Over the past two days, Antofagasta has gotten TONS of rain. The average rainfall per year is less than a centimeter. Someone told me it was actually 3 mm but who knows. Yesterday and the day before brought inches upon inches of rain. If you live in Texas, it would be like all of a sudden one day getting a foot of snow. in a day. Many homes and parts of the city were destroyed and flooded. We lost power for over 24 hours (moment of silence for the things lost in my freezer including breast milk!!), lost cell phone service entirely for about 9 hours, then lost water for about 6 hours. It was completely insane. I've never seen or experience anything like it. It was part scary, frustrating, boring and of course worrisome. We are all completely fine, but if you pray, please pray for those who have lost their home, their clothes, family photos, etc. This apparently was the worst storm in history. Very sad.
I didn't take any pictures, but you can imagine what it looked like. The water just doesn't have anywhere to go. The drainage systems here aren't made to handle almost any water. Even the roofs of the houses aren't equipped for it. Even our washer/dryer are out in the open (and I'm praying they didn't get completely ruined!).
Again, we are all safe and sound, so please don't worry!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Grandma's and Grandpa's Visit
Steve's parents were able to spend almost 3 weeks with us this past month, and we had such a blast with them, especially the kids. I cannot thank them enough for all the help they did with cooking, dishes (every night!!), and the best part of all, babysitting. We all really bonded, and I am so thankful for the memories that were created. While, I'm not very great at capturing every moment, here are the ones I was able to get.
The week started out in Santiago, where we visited many sites local to the area (sorry no pics!). Then we went to the Casablanca Valley (see earlier post!) and Valpo. Finally, we flew to Antofagasta to enjoy fun in the sun and surf.
Almost every day, Gma and Gpa would play soccer/catch with Sadie outside in the yard. I'm not sure who got more exercise.
We went to the ruins one day, and Sadie had tons of fun learning about mining history.
Sadie found a gigantic puzzle and child mining vehicle to play with.
Every day before naptime Gma and Gpa would watch Mickey with Sadie. By the end we were all singing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song.
There was also lots of park time. Sadie loved playing with Gma on the slides while Gpa pushed Isaac around in the stroller, making Chilean friends.
Not to mention, lots of pool time!
The below pics is one of my faves.
Finally, adults night out! (Thank you, Julie, for making that possible!)
The week started out in Santiago, where we visited many sites local to the area (sorry no pics!). Then we went to the Casablanca Valley (see earlier post!) and Valpo. Finally, we flew to Antofagasta to enjoy fun in the sun and surf.
Almost every day, Gma and Gpa would play soccer/catch with Sadie outside in the yard. I'm not sure who got more exercise.
We went to the ruins one day, and Sadie had tons of fun learning about mining history.
Sadie found a gigantic puzzle and child mining vehicle to play with.
Every day before naptime Gma and Gpa would watch Mickey with Sadie. By the end we were all singing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song.
There was also lots of park time. Sadie loved playing with Gma on the slides while Gpa pushed Isaac around in the stroller, making Chilean friends.
Not to mention, lots of pool time!
The below pics is one of my faves.
Finally, adults night out! (Thank you, Julie, for making that possible!)
Casino Enjoy!
Have I mentioned that we have a Casino in Antofagasta? More importantly, have I mentioned its name? Casino Enjoy! (yes, that's it, in English). I drive past it almost every day, but I hadn't been to it until Steve's mom twisted our arms. She's quite a gambler, that one. Just kidding, Peggy, you know I'm just covering up my own gambling obsession! ;)
Now, ok, we've all (probably) been to a casino in the states, so you can fully picture this. Let me just say, it's exactly like you would expect. Huge, very nice spa/hotel/restaurants, slot machines with very amazing names. What's different? A few things: you have to pay an entrance fee just to walk into the casino (kind of like a tax); there's a BMW dealership in the parking lot; and it's located spitting distance from the old mining ruins in town - quite a stark contrast. Otherwise, it was the same. I'll let the pics do the explaining. (Note I didn't take many pics because that's creepy to do in a casino).
Now, ok, we've all (probably) been to a casino in the states, so you can fully picture this. Let me just say, it's exactly like you would expect. Huge, very nice spa/hotel/restaurants, slot machines with very amazing names. What's different? A few things: you have to pay an entrance fee just to walk into the casino (kind of like a tax); there's a BMW dealership in the parking lot; and it's located spitting distance from the old mining ruins in town - quite a stark contrast. Otherwise, it was the same. I'll let the pics do the explaining. (Note I didn't take many pics because that's creepy to do in a casino).
Casablanca Valley
Steve's parents made the trek down to Chile (see future blog), and during their stay, we went to the Casablanca Valley. This is a very gorgeous region between Santiago and Valparaiso that is well-known for its wine. We chose to take a tour at Casas del Bosque. It was a beautiful day and we got to drink lots of wine. What more can you ask for?
Sadie's own moon chair
Just loungin'
Yes, there was even a little playscape for kids (Chile is so family-friendly!)
Main house/restaurant.
All the wine we got to taste :)
Isaac looking at me like he's had too much wine ;)
Sadie enjoying the complimentary breadsticks that came with the wine tasting.
Couldn't have done it without the distraction of Mickey!
Sadie's own moon chair
Just loungin'
Yes, there was even a little playscape for kids (Chile is so family-friendly!)
Main house/restaurant.
All the wine we got to taste :)
Isaac looking at me like he's had too much wine ;)
Sadie enjoying the complimentary breadsticks that came with the wine tasting.
Couldn't have done it without the distraction of Mickey!
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
El Estadio de Antofagasta
Antofagasta has a beautiful soccer stadium. We finally went to tour it (just on our own, and no, we couldn't get inside exactly). They have a pretty nice mosaic on the outside of it (although as you can see it's of someone swimming not playing futbol, so I'm not sure how that's related). They are also currently creating another one (see the pic below). Just some art student sitting on a ladder putting the pieces together.
These women are putting another mosaic together of the names of those who contributed to the art piece. If you look to the right, you will see something that is very common in Antofagasta - a huge bus loading up miners. That's actually one of the better meeting places I've seen. Oftentimes it's just the side of a road blocking traffic.
Here is the inside. We couldn't get in, but we were able to peek through a fence. Pretty professional, I'd say! We'd really like to go to a game here at some point.
These women are putting another mosaic together of the names of those who contributed to the art piece. If you look to the right, you will see something that is very common in Antofagasta - a huge bus loading up miners. That's actually one of the better meeting places I've seen. Oftentimes it's just the side of a road blocking traffic.
Here is the outside of the stadium - looks like a big bird's nest. At night the stadium lights up and is really pretty.
Here is the inside. We couldn't get in, but we were able to peek through a fence. Pretty professional, I'd say! We'd really like to go to a game here at some point.
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