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.