I'm a Troublemaker

So I like to be difficult- but only when I feel like I can get away with it. Usually Always when it has to do with food. Like today- I tried to convince the poor girl that scoops ice cream at the best ice cream place in Santiago (LAN Airlines magazine told me so- I think I have read every edition of LAN and Sky Airline's magazines from April on...frequent flyer alert) that she should break company policy and let me have three flavors instead of two. Even though they pile on the ice cream when you order two and I really just wanted a teensy bit of all three, she stood firm (she did still let me try virtually all the flavors though so I still like her) and only let me choose two flavors. I guess indecisiveness and high maintenance just come hand and hand. And in my hand I left with Mango and Paçoquinha (its from Argentina and it tastes like Peanutbutter- aka my favorite flavor at this place- and y'all know how I feel about my chocolate ice cream...). Last time I also got the Paçoquinha but with Dark chocolate. Holey Moley. If I go on and tell you all the delectable flavors I tried I may start salivating...but I'll do it anyways(; for the memories right! They had two yogurt flavors- one with berries and the other with sesame and honey, then they had tiramisu, raspberry, pistachio, and cherry. Those were just the ones I tried...My secret mission might just be to go to this place any time I am within two metro stops. Yeah good plan. Oh and I should probably take a pic next time eh?

More trouble? How bout the fact that I still need to re-cap my time in Colchagua Valle AND La Serena. Oops. Let's take a time out and I'll think of what to write...

Here- check out this pic I forgot to put up from the time my friends and I took a tour of La Moneda (the White House of Chile) where I also saw the VP of Chile!

In the courtyard with the orange trees!

Let us begin with Colchagua Valle- aka the Chilean city between the coast and the mountains that collects all the wine (get it? It's a Valley!). Anywho, this 'Valley' consists of like a billion vineyards- but with our program we only went to one...what a shame! 

A semi-decent photo of the vineyard entrance

Look I have friends!

Haha- We went to the Vineyard of Laura Hartwig for a wine tasting of three varieties; Carmenere, Syrah and Petit Verdot (Daddio- what's up with this one? I had never heard of such). 

I've heard the process of making wine twice now but always in Spanish- not positive I still actually understand it though

But let's back up a little before we get to the wine. Because when I say we 'went' to a vineyard I mean we biked for like a million miles (I wouldn't complain if I was on my road bike of course but these bikes were less than desirable to my rear end..)

Am I smiling because I love biking? Or because we were done for the day...?

Pichelemu, Chile aka Surf Central

The vineyards of Colchagua

The (overcast) view from our cabañas!

Coming in as runner up for things I spent the most time with on this trip is....BREAD. So much bread. Bread for breakfast x2, bread before lunch, bread delivered again during lunch, bread with pebre, bread with butter and even stranger, bread with marmalade and queso fresco (not like cream cheese at all but we can pretend). I think I may have eaten more bread during this trip than I do in a typical week (we were only there for three days...). Let's be real though. This trip exposed me to my love for Chilean Pan Amasado. Because while Chile boosts some darn good bread, I have no become a bread snob and highly capable of identifying the different types. Including when Mama gets the bread at the equivalent of Walmart instead of the local Panadería down the street #princess. 
Pan Amasado is this wonderful creation 

Look at that- I found you a nice lil' inforgraphic

 and now I seek it out whenever I can because it doesn't seem to be as popular in Santiago as it is in the outskirts, or what the Chileans like to call, 'el campo' // the countryside. 
Other food on this trip included a new to me dish that I actually enjoyed way more than I thought I would; Lomo al Pobre// Poor Man's steak. which looks a lil' something like this:

Hey Sophie(;

Not my pic obvi- but here's a close up

The cheapest cut of steak with a fried egg and french fries. 
If there is something I learned in Chile (actually I really had to resort to this survival skill in India.....) is that if you are served food (especially free food) you should try to eat it. It may be good- it may be unhealthy- but you won't die. In fact it's probably necessary if you don't want to live on bread (or rice if you are back in India). So the moral of the story is that although this wasn't the healthiest meal I've had here, and at first I was like ew, I don't want fast food fries and a fried egg, but after I tried the homemade fries and dipped them in that nice runny yolk I was actually quite content. Salty fries are almost as good as salty popcorn(;
After we were nice and filled up we biked more, kayaked some and had a lovely little asado (Chilean BBQ) the weekend was over before I knew it. 

I'd say we biked a good 40km that weekend

These kayaks were the topsy turvy type- hardcore for the (non-existent of course) cat. 5 rapids

My precious Hannah Banana <3

Punta de Lobos- world famous for extreme surfing!

The travels continued the next week in La Serena....I'll get there soon I swear!

Here's a teaser photo that contains no spoilers(;

xoxo