Caldera

Hola Todos!

Yeah!!! The Library is open again! Phew, I was having withdrawels from not getting to use the internet for 4 days or so :). Well, today for your viewing pleasure I uploaded some photos from Anna´s and my day trip to Caldera last Saturday. Caldera is about 45 minutes away and is a cool little beach town that reminds me of a mix between Avila and Los Osos. So, here aer some pics of our fun day!

One of the first things that we did when we got there was walked along the pier. Right next to the pier is a Fish Market which Anna and I strolled through.

In the Fish Market there were all sorts of crazy looking shell fish and fish that we have only seen in Chile. It was fun to mix into the energized atmosphere of the market with fish mongers shouting their wares and prices, locals buying things for lunch or dinner, etc.

Piure
This is one weird...what do you call it? Shell fish? I have no idea what it scientifically is classified as. This red mass is called Piure and is not for the faint of heart. Anna and I have tried it once and hated it. If you look up a description of it, you usually will find the phrase "tastes like iodine". GROSS! Yeah, I definately never have a craving for iodine. If you notice there are oval impressions all over it and that is because the "meat" that you eat has been taken out and...



...put in a bucket and then...

...washed and put in a bowl to sell. Mmmmm, doesn´t that look appetizing!

But, there is a good restaurante that is at the end of the Fish Market if you want something a little more "normal". So far Anna and I haven´t had a chance to try out the food there.

Here is a picture of all the people shopping. It wasn´t a huge market, but definately popular among the locals and tourists.

Ceviche

Sorry about the pic being rotated the wrong way. I´m not sure how to fix that. Anyways, this is Ceviche otherwise known as raw fix bathed in lemon juice. Supposedly the acid in the lemon "cooks" the fish or shell fish, but my rule of thumb is to not buy this stuff. Don´t get me wrong, I like Ceviche, but just not when I am unsure when it was prepared. I love scallops "ceviche" style, but only when I catch the scallops and make it myself.

Here are some of the things that they were selling. Look in the back at the long fish. Those are called "Congrio" or Conger Eel. They are not eel, but kind of like the Lingcod found in CA. I REALLY want to catch one, but I may just have to be satisfied with eating one at a restaurante.

More fish, crabs, and shell fish.

The boats were very cool to look at because they were all so brightly painted.

On the pier the fishermen were repairing their nets. That was also interesting to Anna and me so we watched them for a bit.

Here a local fishergal is filleting some fish to sell. When she was done filleting she threw the guts and scaps behind her for the...

...fat lazy seals. Watching them kind of reminded me of being on the pier in Port San Luis. It made Anna and I miss home a bit.

Here is a close up of one of the big males.

Anna checking out the seals.

After walking along the pier Anna and I went to two different Empanaderías. The first was Empanadopolis which is very popular. Here I am eating an awesome Chicken, chees, and olive empanada.

Here is a pic of the front of the restaurante.

After eating at Empanadopolis Anna and I went to the other very famous Empanada shop. The other one is called "Casa de las Empanadas". Well, after eating there we wished we had just gone to Casa de las Empanadas because they were SOOOOOOO good!!!!!!!!

A shot fo the sign above the restaurante.

After eating lunch Anna and I went to Bahía Inglesa or "English Bay". It is super touristy and during the summer it gets very crowded.

Two hot lookin´gringos.

Normally the water is crystal tourqoise blue, but there was all this kelp making the color gross green! It was too cold to swim, but fun nonetheless.

Ok, I´m getting kicked off the internet! My 1 free hour is way up, so until next time!!!