phew! We've made it!

I've got to say, it's been a whirlwind the last few days.  We left from LAX more than 36 hours ago and we are now comfortably settled into a bed and breakfast between Vina del Mar and Valparaiso Chile.  It's a beautiful spot, a couple blocks from the beach with a million dollar view of the port and the coast in both directions.

Some parts of the last few days have exceeded my expectations.  For example, I feared the 12 hours of flight time.  The image of a screaming baby came to mind every time I pictured the trip.  You know the one I'm talking about.  You start to get comfortable in your crammed space, you start to drift off and WHAM!  That baby starts screaming again.  We were lucky and good in this respect.  We were well prepped to take on any baby nightmare.  New books, check!  New interesting toys, check!  Mama's milk, on board!  Plenty of finger foods, yep!  We were also lucky.  Jaden, our non sleeper, decided to sleep pretty well.  We were also blessed with wonderful plane neighbors.  Nobody stayed up late in loud conversation or minded much when Jaden crawled down the isle one way or another.

We've also had a superb bienvenidos (welcome).  The Chilean stewards working the desk in La Ciudad de Mexico made sure we had the best economy seats in the plane, up in front without the nuisance of neighbors in front of us.  They also made time for Jaden, checking in on him, playing with him and teaching him the word "hola."  Pretty sweet deal.  Finally, two Chileans gave us their phone numbers and told us to call if we have any questions or problems.  After 12 years since I've been here, I'm glad to know that the Chilean's spirited and generous hospitality has remained unaffected.

We haven't been in the country very long and already we've accomplished a lot.  We have cell phones for local use only (sorry mom).  We have our RUT number so we can begin to look for work at the local schools and we got a new stash of toys and manipulatives for Jaden.  We've also gone to the park and the beach.  Overall, we're really excited about being here and everything has gone really smoothly.

On another note, we've discovered that everything that looks good and sounds good on paper isn't always great in practice.  We were sure that we would spend the next few months in Vina del Mar.  The only problem is that Vina has grown a tremendous amount.  I knew that from the photos I'd seen, many new multistoried apartment buildings on the beach.  The only thing is, I hadn't realized that meant there was a significant amount of people living here.  There are people everywhere.  I also realized that while Vina is close to all the things I love to do, surfing, climbing, paragliding, it doesn't really have any of it.  Without a car, it will be very hard for me to enjoy living here.  So, we've decided to look around a little bit.

We took a drive today, up to Renaca (about 15 minutes north) and realize that we could both handle living in this cute beachside community.  We also realized that we know very little about what the rest of Chile has to offer us.  So, we've decided to go for a little drive (a week or two) to see what else is out there.  We're going to head south.  We know there are good waves down south and beautiful forests and mountains.  So, we're going to take a look.  If we find somewhere we like, we'll stay and try to find jobs.  If not, we'll go and look elsewhere.  If all else fails, we'll end up back in Renaca, where there are many schools in which to work, a wave to surf and flying and climbing nearby.

Anyway, we're excited about the little adventure we're going to take and are hopeful to find a home base in which to stabilize very soon.  More later!  I've got a lot to say.  This is the quick and dirty version of what I'd like to write.  Just the facts for now!  Love to all!