Author: Pete
Location: Santiago, Chile
[33° 27′ 0″ S, 70° 40′ 0″ W]
The final countdown. Bad 80’s music plays through my head each day as I try to scratch off all the things on my TO DO list. Feels in the last two weeks like I’ve been just barely getting it all done each day, just to repeat it the next. This account of our last days in Chile seems as scattered as my brain and focus.
Some were happy to see all those moving on continuing with their adventure through life. Others weren’t as happy.
Then Andes decided to give us one more beautiful snow storm. It fell heavy in Arayan on our little casita, and coated the cacti in little spiky parkas. We soaked up the snow and the cold. I think it’ll be the last we see for a while.
The cold and snow didn’t bother us much, once we got the little car ramped up to 80 and tore up the icy switchbacks to get home. Grow up driving a Ford Probe around the midwest. Once home we had a toasty fire in the bosca to melt the cold out of the house.
In the last weeks I’ve graded umpteen final exams, said goodbye to my favorite students whom I’ve grown with over the past four years. Had several ripping sendoff parties and dinners. The school holds a big end of the year party hosted by the Chilenos for the gringos. They have great food on the parilla and a killer show that I was unwittingly a part of.
Dragged around several loads of things to donate, recycle, and trash. It’s uncanny how much stuff two people can accumulate! Prepping for the move has been a long process. Then all of a sudden the movers come and whisk everything away and leave our little house pretty empty, aside from the thing we’re selling to Amy, who is life swapping with us.
It’s been an intense, consistently stressful set of days. Miranda cut her hand with a box cutter the day before we flew out in the midst of all of our packing. Sliced the webbing between her index and thumb right down through the muscle. Seven interior stitches and six exterior stitches later we were back to packing and saying goodbyes. Not a whimper out of the girl. She’s way tougher than me!
In keeping with tradition we ended our last climbing session with dinner at Satira. We pushed tables together and crammed around it. Ordered machas de parmesana, gyosas, pizzas, curries, and rounds and rounds of drinks.
The gloomy atmosphere that we love so much about the place made for the perfect final despedida locale. Drippy candles, old decor, dark corners, and low light. And like a haunted house…. full of spirits!
When we asked for the bill and it didn’t come the waiter told us the system was down and that everything would be on the house. We almost bought that. We know who really was the orchestrator of the caper…
So we said goodbye to our favorite spot in Lo Barnechea, our favorite Friday post-climb hangout, and our favorite friends. Thanks to you all for a fabulous couple of years in Chile. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.
