Communal Living

Geneen and I live in a cabin in a little compund called Las Milpas close to the Hospitalito. At Las Milpas there are 6 rental units, and, together with other neighbors, most nights we have a communal dinner. Cooking for 10-15 people can be a bit of work, but you only do it once a week or so, and often enlist the help of other. Two nights ago, one of the doctors orchestrated a very labor-intensive Polish meal, consisting of Pirogi and a cabbage dish. Pirogi are a lot of work, as we made dough, filling, everything from scratch. Worth the effort, though! Then Geneen and I made eggplant Parmesan, which was also a big hit. Broccoli with garlic and sesame, fresh fruits, cake for dessert. Last night was a fantastic tofu curry. I made chicken mole a few weeks back. I am salivating as I type...

There are usually visitors as well as us regulars, and there is often Guatemalan beer and rum, Chilean wine, and sometimes something odd (but good) such as Pitahaya wine. the communal dinner and subsequent conversations and clean up occupies our time from about 6pm to 9pm. I'm usually in bed by then!


The pitahaya flower.

The bad news -- Las Milpas, which is currently owned by an heir to the Pabst brewing company, is being sold within a month. The family buying it will occupy the house, leaving the rest of the renters with no communal kitchen. We're looking for a new place....

-----Bike Ride to San Lucas Tolimán-----

Yesterday I decided to ride my new bike to San Lucas, about 15km from Santiago. It's so hilly, I spent the entire ride either zooming down hills with the brakes on, sweating up a hill in 1st gear, or walking the bike. It took about an hour each way, and I had only one near-death experience ( I was flying downhill, and a vehicle coming the other direction was passing a truck -- he backed off when he saw me, otherwise I would have had to run off the pavement).