Horsing Around in the Andes Mountains

One of the activities at Cascadas de las Animas that we had the option to participate in was horseback riding through a section of the Andes Mountains. The eight of us that signed up were eager to begin our scenic journey. Our adventure started as we walked over a rickety bridge to meet the horses with whom we would be entrusting our lives for the next three hours. My horse's name was Tisnado, which, translated into English, means something along the lines of charcoal (although the color of his hair was nowhere near black). When we had all mounted our horses, some of our equine friends decided they wanted a snack of hay before we left, but our guides Pablo and Ceasar warned us not to let them eat. It was time for the horses to work, not eat, and we needed to make sure they knew that we were in charge of them by pulling the reigns to one side away from the hay. As we started to ascend the mountain, we realized what we got ourselves into; the paths were steep, rocky, and narrow, so there was very little room for error when handling the horse. 

One of our guides, Pablo, leading the pack

Once we got used to the feeling of being on top of our horses, we were able to trust that we were safe and in good hands (or hooves). We began to enjoy the beautiful scenery and emerging views from high above. And the higher we climbed, the more spectacular the views were! Whether we were riding under a canopy of trees or looking out over the edge of the mountain, we couldn't help but gape in awe at the nature surrounding us. Ashley, one of the faculty members on the trip said, "As we ascended that mountain with bravery, looking around, I have never seen such beautiful views in all my travels. The only country that maybe comes close is New Zealand, but the Andes mountains definitely take first prize." 

Katelynn, Marta, Ale, and Claire waiting to dismount at the top of the mountain

We arrived at the top of the mountain and dismounted our noble steeds. Looking down, we were so high up that the river that ran through the mountains looked like a small squiggly line, and in the distance were the tops of some snow-capped mountains. Everyone took this opportunity to snap some pictures and play with two dogs that had followed us up on our ride. 

After our short break, it was time to descend. All of us were terrified because the pathways on the way up were so steep, and we couldn't imagine what they would be like going down. Essentially, we just had to put our faith in the horses and trust that they would get us back safely. And although there were a few times when they slipped on the rocks, the horses did their job very well!

Reflecting on the experience, Katelynn Griffin described it as "beautifully terrifying." Ale Jaramillo commented that "the gorgeous view from the top was definitely worth the long, sometimes scary trek through the heat." I also asked Matt Raggi why he chose horseback riding over the other popular activity whitewater rafting, and he answered, "I really love horses so this opportunity to put all my trust in my horse was incredible. I think it was great to see those views and have that added experience."

Unbelievable view from the top!

Farewell Dinner: Chile

         After informative and interesting trips to Wayra and The Santiago Stock Exchange the group had one of its last four dinners at El Meson Nerudiano. It was bittersweet to be at the last dinner, but we all took the time to reminisce on our unreal experiences and be express how appreciative we were for the oppurtunity to go on this trip.

The teachers table (I was able to sneak in the picture)

The restaurant was close to our hotel, and it gave us a great selection of traditional Chilean food for one of the last times. We arrived at the restaurant at around 8:30 where we were greeted with some delicious appetizers which included beef empinadas, which were a huge hit on the trip, along with a variety of other seafood tapas.

Stephanie Skiba enjoying her appetizers

We received an option of steak and potatoes, giant crab cakes, or fish and quinoa! Steak and fish were two of the foods we saw the most during the trip, and giant crab cakes were quite a wildcard. It was nice that this dinner provided us with some foods that we saw many times on the trip, along with allowing us to try some new Chilean food.

Steak that we were served

 

Griffin enjoying his dinner

Mike Dalton said, "Dinner was delicious and fun, it let us taste the different culture for the last time. My steak was cooked perfectly, very fitting meal to formally end the trip".

Our dinner was coordinated by Francisca. She did a great job touring us around Chile, and showing us some of the most interesting and historical locations. When asked about the dinner she said, "Everything was very good, and she was happy to spend the time with us. She also really enjoyed our trip, and hoped that we loved Chile."

Srdan along with Liam, Ryan, Mike, and half of Charles at dinner

Our final dinner was filled with flavorful food, many laughs, and some interesting pictures. At the dinner it was great to see the bonds that were made during the trip, and how close all of the students and instructors had become. This bond made a trip that was very educational very enjoyable as well. Our dinner was the perfect formal conclusion to this once in a lifetime opportunity. At the conclusion of the dinner we all got a great night of sleep to prepare for water rafting, horse back riding, hiking and zip lining the next day!

Last Day In Chile!

White water rafting was indescribable. The views were amazing. The rapids were flowing. The instructors were informative. The memories will be unforgettable. 

Las Cascades en las animas was the perfect place to try new things such as hiking, zip lining, horseback riding, and rafting. It is a very eco-tourism attraction and resort. For many of us, this was our first time white water rafting and everything is a little bit scarier while in a foreign country, but also it is another reason to go out of our comfort zones. 

To start off the rafting, Simon gave us an information/ safety instruction guidelines. We went through every scenario that could possibly happen and how to deal with each in case one did happen to occur. After we learned how to deal with every situation, we went and put all of our gear on. This included a wet suit, a helmet, a life vest, special shoes, and "sexy" shorts. We all looked fantastic. We then divided into group of 6-8 and were paired with a special instructor. 

My instructors name was Carlos. He did not speak much English, but made the experience very exciting and memorable. Kevin described him as, "extremely helpful and comforting. He made me feel comfortable enough to try something new. "He brought us to our raft where we had to step into the freezing cold water and put all of our weight into Carlos' hand just to get in the boat. The walk to the boat was a little hike through rocks. Once we got on the boat, we went through all of the maneuvers that we would need to paddle down the river. We went through coordinating rowing frontwards and backwards, how to stop, and which way to go when needed. We were ready to go. 

The water/current was considered a 4.0 out of 6.0 scale which means that the rapids were very large and fast. Our group was the last raft to go since Carlos was one of the head leaders. As Senora Gomez said, it just means we're in the water longer. After being anxious to go, it was finally time. A couple minutes in, he was telling us that people in our group already went for an unexpected swim. One of the incidents that Simon explained in detail actually happened and everyone reacted very well. One of the boats hit and a couple people went into the water early. They are all okay and Charles and Chris even said they would definitely go white water rafting again even if it was a little frightening.  Besides that, the view down the river was amazing, the feeling of the cold water was refreshing, and it was a great end to an amazing trip. 

Visit to the Santiago Stock Exchange

After lunch on Thursday, we visited the Santiago Stock Exchange, known in Spanish as Bolsa de Comercio de Santiago. While we still have another day for activities in Chile, this was our final business meeting, and a great way to conclude the educational portion of the trip. Alejandra Cooper, a Financial Education Analyst for the Santiago Stock Exchange (SSE), gave a presentation on the history of the SSE and its building, as well as the ways in which the market operates. The SSE was founded on November 27, 1893, in attempt to stimulate the national economy. Construction of the current building started in 1913, and was finally completed in 1917. Up until the 1930s, a majority of the publicly traded companies were part of the mining industry. Now, the market is much more diverse, consisting of companies in the construction/real estate, retail, utility, commodity, and banking industries.

(Santiago Stock Exchange, Est. 1893)

The SSE is a multi-product stock exchange, as it offers not only stocks, but fixed income instruments and money market instruments, as well. It is accompanied in Chile by the Valparaiso Stock Exchange, founded in 1892, and the Electronic Stock Exchange, founded in 1989; the SSE is responsible for 96% of shares traded throughout the country. It operates similarly to the NYSE, in that there are issuers, investors, and intermediaries; the S.V.S. oversees and regulates the entire process. Issuers are comprised of the central bank, various private banks and financial institutions, as well as a multitude of companies. Investors are categorized either by institutional or non-institutional. Institutional investors include pension funds, mutual funds, investment funds, insurance companies, and banks; non-institutional investors include citizens and legal persons above the age of 18, as well as foreigners. In order to purchase stock, investors must go through intermediaries, such as brokers. There are 26 brokerage houses associated with the SSE, and while investors can make their own purchases online, these brokers must finalize all transactions.

(Rudy Blosio, Mike Dalton, and Dustin Brahman become brokers for the day)

Similar to the NYSE’s NASDAQ and DJI, some of the SSE’s main stocks are broken up into equity indexes, such as IPSA and IGPA; there is also the Inter-10, which consists of the NYSE’s top 10 publicly traded stocks. The SSE is a privately owned company, with 11 members making up its board of directors. Since it is privately owned, it is also listed on the market, and has stock available for purchase. The SSE is highly correlated with the U.S. stock market, so it operates during similar hours. During the summer, trade is open from 9:30am – 5pm; during the winter, it is open from 9:30am – 4pm. In order to make international trading more accessible, the SSE joined the Integrated Latin American Market, otherwise known as MILA, in 2011. MILA consists of Chile, Peru, Columbia, and Mexico, and with more than 700 titles to invest in, it has greatly stimulated the SSE and Chile’s economy.

(SSE brokers finalizing stock transactions)

After the presentation, we were lucky enough to get the chance to tour the trading floor. It consisted of a giant, real-time electronic billboard, which was implemented in 1993, as well as 26 computers, one for each brokerage house. We toured the floor while the market was still open, so we got to see some live trades taking place. The presentation and visit to the Santiago Stock Exchange was an event like no other. It was extremely relevant, as most students are studying business at Bryant, and put into perspective how large the international economy really is. Some students had some positive insights regarding the experience:

“The presentation was very informative, and it was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the Chilean and U.S. stock markets.”

-Griffin Casey

            “The volatility of the market makes me want to explore Chilean stock options.”

-Matt Lawson

“I really feel that I expanded my horizons and gained a new perspective on how economics work around the world.”

-Morgan Dickson

(Group picture on the trading floor)