Heading Down South - Pucón

We started our trip to Pucón with a 12 hour overnight bus ride.  We finally arrived at 7am, checked into our cabañas and then headed out to explore!

We saw a few cascadas (waterfalls) and some incredible lakes.  The water was so clear!  

 We then visited a Mapuche farm for lunch.  We met this woman and she explained her culture to us and then invited us inside to eat some traditional food.  We had homemade sopapillas with homemade honey, bread and goat cheese (from the goats on the farm), and tea.   

We walked around the farm afterwards looking at all of the animals.  There were goats, llamas, sheep, and ducks.  We then were invited into the "ruca" - a traditional Mapuche house made of thatch and wood.  Typically there are two rucas per family - one for cooking and one for sleeping.  The woman we talked to still utilizes this ruca for cooking. 

Then it was off to las termas (the hot springs).  There were five different pools situated right next to a river.  It was beautiful and very relaxing. 

The next day a group of us hiked volcán Villarrica.  It is one of Chile's most active volcanoes.  The upper portion of the volcano is permanently covered with snow, so we had to use ice axes as we were climbing up.  It got a little scary but was definitely worth it in the end!  It took about 5 full hours to reach the top.  

Although you couldn't actually see lava, it was still a pretty awesome sight.      

We stayed on top of the volcano for about an hour to eat lunch and take pictures.  Then it was time to go down...or should I say sled down.  Fully equipped with snowsuits, a tiny plastic sled, and our ice axes (to slow us down if we got going too fast), we made our way down the volcano.  It was probably the coolest thing I have ever done!   

The whole gang

 We then went back to the cabañas, made a quick dinner and rested up.  The very next day we went white water rafting along the Trancura River.  It was so much fun!  Our guide was wonderful, except for the fact he kept trying to get us to flip over...

The same day, a group of us went zip-lining.  Here I am zip-lining across the Trancura River.   

The south of Chile is AMAZING!  I still cannot believe how absolutely stunning Pucón was, and it's not even that far south.  The trip made me extremely sad that I was not able to make it to Patagonia, but I guess that just means I'll have to come back, right? 

One Heck of an Adventure (San Pedro & Bolivia)

Calama Airport

 On October 31st, five of my closest study abroad friends and I traded in candy and costumes for an adventure of a lifetime.  We landed in Calama at about 2pm, surrounded by nothing but tarmac and dirt.  We took a taxi to the heart of town (about a 5 minute drive), and tried to get bus tickets to San Pedro...a lot harder than it sounds.  We walked around Calama for at least 30 minutes, stopping in every bus station we came by, only to read a sign saying: "sold out" every time.  Finally, we reached a station that had tickets, but the the lady at the desk wouldn't let us buy them.  She kept mumbling the word "arriba" and none of us had a clue what she was talking about.  Turns out, you have to stand on the corner, flag the bus down, and then pay for a ticket once you're on the bus.  So we did exactly that, and got the last 6 seats on the bus.  After about an hour and a half, we arrived in San Pedro and checked into our hostel.  We walked into town, paid for our tour to Bolivia, and then rested up!

      

The Bolivian/Chilean border

 The next morning, the tour company picked us up from our hostel and we headed to the border....which turned out to be a shack in the middle of nowhere.  We were advised to use our Chilean ID's and pretend to be Chilenas so that way we wouldn't have to pay the $165 USA entrance fee.  Too bad our Chilean ID's say "EXTRANJERO" and "de USA."  Border control wasn't too pleased with us, and told us we had to pay a $50 entrance fee.  None of us were expecting to pay, so we had to pool all of our money together, and we had just enough!  We paid, and continued on without a stamp in our passports (aka: they pocketed the money) and broke.  

We met our Bolivian guide, Ever and hopped in the jeep.   

Laguna Blanca

 Not even 10 minutes later, we arrive at the entrance to the national park...where we learn we each have to pay an entrance fee of 180 Bolivianos.  Funny, because none of us have money.  We tell our guide we can't pay the fee.  He shakes his head, laughs a little, and offers to pay for us.  

Finally, we make it to our first destination: Laguna Blanca.  It was gorgeous, and there were so many flamingos! 

Laguna Verde

We then visited Laguna Verde.  It was pretty, but the water wasn't very green. 

Aguas Termales

 We got back in the jeep and headed to las aguas termales (natural hot springs). 

Geiser Sol de Mañana

Then it was off to los geisers! 

Laguna Colorado

We then ended our day with a visit to Laguna Colorado...named for the red color of the water.  

Ever strapping our bags to the top of the jeep

 We woke up early the next morning, had a nice breakfast, and hopped back in the jeep.  

Arbol de Piedra

Our first stop was the "arbol de piedra" - the tree of stone. 









     Then we saw a few more gorgeous lagoons and of course, more flamingos!

Laguna Honda Hedionda

Laguna Ramaditas

Volcán Ollagu

We then stopped to stretch our legs, and admire Volcán Ollague.

 Finally we retired for the night in el Hotel de Sal...probably the coolest place I have ever stayed in because EVERYTHING was made out of salt.  The tables, the chairs, the bed frames...it was crazy!

The next morning, we woke up at about 4, packed up our things and hopped back in the jeep.  We drove to the middle of the salt flats to watch the sunrise...and to lick some salt. 

Isla Incahuasi

We then went to Isla Incahuasi, which was basically a small island filled with cacti in the middle of the salt flats.  It was pretty incredible.  

 Finally it was time to take some funny pics on the salt flats!  No horizon = no depth perception = I can hold my tiny friends in my hands!

Cementerio de Trenes

To end our trip, we visited el cementerio de trenes (the cemetery of trains) in Uyuni.  A little spooky, but still very cool.  It was also here that we came across the first ATM we had seen the entire trip.    We took out money and paid back Ever.   

We then spent a night in a little town called Villa Mar, and headed back to the border the next morning.  We walked into the shack, handed over our papers, and crossed back over to Chile.  We stayed one more night in San Pedro, and then it was back to Valpo.  


Just to sum up: There were six of us girls, wandering around Bolivia with absolutely no money for three full days.  I also think I forgot to add in ealier that every public bathroom cost money and toilet paper was scarce.  We also had to pay to take a shower at the hostels.  Needless to say, we did our business outdoors and didn't shower for 3 days.  

In all, it was an incredible experience and an unforgettable adventure.

  

 

Mil Tambores - The Chilean Woodstock

 Mil Tambores is an annual festival in Valparaiso.  It happens on the first weekend in October as a way to celebrate the arrival of Spring.  As you can see, EVERYONE attends! 

 To start the weekend off, I went out Saturday afternoon with my host sister Fernanda and her friends.  With champagne and red solo cups in hand we headed up the hills to participate in the parades (drinking on the streets is usually illegal, but there is an exception for mil tambores).  There were so many people! Some were marching with drums, others were throwing confetti, but most were drinking, dancing and having a great time!  It was truly a site to see.   We walked for about 3 hours, then broke off from the main group.  We found a little tent where people were playing live music.  We stayed for a bit and then headed out to eat some dinner, and rest up for the parade the next day.

Sunday was a little more cultural.  Everyone in the parade was dancing traditional dances, or singing traditional songs, and many were dressed in traditional costumes.   

 "Cuerpos pintados" (painted bodies) were also very common.  For me, this was the coolest part of the festival.  A lot of the body paint represented the Mapuche tribe (the native people of Chile).

Again, we walked the hills, following the marching bands.  About 4 hours later, we ended up in a huge field where everyone was starting to gather.  As the sun was setting, the music was growing louder and the real party was beginning.  People were forming large circles around different types of performers.  There were dancers, singers, torch jugglers...you name it.  It was really fun!  We stayed for a long time, and then caught a bus back home.

In all, I would say this weekend is somewhat of a Chilean Woodstock...a little weird, but a blast to be a part of.