Our First Excursion!!

I am sorry it has been so long since the last blog. We have been so busy with school this past week; we have not had much time for adventure. School is going really well though, and I think our Spanish has improved considerably already…at least in our heads. We did manage to get out of the city for our first excursion since we have been here this weekend. We went to a valley in the mountains called Cajón del Maipo about 2 hours east of Santiago. There are approximately 20 small villages along this valley, and one is called Baños Morelas where there is a national park. It was a great trip, which included: riding a real Chilean bus, driving along steep cliffs, watching a farmer plant his field with a horse and plow, seeing different houses from small log cabins to shacks, hiking 16km, and seeing our first glacier up close.

Nick is studying so hard!!

This is our school, where we have spent all week.

The beginning of the trail in the national park at Baños Morelas.

That is the glacier up ahead...I know you think it is just piles of snow on a mountain but just wait.

Us on the trail.

Can you make out the glacier now?

On the way to the glacier there are natural hot springs where you can swim.

That is the glacier!! Actually it is almost the whole side of the mountain. It has been there for 20,000 years, and is responsible for making the whole valley we just walked up.

Closer picture of the mouth and the stream of water coming out of it. It would be bad if there was an earthquake right now!!

Nick in front of the cave. If you stand right by the mouth it is like air conditioning!

Cute yellow flowers along the trail...all of them have one little red dot on them.

Me heading back down the trail.

This is the little town of Baños Morelas. It is really cute with really nice people, homemade empanadas, and a pool.