Last Posting: Dec 27

Kyle & Paul play tour guides at Concha y Toro Winery, largest winemaker in Chile

More winery photos below 

First wave!



Today's Spanish quiz


What does this mean? It was told to Gene by a taxi driver after discussing Gene's vast knowledge of Chile and Latin America:


"Necesita un devuelta de su education del universitario".

(Could be a compliment).

Answer below


Hola! Welcome to the Chile Expedition page. Paul, Erik, Kyle & Gene will be publishing photos and writing stories of our trip for the next few weeks, so click on this site for (not so) daily updates.


In the meantime, anyone who would like to find a great weight-loss program as a New Year's resolution should try the Ceviche at the Grand Fish Market, Valpariso.



Here´s our first photo taken in Lima at, of course, a bar. We´re waiting for our flight to Santiago. 11 hours of flight time down, only 5 to go.

Here are Erik and Paul in their first photo back in their homeland on a Santiago bus.

Welcome Home!

Rode past Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception church on the national holiday, December 8. Thousands of people walked miles to get here to crawl on their knees into the church. I think this is a Catholic country! 

Modern electricity is everywhere! 




Chilean resident and St Elisabeth School graduate Jason Furlano welcomes the Eberts on their patio in Renaca.




Paul shopping for Christmas gifts. Is that a fruitcake?

One of the eight swimming pools at our resort in Mantagua. Thanks, Watson! 




Our porch, Mantagua

Happened to run into Karaoke Night at our restaurant.

I wanted to try Cielito Lindo, but my tablemates were still eating. 

The tourist preparing for the "Touristas." 




Below: Gene finally touches water

Zapallar


Second wave

Kyle & Erik

Zapallar is the Newport Beach/Pebble Beach of Chile.

Here's one of the gatehouses that guards a large German estate.

We were escorted out shortly after this photo was taken.

For any wolves watching, (Photo Credit: Kyle)

The street dogs of Chile are strong, healthy, and coexist with the people, but don"t let them sit in your lap, because they will. Here's one Erik fed outside our restaurant in Mantencillo, where Kyle was just hired to teach surfing.

 Kids in Quilpue

No tortillas here

Valparaiso Lighthouse

Alternate route to Algarrobo

Here are some horsemen who inform us that the road doesn't go through to Algorrobo.

So far, this has happened to us 30 or 40 times. Rental car gets good mileage

Monument to Chilean miners 

Street dogs eye Paul

How many street dogs in this photo? How many are holding beers?

Answer later

Paul Christmas shopping for his parole officer, Renaca

Presidential Residence, Santiago

Kyle stands at the front of Palacio de la Moneda, the Presidential Palace,

which was bombed in 1973, (with our help)

We came here to help Paul renew his Chilean passport and find his birth certificate. This is the public employee strike we encountered on the first day of our quest.

Typical news stand

Palacio de la Moneda, the Presidential Palace

Paul, Kyle & Erik look toward the future after former Chilean President Portales

Paul helps inspect the guard

Gene with one of our heros, who died 200 yards from this site, in the 1973 bombing of Palacio de Moneda.

You don't see many bronze statues of people wearing horn rimmed glasses.

Palace perro

In addition to the street dogs, there were police everywhere, especially because of the strike.

These hats are wool. I tried to get one, but came away with just a citation

Government bureaucrat multitasking

Palacio de la Moneda, bombed in 1973

Bernardo O'Higgins, Liberator de Chile.

Let's hear it for the Irish!

Street scene outside Moneda Subway Station, Santiago

Paul braces himself for the mass of humanity on the subway

Nice boots, and he's carrying a guitar.

Another in a series of "Street Dogs of Chile" soon to be a webpage

Chicken soup and Coca Cola

Actual meal consumed by Gene

That's how good the Valparaiso diet is!

Erik tries the Santiago ice cream

Burned out building from February earthquake

Gene tries and fails yet again to make a call

Now what World War II Axis power country do you guess these uniforms are fashioned after ?

Nice bolt action. These guys don't move. At least Paul moves faster than someone

Palace dogs

Flag, Presidential Palace

Have you ever seen graffiti with a happy face?

On our way out of town, the demonstrators started a bunch of fires (really)

Answer to Spanish Quiz:


"Necesita un devuelta de su education del universitario"

means



"You should get a refund on that college education"!








One of 100 sunset photos, this one in Mantagua, from our porch

Can you identify this Chilean citizen?

After losing 7 pounts in five days, Gene decides to exit his Valparaiso Diet with the help of the miracle drug, Diaren, also called yellow jackets

Antonia, daughter of Jason and Maria Paz, and grandaughter of Tonie Furlano

 

Jason and Paul work on the design of the new Caribou silk screens gear

After his diet, Gene tries a bag of mayones clasica on his sandwich

Street dog Christmas shopping, Santiago

Some street dogs work part time during Christmas season

 The old feed bag, Renaca

Looks like a good place for a beer

It IS a good place for a beer

Police and their street dog make sure no one bothers us while we have our beer

Surf shop, Renaca, the only place on the trip where I heard Rap Music!

My backup band. Gracias, guys

Ice cream shop

Building next to Civil Registry, Santiago

At least the graffiti is political

Changing of the Guard, Palacio de la Moneda

Since most people who apply for a driver's license don't have a car, this is what they take their road tests in. We saw many disappointed candidates fail, mostly on parallel parking.

More Changing of the Guard and a street dog

Municipal worker feeds the old street dogs at the Palace. As I mentioned, the people coexist with these dogs. You never see them abused, or hit by cars

One of the national drugs of Chile

Old bronze monument, Providencia

Really old brick monument, same park

Belgian, Embassy, car for sale

Erik makes a phone call using his new camera

Kilo empanadas and pastel de choclo 

 

Maria Paz and Paul prepare dinner over the wood burning stove

Simon & Antonia relax at the Resort de Mantagua

You lookin' at me?

Side shot of one of our favorite beers

Punta Lobos, Pichilemu

Finally, some surf

Punta Lobos

Here's Gene not surfing Punta Lobos, Pichilemu

Horse surfing, Pichilemu

Tonie arrives in Chile for Christmas

Maria Paz, with children Antonia & Simon 

try to figure out why Paul gave them this stuffed caribou

The Algarrobo crew, raindeer (caribou) included

When you squeezed its paw (hoof?) it played an obnoxious Christmas song that we're still trying to get out of our heads

Antonia and Simon say farewell to us and thank Paul again for the singing raindeer, while their parents search inside the house for a Phillips head screwdriver to disable the battery of the new singing toy 

Huaso, on our way up the Andes

Notice you can't see our rental car in the photo

Background: Snow on the Andes

Mapuche River, Andes

Cascada de las Animas Eco Resort, the Andes

Our cabana


Inside our Cabana


Dec 24

We now interrupt this presentation to bring you some backdated photos of stuff we forgot we did. 

Gene and Jason at lunch, Renaca. This guys knows ALL the places, and why not: He's related to Kenny Furlano

Gene explains his Ventura sous chef job to culinary wizard Tim

at the Furlano's spread in Mantagua

When I told him in detail about my kitchen food preparation regimen, he said, "Here we'd call you a busboy."

Antonia & Simon play musical chairs


Another edifice named after Bernardo O'Higgins,
liberator & first president of Chile

Rental car agency, Renaca

Erik checks out Horcon

I think I'll take this one

Gene prepares for the day he, too, can get an internet connection.

Looking for a gig, Santiago

Eric memorizing the recipe for Pastel de Choclo, a famous dish of Chile

Authentic bakeware is made in this town, and the Eberts bought many pieces to bring back to California, where the promise to feed us all.

First prize, Best meal of the trip

Erik, Kyle & Gene try to figure out how many Pisco & Cokes ("Piscola) they've had at the Algarroba beach house owned by Maria Paz's mother.

Gene comes up with a quick answer.

Pisco Llama is the national booze

Jason barbecues and does his Aussie accent for Tim,

which Tim says sounds way too British

Now back to our eco-resort cabana in the Andes

Tough life - All beveled glass

Kyle  enjoys a Pisco Sour on the patio outside the restaurant

Arriving back at our cabana, we are greeted by one dog

Excuse me, three

Make that four. They were all very healthy. What a life.

Then in five minutes they disappeared into the night to go hang out at another cabana for ten minutes

Eric & Kyle enjoy breakfast in the restaurant, which hangs over the river

Paul enjoys breakfast and eco art

Day 12, 10,000 dogs and this was only the second cat we saw

The Andes, straight up

Erik checks out the Maipo River

Yosemite feel in the Andes

Not Disneyland

Long drop to the Maipo River

Equipment used to rappel 500 yards across the Maipo River

Rappel cables, also known as zip lines, 500 yards long

Huaso


On an educational note, we discovered that here in the Southern Hemisphere, the toilet paper rolls go the opposite way, under instead of over.

You're welcome.

Concha Y Toro Winery gift shop

Gene, Paul & Kyle prepare for their wine tour

Estate

Original family residence, 1880

French oak barrel, Seguin Moreau, Napa Valley

Scariest photo award...Paul enters Casillero del Diablo, cellar of the Devil

Check out the brick ceilings

Casillero del Diablo

Our personal tasting of Marques Casa Concha, one of their higher end wine labels,

(Concha Y Toro features over 30 labels sold throughout the world, their best being the Don Melchor label)

Shown here: Chardonnay, Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet

Our fantastic sommelier, Kirsten, explains winemaking to Paul

Paul explains wine snobbery to Kirsten

Concha Y Toro Crew successfully finishes all their wine

Flashback one week to Horcon, fishing village on the coast  


Pangas, Horcon

Popular name

Above and below: Street dogs, Horcon

Paul tries to go fishing

Eric checks out Horcon version of Arch Rock

Pelicans check us out

Tough Life

Statue of San Pablo, patron saint of fishermen

Harbor entrance, Horcon 

Arch Rock

Hostel, Last pad, Santiago

We were the only guests here, (old family residence)

Wi Fi, too, (made our editorial staff very happy)

See what I mean? Southern Hemisphere, opposite way. Unreal

One last bottle of sparkling Casillero del Diablo for breakfast

before we go Christmas shopping and jump on a 11 hour flight to LA

Local artists have shops in Pueblo Los Dominicos, an old mission style cathedral, Santiago

Erik admires the Peruvian influence on the northern Chilean rugs

My favorite gift:

Chess set with natives vs conquistadors

Shops

Mas Shops

Can't pass up a guitar shop

Erik makes one last attempt to sneak back into his childhood home

Kyle & Paul, Santiago

Last meal: 

Jason Furlano told us that if we love Cupid's Hot Dogs, we should try the Chilean version,

called the "Completo,"

which consists of a giant hot dog, smothered in salsa, avacado, and mayonaise

It sounded like a new version of the Valparaiso Ceviche diet, so we passed

Gene and Kyle are toasty in their Lemma Construction hoodies,

checking out the waves in Pichilemu

OK just one last dog, Horcon

Finally,...Bread Box...Santiago kitchen

Thanks for following our Chilean adventure.

Adios!