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*****CHILE UPDATE! DAVID CARGILL CAUGHT 15 TROUT YESTERDAY 1/30/06 ON THE RIO MAULLIN LOST TWO FISH OVER 5LBS ONE ATLANTIC SALMON, BUT LANDED A BOHEMITH 7LB BROWN WITH MONICA LIPS!STORY ON FRIDAY! STILL HAVE OPENINGS FOR FEBRUARY AND MARCH OVER 80,000 HITS SO FAR THIS MONTH, THANKS!*****

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The 2006 season in Chile kicked off by having a long plane ride into Santiago. The flight from Miami to Santiago was 8 hours over night, but I awoke to the ominous beauty of the Andes mountain range that divides Chile from Argentina. I couldn’t help but to think about that great movie about the soccer team whose plane crashed in the Andes, only to be rescued by a Chilean farmer who saw a group of survivors walking into his estancia, starved, tired and defeated, ready for some empanadas, a bottle of vino tinto, and una botella de agua.

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As I gazed into the iced peak gallery of la la land, I thought about home and all the recent storms and high rivers and thanked the sky pilot for putting the idea in my head over 10 years ago to head south for the winter and take a chance. You only live once, and sometimes in life it’s the risks that you take that others wouldn’t dare that benefits one’s growth and outlook into the future. To put it mildly, I’m grateful for Chile, my guides Francisco and Nico and the adventures that lie ahead. I got chills when I saw the mountains and the country that sports 2006 volcanoes. So being that it was the year 2006, I realized there was non-other better place to be on earth!

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Juan Ramos my best friend for over 10 years picked me up at the airport in Santiago and as in traditional fashion, we headed for the clickish Los Condes District to sample some of the local delicables in a restaurant called, the IBIS OF PUERTO VARAS. It was great to see his wife Leticia, as well as both of his daughters Camela and Catalina one year taller and wiser. Truly we were fired up and ready for some fun Chilean style!

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Juan Ramos mentioned to me when we were looking over the menu, that the tuna from Easter Island was awesome and very fresh. So I gave it a go and I wasn’t disapointed. It was the best tuna I had ever tasted Sizzlers, and that sauce–that sauce, was in that calgon commercial, it could just take you away! (Easter Island is a 5 hour flight from Santiago and is owned by Chile, yet only a 4 hour flight from Tahiti. Those are the only two countries with access to one of the 7 wonders of the world, one of these days we’re there Jolly Rancher.)

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After a couple of days with the Ramos family, I left and headed for Viña Del Mar to dip my toes in the sand and flambae in the rays. The Viña Del Mar Hotel and Casino was within a double haul, as I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and watched the horse drawn chariots make their way down the coastline blvd.

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Later, I came back to see what all the fuss was about over their famous bbq grill. I got the point, if you like fresh and ginormous, this restaurant is for you, comrad.

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After I left Viña, I called my old girlfriend Ana Maria.(Just friends now) She had graduated from Temuco University, and is now living up in the 4th region in a beautiful coastal community called La Serena. We took a stroll and ate some lunch in the cute town of Coquimbo, a port city that bares a smaller resemblance to Valpraiso near Viña.

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Another great place to visit, Coquimbo and La Serena.
(smoke is not smog, there was fire north of us)

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As we were driving in Ana Maria’s new Puegot, I pulled my camera out to take a culture photo of some locals kids from Coquimbo. Seeing that I was a Gringo taking a photo of them, the kids promptly showed and displayed the kind of genuine love of life that has placed Chile always on the top of my list for places to visit. These folks so deserve our tourist dollars, and it’s this kind of warm welcoming that has brought me and my customers back so many times. This might be the best people/culture photo I’ve ever taken in Chile and I’m elated to share it with you, The Sizzlers who watch my adventures!!

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Ana Maria and I went out for dinner at a local coastal restaurant in La Serena and for desert I had this desert fit for the queen of Sheba. I also had a local drink called a Papaya Sour made with pisco! It was a buzz to say the least and knowing that all the pisco in Chile came from this region, the only thing left to do was to tour some of the pisco plants and wine vineyards near by in the Valle de Elqui.

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This was church in the little town of called Vicuña. They had crafts for sale and a wonderful ice cream store that served every kind of ice imaginable, including pisco sour ice cream, which was my favorite, Avacodo ice cream (it sounds lousy, but tasted good) even, cinnamon and the best raspberry. It was in the 80’s that day and the ice cream served us well.

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The Valley de Elqui was such a trip! Here’s a place on earth similar to Nevada in climate, with the heights of Yosemite. And out of no where a desert oasis commences with the mystic
capacity like none I have ever seen or witnessed. It’s a miracle to say the least! Then you have all these vineyards that grow the mighty white pisco grape that fuels the country I have so grown to love. Look very close at this photo and put on a list of places to visit.

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We visited a town called Pisco Elqui, and had lunch. It was a good time, with a beauty which was presented in pastels of sunset complimented by earth tones and a green bow tie. It reminded me of the colors I would see on the way to Reno, Nevada, grocery shopping in the fall with my Pops, when I was a child living Portola, California. But this was far more greater in appeal and statue, for it demanded one’s attention until it let go of you.
Boy those childhood days seemed so far away, like another planet away, and yet maybe it was….

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Another amazing place!

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Ana Maria, has to be one of the most beautiful Chilean girls I’ve ever seen, don`t you agree! Thanks for all your help coordinating my customers travels, rent-a-cars and hotels before they get to me in Puerto Varas. Much appreciated!

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When we were in Pisco Elqui we bought some great hand craft stuff like, incense, hand made fragrent soaps and jellys from locals that make it with love. I would like to thank Ana Maria for the tour she took us on and let her know how proud I am that she has landed a great job in La Serena with an apartment with outstanding views of La Serena and Coquimbo.
I was never really college material but it’s great to see someone put all the time and effort into their schooling as she has done and come out on the other side a success!

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Later on the way back we visited a pisco factory called, Ruta Norte.

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After saying good bye to Ana Maria I headed back to see Juan Ramos and his family. He had rented a cabin for 10 days at Rocas Santo Domingo, a very lovely beach with views galore!

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After leaving Juan and his family I picked up my truck in Temuco and headed down towards Puerto Varas. I made my traditional stop on the Rio San Pedro and caught three fish up to 14 inches and headed back on my journey for home.

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From my truck I could see the Volcano Osorno and my heart began to pound and my legs started to jitter as I knew I was back in the land I call truly amazing. The day was perfect, the flowers were out in full force and the air was a clean as snow that reflected through my soul. It was Chile at it’s best and the adventures that lie ahead of me were only a few miles away or had they already started…..? *****STAY TUNED SIZZLERS AS NICO AND I TAKE THE FIRST CUSTOMERS TO THE GRAN ISLE OF CHILOE, FLY FISHING ON THE RIO MAULLIN, PETROHUE AND MORE! THANK YOU FOR THE BEST MONTH EVER! CHECK IT OUT AT WWW.MTSHASTA.COM/STATS WILL HAVE ANOTHER STORY IN 7 DAYS OR LESS!!! TAKE CARE AND KEEP YOUR TIP UP! JACK TROUT