Where's Paul?: Why yes, Chile is chilly! ;)

I know, another corny title. You try and make the titles sound interesting, I dare you...because it isn't that easy. :) Okay, enough of my dribble, on to Punta Arenas! So Punta Arenas (yes, it's fun to say) is a tiny little city on the southern most tip of Chile. It takes forever to get here, but is beautiful. I won't get an opportunity to see the glacier national park this trip, but will on my next I hope! So I'm here to work, but all work and no play....yeah, you get the idea.

Punta Arenas - this isn't the party town that Santiago is and doesn't have the great coffee shops either, but it is very unique. The people here are incredibly nice even though I butcher their language and make weird attempts to mime what I need or want. Seriously I look like a mime with tourrets, but they just smile and somehow get that I want a cappuccino or glass of wine.

One of these nice people is my local contact, Gonzalo. Gonzalo is from Punta Arenas (I'm telling you, you'll find yourself saying it for no reason) and knows everyone from what I can tell. We met up this morning at my warehouse here at the docks. The NBP (Nathaniel B. Palmer Antarctic vessel) is in dock so lots of work was happening. I kept my tour brief to not interfere, but still accomplish my goals. After, Gonzalo said the magic words - Do you want to go grab some empanadas? So, how many people out there the proverbial "hole in the wall" restaurant? Well, me! This place was clean'ish and the people were wonderful. Gonzalo knows that family who owns and runs this place so they let me back in the kitchen while they were cooking our empanadas and soup. He did his best to translate my conversation with the two wonderful cooks. The pictures are below, this is a true South American old-world style kitchen. Lunch was, well, amazing. The empanadas were light and flaky and stuffed with meat and a light spicy sauce; the soup was a cross between soup and stew with potato, corn, and meat; and the wine was perfect. Four of us enjoyed a long lunch and I learned about the issues the program is facing down here. Such a great way to get work done on a Saturday.

Tonight we're going to another local restaurant. This one might even look like a restaurant from the outside I'm told, but no worries! I'll have pictures and a story later! :)