On Sunday we left Santiago for Curico, a city of about 90,000 that sits 200 kilometers to the south. As we boarded the train and kissed and hugged our hosts and Berta (our Mama duck) behind, tears welled up. I had no idea I would be so heartbroken to leave these wonderful people and this big, big city, but I was. Once we arrived we were greeted and whisked away by our new hosts. It's been a hard transition, since we stayed in Santiago so long and really grew comfortable in our homes and with our families there, but as I had suspected new adventures awaited us in Curico. Much like our day began on a train, it ended in one as well. A decommissioned train car, anyway! Our first meeting with the Curico Rotarians was in an old train car that has been transformed into a working office, bar, and dinner club. What a treat! Here's a picture from inside the car, showing my team on the left and our Rotarians on the right.
On Monday we were taken to a beach community called Ilomo. This gave us a chance to really bond with our new Rotarian friends on the breathtaking coast of Chile. The day was full of discoveries and I felt more joy and wonder than I have in years. From the llamas we spotted on the way, to posing with a real steer-driven cart ambling down the road, to eating the best ceviche I've ever had, to sitting on the black sand watching the Pacific roll in... it was bliss.
As we returned from a long beach walk, I spotted the waiter who had served us lunch sprinting out toward water. He leapt onto the rocks and bounced over them completely unphased by their sharp and dangerous angles. Michael and I asked him what he was doing and he took us over to a rocky alcove where we discovered thousand of black mussels. He pried several huge ones off of the rock and offered them up to the group. We eagerly agreed, assuming he would cook them, but instead he sprayed some lemon juice on it and pried the poor creature right out of its shell. I couldn't stomach it, but a few of the team members took part.
It was an incredibly beautiful day!
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