayo and diced tomatoes) and bebida combo for $1,280 and a plate of french fries for $1,500. Surprisingly, I hadn't had anything with avocado yet, and I hadn't had a completo which is a typical Chilean dish. The boys got their food and were really pleased. When I got my food, I was surprised that my completo had such little flavor - and I mean that sincerely. With mayo, avocado and a sausage, there is SO much opportunity to add a range of flavors. None. Because of that, I took the several tablespoons of mayo and excess "guac" off. Let down. I tried my french fries with aji chileno (hot sauce of like roasted chiles) and ketchup (F.Y.I. ketchup here doesn't taste the same. It has a fruitier taste). It stomped out my hunger. The waiter came back to serve the guys chocolate and vanilla desserts. He apologized that my meal didn't come with one and asked if I wanted one. I told him no because I was done with this experiment. Through a little conversation, we found out that he was from Ecuador and a student who came here to go to culinary school. The diner was closing and through the window I could see him stacking patio furniture. Just as I was trying to shove the last bites I knew I could handle, the waiter brought me a chocolate flan. So sweet! He told me not to say anything! I wasn't crazy about the texture, but I ate the whole thing since it was a really nice gesture. I tipped him about $400 pesos since he was so nice.
Soon, we headed back to the hotel, and I got dressed up for the dinner at Tierra de Fuego, an upscale restaurant with a lovely location on the shore. Around 6, we all headed out for the stroll down. It was getting dark. Of course, we got many looks and stares. As soon as we walked through the door, I was hit by the relaxing yet ritzy atmosphere. We headed upstairs where there was only one table of people. We also sat down, ordered drinks and began deciphering the menu. I settled on "risotto con locos y camarones (shrimp)" without locos. When I ordered it, the waiter told me in spanish that it "comes with locos." I had researched some common Chilean seafood before this trip. Locos are abalone which are in the family of sea slugs and snails. I wasn't about to have any of dat so I ordered the vegetable risotto. The bottled water, Puyehue was the brand, was delicious. Which means a lot coming from me since I don't really drink it. We soon got appetizers which were friend shrimp with a yummy sauce and mussels baked with cheese and garlic. Later, the entrees were served. Mine was okay. Interesting flavor. Sweet peas. Carrot. Mushroom. Corn. A sweet cheese. I wouldn't order it again. For dessert, I ordered a piramide de chocolate. It ended up being a chocolate molten cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and whipped cream on a chocolate drizzled plate. The waiter kept giving us ice grills, but I guess he was pleasant enough. Another restaurant employee was really nice though. Overall, the dinner took like 3 hours. It was really elegant and a good way to commemorate our first week in Chile.
Later,
~Briana, in Chile
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