LSU CHILE: Out on the Town By Blair Claypoole

Out on the Town

FREEDOM! Finally, after a week in bed, I am feeling much better and can leave the house. I have never been so excited to just walk outside! After much help from my medication, host family, and new best friend Rosa (our dear housekeeper who kept me company during the day all week) I am closing in on recovery. Today we ventured into downtown to shop for my family in the States, and it was so refreshing to see this side of Concepcion.

We started off with a stop by the downtown cathedral. I walked in for some pictures and discovered it was also choir practice. The choir sounded beautiful as I wandered the cathedral. Soon Esteban thought he was a part of the choir and began to sing along; we left shortly after!

We decided to stop for ice cream after our church visit. I have seen so many ice cream shops in the area since visiting Concepcion. It was a skinny long cone with a mountain of ice cream on top. I was nearing a sugar comma and had to stop eating it about half way through. As I was walking off the ice cream cone, and in search of more souvenirs we stumbled on this little gem!

Pay phones!

I know everyone thought these all dropped off the face of the Earth, but surprise! They exist and are fully functional here in Chile. My host family thought it a little odd that I wanted a picture with such a common object until I explained the rarity of it in the States.

Another crazy sighting was this guy! We made a little donation, watched his groovy moves, and got pictures with the sideshow entertainment. He was a blast and the crowd loved him! For protection his name remains anonymous; as you can see he already stands out.

More shopping route sightings!

Smallest trees known to man. These are real trees that won't get any bigger than the length of my arm and just a little bit wider than they are now. I literally looked like a giant next to them!

This, I am told, is an Indian Statue. It sits beautifully in the downtown square.

This is my main man for the day. He is a street vendor that makes handcrafted leather work. He has beautiful purses, coin pouches, and key chains for sale. I was so impressed with his work, and thankful we just happened to run into his cart. I now carry a piece of Chile over my shoulder!

Walking towards the car on a street corner we ran into this sideline food stop. This is my definition of street meat! Knowing good and well I would never test my stomach to try it I asked Esteban if he would eat it, and of course he said yes because he is a growing twelve year old boy who is hungry for everything. I don't trust his yes on this one.

My two fearless leaders today! My wonderful host mom, Damaris, and host brother, Esteban! A big thank you to both of them for the downtown experience!

We met up with the girls, my host sisters Victoria and Isabella, at the grandparent’s house for lunch!

Detouring to stop by the meat market on our way home I got my first trip to a real butcher's place! Usually my cow comes already ground and prepackaged, so this was new.