May 19, 2003

Hi Everyone!

How are you all??? I’m doing just fine here in Chile- about ready to come home though. This coming Monday I’m off on a three week trip with three other exchange students. So, I wanted to send out a big hello before I’m out of communication. I think the last time I wrote was mid March. My mom came down the last week of March, and we had a great time together. I had a wonderful time showing her around my area, taking her shopping (she went crazy buying jewelery-such low prices!), and introducing her to Pisco Sour (Chile’s practically official national drink). We even made a quick trip up to La Serena. There we walked around the city (the second oldest in Chile) and walked down to the beach in time for the sunset. Our second day there we went on a tour to Las Islas Damas, a group of island full of amazing wildlife and the Humboldt Penguin Reserve. We toured around in a glorified (and motorized) canoe all day with 3 other tourists and 3 guides. The day was really spectacular even though it was overcast in the morning, because the water and the sky seemed to merge together in one continuous blue-gray. We saw all kinds of animals, birds, sea lions, dolphins and even whales (4 whales and a pack of dolphins with a baby!- the guide had never even seen that in 4 years of tours). The whales were really amazing when they came up out of the water right next to the boat and blew out their air. It was really a special and strangely spiritual moment each time they surfaced to hear such gigantic foreign animals breathe. And, we saw penguins!!!! They do exist in Chile!!!... And I found out why it is possible for them to live in such a warm climate when we stopped to stretch our legs on one of the islands. I decided a nice swim would do since the sun had come out. I waded right in and (BRRRRRR) I couldn’t feel my body! I did swim around for a good ten minutes though hoping a penguin would come play with me. No such luck, but definitely good fun in La Serena...plus it was great having my mom depend on me to get around! Talk about role reversal.

After my mom’s visit, I went back to school. I have found high school to be especially painful since summer ended, and it’s my fifth year. I’m so bored that I fear my mind may actually be turning to mush during the hours between 8 and 2. But on the bright side I have taken advantage of all my weekends (and a few weekdays too!).

One of my most recent adventures started as preparation for my upcoming trip. Grace, Josh and I (plus Linnae in Bolivia) have planned an adventure to the north of Chile to see San Pedro de la Atacama, geysers, salt flats and the Valley of the Moon (unfortunately the valley is not made of cheese...). Then we’ll be heading into Bolivia to meet up with Linnae, see some more salt flats and a salt lake, and visit La Paz. And finally we’ll head into Peru to Lake Titicaca, Cusco and (the best part) hike the Inca Trail for four days to reach Machu Picchu (lost city of the Incas). We are...EXCITED!

So Grace and I decided to climb La Campana, a big hill/somewhat mountain a half hour from us as practice for our Machu Picchu hike. We reached the foot of the two mile high hill with Grace’s host sister and my boyfriend, Pablo, at 8:30 am. From there it was all uphill! The first half of the climb was tough because it was steep. However we were covered from the sun by forest. We stopped to rest at the half way point, a deserted mine. The last stretch was extremely rocky, much steeper and (I thought) dangerous. We had been climbing for about 3 hours and I was exhausted but Grace and Pablo kept urging me on. We made it to the top after 2 more hours... the view was just as spectular as we had been told it would be. We had a panoramic view of La Quinta region of Chile, from the sea to Santiago to the foothills and mountains. We were on top of the world, or so it felt! I fell in love with Chile’s green hills in the beginning...but from the top of La Campana the hills rolled out below us like the rising and falling waves of a stomy ocean. Breathtaking! After taking a lunch break, the climb down took us a little more than 3 hours. We raced the last leg of the way to make it to the bottom before dark. We didn’t quite make it but the trail was well marked and we were on a bus to Villa Alemana by 7pm. 10 hours in all!... It was worth it (after my swollen knees went down and my muscules forgave me!). Well, that’s about all the excitement here. I’m working on getting things together for the trip, and I’m going to an exchange student overnight this weekend.

Just wanted to say HOLA! to all of you, I’m thinking of you!!! Write me and let me know how you’ve been. I hope you have a great start of the summer since it’s just getting colder here. Mark your calendars that the gringa loca will be back July 15! Lots of love to you all... y besitos,

Heather