2026 ADVENTURES
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LET THE ADVENTURES BEGIN!
2026 ADVENTURES 2025 ADVENTURES 2015 ADVENTURES 2014 ADVENTURES
2025 ADVENTURES
- Coffee Festival Fun!Coffee here, coffee there, coffee coffee everywhere at the San Francisco Coffee Festival in Fort Mason Festival Pavilion on Saturday Nov 8. One of Raquel’s favorites was the “Shaggy” from Bad Baristas, which made her eyes open wide with all the caffeine and sugar combo …
- Happy Anniversary!
What a fabulous anniversary day, which started with a gorgeous sunrise: Although Ben had a full day of meetings, as well as dealing with firefighters, Raquel took advantage of the gorgeous day and walked up & over Russian Hill, through the Marina, Presidio and Fort … - Tiburon: Be Flexible & Select Your View
Monday Oct 6 was one of the most gorgeous days – sunny and the mid-70s – which was perfect for a ferry ride to Tiburon. After walking past the Carnival cruise ship and hopping on the ferry, we crossed the bay past Alcatraz and Angel … - Sunday at the Castro
Although we missed the Folsom Street Fair, we did make it to the Castro Street Fair for some good music, pride booths, coffee at the famous Castro Coffee house next to the old Castro theater, interesting sights, unique body piercings, and some good conversations with … - Hardly Strictly Friday
There is no better way to celebrate Friday than with good friends, family, and music in San Francisco! In the morning Raquel met up with her friend Sheela, who showed her The Painted Ladies (a row of Victorian houses painted in bright colors during … - Napa Food, Wine, & Culture Adventure
Sometimes the best trips are spontaneous, like the trip to Napa which we planned the night before we rented a car and drove across the Golden Gate Bridge Our first stop was in downtown Napa for an Ahi burger and some garlic fries at Gott’s … - Love and Architecture in Haight-Ashbury
Love was all around when we joined the San Francisco City Guide’s walking tour of Haight-Ashbury to learn the history of 60’s Rock music (Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Big Brother & the Holding Company) as well as the architecture of the … - Autumn Moon Festival Fun
Saturday, September 27, was the 35th Anniversary of the Annual Autumn Moon Festival in San Francisco; so, it was a good time to head to Chinatown for some delicious hand-made dumplings, moon cakes (Raquel’s favorite was white lotus seed with chestnuts – no yolk – … - Mission Murals & Yummy Food Tour
Friday was our Mission day for a tour of murals, tasty treats, and of course Mission Dolores! Although we contemplated starting our day with an amazing breakfast at El Mil Amores (saving it for next time), instead we opted for a quick coffee from Coffee … - Humans Should Never Drive Again!
So far we have been in 3 Waymos and after the first ride, Raquel exclaimed, “Humans should never drive again!” The Waymo can see people, bikes, animals, vehicles, and all obstacles 360 degrees – in front of you, behind you, to all sides, around buildings! … - What a Difference a Day Makes!
One of the valuable life lessons we have learned on our sabbatical is: If you have a beautiful, sunny day, enjoy it because you never know when the winds will change and bring in the fog! We also learned: “Push Through the Fog to the … - A Perfect San Francisco Day with Isa!
We embraced our inner tourists on a warm, sunny Saturday in San Francisco by hopping on the Sausalito ferry at Pier 41. After wandering through the streets of Sausalito, having brunch at the Lighthouse Cafe, randomly stumbling across a chili cook-off contest, and watching a … - He’s Launched!
Asher is loving the start to his freshman year at Bowdoin! From a smooth check-in to landing the best roommate and suite mates, Asher is loving the life of freshman year! As we were leaving Bowdoin on Monday afternoon, Raquel was reassured when she saw … - Go Gate: Junior Year!
Hard to believe 3rd year has already begun – time flies when you are having fun (and learning, too)! One of our favorite texts from Aliya so far this year is: “I love it here!!!” attached to the following photo . . . which says … - Welcome to Our 2025 Adventures!
We are on the sabbatical road again, but this time we don’t have to find schools for the kids and our travel plans and apartment hunting are more “just in time”. So you never know, we might be coming somewhere close by you (or somewhere …
2015 ADVENTURES
- Flying with the Gibbons
After riding on elephants, it was time to go higher . . . up to the sky . . . to fly with the gibbons! So we hopped in a van and travelled about 45 minutes outside of Chiang Mai to try the 30 various sky … - Ride ‘Em Elephants!
When in Chiang Mai, ride elephants! On our way out to the Blue Elephant tour grounds, we stopped at a market on the outskirts of Chiang Mai to buy some exotic fruits for our snacks. Once we arrived about an hour outside of Chiang Mai, … - Riding High in Chiang Mai!
We were so excited to finally be off the bus, out of the back of the pick up truck, and in the peaceful refuge of the Amata Lanna hotel in Chiang Mai. What Aliya was most excited about was finally seeing her good friend, Sofia! … - Upstream to Tha Ton
After a couple days in Chiang Rai, we woke up early, had a yummy breakfast buffet at Le Meridien hotel and then went down to an outdoor shack by the Kok River to haggle our way onto a wooden boat that would take us to Tha … - Chiang Rai
After a few days of bustling Bangkok, we flew for an hour on Thai Airways up to Chiang Rai. We loved our hotel – Le Meridien in Chiang Rai – on the banks of the Kok River, with its open air lobby, infinity pool, balconies, comfy … - Thailand Adventure: Bangkok!
The volcano eruptions on Sumatra finally settled down enough for our flight to take off from Bali to Bangkok. We had an amazing Thai adventure of canal tours, temples, markets, elephant riding, flying gibbons, and seeing friends. After a long ride from the airport to … - Bali Holiday!
After an exciting 5 days in Borneo, we arrived in Bali on July 7. Cristina’s amazing driver, Kumang, picked us up and took us to Villa Zen in Canggu, so the kids could recover from the virus they picked up in Borneo. Our first day, … - Borneo Blues!
On Tuesday, we moved out of our Hong Kong apartment; and, two days later, we were on a flight to Kota Kinabalu, Borneo. While watching the safety briefing on our DragonAir flight to Kota Kinabalu, Asher exclaimed, “Hey, they copied the safety video from Cathay … - So Long, Hong Kong!
Well, it’s official: we moved out of our apartment at 80 Robinson Road on Tuesday June 30! We are really going to miss passing by those smiling porters as we pull up to the entrance of Block 2. Walking through our brightly lit lobby: Riding … - Japanese Birthday Adventure!
Three days after Aliya and Asher’s school year ended at the Canadian International School in Hong Kong, we hopped on a plane on June 15th to Haneda Airport for a 2 week holiday in Japan. Fortunately, Raquel had found an amazing deal that gave us 2 … - Daddy Daughter Ball
Aliya and Ben went to their first Daddy Daughter Ball in Hong Kong at the Conrad Hotel on June 6th. It was a charity ball to help the Child Development Centre of Hong Kong. The theme was Arabian Nights! Aliya and Ben were guests of … - Modern, Clean, Adventure Parks Galore: Singapore!
Singapore is like a multicultural (Chinese, Malay, Indians, and Expats), modern, clean metropolis, rich in activities for kids, but somehow a bit sterile or at least lacking the gritty, rough around the edges, mystery behind every corner nature of Hong Kong. It is also incredibly … - Paddleboard Yoga in Hong Kong!
Today (May 18) was a wonderful Monday morning in Hong Kong! I am part of the CISPA (Canadian International School Parents Association) Monday morning hiking group. But since it has started to get a bit hot for our 20+ kilometer hikes up and down the … - High Treat with Dad!
Sometimes the best treats are unexpected! Yesterday (May 13), when Asher stepped off the bus at Pier 6, Ben was waiting for him to take him on an unexpected adventure in the sky. We have often seen the Hong Kong Observation Wheel from the window … - Temples, Monks, & Monkeys: Cambodia!
For the May Day (Labor Day) holiday on May 1, we flew for a long weekend trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Our adventure began at the Siem Reap airport when we filled out 4 sets of 5 different Cambodian entry forms (health declaration, immigration, customs, … - Mother’s Day Phantasmagoria!
So it wasn’t a typical Mother’s Day Celebration! This year after a yummy brunch at Classified (with Carrot Cake!), we walked through the Hong Kong Zoo on our way to catch the Tram up to the Peak for a morning of optical illusions. The Trick … - Confusing Currency!
Unlike the US in which the currency is issued only by the US Treasury, currency in Hong Kong is issued by three different banks: Bank of China, Standard Chartered Bank, and HK Shanghai Banking Corp. So, the currency in Hong Kong can look completely different even … - Daredevil Construction!
One of the unique charactaristics of Hong Kong is the use of bamboo scaffolding for construction. Bamboo poles are tied together with plastic ties to create a multi-layered flexible scaffolding for the construction of everything from small store fronts to huge sky-scrapers. The most amazing … - On the Streets!
Hong Kong is a festival of the senses! Every time we walk out our door in Hong Kong, we are treated with the surprise of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching something new. Sometimes it is for the positive and other times we just chalk … - Vietnamese Safety?!
Forget seatbelt laws, especially for kids! (we had to specifically request a van with seat belts after our private tour company sent 2 different vans to drive us without them). But that was nothing compared with the motorbike helmet law for the local vietnamese. It … - 10,000 Buddhas!
Today (April 17) we went to the the New Territories in northern Hong Kong to see the 10,000 Buddhas Monastery–the trip to the monastery turned out to be as “interesting” as the temple….but more on that later. The monastery sits at the top of a … - Vietnam HIghlights!
We just spent 9 days over Spring break in verdant, motorcycle-filled Vietnam, from the smoking hot and humid south of the Mekong Delta to the cool, island-dotted north of Halong Bay. The highlights of our trip were: (1) the many modes of transportation (2) The delicious Vietnamese food … - Unlucky 4 You!
Can you tell what’s missing in this photo inside the lift of our apartment in Hong Kong? We live on the 39th floor. But, can you figure out which floor we really live on? So, unlike the US in which you rarely find a 13th … - Rugby 7s!
Friday March 27, Ben Asher and I were lucky to have enjoyed a unique Hong Kong experience: the Rugby 7s! 16 teams from every continent in the world traveled to Hong Kong Stadium to play Rugby for the 40th Anniversary of the Rugby 7s in Hong … - Isa in HK!
We spent a fabulous 4 days with our g-ddaughter, Isabella Colocci, who visited us for a few days in early March before heading off to Shanghai to teach. We celebrated Isa’s first night by going to a tasty, award-winning, Chinese restaurant called Hutong, with a … - Last Stop, Shanghai!
Our 10 day trip around China finished with a day and a half in Shanghai, filled with architecture, crowds of shoppers, terrible traffic, delicious dumplings, tasty tea, a lion dance, and the most amazing fireworks finale I have ever seen in my life! The first … - Natural Wonders: Guilin & Yangshuo!
After visiting the creations of the powerful Qin and Ming Emperors, we flew south to the warmth and natural beauty of Guilin and Yangshuo. Our first stop in Guilin was a visit to the beautiful stalagmite and stalagtites at the Reed Flute Cave. The cave … - Warriors, Dumplings, & Fireworks!
We had the most amazing Chinese New Year celebration in Xian! Our adventure began before we even landed in the imperial capital of China. After Asher was stroked on the cheek and had his hair and ear pulled by some admiring older ladies in the … - Awesome Great Wall!
“I want to be a warrior when I grow up!” exclaimed Asher at the top of the Great Wall. It was a misty, overcast day when we traveled about an hour and a half outside of Beijing to visit the Great Wall at Mutianyu, the longest fully-restored … - First Stop Beijing!
The Chinese capital city of Beijing was our entry city which kicked off our 10 day tour of China. It was the first time that Aliya, Asher and I had ever been to China. Aliya’s first impression of Beijing was the smokey smell and polluted … - Pandas, Ear Picking, Duck Heads, and Opera!‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ …
- Kung Hai Fat Choi!
Happy Year of the Ram . . . or the Sheep . . . or the Goat! We think something might be a bit lost in translation, but as far as we can tell, it is the Year of the Ram. Chinese New Year is … - Ni Hao Mickey: Hong Kong Disney!
Saturday we surprised the kids when we hopped on the Disney Express and headed over to Lantau Island to spend the day at Hong Kong Disney! Although Hong Kong Disneyland only opens at 10am, they let people enter the gates and go down Main Street … - Netball Star!
After learning field hockey at St Margarets School in Chile, Aliya has picked up another new sport at CDNIS in Hong Kong – Netball! Aliya is a proud member of the Timberwolves. Here is her first game in which she played against ISF. Aliya really … - Macau Baby, Macau!
With seven times more revenue than Vegas, Macau is the new, clean, high-end, high stakes Vegas! Friday afternoon after school, we hopped on a ferry and rode 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Hong Kong to the island of Macau. Macau has a rich unique … - Oceans of Fun: Ocean Park!
We have only been in Hong Kong for 5 weeks and Asher & Aliya have been lucky enough to go to Ocean Park two times! Ocean Park, the largest theme park in all of Asia is a mix of Six Flags and Sea World with an absolutely … - Living the High Life!
After staying a week with our wonderful friends the Vincents in Kowloon and another week at the Meir serviced apartments, we finally moved into our Hong Kong home way up high, on the 39th floor! We mainly chose our new apartment because of the amazing … - Nothing But Bones!
So, I guess I’m not adept at chopsticks or I don’t quite get some of the local cuisine. But how on earth are you supposed to eat all those bones?!?!?! Ben and I went out for lunch and ordered BBQ pork ribs and this is … - Hong Kong Homework!
Ever wondered what it would like like if you were doing your homework in Hong Kong? Check out the view behind Asher & Aliya, who were doing their homework from the first day of school at the Canadian International School in Hong Kong (CDNIS). We …
2014 ADVENTURES
- Best X-mas Ever!
“This is the best Christmas ever!” exclaimed Asher while we were riding horses at the Cerro Frias Ranch outside of El Calafate, Argentina on Christmas Day. On Vasco (Asher), on Picasso (Aliya), on Darth Vader (Ben), on Rubio (Raquel) we rode up and down the … - Ice Trekking with Cramp-ons!
One of the most amazing things we did in all of our South American adventures was strapping on cramp-ons to hike the Perito Moreno Glacier! The Perito Moreno Glacier was declared an UNESCO world heritage site in 1981. While most glaciers are receding due to … - Cool Upsala Glacier Tour!
Our first full day back in El Calafate, Argentina, we took a boat tour of the massive glaciers – Upsala & Spegazzini – and the icebergs that broke away during the calving of the glaciers. I loved seeing the icebergs – shining blue and white in the … - Yurts, Hikes & Wind: Torres del Paine, oh my!
We had a spectacular 4 days of comfy-chic yurts, amazing hikes, delicious picnics, intense wind, unique wildlife, early morning snow, Hanukkah celebrations, and spectacular vistas in Torres del Paine, a Chilean national park in Patagonia. Our exciting Torres del Paine adventure began on our drive … - How Low Can You Go?!
Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos) was the windiest and coldest place (as well as the furthest south) we went on our Patagonia adventure. Cape Horn marks the northern part of the Drake Passage which separates the Americas from Antartica. Believe it or not, there … - Cruising Patagonia: Stella Australis!
What a way to start the end of our Chilean adventure – with a 4-day cruise along the Patagonia glaciers on the Stella Australis! Our adventure began before we even landed with a spectacular aerial view of all the snow tipped volcanos and bright blue … - Asher’s Prize Giving Ceremony!
December 11th, Asher was all dressed up in his “Uniforme Numero Uno” with his new haircut, ready for the Prize Giving ceremony at Mackay. The ceremony started off with an amazing entrance by all the Primary School boys coming in from all directions singing and … - Aliya’s “Spirit of Giving” Ceremony!
The “Spirit of Giving” ceremony at St. Margarets school was a beautiful and loving end to a spectacular five and half months of fun, friendship, learning, singing, dancing and nurturing support from Aliya’s friends, prefect (Chiche), and teacher (Miss Valentina) in 4B. The ceremony started … - Definitely Rustico!
The name of the restaurant says it all: El Rustico! One of Ben’s favorite meals of all times was at a very rustic Chilean BBQ spot on the way to La Campana National Park in Olmue. All of the food was cooked in wood burning … - 911 vs. 0226800001
What will you dial in an emergency? . . . 911? Not in Chile! Can you remember 0226800001? How many 0s were there? Can you remember the other numbers? Don’t worry if you can’t remember 0226800001, you can always dial 0226800002! - Lovin’ Los Lagos!
Just one week after heading up north to the desert, we flew south to the Region Los Lagos (the Lake District) to hike around the volcanos and tour the Lakes. Our low point happened when we arrived with 2 starving kids at 7pm at our … - Favoritos de los Lagos!
As we were eating a delicious torte at Cassis in Pucon after 4 fabulous days in Los Lagos, we asked everyone what were their favorite things about Los Lagos. And here is what we said: ALIYA (1) Almost lost my tooth (2) The Green Lagoon … - Desert Birthday: San Pedro de Atacama!
For Raquel’s 40+ Birthday, we took a long weekend trip to the desert of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile for amazing stargazing, breathtaking views of the colors of the desert, salt lake floating, and some arts & crafts. After a 1.5 hour drive from Calama, … - Star Gazing!
The Atacama Dessert sky is one of the clearest for star gazing! It’s dry conditions (it usually gets less than a millimeter of rain/year), high altitude (8,000 feet), and low level of light pollution (there is pretty much nothing else there besides San Pedro) make … - Ketchup on Pizza?!?!
We were at the Family Day (“Kermesse”) for Asher’s school (Mackay) and when we were ordering some pizza, Asher said to make sure we asked for it “sin ketchup” (without ketchup)! So it turns out that most kids put not just a little but a … - Not So “Completo”!
One of the more popular snacks (lunches) in Vina is the “Completo”, a hot dog with some unique condiments. In fact, Asher has eaten one of these “Completos” at every birthday party he has attended. A “completo” comes with tomatoes, avocado, and LOTS and LOTS … - Earthquake Through Asher’s Eyes
Here is Asher’s view of the big Temblor that we experienced our first month in Chile: This is what it says: “THERE WAS AN EARTHQUAKE! Hear the story? On the ipad, we were watching YouTube Matty B. The earth started making sounds. We turned up … - Fun Commute!
Tired of waiting for traffic lights to turn green? Bored of sitting in traffic? Come to Vina del Mar, where there is always some fun entertainment while you wait for the light to turn green! Check out this guy who is juggling pins while balanced … - Wired Up!
So what is one of the most important professions in Vina del Mar, Chile? Being an electrician! As you can see from these photos, it is not an easy job to keep the power on. The scary thing is that even little kids can get close … - Tribal Shaming!
Want to know how to get someone to pay their condo fees? Let the whole condo know exactly who is behind on their condo fees and exactly where they live by posting it in the most prominent place in the building – in all of … - More Easy 2d Grade Words!
So, if you had some problems with Asher’s last spelling list of “Crustaceans” and “Invertebrates”, try spelling some of these easy second grade words. Keep in mind, that most of the kids in Asher’s class are learning to spell these English words as a second … - Typical Chilean Lunch!
Often Ben and I go out for lunch—it is the Chilean tradition to have a bigger lunch and a smaller dinner. Most restaurants have a “menu del dia” or “Menu Ejecutivo” (menu of the day) which offers a 3-course meal at a discounted price ($4,500 … - Shake, Rattle, & Roll!
Although the local Chileans didn’t even notice, it was a big night for earthquakes. We had four of them on Thursday night ranging from 4.1 to 5.2. Vinamarinos (the local term for people from Vina) don’t notice or mention earthquakes until they reach 7.0 or … - All Locked Up!
At first, they look like child locks—cabinet locks designed to keep children from playing with (breaking?) cups, glasses, and dishes. But then you notice they are on all the cabinets even the ones that are five feet off the ground…where children can’t reach them. What … - Cruisin’ Santa Cruz!
One of our favorite quick weekends away took place in the lush wine growing area of Colchagua, Chile and the town of Santa Cruz. The adventure began as we drove through the strawberry growing area. (Of course, we had to buy a punnet of strawberries … - Watch Your Step!
Be thankful the next time you walk down a sidewalk and don’t find a gaping hole for you to fall into. Or that you don’t stub your toe on a piece of the sidewalk that has buckled up. Dodging broken sidewalks (and gifts that the … - Invertebrates, Crustaceans, & More Easy 2nd Grade Spelling Words!
Have you ever wondered what would be on a Second Grade spelling test if you had to learn English as a second language? I’m not sure if “miscellaneous”,”molluscs”, or “vertebrates” would have been at the top of your list. But all those words and some … - Ben’s Escuela
So instead of being at the front of the class teaching, Ben has spent the last 6 weeks on the other side of the desk, learning what it is like to be a student again. Ben has had a great experience at the Escuela Spanish … - Feliz Fiestas Patrias!
September 18th is Fiestas Patrias, the national Chilean holiday to celebrate Chile’s independence from Spain in 1810. In good Chilean fashion, the holiday is celebrated for weeks! With lots of dancing, pisco sour, and yummy empanadas . . . Both Aliya and Asher enjoyed a … - Chocolate, Manjar, & Coke! Oh, my!
So, we can’t figure out if it is the most amazing marketing ever or if Chileans just have an insatiable sweet tooth, but we have never seen Coca Cola penetrate a market like it has in Chile. Everyone, everywhere serves Coke . . . to … - Loving the Beach Life!
We live just 2 blocks from the beach in Vina del Mar. There are so many amazingly fun activities to do at the beach. When Asher was asked what is his favorite thing to do at the beach, he said “There are so many fun … - Spectacular Sunsets!
One of the unexpected pleasures of our apartment in Vina del Mar is watching the amazing sunsets from our balcony. Enormous container ships, suspended on the horizon, float between the buildings. Here are a few of our favorite pix of the sunsets in Vina del … - Galapagos Adventure!
We just returned from an incredible week in the Galapagos Islands preceded and followed by a few days in Quito, Ecuador–the Galápagos Islands are an Ecuadorian National Park. We spent six days on board the M/V Santa Cruz, an expedition ship with 81 passengers. Each … - Amazing Galapagos Animals
The animals in the Galapagos are truly unique, from Darwin’s finches (which were the basis for his theory on Natural Selection) to the blue footed boobies, penguins, sea lions, cormorants, frigates, and more. Aliya’s favorite was the baby sea lion while Asher loved the blue … - Waterfalls & Chocolate in the Cloudforest!
We could have spent days exploring the wonderful area near Mindo, Ecuador! But we only had a day to hike the waterfalls and learn all about the process of making chocolate. From growing the cacao pods, to drying and sorting the beans . . . … - The Center of the World!
Here we are at the Center of the World: 0 Latitude! Where we did experiments with water to see the Coriolis Effect: water whirled clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and just went straight down on the equator! We tried balancing … - Drink It With a Spoon!
We were quite surprised when our “Rosero” drink at the Plaza Grande Hotel in Quito was so thick that we had to “drink” it with a spoon. It was like having a sugary sweet, syrupy, fruit cocktail with barley in a mug! - The Green Police!
In the US, police cars tend to be blue and white or black and white, and police stations rarely have a uniform color. But in Chile, the “Carabineros” (the police) drive green and white cars and are housed in green and white police stations. One … - Graffiti Artists
We never realized how beautiful graffiti could be until we visited Valparaiso, the graffiti capital of the world! Sunday we went on a Graffiti tour of Valpo with graffiti artist, Al Ramirez, who explained the evolution of graffiti, with its various styles and world renowned … - Unique 1 Ring Circus!
Today we had a funny incident while Raquel and I were sitting at an outdoor café having lunch. We kept hearing a loudspeaker announcing performances for a travelling circus. In fact, we went to this Mexican circus about two weeks ago after seeing trucks with … - Unique Signs!It is always fun to travel and see signs that we wouldn’t see in the US. Here are a few of our favorites:
- The Night Our World Shook: Earthquakes in Chile!
Aliya, Asher and I (Ben was safe in Boston) were on the couch, snuggled closely watching youtube music videos, when a roar came from deep inside the soul of the world. The room began to rattle and the loud sounds of the “temblor” (what the Chileans … - Touring Valpo with the Leders!
We went on a spectacular tour (Tour 4 Tips) of Valparaiso, Chile with Raquel’s brother Jason, sister-in-law Norri, Jordan & Sammi. We had a great time riding on the funiculars and exploring the nooks and cranies of the streets of Valpo. We saw some amazing … - Neruda’s Isla Negra: Not an Island!
We learned an important lesson when visiting Pablo Neruda’s beach house, Isla Negra, about an hour south of Vina del Mar: Museums in Chile are closed on Mondays! But we were still able to get this glimpse of Neruda’s home where he wrote many of … - A Whole New Roll
Ever wonder what happened to the inside of the toilet roll? We never did either . . . until we moved to Chile and saw this: Who knew what we had been missing our whole lives – the inside of the toilet roll! The first … - Exploring Santiago with Family!
Our first week we arrived in Chile, we were fortunate to have our first visitors: Raquel’s brother Jason, sister-in-law Norri, Jordan & Sammi. We met them in Santiago (notice the smog – one of the reasons we decided that Vina del Mar on the coast … - First Day of School
Asher & Aliya started school the first week of August! Both kids wear ties every day, when it isn’t a sports day. Here is Aliya all dressed up and ready for her first day at St. Margaret’s School! Here is Asher getting ready for his first … - Receipts for Everything!
So, we aren’t sure if it is due to the old military regime or if it is a way for the government to ensure that every business pays taxes, but every time we buy anything, we are always given a receipt. Even the guy on … - Aliya’s First Impressions of Vina del Mar, Chile
When we asked Aliya about her first full day in Vina del Mar, here is what she said: My Favorite Thing I did: Going to the beach Thing that surprised me: how the guy could make a mermaid out of sand Different from home: I … - Asher’s First Impressions of Vina del Mar, Chile
When we asked Asher about his first full day in Chile, here is what he said: My Favorite Thing I did: Going to the mall My Favorite thing I saw: The sunset: it was orange, blue, red with a bit of purple. The … - Welcome to Follow the Leder Estys!
This blog is dedicated to all our friends and family, who we wish to engage with while we share our views of our adventures in the world!