Domingo

Santiago is a big city, and when I think of big cities I think of constant crowds, overflowing buses, and restaurants and businesses that are open 24/7.

Chile isn't like that, though. Weekends, and especially Sundays, are exceptionally quiet. Many restaurants and businesses are closed on Sundays. The cars that had been parked on our street all week vanished, the buses and metro cars cleared, and sidewalks felt wider than ever. People here treat Saturdays and Sundays as true days of rest.

Being gringos, we didn't exactly rest, but we did have a nice, calm day.

We started our day at La Vega, which is a huge outdoor (but covered) marketplace. It had fruits, vegetables, meats, nuts, grains, beans, and even household stuff like plates, cleaning supplies, and pet food. The food there was super inexpensive, super fresh, and super pretty.

I didn't feel comfortable pulling out my phone to take pictures while we were there, which is a shame, because I love the way stacked produce looks. There were mountains of every kind of fruit and vegetable you can imagine, as well as deep sacks full of dried beans, crisp nuts, and candy. So, no pictures of the delights there, but I did take some pictures of our (small) haul afterwards.

This all cost about $5 (US). 

We found avocados, pink lady apples, bananas, grapes, and rice vinegar. I'm looking forward to snacking on all of it (except for the rice vinegar... that's for the sushi later this week).

We also bought some miel de abeja (honey) for Erika, a friend of Matt's. We went to her house for lunch. Erika and her son are so welcoming and friendly, and are just really good people in general. 

We started with tea, as always. Hot tea is so nice. I've really enjoyed having it here. Chileans have electric kettles called teteras that are fantastic. It's convenient to always have hot water ready. 

Then she prepared a salad with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado.

And we had a nice pot of lentil stew (lentils, rice, carrots, and onions). It was warming and delicious in the cold weather.

I like quiet days like this. We enjoyed spending time with friends, sharing a good meal, and walking around the city.

I haven't posted many pictures of people yet, so I figured I'd add some photos of us from the walk for good measure.