Borrowing Bravery: Making Paella in Chile

A picture I took in 2008.  The pueblo is Pego, Spain.  The flat area in the upper left show the rice fields where  bomba rice is cultivated.  Finally, the Mediterranean looms in the distance.

Perhaps the souls of my other ancestors are floating around somewhere, disappointed that once again I’m going to write about Yaya.  I’ve been writing about Yaya since I knew how to write, and while it’s thanks to all of those who came before me that I was born in a wonderful country to wonderful parents, she gets 95% of the credit.  For having lived so long and loved so well, she lives large in my memory.

An Alien in this Land

Moving to a new country feels like a really stupid thing to do, sometimes.  I have felt incompetent, useless, and foolish.  I have felt out of my element, over my head, confused, frustrated, and irrationally upset about little things.  I complain more than I should, and sometimes it feels lonely.  My pessimistic moments have the power to turn into days, sometimes.

The 6th Sense in Valparaíso

Perhaps one reason why Valparaíso enchants the pants off of so many visitors has to do with the sensual stimulation of the place.  The centuries-old port city presents a feast for the eyes, with expansive views of hillside homes overlooking the teal-blue sea, while intricately painted stonework, doorways, and murals overwhelm an artistic eye. 

Escape (to) (from) Bahía Laguna Verde

Detail:  Valparaiso in the distance as seen from Laguna Verde

This weekend the Llama and I indulged in a one night getaway in honor of Valentine’s Day. We packed our bags for Bahía Laguna Verde, about 14km (less than 9 miles) south of Valparaíso. Excited to explore new terrain, we pictured ourselves hiking on the coastline, reading on the beach, playing ukulele and relaxing by a campfire as we had done on many of our backyard adventures on the Oregon Coast or Northern California. While I hate to say our expectations were ill-met, I will say that the Llama and I once again heard the universe insisting that we drop our ideas of what comes next.

GENESIS: The Lady and the Llama’s First (Mis)Adventure

Wizard Island – Crater Lake

This is not the story of how a lady and a llama fell in love. That is a great story for another time. This is the tale of how the llama first helped the lady discover an appetite for outdoor adventure.