Looking for houses we liked was of course first on our to-do- list after the momentous pisco sour laden celebrations marking our decision to further our commitment in Chile.

BTW if you enjoy occasional social drinking then we’d like to introduce you to one of the best things about Chilean evenings on the patio. Pisco is a grape product fermented into the smoothest, loveliest 35-45% alcohol ever. Mixed with fresh lemons and sweetened the flavor is amazing. Just right for tipping back a few tastes while toasting or discussing one’s future. And yes, most larger alcohol venders in NA/Europe have a bottle tucked away if you ask. Recipe at the bottom of the post.

So, our next decision was--- well we weren’t sure, but poring through the internet offerings to see what was available in our price range was my default setting. We wanted to stay in the neighborhood be we currently living in if possible as it had all the things we thought a great neighborhood ought to have. (See Part One for photos of that house)

A side note here; If you have looked over any of my other writings and my current book offering, I Don’t Know Where I Want to Be-But it Isn’t Here, you will have probably figured out that I am incredibly picky about a few things in life. One of those is the place I live. I have a set of detailed ‘must haves’ that rivals the papal selection process.

When I buy a property I want

1. Good resale potential because someday you ARE going to want to sell it. Eventually. Houses generally last longer than human bodies so somewhere along the line it needs resale potential.

2. I know that for me I want to be on a hill with a view. Space and openness feed my soul- and a house is an everyday, all day, proposition.

3. House rather than condo at this stage of our lives. A yard is good for humans and dogs, plus musicians make noise when they compose and practice, and artists like me make messes with dyes, paints, and projects of all sorts. (Maybe this week I think we need some sort of large weird yard scupture who knows?)

4. A minimum of external noises/smells. Don’t want a place next to the garbage truck depot. We once lived ¼ mile from a mushroom farm and when the wind blew from the north your automatic gag reflexes would kick in and be on hair trigger until the wind shifted due to the compost they were grown in. This feature was not in evidence when we bought of course. It was discovered about 9 months into our first year of residence. We have been very careful to talk to neighbors about such things since then.

5. Close to the city but not in it

6. Close to public transport as it’s good for the environment and also health issues curtail my driving at times

7. Not right on a beach as salt ruins your appliances every few years, but ocean views are a big plus.

There are more but you get the idea. Carl is much less particular but always delighted with my living arrangements. We’ve lived long enough to learn a few things about ourselves and how we work and survive best. So with this all in mind we went virtual shopping.

There was nothing in our current communa that we could afford. When we arrived here but were not sure our immigration love affair was long term we could have bought a new house in this neighborhood with utilities underground, spectacular views and a pool for less than $180,000USD,including landscaping and pool.

Fast forward 3 years and those houses, which are too small for us anyway, are going for about $280,000 while other custom homes over the 1500sf (Roughly 140 square meters) are going for $400-600,000. And there were only 4 to choose from as this neighborhood only has 250 houses. (Since before we actually moved here I have been of the opinion that as a captial city parts of Santiago were way undervalued. And it looks as though we might have missed that closing window.)

Dammit!

So we went a little further afield and found… A Delight!

In our price range and on a hill in a fantastic green valley with clean air. (See the photos above) It was further out of town but public transport was cheap and regular. There was square footage to spare, a huge pool, enough mature fruit trees to feed us forever including avocados, peaches, nectarines, oranges, and the ever present varieties of grapes and organic vegetable beds underneath. There was a fantastic view and it suited our other 'must have' criteria. Well almost....

There was only one problem once we got into further research….no internet lines! We could get internet on 3G cell phones, which, if you have ever had it, you know is unbearably slow. Satellite connections could be had and are faster but there were problems when there are serious weather conditions. There was no real solution to this. I am a writer and must research and meet deadlines so I use a lot of internet. Waiting literally a minute for one page to load before I go to the next page would not be feasible or in our price range. The monopoly provider was not the least interested in bringing lines out to the area as they make a lot more money when you use the cell phone connection and pay for time used. So there would be no further infrastructure going in.

Regretfully we kissed the top of the hill goodbye and went back to looking for our perfect option from our rental house patio.

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Recipe for pisco sour:

The Pisco sour cocktail was invented in Peru & and Chile. (And oh heavens! The rivalry!) The main ingredient is Pisco which is a velvety kind of grape brandy. It will creep up on you, is pretty potent and not at all a ‘girlie’ drink.

Ingredients:

2 fluid ounces pisco (My husband over does this part usually, sloshing in pisco with gay abandon)

1 fluid ounce lemon/lime juice whichever fruit costs less is fine

3/4 fluid ounce simple syrup (the best way to go but you can dump sugar in and stir-it’s just grainy and not smooth that way)

1 egg white

1 cup or more of ice

4 drops Angostura bitters if you have them/ still ok without

Directions:

1.Combine Pisco, juice, syrup, and egg white, ice in a blender and mix until you you have a delicious pisco lemon slushy

2.Garnish with 4 drops Angostura Bitters. (We make these up by the blenderful so that 6 people can be imbibing at once, just multiply.)

All Text & Photos Copyright Suzie Hammond

All Text & Photos Copyright Suzie Hammond;

Author: "I Don't Know Where I Want to Be-But it's Not Here" (Easily Find Your Ideal Relocation Destination) http://www.goodwriter.info

Blog: 'Uprooting' The Unwinding of Unusual Tales of Relocation-- small adventures all over the world

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