Casablanca Vineyards

Yesterday we went to the vineyards of Casablanca, some of the most well known in the world. The entire trip was sweet from the moment we left until the moment we got back. When I woke up, the sun was shining and the birds were chirping (and the rooster was crowing, somewhere close by, haha). It was so much nicer than the rainy day before. We met at the Teatro Municipal in downtown Viña, and then hopped on a bus to drive the hour or so to the vineyard. Waiting for us on each seat was a water bottle, phamplet for the vineyard we were going to, some information about different types of wines, and then a chocolate bar with either the word "Chile" or "Exclusivo" written on it. It was quite a welcome, and it was nice to finally have just plain water.

Once we arrived to the vineyard, we all hopped onto a huge horse drawn carriage and took a tour of the vineyard. The two horses together were like the size of a minivan, they were huge! Next, we got off and a tour guide described the 26 different varieties of wine they produce. Afterwards, we went inside to the wine tasting room. It was so big and there was a beautiful fountain inside. Though I'm not a fan of wine, the cheese they had to go along with it certainly tasted good =) After listening to him talk for a while and teaching everyone how to taste wine, we moved on to the wine history tour, or into the time machine as they called it. Our guide walked us through this room full of actual restored equipment from as far back as around 1850. It was pretty interesting seeing how wine used to be made, and our guide was pretty funny too. Next, we went outside to this big arena and watched a Chilean rodeo show. It was really cool, and interesting to see how their rodeos differ from ours. Finally, we went back inside for my favorite part of the day, lunch.

This was definitely the fanciest meal I've ever eaten (though not the best). When we sat down we had three knives, three forks, a spoon, two different sized glasses (they later brought out a third smaller one), and a plate. They brought out some really good pre-appetizers (I say pre-appetizer because much to my surprise we ordered another one as well) for us to eat before we ordered. We then got to choose an appetizer, main course, and dessert. I went for the Chilean appetizer and dessert, and then a normal type of beef for the main course. The appetizer was alright, except I couldn't really tell what kind of meat it was. It also had some breadsticks with it which were exactly that, sticks of bread. The main course was really good, except it came with a shot glass with some chocolate-colored liquid in it with whipped cream on top. Very deceiving, let me tell you. I had tasted the cream and so I decided I'd drink away, except it ended up being another type of gravy for my meat. Gross. I then decided to let others share the fun with me, so I asked another student if he had his chocolate mousse shot yet, and he said no, so we said cheers and I let him discover the joy that was the gravy. Hahaha, wonderful. My meal also had some potatoes wrapped in bacon, and then zuchini with carrots in it. Finally, they brought out our dessert and I went for the traditional Chilean dessert of dried peaches and a type of corn. It was shaped in a pyramid and looked really cool (their presentation of every meal was fantastic). I know corn and peaches don't sound good together, but the corn was more like barley or something other than corn, and the peaches were soaked in Papaya juice and the taste was strong enough that the corn didn't affect it at all. It was surprisingly good and I'm glad I ordered it. The best part was that the entire day and the grand meal was included in the price of the ISEP trip, so we just got up and left.

On the way back to Viña, some of the other students were talking about going to the mall later in the evening at around 6:30 and I figured I'd see if my family had anything planned and if not, that I'd tag along as well. Well as soon as I got back, my mom told me that they were going to her sister's birthday party and that I'm coming too. I was really confused because I thought she meant really soon so I figured I'd have to skip the mall, but they just went on with their evening as usual, and then we had our "dinner" meal at around 8:30. Afterwards, they rushed off to the store and I was left at home with my two siblings. I noticed Gabriela looked like she had gotten ready to go somewhere though, so I figured she had plans for the evening. The parents came home and didn't say anything about leaving so at this point I assumed I hadn't heard her correctly and that the party would actually be today. Well, at about 10 PM Rodrigo came up to my room and said, "Alright let's go, make sure you bring a jacket". Boy was I a little surprised, haha. I guess they like to start parties late here.

Although it was a little weird being in a house full of their other family members, they were all very nice to me. In fact, the first thing they asked when I got there is if I wanted any rum or whiskey, haha. I opted for the apple juice instead (I dont know what it is but their juice tastes so much better than in the US...). The party was just a few different families sitting around in the living room talking, nothing too big. One of the other families had a newborn baby and another had a two year old daughter. She probaby spent half the night dancing to the music they had on, it was really cute =) At around 12, my family decided that I was probably tired so we all got in the car and took off. On the way home, a cop pulled up behind us with his lights on, but Rodrigo made no attempt to pull over or anything. In fact, we drove for a few blocks with the cop behind us (I thought for a second, are we really running from the cops right now?) before it finally went a different way. I guess I don't understand how the police and traffic stops work here...

It's 11:30 AM, and I think my mom is the only one up right now. They weren't kidding when they said they sleep in on Sundays. If I understood correctly, I think we're going to the beach later today. I'm pretty excited, it sounds like fun. But for now, my fingers are super cold and can't type much more. Enjoy the warmth.

Chao.