Sentimental at Dusk

Hmm, where do I start?  I suppose I'll start with the "big" news:  I officially have a ticket booked to return to the States!  (March 6th if you're wondering)  As excited as I am, I was having a sentimental moment as I was walking home at dusk from meeting my two Chilean friends for ice cream.  It was our "goodbye" and ice cream just seemed like the typical Chilean thing to do.  Plus, I had to get my fill of the delicious frutos del bosque and coco flavors before I left.  Anyway, I was walking home in a really pretty part of town and the sun was just about to set, so the Andes were looking fabulous and I thought to myself, Wow, I am going to miss this place a bit.  It's true.  I am going to miss Santiago a bit and Chile a bit more.  It has been an amazing six+ months.  I have experienced more than a blog can ever properly express.  I have seen more than I ever imagined.  I have been places that top the charts and truly are wonders of the world.  I have met people that I will most certainly never forget.  And I'm now getting ready to leave, to say goodbye.

Now don't get me wrong, I am beyond excited and beyond ready to come home.  But before I do a blog post about how pumped I am to board that plane, I think it is only appropriate that I pause, get a little sentimental, and give Chile a proper goodbye.  Chile has been good to me.  Well, actually, God has been good to me.  When living/traveling/studying abroad, there are so many factors that are beyond our control.  And God came through big time for me in Chile, (like He always does.  Still trying to figure out when I seem to always doubt Him!)  One of the biggest ways God has provided for me in Chile is through the people.  I am such a people person.  Thus, having such an amazing host family was key.  And then there are the amazing friends in my program, the instant Chilean friends when I arrived, a missionary couple that has been more than hospitable (in fact, I am still living in their home!), the incredible family whom I worked with at the summer camp, not to mention all the wonderful people I met traveling...  The list could go on!

Yes, Chile and I have had some rough patches.  I mean, I'm still not too keen on their cuisine.  Come on, Chile, too much mayo!  But still, I cannot hate on their food.  The avocados are amazing and I can still taste that amazing empanada de mariscos that I ate in Concón over Dieciocho.  Yes, I am ready to leave Chile, but it's not her fault.  It's just time.  Time to go.  Time to go home.  ((Yes, I will get to what's next in another post, but bear with me for a bit))

Okay, so I was walking home, getting all softhearted etc. and just really thinking about how much I have enjoyed Chile and how blessed I am.  Leaving is always hard, but as the saying goes It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.  As sappy as that is, it holds some truth, especially when I apply it to my abroad experiences and saying goodbye.  Yes, it will be hard saying goodbye, but I'd much rather have that hurt than have never had this experience...  I just hope that I can leave Chile well.  When I arrived in late August, I was a bit of, well, a mess.  In hindsight, I was scared, scared of the unknown, scared of leaving my comfort zone once again to brave this big world flying solo.  I didn't know what I was doing, where I was going, I didn't have a plan.  And in that respect, things haven't changed much.  I still don't have a five-year plan or anything but I'm at peace, whereas when I left for Chile, I was not.  That is absolutely a result of not trusting God, with everything.  If there is one thing I have learned these past couple years, it is that I am not in control, He is.  And that is a good thing.

It's terribly hard (especially for a planner) handing over the reigns to God and trusting in Him for it all, but it is terribly freeing as well.  One of my favorite passages regarding "plans" is in Isaiah:  I am the Lord your God, who teaches what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.  If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.  Trust God.  Follow Him.  And walk in His ways.  Thus, coming to Chile was hard, okay, downright difficult because I was trying to call the shots of my life and fit God into my own mold.  So in reality, God bringing me to Chile was even more of a blessing because it was here that He got me back to where I needed to be, which is in the center of His will.  

So I guess what I am trying to say is that yeah, leaving Chile will be bittersweet and it will be sad, but I am able to leave Chile with a peace in my heart.  I know it is time to leave, time to move on.  And I am so very, very excited for what He has for me next...  ♥

PHOTOS!!!!

Hi everyone!!
Guess what?! I finally got a spare moment to upload some photos.  Since I took over five hundred photos on my journey down south, I chose about fifty to make a "Best Of's" album entitled "Go SOUTH!!!" which you will find on the left-hand side of my blog page.  However, I am sorry to inform you that photobucket.com failed me again and all the pictures are in opposite order of how I took them.  (So I guess the album should be entitled "Go NORTH!!!")  Thus, imagine you are first in Punta Arenas and work your ways backwards.  Also, for some reason I can't figure out how to add captions so you all can know what you are looking at.  I'm working on it, trust me.
Enjoy!

The End of the World (or pretty darn close)

Hello hello everyone!
If you didn´t already know, I am writing to you from the ¨end of the world.¨  Yes, that´s right, Punta Arenas, Chile - latitude of 53 degrees south and approximately 6600 miles away from Burlington, Iowa.  I think I can safely say this is the furthest I have ever been from home.  With that said, I have so much to tell you all and describe to you that I think it might be easiest (and most fun) to hash it out in list format.  Ready?


Punta Arenas is...


1. one of the southernmost cities in the world
Yup, that´s right.  Like I mentioned previously, Punta Arenas sits on, or around, the 53rd latitude line south of the equator (or at least I think that´s how that works... it´s been awhile since my last lesson in geography).  The capital city of Chile´s southernmost region also sits on the edge of the Strait of Magellan, named after the explorer Ferdinand and also the most easily navigable passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean but also quite difficult to navigate due to unpredictable winds, currents, and narrows.  (All of this courtesy of Wikipedia, por supuesto.)  Anyway, whatever you like to call it - Punta Arenas, the end of the world, Tierra del Fuego - this is as far south as this girl is gettin´ ... this time, at least.


2. cold, windy, and full of coffee shops
So what have I been doing these past three days at the end of the world?  Well, not sunbathing that´s for sure.  Right now it´s about forty-eight degrees fahrenheit outside but last night it dropped to around thirty-three.  Thus, for the first time in months, weather in Iowa might be a bit more agreeable than where I am.  Shocking, I know.  And the wind... almost rivals the Windy City... almost.  Anyway, since it´s a bit chilly outside and since I am at the end of my month-long trip and am a bit burnt out on seeing stuff, I decided to play a game while giving myself a walking tour of the city.  The Game:  Every time I ran across a coffee shop I had to go in, sit down, and have a coffee.  Result:  Eight coffee shops in two days and a caffeine high like no other.  However, my favorite was definitely the jazzy, vintage, bohemian coffee shop called Tapiz where I had one of the best macchiatos.  I could have stayed there forever (in fact, I think my waitress thought I might and was relieved when I finally asked for la cuenta.)  


3. duty-free, or at least the Zona Franca
Sooo besides drinking entirely too much caffeine in Punta Arenas, I also visited the Zona Franca, which is the area of the city that is duty-free and thus the place to go to buy electronics, cars, and imported alcohol and chocolate.  Before I went, I really didn´t know quite what to expect.  I thought maybe it would be just one big store where they sold a bunch of random stuff.  To my surprise, it is much, much more than that.  In fact, it was quite overwhelming.  Store after store, aisle after aisle of stuff.  Materialism on steroids perhaps.  Halfway through the Zona Franca I had to sit down and have a Coca-Cola Light because I was just so overwhelmed.  Finally, after a few hours of going down practically every aisle and going in almost every store, I left.  My only purchase - peanut butter.


4. a small world
I never would have imagined the end of the world to be such a small world but indeed it is.  Why so?  Well, here are two stories to prove that as large as this world is it is also quite small.  The first occurred while I was riding the ferry back from the penguin colony, which I will describe later.  As I am sitting there, two gringas walk by and I was struck by one of the girls´ faces, which was unmistakeably familiar.  Since I knew it would bother me not to know how I recognized her, I got up, tapped her on the shoulder, and asked them both where they went to school.  Somehow I don´t think I was as surprised as I should have been when they said Loyola University in Chicago.  Small world indeed.  As it turns out, they arrived to Chile a little over a month ago through a different study abroad program that Loyola offers and will begin their classes in March.  Crazy, eh?  The second unbelieveable store happened while I was wandering through the aisles of a huge warehouse store in the Zona Franca.  As I am in a daze walking down aisle after aisle, out of the corner of my eye, I see this chica invade my personal space.  A little taken aback, I snap out of my daze and realize that it is KAREN, a woman I studied abroad with in Santiago.  What?!  For the past month, Karen had been taking a mountain climbing course in Patagonia and is now travelling with a friend doing treks etc. in the area.  I still could not believe I ran into her.  I mean, out of all the places, out of all the places in Punta Arenas, out of all the stores at the Zona Franca, out of all the aisles in this huge store... we literally ran into one another.  It is a small world afterall...


And last but not least...
Punta Arenas is...


5. full of penguins
Although being able to say I have been to the end of the world is pretty cool, the real reason I came all the way down to Punta Arenas was to see the penguins.  So on day one down here, I took a two-hour ferry to Isla Magdalena, home of thousands of Magellanic penguins that come down every summer to this island in order to breed.  Definitely the highlight of my time spent in Punta Arenas, walking amongst a few thousand adorable penguins waddling around and flapping their wings.  It was such a surreal experience.  I mean, come on, penguins are just so darn cute!!!  (Pictures to come, of course!)


Anyway, that really is a pretty good overview of what I have been doing down here.  Tomorrow I will take a plane back to Santiago and honestly I can´t say I´m that sad to be done with my trip down South.  Don´t get me wrong, it has been a blast and I have enjoyed every second of it.  I have done some amazing things, seen some spectacular sights, eaten some delicious food, and met some incredible people, but after a month of living out of a backpack, I´m ready to unpack, take a real shower, and have some variety in my wardrobe.  As for the photos, I should have the Best Of´s uploaded by Saturday.  So once again, stay tuned...


¡Ciao!

A Patagonian High

I am on the high of a lifetime down here in Patagonia.  Where do I even begin?  Well, let me work backwards for a moment.  I am currently all warm and cozy in my hostel (called The Singing Lamb, cute right?) in Puerto Natales, Chile, drinking a steaming hot cup of tea while listening to some Bon Iver.  Oh, I might also mention that I just had the best shower of a lifetime, awesome water pressure, perfect temperature, and a fresh clean towel provided by the hostel.  Maybe only a backpacker can truly appreciate what I just described but it was simply rejuvenating.  And then before that was one of the best meals I have eaten in a long time.  I went to this adorable little café slash coffee shop that reminded me vaguely of the coffee shops in Chicago.  Anyway, it was a vegetarian place and, well, the veggie burger was calling my name.  However, I was a little more than hungry so afterwards I opted for the hummus, yes, hummus.  Note:  Hummus does NOT exist in Chile.  Well, perhaps I have seen it once in Jumbo, the grocery store, but from the looks of it... ew.  This hummus was the real deal.  Delicious with a hint of tahini.  


All is right in the world.  I am beyond content right now and beyond blessed.


Now that you have a little background of where I am writing from I can begin to tell you about my extraordinary ferry ride down to the Chilean Patagonia.  From the beginning, I knew it was going to be successful, for multiple reasons.  One being that while checking-in at the Navimag offices in Puerto Montt, I met two of the nicest girls from California (who ended up being my bunkmates!) and then ran into four of my friends from one of my previous hostels.  So there was a joyful (and loud) reunion!  The other reason I knew it was going to be an amazing trip was the fact that it was pouring down rain (a common occurrence in this part of the world).  Now you might not think that would make me happy, in fact, it didn´t.  However, the happiness comes from finding cheap but good quality rain boots (or wellies as my Welsh friend informed me that they are called in England).  Score!  And let me tell you, these rain boots or wellies were the lust of every single Navimag traveller.  I had two older English ladies allude to their desire to steal them from me.  Ha!  There was no way I was letting those bad boys out of my sight.


So we board this ferry, which was more like a cruise ship, and it exceeded all of my expectations, especially the food.  The first night we had salmon, which was the best cooked salmon I had eaten on my entire trip.  Very impressive, Navimag, very impressive.  The three days I spent on this ship was essentially a vacation from my vacation.  I barely had to lift a finger and did not make one decision the entire time.  I didn´t even have to set an alarm!  I was practically told when to wake up, when to eat, when to go outside to look at something cool (which I´ll get to in a minute), when to eat again, when to go to yoga class on the second deck... And I had all the free time in the world to chat with my new (and recently new) friends, play cards, and read.


Now, let´s get to the meat and potatoes of this ferry ride:  the scenery.  First of all, we had the best weather.  Yes, there were overcast days but the weather did not stand in the way of any of the sights or pictures.  (Pictures to come!)  The first full day was all about the animals.  We got to see seals, whales, and dolphins!  I mean they were right there!  It was fully-sick (or full-on) as my Australian friend would say.  And the landscape... wow.  Our ferry made its way winding down channel after channel in between island after island of Patagonian terrain.  It was breathtaking.  I can understand why Patagonia is world-renowned.  It is ruggedly beautiful.  Ruggedly beautiful.  And as if the landscape and the animals were not enough on day two we saw the largest glacier in the Southern Hemisphere (other than in Antarctica).  It is also advancing significantly.  Called the Pío XI glaciar it is now 64 kilometres in length.  A GLACIER!  Isn´t that unreal?  I couldn´t believe what was before my eyes.  I still can´t believe I saw half the things I did.  I feel like I just awoke from the craziest dream ever.  Needless to say, going on that little cruise was one of the best decisions I have ever made.  And I am literally praising the Lord for how He has blessed me but also for His amazing creation.  Being on this ferry surrounding by these miraculous mountains and animals brought to the forefront of my mind how amazingly powerful and brilliant our God is.  Incredible.


And there is still more to come... Tomorrow morning I will be up and going early with a bus to catch at 7:15 bound for Punta Arenas, located right on the Straight of Magellan.  Tierra del Fuego.  The End of the World.  First thing on my list?  Penguins.  


Stay tuned!
¡ciao ciao!

Less Than Impressed In Castro

Hi Everyone

Bare with me during this blogpost as the keyboard I am using is missing a few key elements, such as particular capital letters and the exclamation mark, which I tend to use quite often.  However, lucky for me, the last few days have been less than exciting.  I am trying not to be critical but just plain honest.  And honestly, Castro and the surrounding area in Chiloè have been less than impressive.

On Monday, we arrived in Castro, which is the capitol of Chiloè and after getting settled in our hostel, that is actually quite comfortable, Falco and I took a walk around the city in order to see the ¨sights,¨ of which there are few.  The big attraction in these parts is definitely the palofitos, which are houses on stilts near the water.  In the photos I had seen previously the houses look colorful and lively.  However, in person, they looked dirty.  Maybe it was because the water was not very high, which takes away some of the charm... Anyways, those were a little bit of a let-down.

On Tuesday, we decided to go where our tour books and fellow friends who had traveled to Chiloè told us to go - Dalcahue and Achao.  Dalcahue is a small town near Castro that was supposed to have a stellar market and is also the port city to go to Achao, which is on a nearby island.  Sadly, the market was less than stellar.  The attraction in Achao?  The oldest church of all the churches in Chiloè, which are famous for weathering all the earthquakes Chile has had in the past.  Impressively, this church was built in 1730 by the Jesuits.  While the fact that it is still standing may be impressive, the church itself is not.  Bummer.  ajor bummer.  Even though the sights were less than exciting, Falco and I did manage to have a good time and I even learned a few words in German.

That leads me to today, Wednesday.  Well, on our last full day in the area the only thing to do was go to the national park.  As you all may know, I am not too much of an outdoorsy type girl.  I would not declare myself a girly girl, I can get dirty and play in the mud, so to speak, but bugs really are not my thing and generally nature does not get me too excited, unless it`s something crazy, ya know?  So I am probably not the best person to judge this national park, but there was a beach, which was cool.  Nevertheless, Falco and I walked around for awhile and did the main tourist treks.  Then, we headed back to Castro and our hostel, where we made pizza for dinner.  Is it sad that that was probably the highlight of our day?  For the record, it was good pizza.

And tomorrow... well, tomorrow Falco and I part ways and we are once again ridin` solo. Needless to say, Falco and I have had a blast together, especially when we were a group of three with our English friend Amanda, whom we miss quite a bit.  At the crack of dawn, Falco takes off for a long bus ride to Bariloche, Argentina while I take a different route.  In fact, it is quite different from my original itinerary, according to which I, too, was supposed to go to Bariloche.  However, after talking to different people and doing a lot of thinking, I opted not to cross over to the Argentine side, but instead take a ferry, called the Navimag, from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales and then go to Punta Arenas, which is my final destination.  The ferry is quite large, holding more than 300 people, and the trip in total will last three nights and four days.  Although it was a little pricey, at least on a backpacker`s budget, it will definitely be worth it.  I will be able to sit back, relax, and let someone else take the wheel for awhile.  Plus, I will be able to see a part of Chile and of Patagonia that is only visible by ship.  Here is the website for those of you interested in a more in-depth itinerary - Navimag Itinerary

Oh, and that`s the map of my route.  Pretty cool, eh?  Well, that is the general update and now you have an idea of where I will be headed.  Sadly, this ship does not have internet, no surprise there, so I won`t be able to blog for the next five days or so, but that`s probably okay.  I bet you all are desperate for a break from my blogposts.  Haha.  Hope you all are doing well.  Stay tuned for more updates on my journey to the End of the World.

Un besito,

Ciao

Marisco Overdose in Ancud

Well, I am no longer in Puerto Varas.  Actually, I am no longer on mainland Chile either.  Instead, I am on the grand island of Chiloé.  Chiloé is known for its mysticism, interesting food, and a completely different culture from Chile.  Today, we got a bit of a taste of that new culture.


Falco (my German friend, with whom I have been travelling recently) and I arrived in Ancud, Chiloé yesterday.  Luckily, we are staying at the same amazing hostel as our English friend Amanda.  (We all met in Pucón.)  Yesterday was also Falco´s birthday so we went out to eat in order to celebrate. Since Chiloé is famous for its seafood, Amanda and I decided to try paila marina, which is a type of soup with lots and lots of shellfish - clams, oysters, etc.  The first half of the dish was delicious, but by the time we got halfway through, we didn´t even want to look at another marisco let alone eat one.  Nevertheless, the dish at least deserves a 6 on a 10 point scale.


However, paila marina was just the beginning.  Today, Falco and I went on a mission - to eat curanto, the typical dish of Chiloé.  What is curanto exactly?  Well, for starters, it is cooked in a half a meter deep hole in the ground.  Yes, hole in the ground.  Anyways, the place to go for traditional curanto is about 13km away in a town called Quetalmahue.  In order to get there, Falco and I tried out hand at hitch hiking, which is quite common and popular down here.  Don´t worry, Mom and Dad, we didn´t actually hitch hike because before we found a random stranger going our way, a colectivo stopped for us.  


Okay, so we get there and immediately a man flags us over to his restaurant, which ended up being in the Lonely Planet guide (score!), and sat us down at one of his tables.  Curanto was already in the ground cookin´.  So how do you make curanto?  Well, I´m no expert but what I gathered was this:  First you get the stones heating up in the hole in the ground.  Once those are to the right temperature you add all the ingredients, which include potato bread (a Chiloé thing), chorizo, lots of mariscos (yes I ate more mariscos - I officially have a marisco overdose), chicken, potatos, and even some ribs.  Then all the food is covered with these huge leaves from the nalca plant.  Believe me, these leaves are enormous!  After everything is set, you let it cook for two or more hours.  It is truly an incredible process.  And once again, I found myself eating mariscos as well as delicious chicken, sausage, and ribs.  


As it turned out, we ran into two other guys from our hostel, who were also in the market for some curanto.  So we pulled two tables together and had a feast.  Afterwards, as stuffed as we were, we decided to go for a little drive on the nearby peninsula-island.  Now gives me the perfect opportunity to describe how beautiful this part of Chile is.  Beautiful is an understatement, believe me.  We all agreed that Chiloé is what we would expect Ireland or England to look like - green everywhere, normally dreary weather, large cliffs/bluffs overlooking rocky and cold water.  Gorgeous.  And when we arrived at the beach, we were even more stunned.  I cannot even begin to describe it all in words.  So you will all have to wait for my pictures, which will do it less than justice.


When all is said in done, I am falling in love with Chiloé and this isn´t even the half of it.  Tomorrow we head to the capital of Chiloé, Castro, where there are houses on stilts and beautiful wooden churches that have withstood earthquake after earthquake.  There is also a national park that we hope to check out.  And of course an amazing artisan market that I wouldn´t miss for the world.  So much to see and so much to do!


Hope you all are doing well back home.  I miss you all soo much!


¡Ciao!

Just Do It, Sin Pensar

Alright ya´ll... I got yet another story for you blog-readers out there.  I am currently in Puerto Varas in the part of Chile considered the Lakes District.  Puerto Varas has a lot of character (as well as tourists) and may even be considered quaint.  The past few days I have been wandering around, even visited the nearby town of Frutillar, and just enjoying life.  And even missing home a little.  ¿Por qué?  Well, even though this region has a lot of German influence (reminds my German friend Falco of his native land just a smidge), I really think this region also has a lot of Iowa influence.  Yes, that´s right, Iowa.  The other day on the bus I looked out the window and saw the familiar sight of cornfields!  Additionally, the countryside with its houses and trees draws an incredible resemblance to the great Mid-West.  So without even leaving Chile, I feel as if I have been back to Germany and, above all, back to Iowa.  Of course, the enormous mountains in the background as well as the volcano brought me back to reality as much as hearing the person next to me ramble on in Spanish.  Nope, not exactly Iowa... or Germany for that matter.


Anyway, I digress...


So the BIG story... Well, add another notch to my belt of Chilean adventures because this afternoon I went CANYONING.  Don´t worry, the first time I heard the word canyoning I didn´t have a clue either.  And honestly I still really don´t have a clue of what exactly canyoning consists.  But I´ll tell you of what my canyoning experience consisted.  Lucky for me, my German friend Falco once again accompanied me on this little aventura.  


After getting fitted for our special shoes, socks, and wetsuits, we loaded everything up in the vans and headed for the nearby national park.  (Beautiful scenery by the way)  About an hour to an hour and a half later, we had arrived.  So we put on our gear (wetsuits definitely aren´t my favorite fashionwear but I was glad I had something to keep me warm in the icey water) and trekked up a ways, perhaps half an hour.  Then, we arrive at the top of the river in order to work our way down it.  First step?  Jumping, oh, maybe three meters into the river.  Three meters may not sound like a lot but even this gave me a little bit of fear.  Is the water deep enough?  Will I hit the rocks at the bottom?  Heck, will I hit the rocks on the side of the cliff?  JUST DO IT!  SIN PENSAR!  (Sin pensar = without thinking)  Easier said than done, guys, believe me.  Mind over matter and what not, it is hard to forgo your fears and just do it.  However, I just did it... twice (for good measure).


Whew!  That was fun.  Then we worked our way down the river a bit more and did some tobogganing down some mini waterfalls.  That was a rush!  The water just sucks you down those things and you come up spitting water.  (I still have some in my ears...)  Ten minutes later we were yet again at another jump.  This one, in my opinion, was worse.  It wasn´t any higher but as you are standing there looking down, you see big rock jutting out from where you are jumping.  It took the guides some smooth talking to convince me that I was not going to hit the rock when I jumped into the water... I didn´t.  More tobogganing, more tobogganing, more tobogganing... Then we get to this little spot in the river with pooling water and what not.  This is where we defy gravity and do some matrix moves off the walls of the cliff.  My moves didn´t work out as nicely as some of the others, but falling into the water was nice.  Literally, they wanted me to run sideways on the wall of this cliff... Are they crazy?!  Well, yes, the answer is yes, because next we get to the biggest jump of the day, at least twenty (?) meters, maybe more but I´m bad at guesstimating.  Oh. My. Goodness.  Did that take some smooth talking or what?  Finally, I just said to myself, Sarah, you are going to jump off this cliff into this water that they claim is deep. You are going to do it and you are going to do it in 3... 2... 1...  *loud scream here*  Even thinking about it right now makes me have to pee a little.  (TMI?)  


Okay, whew, that part is over, kinda.  Now we are going to do some repelling down a forty meter waterfall... No big deal.  Or so I thought.  My logic was that this definitely would not be as scary as doing some free-falling into water because I would be hooking up to rope and my feet would be touching the side of the wall the whole time.  Nope, not quite.  After two meters down, the rocks disappear and you are just hanging as you let yourself down by rope.  However, this went quite well for me.  Nice views.  Control over my speed.  All is well.  Of course, I had mental nightmares of the rope breaking, or me losing my grip, or the bolts in the rock above just coming unhinged.  The guy hanging next to me even commented about how terrible it would be if there was an earthquake.  Thanks, Tomás, thanks.  But I made it, only to find out I had to jump fifteen meters or so into the water below.  3... 2... 1... Just do it!  Sin pensar!  *Kerplunk!*  


As scary as all that was, it was some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen.  And can we talk about that waterfall?!  Amazing that I was just hanging in mid-air going down the side of that sucker.  Once again, however, I am on solid ground thanking the Lord profusely for delivering me once again home safely.  First the volcano and now this.  I wonder if He is up there thinking Oh no, here goes Sarah again, is she out of her ever-loving mind? gotta go make sure she doesn´t kill herself.  Haha.  Anyway, just another day in the life of this lucky gringa travelling down to Patagonia...


¡Ciao!

Sea Lions and German Beer - Chile is quite odd at times...

Alright ya'll, yes I'm back so soon, but I'm on a bit of a schedule so you can understand that I got to keep the updates coming as I am traveling from city to city.  Currently I am in Valdivia, Chile.  Tomorrow, however, I am off again.  This time to Puerto Varas, just a bit south of here.  Anyways, what is there to see in Valdivia?  Well, I primarily came here for two things:  sea lions and German beer.
Sea Lions
Valdivia is situated on a network of rivers and is also close to the Pacific Ocean.  Famously there is a market called Feria Fluvial that is on the banks of the river here in Valdivia.  This little feria is full of fresh fish and seafood (fresh catches are brought in every morning) as well as fresh vegetables and fruits.  As I was walking through the feria yesterday I was practically drooling over the fresh salmon and trout.  The salmon, by the way, are enormous and delicious looking.  Although I didn't have the energy to buy a salmon filet and cook it back at the hostel, I did have the sense to buy smoked salmon.  Thus, last night's dinner was a smash hit, complete with smoked salmon, cheese, tomato, and crackers.  Okay, okay, but the sea lions?  Well, at this feria, the sea lions paddle right up to the river's banks and get spoiled by the leftover and unwanted fish from the feria.  They are quite the sight to see, especially when the alpha males get into heated arguments over the best seat in the house to catch the leftovers.
German beer?
Ahhh yes, Valdivia (and this part of Chile in general) is filled with German immigrants, meaning the German influence cannot be missed.  Valdivia is the home of the Kunstmann brewery, which is quite good beer.  They even have a blueberry beer and a honey beer, which are pretty unique.  Today, after my ironically German friend, Falco, whom I met in Pucón, got into Valdivia, we headed to the brewery along with two other girls from the States and a guy from Australia.  For five US dollars, we were able to try ten different types of the Kunstmann beer and even enjoy some papas fritas (or French friends), the perfect addition to some beer tasting.
Honestly, that about hits all the highlights of Valdivia.  Since I am on a schedule I must be moving along.  Tomorrow to Puerto Varas, where I will partake in some canyoning.  Should be a good time.  Obviously this blog post does not even compare to the volcano post.  Sorry for the disappointment, but I think the volcano will definitely be hard to beat, if not impossible.  However, stay tuned, just in case canyoning is out of this world.
¡Ciao!

I Climbed Volcán Villarrica... and Lived To Tell About It

You all have no idea but you are in for an insane blogpost today.  Why?  Well, yesterday definitely made the top 10 list of craziest days of my life.  Yes, I climbed Volcán Villarrica and lived to tell about it.  Maybe that doesn´t seem like a big deal to you but perhaps a little background information might change your mind...
First of all, this volcano is one of Chile´s most active volcanoes and has an active lava lake within its crater.  Furthermore, this bad boy rises 2840ish meters about sea level.  It´s high and steeeeeeep.  And from the get-go of my planing this trip down to the south, I have had it in my mind to climb it.  It just sounded like a cool thing to do, you know, climb a volcano and all.  Well, I really had NO idea what I was getting myself into, which was probably a good thing, otherwise I might have chickened out.  Anyways, costing about $70 US dollars, climbing Volcán Villarrica is no walk in the park.  In fact, you have to get suited up for this journey.  What does suited up mean?  Well, suited up includes boots with cramp-ons, snow pants, windbreaker, two pairs of gloves, helmet, AND an ice pick.  And that´s just what´s provided in the $70... The fact that cramp-ons and an ice pick were included in this trek should have been the red flags that this is like nothing I have ever done.
Anyways, let´s get to the details.  A group of us from the hostel in Pucón decided to take the first hike of the day, which leaves at 4am.  With this trek you don´t have to worry about a TON of people climbing up and down the mountain AND you get the see the sunrise.  So why not?  Well, the only downside is not being able to take the chairlift which cuts about about an hour of the hike and might I add it is one of the hardest hours.  But in our minds, climbing up the ENTIRE thing sounded the most hardcore.  We didn´t want to wimp out and take the chairlift.  Haha.  Well, the ENTIRE thing includes 1400 meters of steep rock, ice, and snow.
Starting off at 4am, we drive to the base of the volcano and immediately begin to climb.  It is cold and dark and I couldn´t see a thing.  A few of the people in our group had headlamps, which helped, but it was still almost pitch black minus the extraordinary twinkle of the stars.  However, even the stars couldn´t numb the pain of climbing up that first hour in the dark.  Luckily, there was the nicest guy from Israel who had my back and kept encouraging me through the first hour or I might not have made it past the end of the chairlift!
Okay, so we get up to where the chairlift ends, take a quick break, and then are back at it.  The second and third hour we mostly walked on volcanic rock.  It wasn´t until the fourth hour or so that we made a pit-stop to put on our cramp-ons and grab our ice picks.  Then the real fun began.  Steep.  Steep.  Steep.  Pure sheets of snow and ice.  Honestly, I was horrified that I was going to slip, even with the cramp-ons and slide to my death!  It was insane.  I cannot even begin to explain how hardcore this was, especially for me who is not a big-time hiker and have definitely never worn cramp-ons or wielded an ice pick before.  If it wasn´t for our amazing guides (shout out to Richard!!) I probably would not have made it up or down that volcano. 
Five to six hours, that´s how long it took us to get up to the top.  And when I did, I was so overjoyed I wanted to cry.  And I´m not exaggerating.  I was SO happy to be at the top.  To have made it.  To have achieved it.  There were points on that volcano where I wanted to scream, give up, or be anywhere but on the side of that volcano.  But when we got to the top... Well, I´d like to say that at that point I thought to myself how worth it that painful five hour hike was... but I can´t.  My first thought was no one could EVER pay me enough money to do that again... EVER.  (And just think about our guides who do it everday.  Richard alone has climbed it over 450 times.)  Then my second thought was how the heck am I going to get down without breaking my neck?! 
About the whole getting down part, we were told that once we climb to the top we will be sliding-sledding down the volcano.  Well as we are climbing up snow and ice, steep snow and ice, I am thinking to myself if they think I am going to slide down this steep volcano on my butt they have another thing coming! if i don´t die getting to the top, I will surely die on the way down!  However, to my joyful surprise, there are canals, or little paths on the way down this volcano for us to slide in!  So we get out our mini-sled-thingy, using our ice pick as our break we start sliding down the volcano.  And what took us five to six hours to climb took us an hour, hour and a half, to slid down.  It was amazing.  I really got some speed!  (And yes, I definitely was making some car noises vroom vroom on the way down!)  By the time we are at the bottom I have never been happier or full of joy or just plain ecstatic!  Thus, perhaps I can compare this volcano-climbing experience a little bit to childbirth (yes, I know, I haven´t actually experienced that yet but hear me out).  So I have heard that childbirth can be one of the most painful experiences ever (I can´t even begin to imagine).  However, after birth, I´ve heard that a woman´s body releases a hormone or something that helps her forget the pain of childbirth so she will want to have another baby, biologically-speaking.  So when she is holding this little life in her arms afterwards, she forgets about the pain and might, just maybe, do it again someday.  Well, that´s how I felt about the volcano.  While in the midst of climbing this thing, I just want to scream it hurts so terribly.  And the whole time I am thinking I will NEVER do this again.  However, then I have done it and then I am sliding down this amazingly steep volcano (best sledding of my life) and I am completely overjoyed and proud and I feel so achieved and tough!  And just for a second, I think perhaps I would do this again... if only to experience the joy of sliding down this volcano after having done one of the most physically challenging things of my life.
However, after waking up today with weak and sore muscles beyond belief... someone would really have to talk me into climbing that thing again!  Luckily, yesterday after the climb, the group of us hit the hot springs just outside of Pucón in hopes of soothing our muscles a bit.  And as relaxing as it was, I am still sore as ever this morning.  Even still, I am so happy I climbed the volcano.. 
Yes, I climbed Volcán Villarrica... and lived to tell about it.  :)
Until next time... (Valdivia is next!)
¡Ciao!

Pucón: ¿Para siempre?

Hi everyone!
I feel like I really don´t have that much to update you all on yet but at the same time, I have so much to update you all on!
Okay, so Thursday night as I was getting ready to leave Santiago, I was getting pretty nervous and anxious.  My mind was being flooded with thoughts of bus trips gone bad, horrible weather, stolen luggage etc.  It was ridiculous how nervous I was... God has always taken care of me in my travels, why would this trip be any different?  But still I couldn´t rid myself of horrible images of me stranded on a glacier somewhere... Silly me, silly, silly me.  Once I got on the overnight bus to Pucón, my first stop, I popped in a sleeping pill and my earplugs and was out like a light.  And when I awoke, the bus was arriving in Pucón... Finding my hostel was as easy as 1, 2, 3.  I exited the bus station and there it was, all cute and happy.  Being as early as it was, my room wasn´t ready but the nice chica at the desk, Nea, offered me some coffee (what a saint!) and we got to talking and within 10 minutes, Hostel Refugio felt like home.  Home it was indeed, especially with Negra, the black lab, that inhabits the place as well.  Perhaps I´ll stay in Pucón forever?  I mean, there is a dog...
Okay, but maybe I´ll stay in Pucón forever because it is absolutely breathtaking.  It is a cute little town, very vacation-y.  All the buildings around the center look like cabins and little resorts... lots of wood and trees.  So quaint!  And don´t even get me started with the beautiful lake!  Oh my goodness... it is a little bit of paradise here.  My host family wasn´t joking when they told me Pucón is where all the rich from Santiago go to vacation.  I can definitely tell from the restaurants and stores and cabins that most of the vacationers here have some moo-lah.  As I was walking the streets of Pucón on the first day, I couldn´t help but miss my family.  I keep thinking how much they would LOVE it here.  Maybe if I´m lucky, I´ll be able to take them here one day.  It is amazing.
Anyways, on my first day here, I already made a TON of friends at the hostel, you know, fellow backpackers like me.  A German fellow and I even went ziplining, or canopying as it is called in Pucón, Friday afternoon.  Beautiful views and a little bit of thrill.  Also, a big group of us from the hostel signed up for the volcano trek tomorrow (Sunday) starting at 4 AM.  Yes, 4 AM!!!  I may be a little bit crazy... we will see after tomorrow... Yikes!  So that is kinda the big to-do here in Pucón.  (Yes, I did fail to mention that opposite the beautiful lake is the beautiful Volcano Villarica... paradise absolutely!)  Okay, so today being Saturday I had plans to go canyoning, which is repeling down waterfalls.  However, the weather was crappy in the morning so they canceled the first trek and then there wasn´t enough people to do the second... I was a little bummed out but everything happens for a reason.  Plus I saved fifty bucks!  AND it was probably a good thing I had the afternoon free otherwise I wouldn´t have had the chance to go get my haircut, which was wayyyyy overdue.  I walked into one peluqueria but wasn´t impressed by the way the lady greeted me, probably because I was gringa.  She just wasn´t very nice... So I kept walking around and it´s a good thing because I met Jorge, the owner of a cute little hair salon near my hostel.  He was so friendly and cheerful and even gave me the name and number of his friend who lives in Punta Arenas, my final stop in my journey.  People in the south really are friendly!!  Also, he did a stand-up job on just trimming my ends (I had heard from people in Santiago that sometimes hairstylists just go their own way and end up taking off INCHES!)  But Jorge did a wonderful job and now I feel so much better.  I know it´s silly that a haircut can do that but it can!
Okay, I´m rambling now but I just wanted to give ya´ll a quick update on Pucón.  The real update will come in a few days after I have recovered from hiking up a volcano.  I won´t lie, I´m a little nervous.  I hear it is super tiring and tough but totally worth it.  Tonight I go get fitted for my special shoes with the clamp-thingys on the end.  They definitely suit you up for this thing with a helmet, snowpants, snowjacket, special shoes etc.  Oh, the plus-side of hiking up this volcano is that on the way down (after 5 hours of hiking) we get to SLED down it!!!  Whoa!!!  Yes, there is snow...  It´s pretty high up there.  Anyways, wish me luck! 
¡Ciao!
Sarah
PS Maybe instead of wishing me luck, say a little prayer... I mean, they did afterall make me sign a waver including my insurance information as well as my blood type (I´m O+ btw)... Oh yeah, the volcano is active too so pray that it doesn´t decide to explode tomorrow!!  :)

Hangin´ Ten in piCHILEmu

Hi everyone!
I promised I would keep ya´ll updated after every place I visit during my trek down to Patagonia.  Well, here goes post number one since I just returned from Pichilemu, Chile where I tried my best to learn how to surf.  Yes, surf.  And let me tell you, surfing is NOT easy.  All in all, I think I stood up maybe three times and not for very long, that´s for sure!  However, even though I was horrible (can you blame me? it was, afterall, my first lesson), I can see why people easily become addicted to the extreme sport.  It was incredibly fun and relaxing.  Just being out there in the water was great.  A few times after I fell off I would just chill on my board, riding the waves in... It was great!
Pichilemu as a whole was a fun time too.  There was plenty of beach-side shops and food stands.  I bought fresh ceviche for less than two US dollars.  Fantastic!  After my first (and last) surf lesson, Gaby and I laid on the beach.  Then we switched beaches and laid on the beach some more.  Both of us got a little too much sun but it was more than relaxing.  One afternoon we took a collectivo out to Punta de Lobos, which is where all the insane surfing and surf competitions happen.  Out at Punta de Lobos is also where all the crazy waves are too.  I think if I would have tried to learn how to surf out there I might not have made it back... But definitely worth a trip out there to check it out and to sit on the beach and watch all these awesome surfers do their thing.  Very impressive.
Anyways, not too much to say about Pichilemu other than it was fun and relaxing... Now I have about six hours or so before I hop on my overnight bus to Pucón, my first stop on my trek down to the ¨End of the World¨ (i.e. Patagonia).  I am nervous and excited!  It will definitely be twenty-three days of pure adventure!  I packed as light as I could - only seven shirts, one pair of shorts, yoga pants, leggings, jeans, and two pairs of shoes.  If any of you all know me, you´ll know that that is some light packing for me... :) 
Anyways I better get going!  Until Pucón...
¡Ciao!