Day 39 - 40 - Feliz Navidad
December 24 - 25 - Puerto Varas, Chile
I didn't even set an alarm because I assumed I'd wake with the cockadoodling of the chickens at the wee hours. No! I slept hard until 9 AM - no cockadoodles! It's a miracle! Evan was up reading. The chickens were running around, but quiet. Is this because there was no rooster? I don't know chicken tendencies very well. I will learn them. When this is all over I told Evan I want to raise laying chickens for fresh eggs every morning.
We packed up and headed back to the docks to find someone to take us back over the river. Gerold to the rescue! Gerold took us back, we had approximately 20 minutes before the next bus to town, and then we were on our way.
Christmas Eve day in Puerto Varas was surprisingly hopping - people everywhere out getting last minute food and gifts, eating meals out with families. We joined the rat race at the grocery store, recognizing nothing would be open the next day (Christmas Day) and we'd be cooking. We headed back to the hostel. Since the town and nearby parks would be running on minimal schedules the next day, we plotted movie watching and postcard writing for the next day. Despite my attempts, however, I couldn't find a single postcard in town! There were quite a few shops closed, but still many open. Sorry, family and friends....your postcards will be even later now.
We relaxed at the hostel until it was time for the Christmas Eve dinner party. We were all to bring a beverage to share - Evan, myself and the other hostel guests congregated in the dining area, where we assumed dinner would be served.... no signs of dinner, no signs of staff, no signs of a party. Soon, an employee told us to go to the 'other house'. We didn't know there was another house... We followed someone who vaguely remembered and a few blocks later were standing at the door of a house that looked like part hostel part language school. We arrived at our dinner party to find the dinner table full with people we didn't recognize. There were no other chairs, and no other tables. We stood around, confused, then quickly adapted to our surrounding, scrounged up some coffee mugs and shared wine. Soon, plates of appetizers were passed, guacamole, chilean salsa, crema, crackers, and tortilla chips. After awhile, people came out with plates of empanadas, and we were all so hungry by this point, we ate them before they cooled, burning the roofs of our mouths. The main courses were then served, including a Christmas turkey! The other dishes included a seafood stew, a potato dish, salad, and several others that were indistinguishable but delicious.
The conversation flowed - Germans, Dutch, Canadians, Trinidad, Chileans, Brasilians, and us. We discussed everything from war, to dreams, to food, to music. Eventually things started to quiet down on our end (and volumes raised outside with a bunch of French and karaoke) and I bowed out to bed at 1 AM.
On Christmas Day, I made Evan banana pancakes for breakfast (visually appealing, not so much - pictures below). We went to Christmas mass, which was pretty interesting. Then we went back and snuggled up to watch movies and to try to get a hold of some loved ones on video. I had purchased a special Christmas treat - a bag of popcorn!...which I proceeded to burn the crap out of in the microwave. We went on a popcorn-finding mission. The town was pretty quiet, with the exception of a small tienda, selling cookies and soda. I wanted to fill my Christmas cookie fix, so I indulged in a package of cookies, full of preservatives and love. On the way back, much to our amusement, the only other place open was a small burger joint that also did amazing cakes. We had fallen in love with one of their milhojas (thousand layers) cakes. We decided it would be a great addition to our dinner and purchased a piece to share. The piece was as big as my head.
For an extravagant Christmas dinner (and because we were leaving town the next day and needed to get through some food), we made salad, pasta, bread, lentils, and the kitchen sink. It was a bit random for a Christmas meal, but delicious! We enjoyed it alongside the Dutch couple, sharing our special cake. Another pair at the hostel went back to the place to get the same kind! It is seriously that good!
I didn't even set an alarm because I assumed I'd wake with the cockadoodling of the chickens at the wee hours. No! I slept hard until 9 AM - no cockadoodles! It's a miracle! Evan was up reading. The chickens were running around, but quiet. Is this because there was no rooster? I don't know chicken tendencies very well. I will learn them. When this is all over I told Evan I want to raise laying chickens for fresh eggs every morning.
Christmas Eve day in Puerto Varas was surprisingly hopping - people everywhere out getting last minute food and gifts, eating meals out with families. We joined the rat race at the grocery store, recognizing nothing would be open the next day (Christmas Day) and we'd be cooking. We headed back to the hostel. Since the town and nearby parks would be running on minimal schedules the next day, we plotted movie watching and postcard writing for the next day. Despite my attempts, however, I couldn't find a single postcard in town! There were quite a few shops closed, but still many open. Sorry, family and friends....your postcards will be even later now.
We relaxed at the hostel until it was time for the Christmas Eve dinner party. We were all to bring a beverage to share - Evan, myself and the other hostel guests congregated in the dining area, where we assumed dinner would be served.... no signs of dinner, no signs of staff, no signs of a party. Soon, an employee told us to go to the 'other house'. We didn't know there was another house... We followed someone who vaguely remembered and a few blocks later were standing at the door of a house that looked like part hostel part language school. We arrived at our dinner party to find the dinner table full with people we didn't recognize. There were no other chairs, and no other tables. We stood around, confused, then quickly adapted to our surrounding, scrounged up some coffee mugs and shared wine. Soon, plates of appetizers were passed, guacamole, chilean salsa, crema, crackers, and tortilla chips. After awhile, people came out with plates of empanadas, and we were all so hungry by this point, we ate them before they cooled, burning the roofs of our mouths. The main courses were then served, including a Christmas turkey! The other dishes included a seafood stew, a potato dish, salad, and several others that were indistinguishable but delicious.
The conversation flowed - Germans, Dutch, Canadians, Trinidad, Chileans, Brasilians, and us. We discussed everything from war, to dreams, to food, to music. Eventually things started to quiet down on our end (and volumes raised outside with a bunch of French and karaoke) and I bowed out to bed at 1 AM.
On Christmas Day, I made Evan banana pancakes for breakfast (visually appealing, not so much - pictures below). We went to Christmas mass, which was pretty interesting. Then we went back and snuggled up to watch movies and to try to get a hold of some loved ones on video. I had purchased a special Christmas treat - a bag of popcorn!...which I proceeded to burn the crap out of in the microwave. We went on a popcorn-finding mission. The town was pretty quiet, with the exception of a small tienda, selling cookies and soda. I wanted to fill my Christmas cookie fix, so I indulged in a package of cookies, full of preservatives and love. On the way back, much to our amusement, the only other place open was a small burger joint that also did amazing cakes. We had fallen in love with one of their milhojas (thousand layers) cakes. We decided it would be a great addition to our dinner and purchased a piece to share. The piece was as big as my head.
For an extravagant Christmas dinner (and because we were leaving town the next day and needed to get through some food), we made salad, pasta, bread, lentils, and the kitchen sink. It was a bit random for a Christmas meal, but delicious! We enjoyed it alongside the Dutch couple, sharing our special cake. Another pair at the hostel went back to the place to get the same kind! It is seriously that good!
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