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.