ATLANTA AIRPORT 12/13
I love the feeling you get at the beginning of a new adventure; uncertainty, anticipation and a little bit of disbelief that all get caught in your chest in a comfortable sort of discomfort...if that makes any sense at all. I think my favorite part of traveling is freedom. Not in the "I'm getting out of here" sense, but in the way that everything you need is on your back and you can change direction at the drop of a hat if the mood strikes you. I tend to be an underpacker by nature, something about not having a lot of stuff to weight me down just makes me happy. I also tend to be a bit of a loner, so its going to be a bit of an adjustment traveling with so many people. I hope there will be plenty of time to myself, especially as the trip gets longer.
Looking around the terminal it looks like there is a decent mix of people going to Chile to visit and people returning home. I absolutely love people-watching in airports, trying to guess something about where they're from or where they're going. Sometimes I wonder what people guess about me. I try not to draw too much attention to myself when I travel, I hate looking like the stereotypical tourist with my camera around my neck and a map in my hand. I'd rather sit back, observe and figure something out on my own than ask a question. That was one thing that I struggled with in Paris. Lots of the other students were loud and drunk and acting like the stereotypical obnoxious American and it was so embarrassing. I don't foresee this group being like that at all, thank God. It's about time to board the plane...8 hours and we'll be in Chile!
SANTIAGO AIRPORT 12/14
Made it here in one piece and even managed to get a decent amount of sleep on the plane. The entry fee was $131, which is more than we were expecting, so I'm already down a bit on cash. I'm recognizing a decent amount of Spanish but I accidentally told the customs agent Merci instead of Gracias...I think its gonna take some effort to suppress this French!
FLIGHT TO PUNTA ARENAS
I absolutely love the feeling of a plane taking off...like something is happening that shouldn't be. It seems impossible that something this huge could fly, let alone carry all of these people and our luggage too. I remember some things from Civil Air Patrol...something about elevators and thrust...but it still seems absurd...more like magic than physics.
The first thing that struck me when we landed in Santiago was how brown everything is. In fact, these mountains could be the same ones we crossed in the Sahel in Niger. I think I was expecting more green, but this doesn't disappointing me at all. In fact, I think the simple beauty in a dry land beats the lush greens of a jungle because everything living had to really earn its place there. I've never been to a real jungle though so I suppose I'll have to postpone my judgment. I've got a window seat on this flight, and I can't wait to watch the scenery change as we travel farther south.
We passed over Santiago a few minutes ago but I couldn't see much because of the smog that gets trapped down in the valley by the winds over the mountains. After that there was a brief patchwork of what looked like farmland, although the greens were more muted than the farms and fields in Ohio. Now we're flying over the Andes Mountains. Its hard to get a sense of scale from up here. I know these are the same mountains that loomed so large from the terminal window, but from up here they look like molehills and the lakes that dot them (which must be massive and are an extraordinary shade of turquoise) look like puddles. Every one in a while we pass over a town or farm that throws everything into staggering perspective.
I could be imagining things, but I think I see a volcano! It's more symmetrical and cone-shaped than the surrounding mountains and the top appears flat, or even recessed, like a crater. The soil is nearly black contrasted against the snow collected near, but not directly on, the top. It also stands off alone, not connected to a chain of other mountains. Its sitting on the edge of a very long and thin lake that I nearly mistook for a river.
There's a break in the mountains now, a large valley. It seems to be mostly farmland, but there is a dense cluster of building in the center. I can make out square city blocks but its impossible to tell how big of a town it is. The fields are all a mint-ish green with less brown than outside Santiago, but there's no telling what crop it is.
That one is definately a volcano! It looks just like any picture of a volcano should and the snow on the back side is stained grey like its covered in ash. I would assume the soil here is pretty good judging by all of the farms we continue to pass, but I can't remember if a volcano positively or negatively affects that. We're passing a Huge lake now, probably several miles wide, with a tiny little island almost equally in the center. It's probably not so tiny after all. From here it looks kind of like a giant blue eyeball.
The trees on the mountains are getting more dense. Before they looked like stubbly chins sticking up out of the ground, now its more like a full head of hair with some occasional male-pattern baldness, or maybe more like what our hair legs will look like at the end of this trip! We're beginning our decent int Puerto Montt. Maybe I'll write some more later. The pilot just said that we were passing over the lake region, which makes perfect sense given all the lakes... :). I wonder if the water, or at least some of it, comes from snow melt on the mountains. If so it must be really cold.
Just woke up from a short nap. Maybe a long nap. My concept of time is all screwy right now. We've been flying above the clouds so there hasn't been much to see but a sea of blinding white. Every once in a while there's a break in the clouds and I can see great white drifts of snow covering the mountains. Either we're flying lower now than we were or these mountains are getting taller. I have a hunch that its the latter. When I looked at the pictures from my friend who sold me the daypack I was amazed at the giant scale of things. I'm sure everything will be much more grand in person. I wish I could capture exactly what I see, my camera just doesn't do it all justice.
I can see the bald top of a mountain piercing the clouds below us. The snow is so white its difficult to tell where earth ends and sky begins. Imagine what it would be like to walk up through those clouds and stand on top. I'm sure it would be like standing on top of the world!
PUNTA ARENAS
It's 10:30pm now, but it feels much earlier because its still so light outside. Our guide Cristian met us at the airport and drove us to the hostel. Punta Arenas looks different than I expected and I'm anxious to get out and explore! We took a brief walk for dinner tonight but there were so many of us that I was a bit distracted.
Most of the group ate at a buffet for around 9,000 pesos, but Kuhfuss, Lauren and I ate at a little shop down the street and I got a huge queso calliente for 1900. I wasn't too thrilled about having to spend that much on dinner and to be honest I needed a break from the group. I felt really conspicuous with all of us trailing after Dr. K like a flock of ducks. Hard to blend in when you have bright red hair, let alone surrounded by a big group of people with cameras. I gave my Spanish a try ordering dinner and it went pretty well. I found a dictionary here at the hostel and I'm starting a little cheat sheet in the front of my journal. Its starting to come back to me the more I listen to it.
We just finished an interesting game of charades. I managed to get on the computer and send a quick email to let everyone know I made it alive. I'm surprised that it's already 11:30, the sun is still shining like its no later than 6! As soon as it darkens up a bit I'm going to head to bed...its going to feel great to finally lay down.
PUERTO NATALES 12/15
Generally I wake up pretty early, especially on trips, but I was definately still sound asleep when Dr. K woke us up this morning at 8. Breakfast was tea and OJ with toast and cheese, just like the hostel in Paris. Cristian came around 9 and we loaded up the van and headed out around 9:30.
I think it might be physically impossible to look at a penguin without saying AWWW! Even the guys couldn't resist the urge. They look so goofy waddling around in their little tuxedo jackets and flopping down on thr ground. I saw a few adolescents, but I didn't see any little babies like I had hoped. I wonder if they follow their mothers around like baby ducks or if they're more independent.
We drove straight from the penguin colony to Puerto Natales and I napped most of the way. I woke up just as the huge mountains were appearing on the horizon and watched them slowly grow larger. I could tell it was quite windy outside because the trees were small and twisted and many of them were hunched over like little old men. Cristian stopped at an area where we could see the contrast between the forest that had been burned to clear land and what it used to look like. It was sad to see that even after 90 years the dead beech trees were still scattered around and few had grown to replace them. It was like looking at a bone yard on one side and then looking back into the past on the other.
Puerto Natales looks much more like what I expected a Chilean town to be like. The buildings are all brightly colored, the blocks are small and there are little shops and cafes everywhere. I'm so tempted to go exploring, but I'll practice some self control and go to bed early. Still I can't wait to check it out when we get back from Torres del Paines.
LOS TORRES 12/16I'm sitting around one of the most enjoyable campfires I've ever had at the end of a long, long day. Its hard to think back even to this morning...the drive to the park seems like days ago. Its crazy that we've only been here 3 days, it feels like weeks ago that we sat on that plane.
The hike today was absolutely thrilling. The views were like something out fo a postcard. Cristian set a great pace and I felt great the whole time. All that conditioning really paid off during the hike, but thats not to say I won't be sore tomorrow!
When we started out the weather was great; cool but not too cold and a nice breeze was blowing. When we rounded the corner at the top of the first climb that breeze turned into the most amazing wind I've ever felt! It was so much stronger than anything I ever could have imagined and if I closed my eyes it felt like flying.
We stopped at Campamento Chileno to eat our lunches then walked down to the river to fill our water bottles. Its counter intuitive for me to just drink the water straight from the stream, especially after what happened in Niger, but Cristian says its ok and it tastes amazing!
When I first heard about the Moraine I pictured it to be a lot like Ringing Rock Park in PA where a glacier deposited a ton of huge boulders in a valley. It was essentially like that but with the addition of a steep mountain and a million tiny pebbles to slip on. The climb up was awesome, but the climb down was significantly more challenging. On the way back I decided to hang back with the end of the group to get a different perspective since I was up front for the hike out.
LOS CUERNOS 12/17BOULDERING! Just had to get that out. Dan, Kuhfuss and I went down to put our feet in the river, then we did a bit of bouldering. It wasn't the best but heck, its climbing in Patagonia! The hike today was mostly flat with one pretty decent climb toward the end of the day.
We stopped for lunch near a beautiful river overlooking Lago Nordenskjold. I was really grateful for the shade because I could feel myself getting burnt. I layerd up the zinc and sunscreen today but I"m still pretty pink. I took a really relaxing nap, but Cristen and Cristian got together and gave me a rather rude wake up call. Tonight we're staying at Los Cuernos and we had Chilean sea bass for dinner. The view from the main building is spectacular and the walls are nearly all windows. From one side you can see the lake with huge mountains on the other side. Directly across from me I can see the top of Los Cuernos and a huge rock face with a skinny waterfall. Earlier it was so windy that the water was blowing straight back up the cliff!
Kuhfuss and I walked together for the last hour of the hike and took our minds off our sore feet by singing every song we could think of. The wind was so loud that it drowned us out so hopefully no one else heard our little chorus. I drake a little wine with Cristian, Amy, Katie Lauren and Michelle tonight and Cristian told us all about his Amy. Its nice to make a human connection with our guide outside of just hiking, it adds a while new dimension to the trip. Kuhfuss and I just finished fortifying our tent against the wind...when we came back nearly all the stakes had been pulled out and the poles were even more bent out of shape. 9 huge rocks later the tent is shaking, but pretty secure. I just can't believe how windy it gets here, I never new the wind could bend metal poles like that.
LAGO PEHOE 12/18I hardly got any sleep last night because I felt like the tent was going to blow away, so today was a bit of a rough wake up. We stopped at the lake and I learned to skip stones, but I only got two really good throws, the rest either bounced twice or not at all. Cristian is a pro at it...he must get a lot of practice. I'm running out of words to describe what I'm seeing. We hiked for about 2 hours in a relative silence and it was nice to reflect on what I was seeing without trying to describe it. I could hear the river long before I could see it, but when we came upon it I was still surprised. There were signs warning that the water was dangerous and the river was really running fast. We walked about 10 minutes from where we dropped our packs and ate on some boulders overlooking the valley and the river.
We were all pretty tired when we got into camp so after we set up the tents we all laid out our sleeping pads in the sun and took a well-earned nap. I slept for about 40 minutes but Amy started to snore and woke me up so I just laid out for another 20 minutes or so and relaxed. Just as I was getting ready to get up there was a little earthquake that woke us all up. It wasn't a big one, it felt more like the ground caught a chill and had a big shiver. Still it was enough to shake the windows of the Refugio and it was pretty cool to feel that with my ear pressed to the ground.
LAGO / GLACIER GREY 12/19
I'm trying to journal while my foot is soaking in Lago Grey and HOLY COW THIS IS COLD! I literally can't control my shaking. Got to do a bit of bouldering with Dan today but the rock was really flaky so I didn't go too high and I ended up with a pretty long cut on my shin which might even scar! We ended up staying about 40 minutes so it took us a while to catch back up with the group. On our way back we passed this awesome tree that had been struck by lightning but was still alive on one side. We took some of the charcoal from the burnt part and gave ourselves some war paint. Got quite a few funny looks from people after that.
The water just got really wavy all of a sudden and I nearly got soaked by a big one! I think they may have been caused by a piece of the glacier breaking off. I've moved to a higher seat on the rocks and I'm soaking my ankle in a puddle. Its so warm compared to the lake, but its probably still about 50 degrees. Our first view of the glacier today was breathtaking. We hiked on about 10 more minutes and ate lunch on this cliff overlooking the lake and the glacier. On our walk back from bouldering Dan and I talked about trip leading and the kinds of skills and judgments necessary for being a trip leader. He says its one of those things you learn by doing and I wish I had more time at LU now that Gus is here so that I could co-lead with him and really get comfortable with it. I'd love to do something in adventure tourism at some point in my life...I feel like on top of the peace corps and possibly grad school I'm not going to be making any money for a long time in my life. Thats totally ok with me I hate that everyone stresses getting a "good" job or a "real" job all the time. I've had "real jobs"... performance and planning admin for the 514th, VFW congressional research analyst...both of them were full time positions usually filled by adults paying at least $30,000. I'm not interested. To me a good job is one you love no matter how much money you make or don't make, as long as you can afford to live. A job in the outdoors is so much more real to me than staring at a computer screen all day. Some people define success by the things they have and wealth by the money stored in the bank. I would define success by the things I've done and wealth by the memories I made and the people I met. Here's an awesome poem I stole from Dan's quote book:
After a while you learn the difference, subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't mean security,
And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises.
And you begin to accept your defeats,
with your head up and your eyes open
With the grace of an adults,
not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build all your roads on today,
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns,
if you get too much.
So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting on someone to bring you flowers,
And you earn that you really can endure...
that you really are strong,
And you really do have worth.
-Author Unknown
PUERTO NATALES 12/21I can't believe this is the last day of the trek already! In my mind whenever I thought about the trip this was the part that I imagined, so to have it be over feels like the whole trip is ending. It's amazing how fast this week flew by...I feel like we should have 3 more days at least! I woke up this morning at 6:30, I think its my body's way of trying to prolong the day. The ferry across Lago Pehoe was beautiful enough to distract me, but the drive back to Puerto Natales was bittersweet. On one hand I was sad that the trip was finally finished and that we wouldn't see Cristian anymore after today, but on the other hand I have five fingers (hehe) and I knew there was a shower and clean clothes waiting for me at the hostel. I'm also excited about exploring Pucon and conquering that volcano! Cristian joined us for dinner which was a pleasant surprise, and I said see you later rather than goodbye because I seriously plan on coming back to do the Circuit one day and I'd love for Cristian to be my guide again.
Tomorrow we're doing a lot of traveling...pretty much all day...and we've got to be out to catch our bus by 6:50am, so I'm trying to do all my packing tonight. I did some laundry in the sink earlier and its still not dry, so I'm a little frustrated at not being able to pack it all up tonight. I'm going to get up at 5:15 tomorrow to make sure I have it all squared away well before we need to leave so I won't feel rushed.
Lauren and I walked pretty much all of Puerto Natales today looking for the restaurant and browsing the shops. This is an adorable little town and I wish I had another day to explore when more shops were open. I'll have to plan a few more days here next time I come to Chile. I like this place so much more than Punta Arenas
ON THE ROAD AGAIN... 12/22
One bus and one plane down...one more bus to go. I finished my book on this flight so I wrote a note in it and put a sign on it that says "free" and I plan on leaving it in the next airport. I wrote my email in the front with a request that the reader let me know where they're from and where they're going. I also started a register in the back for the same information. Probably nothing will come of it, but it would be cool if it made its way to different airports and I heard from a few new people. At least now I don't have to carry it around anymore...its kind of heavy! We're landing in Puerto Montt now...more later.
Sitting at the bus station now drinking a liter of OJ to try and fight this cold I'm catching. Lauren and Amy and I went to the supermarket across the street to get some lunch when we got here. Everyone else wanted to find a McDonalds but I was not interested at all. I don't eat fast food and even if I did its the last thing I would want to eat while I'm in Chile! I got a really good Empanada, a donut and some zucaritas (frosted flakes!) for lunch. I also picked up some mate to bring home. We ate our lunch while we walked around this little market. Amy and Lauren both bought some stuff, but I haven't found anything worth spending money on yet. All I really want is a mate, and I want a legit one, not one made with tourists in mind. I took out about $60 in pesos at the airport and I still have almost all of it left, so hopefully I can get by without taking any more money out.
I can tell that quite a few people in our group are uncomfortable and nervous today. Something about Puerto Montt is making everyone a little edgy. I certainly wouldn't want to hang around here at night, but I don't feel apprehensive at all right now. I made a comment that I love people watching, and Michelle said that she felt like we were being watched more than doing the watching. It made me stop and really appreciate how diverse America is. Its much easier to blend in when the citizens of a country are from all different races and nationalities. Here we stick out like a sore thumb amidst all the dark hair and tan skin, no wonder people stare!
The bus is stuck in traffic right now, I think there's an accident up ahead because sirens just went racing by. Chile looks much different from the ground than it does from the air. Sometimes its almost like driving through at American countryside and I almost forget where we are, then we pass something distinctly South American like a yellow and pink house or a cow crossing the road and I remember...we're in Chile! The traffic cleared fairly quickly, so If we're still on schedule we should be in Pucon by 10pm.
I think we're getting close now, we're at a stop called Villarrica. There's a drunk guy straight passed out on the bench outside, backpack and all. The bus driver nudged him with his foot and he just rolled right off the bench and kept on sleeping! He's going to have a heck of a painful wake up tomorrow...
PUCON 12/23
I'm pretty lucky to be writing in this journal right now...I left it on the bus last night, plane tickets and money and all. It was quite the run-around trying to get it back...I kept Dr. K up way past her bed time and I hardly slept at all myself. I needed to go back to the bus station at 5am before it opened to check to see if the bus was still there, so I laid outside and looked at the stars to stay awake. I read some psalms to try and keep from worrying. Psalm 127 really stuck out at me and was really comforting because I knew there wasn't anything I could do about it that God didn't already have under control. Maybe it calmed me too much because I fell asleep around 4:30 and didn't wake up until 5:45! By that point Dr. K was no where to be found so I ran into town trying to find a taxi and ended up running almost all the way to the bus station before one pulled over and out popped Dr. K with some great news. They found my journal on the bus, but it wasn't going to be back at the bus station until later. I ended up getting my journal around 10:30 and then headed back for some breakfast.
Kuhfuss and I explored Pucon today, went in a bunch of cute little shops and went to the beach to stick our feet in the lake. It was a very leisurely day and it was relaxing to not have any agenda. After dinner we discussed our plans for the next week or so and decided to stay in Pucon rather than spend another 14hrs round trip traveling to Bariloche. We're going to do two service projects, one with CONAF and one with a Mapuche woman, as well as some horse trekking, maybe a canopy ride...
As great as it would be to go to Argentina, do some bouldering, eat some chocolate, I much prefer this to another looong bus ride.
VOLCAN VILLARRICA 12/24
When I woke up this morning and the weather was cloudy I was really worried, but the clouds weren't an issue at all on the volcano since for the most part we were above them! This is definitely the day where all that conditioning really paid off. I had no trouble with the altitude or with my legs the entire way up. I actually would have like to go a bit faster, my natural pace is a little speedy and every time I got into a good rhythm people in the front would stop to catch their breath. Other than that though the climb was spectacular, I'm glad I was fit enough to really enjoy it.
To be honest I was a bit nervous about today...being this close to a volcano is not something I ever thought I would do, let alone climbing up to the top. I've been afraid of volcanoes for as long as I can remember. I've had so many nightmares about lava and volcanoes erupting in my backyard...its exciting that I finally faced that fear, even if I didn't see any lava. I was definitely really nervous at the top, but I made myself look into the crater and I have to admit it was pretty cool. The sulfur stunk like nothing else though and it irritated my eyes and throat pretty badly. Definitely the coolest yet most miserable place I've ever been.
Glissading down definitely ranks in the top 5 most enjoyable experiences of my life. I'll admit when we were walking up I looked at that 50 degree angle and was rather worried about the ride back down. Even with all the climbing I do I've still got a very healthy fear of heights, and it looked like we would just slide off the mountain into the clouds it was so steep. It turns out the snow is much less slick than it looks and I was able to turn and stop easily with my ice ax if I needed to. Once I figured that out it was hands in the air and MAS RAPIDO down the volcano. It took us 5 hours to climb up and only 40 minutes to slide back down! Sledding cannot even compare to that feeling...its like riding an avalanche down a waterslide at the speed of a rollercoaster. When we got to the bottom I was wet, cold, and totally ready to climb back up and do it again!
Staring at the volcano from here in the backyard I still can't believe we were all the way up there! Tonight we had a Christmas dinner with German (pronounced Her-man), Maria and all the German guests staying at the hostel. It was really a fun time, but I was exhausted from spending the day in the sun, so it was a slow start for me, especially since we didn't start eating until after 10! The Germans are very nice one on one, but its sometimes hard to catch one alone...our two groups seem to naturally gravitate towards the familiar so it took a while to start mingling. The lamb was absolutely delicious and I had a good red wine to go along with it. I laid out for a while after dinner to watch the stars, but nearly fell asleep so I think I'll head to bed.
FELIZ NAVIDAD 12/25So much for sleeping in...I woke up this morning at 7am hungry and just couldn't go back to sleep. I ate some zucaritas and Dr. K and I helped do the dishes from last night. After that I checked my email and sent a Christmas message to everyone. If I was at home now I'd be eating scrambled eggs, bacon, french toast, maybe even pancakes! Its a little sad not being home for Christmas but I think its easier for me than for most of the others since I don't have a lot of family and we don't make a big deal out of the holidays.
One thing I've really enjoyed about being out of the states for the holiday season is that I didn't have to deal with all the Christmas hype. Its not that I hate Christmas, I just don't like how commercialized it is. Its all about buying more presents for more people who really don't need more stuff. I'd much rather spend money on a nice dinner or a trip for my family into the city to see a show than on presents that probably wont even get used. Our consumer culture really frustrates me sometimes. The point of Christmas is to remember Jesus' birth with family and friends, not a new xbox or an expensive necklace.
The saddest part to me is that our consumerism has even leaked into the Church. A lot of churches are taking Gods gifts and putting them towards man's purposes. Its all about status and grandeur...a taller steeple, more comfortable chairs, a fancy new altar...and it just seems like we aren't being very good stewards. I don't think the church should look shabby and rundown, I just think a simple, clean building that meets the needs of the congregation is enough. Who needs a 40ft tall statue of Jesus next to the highway? Thats most likely not even what he looked like anyway. When I look at places like the crystal cathedral I wonder how many people they could have fed or single mothers they could have supported with the money the used to build that elaborate stuff. I try to apply that in my own life as well. If I'm going to buy a new movie or clothes than I'd better be willing to give that same amount of money over to god's purposes.
We just finished our Christmas celebration and it was really nice. We did a white elephant gift exchange then talked about Christmas memories and traditions at our own houses. I could tell that a few people were really missing home, and I was kind of sad that I wasn't homesick. Its not that I don't have something to miss, its just that I never seem to get emotional or homesick at times like this.
This afternoon I went horseback riding for the first time and it was so awesome! I wish I wasn't allergic to horses because I could really get into that as a hobby. We walked or trotted most of the time so we could really take in the scenery, but my favorite part was galloping. My horse Esperanza had a temperament a lot like me. She was pretty fast and was always passing other horses to get in front, and every time we stopped she was eating. Its like we were soul mates! She also couldn't stop sneezing...I wonder if she was allergic to me?!?
CANOPY 12/26
What a strange day today was...it was almost like two completely separate days. This morning we got up to go see a Mapuche village, but when we got there it was the same place we had ridden by on horseback yesterday that was all closed down. The guide yesterday told us that the Mapuche in this area don't do anything cultural and aren't interested in having any ceremonies or displaying their culture. Knowing that, I felt extremely awkward when everyone just pushed through the gate and started wandering around. I hate looking obvious and touristy and I felt like today was the epitome of that...a large group of white people with cameras wandering around someone's property. I was definitely out of my comfort zone, and not in a good "pushing your boundaries" kind of way...more of an "I feel like what we're doing is not right" kind of way. I was so tempted to just walk back over the bridge and sit and wait for the driver. That whole experience put me in kind of a funky mood for much of the morning. Not a bad mood, I just felt kind of off.
When we got back everyone went into town to get lunch, but I stayed behind to journal and pack everything up for tomorrow, so I just ate some leftover sandwich stuff and a few chips. I'm glad I got packed up early, I just feel better when I'm prepared and I don't have things to do at the last minute. At 3 we all met in town to go to the canopy place, but there was a mixup and we didn't end up leaving until 4, so I walked with Lauren, Amy and Kuhfuss to get some ice cream (dos sabores!).
The canopy ride was absolutely amazing! It was like a giant zipline through the forest and over the river. There were platforms high up in the trees where we got off to change directions and you could feel the tree swaying in the wind. The people that worked there looked like they had a ton of fun with their job...coolest job in the world number 5, I believe. I'm not sure what I enjoyed more...the view or the ride itself. After we got back we grilled up some burgers and hot dogs. Cristen, Amy and I did the cooking, Dan did the grilling and the other ladies did the clean up. The boys ate.
VILLARRICA NATIONAL PARK 12/27
Today was definitely not our best day as a group, and for me individually it wasn't a very good day either. We all kind of got started off on the wrong foot when Matt and Tromey were 15 minutes late to the meeting. I've definitely been more than a little frustrated with them lately...I don't mind when they go off and do their own thing or when they eat 10x their bodyweight, but lately these things seem to be taking priority over everything and everyone else and its becoming a detriment to the group. I wish they would take the initiative to see if anything needs to be done before they scamper off. We had a meeting tonight to address these issues but I'm not sure much got through.
The rainy weather today was kind of a downer as well and didn't really help people's cranky moods. We did some trail maintenance moving rocks and making the trail more defined which I thought was a ton of fun, despite the rain. I even enjoyed squishing into the back of the truck when our ride didn't show up. I was trying to keep a positive attitude and put the start of the day behind us, but its tough to do when everyone else looked so miserable. I felt bad for our park ranger Hugo because he didn't know what was going on and he probably felt like he was making us all miserable by working in the rain. I hope tomorrow we can be a bit more cheerful. We had to wait around for a while before we rode back to the ranger station so I got everyone playing the celebrity name game which took our minds off the cold and cheered everyone up a bit.
Once everyone dried out back at the cabin the mood lifted considerably, and it was really fun to just relax with everyone and play some cards. We got a rather violent game of spoons going and we even got Hugo to join it! It was a lot of fun to get to spend time with him, even if he didn't speak any English and our Spanish was basically useless. We took an intermission for a presentation about the parks in Chile, then it was back to the madness and Mauricio joined in as well! Maybe we'll come back to Chile in 5 years and everyone will be playing spoons!
VILLARRICA NATIONAL PARK 12/28Today was infinitely better than yesterday as far as group attitude, I think the sunshine really cheered everyone up. We walked farther on the same trail as yesterday, built some monumentos and painted black and yellow trail posts that were numbered. Hugo walked with me most of the way back and we traded some Spanish and English lessons. I really like learning Spanish by just context clues and hand gestures, its a lot harder but its more fun than reading a textbook. I kind of wish I had studied the grammar basics before we came, then I'd be able to pick up more. We ate lunch back at the ranger station and Hugo helped me write down the conjugations for past, present and future tenses so maybe things will make more sense now.
After lunch we had a bit of down time so I went to a different market in town and found a mate and bombilla for my mom, some earrings for Courtney and a tea box for me! I still can't think of what to get for my Dad and I'm running out of time to shop! We ate dinner at 6:30 at a little Empanada place which was tasty, but I don't think they were quite ready to handle our whole group.
At 8 we piled into the van and drove 30 minutes to the hot springs. The warm water felt so good on my muscles, but I felt really dehydrated pretty quickly and I wished I had some water. We picked the warmest pool there and as the night got colder it really started to steam. As enjoyable as the heat was, I couldn't help but think about that scene in Dante's Peak where the people boil to death in the hot springs! Our group was the first ones there for a while but by the time we left it was pretty crowded. Apparently the springs stay open until 5am!
SPANISH WORSHIP 12/29
This morning I woke up at 6:30 and forced myself to go back to sleep. Then I woke up at 7. Then at 7:30. I gave up and got out of bed when I woke up again at 8. Apparently my body just doesn't want me to sleep in! Most of today was a free day because our service project didn't start until 4pm, so I went to the pottery store with Luke and Amy and found a really nice coffee mug for dad with the volcano and some arucaria trees on it.
At 4 we left to cut some grasses for the roof of a mapuche hut that we're going to be working on tomorrow. We got a few tools from the hardware store, but my little pocket knife was getting the job done just fine. We filled up two trailers full of grass then unloaded it at Rosita's house. Tromey got us going in a game of blind eagle and Rosita's son Antonio figured out the rules and played as well.
When we got back we grilled up some corn and chicken. It was one of the best meals we've had all trip, but that might just be because I was so hungry! After dinner Kuhfuss and I walked into town to check out the live music they had been setting up for earlier in the day. We walked up just as they were playing some English song called "I loved my girlfriend but I had to kill her," so we decided to keep walking and get some ice cream. On the way back we realized the band had changed so we sat down to listen for a while and all of a sudden we recognized the song...they were singing Mighty to Save in Spanish! It was so cool to be singing the same worship song in a different language and knowing God understands them both. The concert went on until midnight and even though it was all in Spanish I could understand enough words to get the basic idea of the songs, and it was just a really cool experience.
BUILDING MAPUCHE STYLE 12/30
Today we walked back to Rosita's house to finish what we started yesterday and put all the grass on the house. Somehow all 13 of us managed to miss her house and we walked a half mile past it before we figured it out. We had to walk back and were about an hour late. I felt really bad about being late, but we ended up getting a lot done so I'm not sure she minded too much. We started out thatching the roof by laying down grass then overlapping it with a bamboo pole to keep it in place. The first row we did didn't come out so great because the nails we had were too short and didn't reach in all the places. Once we got some longer nails it went a lot smoother. We essentially did the sides the same way except that we nailed the poles down first then stuffed grass in behind them. I think there must be a better way to do that because there were some bald spots where the nails made the pole too tight to get any grass behind, but Rosita still seemed happy with it. Around 2 Rosita told us to stop working and we drank mate and ate sopapilla while she and Antionio cooked some chicken on the grill. Rosita showed us her pictures and told us about the significance of her jewelry (in Spanish). It was really cool to see how proud she was of her heritage and how hard she was working to share that with the community, especially since most of the Mapuche in the area don't do that. While we were sitting around chatting one of the chickens snuck up and ate some chicken off the grill! It was funny, ironic and kind of disturbing all at once. I didn't know chickens ate meat...but she even fed some to her baby! Yuck!
I think being out in the sun all day really drained my energy because I was falling asleep at the dinner table and it was only 9pm. Cristen, Lauren, Matt and I were moved to German and Maria's private house about 2 blocks away because they ran out of room at the hostel. Its just about the cutest little place I've ever seen and I took a million pictures so I can build something just like it someday. Cristen and Lauren brought back stuff for banana splits and we had a little party.
ADIOS 2008! 12/31
Most of the group is going to the beach today, but I didn't think it would be a smart idea since there is no ozone down here and the sun is so much stronger. I burn so easily even at home I and I don't want to spend the rest of the trip in agony. I think I"m going to rent a bike instead and go see the waterfalls that Tromey and Matt rode to our first day. It will be nice to get a little exercise and not have a plan or anything to have to get back for. Tonight I want to try out that Arabian Cafe I ready about in the Lonely Planet book...I could really go for some tabouli.
Holy cow what a ride! I definitely didn't bring enough water with me for the ride back...I nearly died of head exhaustion. I took a few breaks on the way back but the patches of shade were few and far between. There were a few big downhills, but for the most part it was just flat and loooong. The heat was radiating off the pavement and playing tricks on my eyes. It would look like there was a downhill coming up, but when I got there it was just a little bump with more flatness after it. I though I was never going to make it back to Pucon! The ride out was shorter but more uphill and on a gravel road which took a lot of getting used to because my tires just skidded out or slipped backwards when I was going uphill and when I tried to brake. It was definitely all of the workout I thought it would be and more!
Now I'm sitting at the Arabian Cafe drinking the most glorious Coke I've ever tasted, even better than the one in Niger. I've been sitting with this soda for about 20 minutes and I don't have a menu yet. I think I might have accidentally told the guy I don't want to eat. Damn this language barrier! He said something long and fast and I said "Si, carta por favor" and that was it. He's been out a few more times but not to my table...what the heck did I say yes to? Haha. One thing I definitely miss from the states...free refills. I'm still so thirsty!
I'm sad that this is our last day in Pucon. We've been here for so long its actually starting to feel like another home. I bet the ladies at the hostel will be glad to see us go...I be they don't get such large groups that stay for as long as we did and spend so much time around the hostel. We've pretty much taken over the place this last week. I thought I wasn't going to like Pucon as much as Puerto Natales because I knew it was more touristy and I had envisioned something like what Long Beach Island has become. This is one time I'm definitely glad to be wrong. It's not so much touristy as tourist-friendly and for the most part the cheesy tacky stuff is kept to a minimum. I love all of the restaurants here...I would have to stay for a year to try them all. I also love hearing at least 4 different languages every time I walk down the street, it just adds an extra element of mystery even if I'm just going to the supermercado. I would love to live somewhere this diverse and exciting, not to mention beautiful. Its definitely going to be tough to go back to Farmville after this.
I wish there was more time after we get back before we have to start classes...I have a feeling I"m going to need more than just 5 days to decompress and I have so much I want to do! I think I've decided to go back to New Jersey even though that means I"ll spend 14 hours of my 5 free days driving, it will be worth it to play my piano and see my friends. I also want to go to Columbus market to get a new wallet and take toby for a hike. Mom says they've had some snow and its been pretty cold. What a shock that will be after all these warm summer days in Chile!
Amy and I went to Krater tonight for dinner and we were serenaded at our table by a flute/ tambourine player and a guitarist with some crazy dance moves and pelvic thrusts. Hilarious! I was going to go to the lake to watch the fireworks but Amy still doesn't feel well so I walked her back and I'll just watch them from the yard with German and his family. I'm worried about how those of us in the minihouse are going to wake up on time tomorrow, but no one else seems to really care. I'll probably just stay up all night since I don't have an alarm.
FELIZ ANO 1/1
I can't believe its 2009 already...I graduate this year! I"m not much of a New Years resolution type, but I do have a few things I'm looking forward to accomplishing this year. I'm hoping to run my first half marathon and triathlon, so I have a few physical goals. I want to graduate on time and keep my GPA above a 3.7, so I've got plenty of work cut out for me with 24 credits. I also want to work on keeping things in the proper perspective and not compromising my personal priorities to meet other people's expectations. God first, adventure second, school / work third. Sometimes I get so caught up worrying about little assignments and things that I wont even remember and wont matter in a month that I pass on really cool opportunities to make real memories. I want to take advantage of every opportunity this semester.
Today was mostly a travel day. Kuhfuss stayed out at the bar all night so I slept in her bed and she woke me up at 5 and I walked back to the minihouse to wake everyone and pack my stuff up. We took the bus at 6:45 to Puerto Varas and got here around 11. I didn't see much on the bus ride because I slept most of the way, but I did realize that it's much more pleasant to drive down a road that doesn't have a shopping mall or outlet center every 20 miles. Its sad to see how built up America has become, I don't think there's a need for a Kohls in every town. I've been pleasantly surprised that I haven't seen a Starbucks or McDonalds at all on this trip, but I'm sure that will change in Santiago.
When we got here we went right to lunch, and since all the shops are closed for the New Year we all went back and took a much needed nap. I slept until 6:30, we ate dinner at 7 then did bios and presentations down by the lake. There's another volcano here on the other side of the lake. I think a great thing to do would be to come back to Chile and climb every volcano that its possible to climb, I'll have to add that to my list.
SANTIAGO 1/2
Met a girl at the hostel last night who was a marine biologist and works on a ship in Antarctica. She just got off of a two month stint on board and is using her vacation time to travel around South America. I won't put that on my worlds coolest jobs list because I don't know anything about biology, but if I did it would definitely be there.
This morning we took a little blue bus about 30 minutes to the bus station in Puerto Montt. It was pretty crowded with all of us and our packs, so I ended up standing right on the edge of the steps by the door. In the States that would never fly, but safety regs here are a little more lax...its up to you to make your own decisions. At one point I had to step down to let some other people get off and I thought for a minute the driver was going to leave me! That would make for a great adventure story but I wouldn't want to miss our transfer to the airport and have to spend the rest of the trip on a bus to Santiago because I missed the flight...that would suck!
Its only a few more days until we head back to the States. Its hard to believe we've already been here 3 weeks...sometimes it seems longer than that, but for the most part it seems too short. I've got a list going of things I want to come back and do like hike the Dientes Circuit and enroll in language school so I can actually learn some Spanish. I'm feeling pretty ready to go back though, I've about reached my limit for large group travel. I could kick around here for months with one or two other people, but a group this large is a bit tougher.
All the traveling today was pretty hectic and several times the group took off minus a few people. I felt responsible to make sure no one got left behind and I kept making contingency plans in my head for what I would do if somehow I got left with a few other people. It was like being sweeper and mother duck combined, but really nerve wracking. I don't know why, but I've felt so responsible for other people on this trip....making sure people are awake on time, helping people pack up, making sure no one is left behind...I'm looking forward to just having to look out for myself again. I really didn't even get to enjoy New Years Eve because I was so worried about our house getting up on time.
SANTIAGO 1/3
Today we're doing a little tour of the city and right now we're having lunch in a little pseudo-Italian / Friendlies-type place. We've been to a market and an old fort hear the Santa Lucia metro, and this afternoon we're going to ride some sort of cable car up the mountain then take a skyride across part of the city. I think if I were to lead a group trip like this I would designate a free day after every travel day so the group could decompress and spend some alone time. A tour of the city is cool but I can tell that people are tired of the group and starting to get on each others nerves. I know I'm getting tired of being herded in such a big group...I kind of fell like I'm on an 8th grade field trip or something.
We're at the zoo now because a few people in the group really wanted to go. Its not that I don't like zoos, its just that this is exactly the same as any zoo in the States except that all of the signs are in Spanish. We passed a really cool market on the way here and I wish I could have spent my hour and 2,000 pesos there, especially since we're only here for one more day. I hope that things are still open tomorrow since it will be Sunday...I really want to come back to all of the cool places that we're passing. Today feels super rushed and I'm not sure why...people just keep turbowalking and jumping in front of cars to cross the street. I don't want to remember my last few days in Chile as fast and furious...I want to slow it down and really try to enjoy it. I think I'll hang at the back of the group and do just that.
After the zoo we took a ride on the teleferico and got an awesome aerial view of the city. I wish my camera still worked because I saw a lot of great photo opportunities today. I can't wait to see the pictures I did take on a bigger screen...its going to be awesome! As much fun as I'm having I'm also getting excited to go home...its like I want to hurry up and get back so that I can start planning my next trip. I can't decide if I want to come back to Chile first to see everything I've missed or if I want to go back to Africa or what...I just know that I'm dying to travel!
SANTIAGO 1/4
Its such a strange feeling at the end of a long trip. On one hand I"m so excited to go home and see familiar faces and understand everything being said to me, but another part of me is still ready for more adventure. I'd love to just skip the plane and explore more of the country on my own...go back to Puerto Varas and climb another volcano, go to valparaiso or skip over to Bariloche...but Dr. K would kill me (if mom didn't find me first). Still, it doesn't hurt to dream.
Today Lauren and I went to Persa Bio Bio off the Franklin metro, then to the markets at Santa Lucia and at Banquedano. We spent the most time at Santa Lucia because it had the most stuff open. The other two markets were much more empty, I think because its Sunday. We've got to be back at the hostel at 5 to eat dinner then head to the airport. I don't even want to think about that yet!
Ok after spending 3 hours standing in line after line after line we're finally at the gate waiting to board. This will probably be my last entry because I plan on doing a lot of sleeping on the plane so I can drive straight to DC when I get back to Richmond. It's been a truly amazing trip and I'm sad its over...but I'm starting to get really excited about chipotle and free refills on my drinks!
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