The Party Rolls On

Fiestas Patrias has come and gone, but it had an aftershock too. First off, I went to Pichilemu with my host brothers and some of their friends. We rented a house with 3 bedrooms, and the 9 of us crashed there. It was a weekend full of late night dancing at the Fonda, which is a huge party in a tent that runs every night until the wee hours. We spent the days in the sun on the beach, but it was a cool and windy weekend.

Classes were all back to normal this week, with more robust attendance. On Thursday, there was a big fonda (el 18 chico), the aftershock party to the earthquake that was the 18th. Once again, live music, barbecue, and drinks were being served up. It's weird to party outside of classrooms, especially when on the walk to the bathroom you can see classes in session. Poor buggers. Check out a video of the situation here.

I made it out climbing yesterday (Friday). My buddy Rodrigo invited Lucy, Nigel and me to come climbing with his buddies on a hill on the north side of the city, called Manquehuito. We rode up a windy road to a skinny and slippery path, and made hiked to the rocks from there. The site already had bolts set for sport climbing, and Rodrigo and crew had all the gear we'd ever need. From the top of the routes, the panorama of Santiago was gorgeous (although a bit smoggy). Climbers just kept showing up. Someone brought a grill grate and charcoal, and all of a sudden the meat came out. Chicken, chorizo, and a lump of cow. The spices were typical Chilean: a ziplock full of salt was all we needed. I have never seen such a party while climbing- UW's Mountaineering Club could take a few pointers from these guys. Here's the newest Flickr set, with rock climbing, a fonda shot, and even a puppy (might be a baby polar bear).