Hanging out at Marco and Claudia's

Friday the 15th was spent driving to San Pedro de La Paz, near Concepcion.  We headed south-east on Route 66 (bet you didn't know it extended to South America! :-) ). The countryside is starting to green up and look much more fertile.  First thing we did as we started out was to buy a huge container of just picked, super ripe strawberries.  They are juicy and wonderful!!!  We started seeing fields of olive trees, corn, citrus, veggies....and we stopped at a fruit stand so we could bring fruit to Marco and Claudia's where the trailer is.  As we loaded up on fruit the couple kept handing me samples to taste..oranges, juicy nectarines....We bought watermelon, nectarines, cherries, palmettos, plums, and they gave us a bag of mandarin oranges for a gift......Well, if I don't get sick eating all of this unwashed fruit from a roadside stand, then I probably won't.   Later driving south on Ruta 5 we did find wifi at a big restaurant attached to a service station so was able to publish 6 blog entries. We left the highway at Chillan to drive west again.  During that last hour on the road we were seeing pine tree forests.  We arrive and I meet Marco and Claudia....super happy and friendly people.  (They speak no English) They are so glad to see Rob and meet me.  I have a room and bathroom to myself in a guest house and this is what I see from my bedroom window as I settle in.

The next morning i see the place we are staying.  Marco and Claudia manage this place on a lake and people come for retreats, or to play soccer, or to just hang out and picnic.

The entrance and to the left is Marco and Claudia's house

The guest house where Rob and I have rooms.

The lake with my room on the right

And finally, the trailer!!!

Rob and Marco worked on the wiring all day so the trailer can be registered and I was free to meander at my leisure.

Black necked swans on the lake

I also saw Southern Lapwings and Chimango Caracara's, but no pictures yet.

Marco and Claudia insist we eat with the family.  'Once' is the main meal served at 1 or 2 in the afternoon.  Around 8pm we eat a lighter meal.  The boys finish early and start playing around.

Lucas (5), Gabriel (6), and Daniel (9)

After dinner, Maros says 'Vamos, Vamos!!!  And we pile in their car and drive where we can see the Bio Bio River meet the ocean!

Another wonderful day in Chile!

It is Monday and the day Rob and Marco will take the trailer in for safety inspection and to start the paperwork.  It takes 4 days to complete the paperwork if all goes well.  Yesterday with the wiring complete, I was able to move the dishware and food into the trailer.   I just made a huge potato salad and started to marinate the ribs so we can BBQ for the family later today.

I did get a picture of a lapwing yesterday.