One of the coolest things about Chile has been the fact that there's always something new, always somewhere to go, always something to experience. It seems as though every weekend, my friends and I find ourselves rolling out on a new adventure, sometimes places new and exciting, things we don't have in the states; while others are just close, convenient, or pretty.Recently, we decided to spend an afternoon at a local botanical garden. While we've never really had an adventure together where several people weren't late, something didn't go array, or we didn't get picked up by the police; this was a calm and beautiful change of pace.
When I arrived, I was surprised this particular location was so close to my house. I live in Chorrillos in Viña del Mar which is at the Northern most edge of the city (I think). In the mornings headed to Valparaíso, this means I wind up traveling a little further than most of my friends, but the tranquil, calm, evenings, are worth the extra minutes. It's also nice that this botanical garden was about five minutes from my house. In the states such a garden might be a few acres with a couple of green houses, this one was a little more expansive. We walked around the garden for hours, amazed at the beautiful foliage, the blooming flowers, and at how beautiful and museum-like their administrative buildings are (sorry to the office workers who had to explain their office wasn't part of the park).
Deeper into the park there was an area designated for children, perfect for a herd of wandering gringos; camping areas, and at the end a large deeply colored lagoon. But of all of the things this park or garden, had to offer, was the Cacti Garden!!In my past blogs, I've mentioned my cactus Roberto that lives in my window. I found him on a dark and dreary day (actually quite sunny) at a flea-market type, pop-up, weekend festival. I bought him from a Chilean man that spoke 5 different languages and all of them better than me. He swore to me that I wouldn't be able to kill this cactus, so I took him home and by the grace of God, sweet Roberto is alive and well! But I've always loves cacti and to wonder around an entire garden of them (and to take selfies with them) with my friends, was the cherry on top of a lovely day.
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| My favorite picture taken in Chile, with my phone on a timer, propped on a rock. :) |