Skiing and Snowboarding in the Andes Mountains

Yes, you did read that title correctly. And yes, this is my real life. Skiing the Andes was one of those experiences that made me feel so incredibly fortunate to be spending 5 months in this country.

There is a company here in Viña del Mar called Ski Portillo that will be so kind as to take you up to the Portillo ski resort (about a 3 hour drive through some of the wildest switch backs I've come across), give you equipment, a lift ticket, and lessons, if you feel so inclined, for the low, low price of $45,000 CHP (approximately $90 USD). So, one chilly Friday morning we gathered at 5:00 in the morning to head up.

Portillo Ski Resort is, in a word, incredible. Incredible doesn't even begin to do it justice, and I can't list all of the synonyms for incredible because those won't truly serve either. The resort is situated around a beautiful alpine lake that will actually take your breath away...

If you ever need a dose of humility and appreciation for the world's natural wonders, go to the Andes

A Chilean Cumpleaños

That blessed day rolls around but once a year, bringing joy to all--well, mostly me. Yes, I am talking about my birthday, and this year I was lucky enough to celebrate it right here, in Viña del Mar, Chile! It fell on a Sunday right after the epic Isla Negra, Pomaire, Casas del Bosque excursion, which was followed by a night of tearing up the dance floor in Valpo, so I rolled into Sunday morning as one happy camper.

My familia Chilena was wonderful enough to prepare a delicious asado and invite the whole gang over to celebrate. So, with Sihua, Rachel, and all of my wonderful Chilean relatives we partook in much food, drink and merriment--it definitely made my 20th birthday one to remember!!

You may all now admire, and envy, my birthday crown for the day

Pablo Neruda, Artesenal Pig Figurines, and Wine Tastings Make for One Marvelous Excursion

My program, IFSA-Butler, arranges excursions throughout our 5 months here, and we had our first grand excursion on September 1^st! At 9:00 a.m. we met to head an hour and a half South to Isla Negra, which is actually not an island, so don’t be confused. Isla Negra is, in fact, the primary home of the beloved poet, and arguably the most famous Chilean figure, Pablo Neruda. Chileans are divided on many things—sports, politics, religion, which beach is best—but it seems to be nationally decided that Pablo Neruda is one of the best things to ever come out of Chile. 

Hiking La Campana

In between Santiago and Viña del Mar, there lies a national park by the name of La Campana. In this national park there sits Cerro Campana (Cerro meaning hill, which is an extremely loose use of the word, if you were to ask me). In order to climb said “hill”, you are looking at a 7 kilometer hike up (approximately 4 miles) and a 7 kilometer hike down. Not too terrible, right? Once you factor in the 1,600 meter elevation gain (5,250 feet), you’re looking at quite the hike! I considered doing the math to figure out the angle of the climb, but that just sounded tiring.

My climbing partner!

That's Not My Name...

What’s the first thing you do when you come across someone you haven’t met before? That’s right, you shake hands—or in Chilean culture, kiss cheeks—and offer up your name. Seems simple enough. That is, until you have a name that is spelled, and sounds, completely foreign to those Spanish speakers around you. Then it becomes a back and forth game of repeating your name a minimum of seven times until you gradually inch towards something that sounds close enough. Most introductions go something like this:

Get on Your Bikes and Ride!

Last Friday, my Chilean buddy Simon was nice enough to take Megan, Rachel, and I on a bike tour of the Viña del Mar and Reñaca area! You should know that Simon bikes a lot, and not just street riding, but tricks and other such fancy things. Therefore, I was sure to tell him 16 times that I don’t have the muscles to bike through the hills of Viña (I still can’t figure out how one would say “I am not in shape enough to bike the hills of Viña”) because, let’s be honest, I don’t know that I will ever be in shape enough to bike the hills of Viña. He was also nice enough to loan Rachel and I bikes, and upon seeing my bike, which was covered in rust, I almost backed out. But then I saw that it had a bell, and I hopped right on. The story is best told through the following photos:

Gringas out for a bike ride! Megan on the left, Rachel in the middle, and yours truly on the right

A Brief Geography Lesson

I’m sure that you, as a knowledgeable world citizen, know what the country of Chile looks like. If not, however, it’s something like this: