Chile for New Years

This past December, Keith and I went to Chile for New Years to visit our friends Sam and Caroline who have been living there since September 2012.  Alan and Jenn also went to Chile so we had a full PALS reunion in South America!

We spent most of the time in Santiago where Sam and Caroline have been living and working, but we also went down to Valapariso and Viña del Mar for New Years Eve.  We did so much exploring of the city, and had adventures including hiking, running a 5k with some stray dogs and eating LOTS of epanadas.

A view of Santiago

Everyone decided that it was worth bringing running clothes to Santiago, and there was even mention of finding a 5k for us to run together.  Since I was the only Pal to not run with the others, I decided that we should create our own 5k.  Keith and I ordered medals to surprise the pals.  We ran the first part of the 5k together, and then while Jenn and I continued the circuit the others ran a little further before meeting up with us at the end.  This run was a blast already, but it was made better by the fact that some stray dogs decided to adopt us and run the whole 5k!

Viña and Valpo were much colder than Santiago, so we didn't really spend a lot of time on the beach.  There was so much to see and do in these coastal towns that we didn't mind.  The murals in Valapariso were absolutely amazing, and we had a blast walking around the hills.

 

New Years was perfect.  We cooked dinner and chilled around our apartment before going to the beach for an epic fireworks display.   I am so glad that we got to visit Sam and Caroline while they were living around the world!

Do you want to see more pictures from our trip?  Check out Rebecca's Facebook Album: New Years in Chile.

(Of course, while we were in Chile we HAD to look for yarn shops in Santiago.  We found a whole district and everyone was very accommodating while I shopped.  You can read more about this over at ChemKnits.)