www.thegilmours.co.uk

Yes, Rachel is on Paranal, so I’ve been bashing out some serious zzzzs and playing with the website again.

In the sidebar on the right you can find our new online poll booth, above the Santiago weather report. You, our readers, can vote! In fact, you can vote as many times as you like, which is not only unscientific, but almost defeats the purpose of the poll entirely. But who wants an online poll like you can find on the BBC website anyway? Lets see how well you can vote-rig and reveal some of your biases!

News travels slowly sometimes! Congratulations to Paul and Pauline Beautyman, my cousins, on the birth of Aidan William Beautyman on Sunday 15th April!

Their daughter, Skye is still in some shock, I hear. Still, better to have a little brother than a little sister i would say!

Everyone else is delighted at the safe delivery of Aidan without a cesarean section!

Please send us a photo Paul/Pauline!

[Rachel says..] Last night at 6am I felt my first earthquake in Chile. Despite having been here for well over a year, I’ve always managed to be in the North when there are earthquakes in Santiago and vice-versa. Or else I just don’t feel them. However, last nights was a 5.3 and not too far away, so it was hard to miss. Quite exciting.

Sadly, we woke up to hear of a larger earthquake (6.2) in the south the day before, which brought home the potential seriousness of living in an earthquake zone. Large parts of some hills in the south fell into the sea and inlets, causing massive waves and 3 people are reported to have died, with 10 missing.

However, don’t worry Mum, Santiago is (mostly) built to withstand earthquakes, and we’re a long way from the sea here. We’re far more likely to be run over by a mad bus driver…..

Who said Christians didn’t have a sense of humour?

This is the ultimate proof to the contrary! Submitted by men and women of the cloth, professing Christians, youth groups and anyone else who registers, this site contains a range of hilarious and inadvertedly funny videos relating to God, to the Christian faith or some of the more dubious theology/reasoning/arguments pitched by the Christian church.

We particularly liked the argument that a banana reflects the perfection of God’s creation!

Check it out! www.godtube.com

Well we’ve been in the wars recently. In addition to my finger splint following a vicious game of basketball with friends, our friend Naomi completed the Santiago half marathon but spent the other half of her intended marathon in hospital with a muscle tear…. and then two nights ago, Rachel returned from work with severe stomach pains.

We trotted off to the hospital again, to discover that she has a urinary tract infection. So she’s “working from home” in her bed this week. So much for visiting a spa resort last week to swim in the crystal clear mineral laden waters. We blame the two old grannies with whom we shared a pool!

Last week, during Rachel’s relief time, we enjoyed a night at a spa resort south of Santiago. These are some of the highlights of Chile! Warm volcanic thermal waters. Many are now well developed, with jacuzzis, water beds and several pools, indoor and out. They also offer accommodation on site, with optional volcanic mudbaths, massage and aromatherapy.

Its strange, but their high-season is not, as you might expect, in winter. It is in summer.

Where we went, it hits 36C outside every day in summer. The waters rarely rise above 42C, so perhaps it is the cooling effect of the waters that Chileans seek? Either way, this is great news from gringos from Europe! Come during the Chilean winter and you get low prices, practically empty spa resorts and hot water when the air is cold outside!