Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is one of the most remote yet populated island in the world - the closest continent (Chile) is located 2,182 miles away and it is 1,289 miles away from the Pitcairn Islands, the closest populated land. It's small: 163.6 km²; the widest point is a little over 7.5 miles and longest is just over 15 miles. And though it's small, it is extraordinary in its history.

During our week-long visit, we walked along the rugged coastline past historical sites, through lava tubes and past moais; we hiked the volcanoes that formed the island; ate local seafood; explored and learned about the incredible history with a local guide; danced in the sideways rain; swam in the "delicious" waters the color of sea glass; were up at dawn to watch the stars fade to daylight and at dusk to see the sunset fade to a starry sky. 

We ate the famous tuna empanada and drank local brewed beer, listened and danced to traditional music, met locals who happily offered us rides and also told the history of the island and its present state.

To say it was the trip of a lifetime may be cliche, but perhaps true. I am not sure we would have found ourselves here if not in the southern hemisphere, or traveling to one of the two places that offers flights (which, are only once a day). It was a memorable experience indeed.

This, and the following few photos taken from the Rano Raraku​ quarry, where the moai were carved.

 The vernal equinox is approaching and the shift is evident. The air is more "fresh" and we've seen the leaves start yellowing and falling. But, we're still holding on to the summer.

Which, has been quite full! Family and friends have visited. We've spent almost every weekend in the mountains or in a coastal town, visiting new places and also spending time in places we've come to love. We know exactly how traffic will be on a Friday afternoon and try to time our exit accordingly. I'm on auto-pilot at the grocery store and while it may be boring to not deviate from our shopping list, we've got a pretty solid meal plan.

What's standard: an asado. The Chilean asado - BBQ - is a summer ritual here. It varies in style depending on your location, rural or urban, but hardly ever strays from the amount of meat consumed. Ours usually includes Choripan (chorizo + pan - which is Spanish for bread), ribs and veggies. Sometimes our evening asados last a few hours and while we sit back in our camp chairs with our beer or glass of wine and warm ourselves by the slow burn of coals, the stars start to come out.

As a kid I remember being excited seeing the first star shine, marking that transition from day to night. This is one thing I have loved about our summer weekend getaways. Watching the stars - which are incredibly visible away from the city lights - shift across the ridge lines. The photos below remind me of one fantastic summer, and make me excited for even more nights around the fire and under the stars. 

Birthdays are a milestone to be celebrated. It's a great time to reflect on the year that's passed, and welcome what's to come. To welcome Kirk to his mid-thirties, we headed to the mountains in the octava region of Chile. 

San Fabián, located in the Bío Bío Region, sits approximately 168 km south and east of Talca. The majority of the community resides north of the Rio Ñuble - a beautiful, turquoise river with a hydro electric project slated for construction. ​

Our destination was Cerro Malalcura, also called the "stone fence," rising 2100 meters above sea level. The trail we followed started as a dirt road (looking as if traveled mostly by locals on horseback and 4x4's) for the first several miles, transitioned to trail marked relatively well with cairns, and finished with a bushwack through thick trees and bushes before we arrived on top of a saddle that opened up to the rest of cordillera. Mountains, rivers, rock, snow as far as the eye could see. It was totally worth it.

We opted for a campspot amongst the orange and white colored granite (very reminiscent of Vedawoo and Joshua Tree). With no tent, we set up our sleeping bags between rocks leaving an open sky to enjoy the dusk and dawn, and watch the constellations shift across the sky as we went to sleep. 

We shared the space with the condors, tarantula-esque spiders and other crazy bugs, lizards and beautiful flora. 

The climbing was spectacular and many of the walls have incredible potential for new routes. We spent two days in one section opening a few new lines, following obvious features with a variety of climbing styles to the rocky summit. We found perfect hand jams, wide cracks to layback and even wider ones to chimney. 

Muy feliz cumpleaños, Kirk. May this next year bring joy, mountain air and granite rocks to climb, and even more aventura.

Other days, I get to play “gringa guia” and share some of the places that I’ve come to love in/near Santiago with travelers. One of the places that I’ve spent a lot of time is Yerba Loca, a nature preserve east of Santiago in the Andes. I’ve also been able to get in the saddle, a place I’ve missed, and lead horse-back riding tours in the foothills just north of the city. ​

A few weeks ago, I was walking down the street and saw a gal from my Spanish class who I hadn’t seen since June. In a city of 6 million (mas o menos), faces are becoming familiar. It was the moment when I really felt this is where I live.

Ready to visit and check out this fine city (and beyond) for yourself? Casa de los Gringos is starting to fill it's summer occupancy, so let us know soon if you'd like to book your stay. 

The cordillera has been getting a bit of snow in the past few weeks making their presence striking against the cityskape of Santiago. We were psyched that we made the decision to bring our skis back with us from our last trip to the US.

We hit the road late last Saturday evening towards the Cajon del Maipo and parked Scarleta where the road ends in a high pile of snow. We woke to a bluebird day!

Despite the fact we walked about 2k (in our ski boots) before even putting on our skis, it was fantastic to be surrounded by the Andes - and all that snow!

We got some turns in, basked in the sun, and logged several kilometers of skinning. Our afternoon finished with some "jugo natural" and a beautiful sunset. 

It's not just the landscape that has intrigued us here in Chile, we've also enjoyed learning about and immersing ourselves into the flavors and food of this country. 

When visiting the north, Kirk mentioned a plant he found that grows wild and rampant along the road: rica-rica. Roughly translating to delicious-delicious, this intensely aromatic plant boasts medicinal qualities that help cure stomach ails and adds great flavor to both savory and sweet delicacies. The stalks have also been used in yerba mate. And, in some places, the leaves are even used in Chile's signature drink Pisco Sour! The flavor and smell is similar to the herb sage.

As the sun was about to set on San Pedro de Atacama, we pulled off on the side of a road to a large swath of rica-rica bushes and filled a grocery bag to the brim with this delicious smelling herb.

So far, I've added it to soups and sauces as well as baked it into bread. The results definitely show how this herb lives up to its yummy-yummy moniker. 

Rica-rica, best enjoyed with friends!

For a week, (well, for Kirk three weeks) we explored the Atacama desert in the north of Chile. Kirk had work in the Salar de Atacama near the town of San Pedro. While Kirk drilled wells and met with some potential clients, I slowly made the 1500+ km journey up the coast with Scarleta.

The drive wound me along spectacular coastline and through some quaint towns, and I also witnessed the "flowering desert" which is a climatic phenomenon that normally occurs only in years with high rainfall, and usually in September through November. Earlier this year, this region of Chile I drove through experienced massive flooding, and despite the beauty of these fields of flowers, I also saw some unfortunate destruction.

We met up in the town of Calama (one of the driest cities in the world!) which is considered the “gateway to the geological and archaeological wonders of Chile’s high central desert,” a distinction that certainly rang true as we set off on our adventure. One of first areas we checked out was along the Rio Loa (the longest river in Chile). The petroglyphs in this region were amazing!

Next stop was the town of Caspana which sits at 3,264 meters above sea level. We were excited to check out some climbing potential and though we did find some, what was equally - if not more - impressive were the terraced farming systems (of Incan origin) and the dwellings and numerous petroglyphs in the canyon along the Rio Caspana.

Continuing along the road, we felt the affects of the altitude as we puttered over a 4000+ meter pass towards the Geysers del Tatio. Among the highest geyser fields in the world, these sit at an elevation of 4,320 meters.

Next up, we stopped in San Pedro de Atacama, a famous tourist town just north of the Salar de Atacama, Chile’s largest salar. We drove out to one of the lagoons, the Chaxa lagoon, right at sunset and caught perfect light to watch the flamingos and other birds feeding with a backdrop of 5,000+ meter snow covered volcanoes.

From here we drove a little farther south through the town of Socaire to check out a new climbing area. We found a beautiful and quiet canyon and enjoyed some of the established routes, and even opened a new route of our own. On our last morning there, we were met with clouds and hail (which made for a beautiful morning).

We both share a love of the desert and we were really glad to have been able to check out this region of Chile.

We've spent some time checking out what lies just outside the city of Santiago in the canyons and into the mountains. What we've found are beautiful mountain landscapes, new friends, great beer!, and infinite opportunities for exploration.

A few weeks ago, we set out to find some climbing close to the city. What we discovered is a beautiful canyon about 25 minutes outside Santiago called El Arrayán. 

Winding up the streets lined with mutant-sized aloe-like plants, the street went from paved to dirt. We parked Scarleta and headed on foot deeper into the canyon, bypassing the local horses and several friendly dogs. Flowering cactus scattered the hillside and we caught the last bits of fall here with the leaves yellowing and falling to the ground.

El Arrayán features volconic rock with dozens of routes graded from 5.8-5.13, close together and well bolted. It almost felt like an outdoor climbing gym!  

We also spent a few weekends checking out areas in the Cajón del Maipo. This canyon is about a 45 minute drive south east of Santiago and, if the road continued all the way through, you'd find yourself in Cajón de Arenales where we were earlier this year.

 Many folks travel here to take advantage of the hiking, horseback riding, hot springing and climbing. There are several areas for climbing - big wall, trad, sport - you name it! And, it's incredibly beautiful.

We spent a weekend camping (down by the river) and climbing at a mixed trad and sport area called Las Maloses. Though it got cold and rained a lot of one of the nights, it made for a beautiful morning waking up to snow dusted peaks.

We spent another weekend in the Cajón del Maipo with our friends from Tunuyán and Tupungato, Argentina at their friend's place near the town of El Manzano. We were incredibly excited to check out some different climbing areas and also discover the best beer we've found in Chile by far! Their friend is owner and head brewer of Cerveza Palestra. He makes a hell of an IPA and another delicious beer we tried, Puemo Ale, which includes a local ingredient that he's used - and patented - for this beer. We'll be heading back to visit for the climbing and the muy ricas cervezas!

Our scenary has changed a bit since trading in our van dwelling lifestyle for apartment living. Our doors don't open directly to the riverside or rocky ground; however, we still have mountain views and beautiful sunsets! They just happen to be from the 19th floor patio of our apartment in Santiago.

We're begining to settle in to our digs in the bustling neighborhood of Las Condes which is east of Santiago's city center. Several factors were in play when we chose our apartment but location was probably the biggest. Though we're off a main road heading in and out of the city, this was a strategic move so that we could easily get out of town! The noise of traffic - constant horn honking, bass bumping, car alarms going off and tires screeching -  is our background noise nearly any hour of the day. Quite the change from what both of us are used to!

We're about a quarter mile from a metro station and we purchased bikes for super easy commuting to work and Spanish school so we really only utilize the car on weekends (so far). Oh, and a climbing gym is conveniently located around the corner. 

Here's a look inside:

We obviously had to have a room dedicated to our gear!

Next up is finding the best of the five sushi restaurants within close proximity to our place, the cheapest price on fruits and veggies between the three markets within walking distance, and which out-of-town climbing destination takes the least amount of time to get to door-to-door. And, we're looking forward to exploring what this city is all about - from music to food to other interesting things that make this city the center of Chile's largest conurbation.

As you can see, we've got plenty of space for visitors (guest bedroom pictured above)! Let us know when you want to make your reservation. Breakfast and (instant) coffee included with your stay.

Something we were excited to do on our adventures was to open new climbing routes. In Arenales, we scoped a beautiful formation and a few lines that were surprisingly not already established. What an opportunity!

We spent a week climbing, cleaning and equipping two new routes near the Aguja Carlos Daniel, Panflaque and Carlitos Way, on a formation we dubbed Aguja Carlito. 

Each route offers a variety of climbing from cracks to face holds, and chimney/offwidth. 

Panflaque's namesake comes from its second pitch: an exciting left arching crack that is reminiscient of the pancake flake on the Nose of El Cap. 

To gain the summit, there's an option to climb a well protected chimney. 

Carlitos Way shares the same start with Panflaque and after pitch one, shoots off left with two more pitches of wide crack, offwidth and squeeze chimney. Each route shares a finish on an exciting summit.

It was fun, and rewarding, to clean and bolt the anchors and rap station. Our goal was to make the route accessible, so climbers can use a single 70m rope to get to the top and rappel down.

It was a lot of work to open these new lines, but totally worth it. We were psyched to contriubute a few routes to this already amazing climbing area. If you find yourself in Arenales, let us know what you think!