Pucon, Chile

Hiking through the "Dr. Suess" forest.
Reserva Cani

After saying goodbye to my family in Belize, and watching them all board the airplane, a really strange feeling went through me. I felt I should be boarding that plane with them, but I didn't. I felt like I should be boarding a plane to go back to my community in El Salvador but I didn't do that either. For the first time in a long time I felt free. I felt independent.  I felt like noone is watching me. Noone is talking about my every move. I also felt a bit confused and somewhat scared. Flying thousands of miles away from home to somewhere new. And I will be doing that all alone. After a long 9 hour flight, I made it to Santiago Chile.

I've never seen such funky looking trees

  I only spent a day there, but that was all I needed.  I did a self-guided walking tour. It was a bit overwhelming for me (coming from my small village to the big city), how fast everyone was moving and how crowded the streets were. I noticed quickly just how everyone drinks sparkling water and there are no hammocks. I ate lunch at a place that was super busy. No questions asked, I had them bring me their "most popular dish". They brought me a hotdog with an egg on it & of course, sparkling water. 

The next day I took a 12 hour bus ride down south to Pucon, Chile (northern Patagonia).  It reminds me of a cute little mountain town in Colorado.  As crazy as it is to say it, I miss feeling cold.  During my time, I loved walking around in the brisk air and coming back to the hostel and sitting next to the fire. 

Anyway, I came to this cute, little mountain village to climb the massive active volcano that draws travelers, such as myself, to come to this area. Unfortunately, due to the rainy weather I was unable to go up the mountain. The top of the volcano is snow/ice-capped, so it involves cramp ons and ice picks.  There were many groups the week before that made it half way up the volcano and had to turn around. Volcano Villarica will remain on my bucket list.

As I was a bit disappointed I didn't get to climb it, I made the most out of Pucon, Chile.  I stayed 7 days here; 4 days longer than planned. The hostel I stayed in, El Refugio, has such a warm, friendly atmosphere. I fell in love with the cozy, homely environment.  I especially loved the fireplace and the black lab, Negra (laziest dog ever).  The people I met there made the stay extra special.  We spent the week doing a number of hikes, soaking in hot springs, horseback riding, eating yummy food, watching sunsets at the lake, partying and celebrating Queens day (the owner of the hostel is Dutch), walks around town, and engaging in great conversations.  

It's hard to believe that I just finished my Peace Corps experience in El Salvador.  People here are so interested in hearing my stories, and I love telling my stories.  It's just hard to believe that was ME. I miss the people from my community. However, I love this freedom. I love this traveling thing. I'm aprovechando the different foods and variety of things to do.  I love being in nature again. I love washing machines. I love meeting new interesting people & learning about different cultures through them. I'm learning new things every single moment. I'm finding, the more I learn, the less I know.

It certainly feels like I've been here longer then a week. It'll be hard to leave here, I'm certainly not ready, but I know great places and great people await me.  So (Po...) until next time Chile, and hola Argentina.

Vincent showing off his juggling skills at the top

Abby and I at the top

Pucon, Chile

horseback riding through the Mapuche Village (Their name means people of the land).

They even cooked us a yummy dinner at the end!

I even got to dress like them too!

Pucon, Chile

At the lake in Pucon.  The street dogs in Chile are so friendly & strange.
This dog followed us for a few miles to this lake, and then proceeded to follow us back.

The mountains are so beautiful.
It's a shame photos just don't do justice.

From a distance you can see Volcano Villarica.
 This was the only time the whole week I could see it (it was just too cloudy)

A very very blue lake.
Again, photos just don't do justice.

Another lake

Walking to the waterfall

150 foot waterfall.
No, this photo isn't photoshopped.

That dog loved us, and just had to be in every photo too

Dog in the supermarket
Not something you see everyday

Santiago, Chile

Unbelizeable

This past week I spent a week in Placencia, Belize with my family (my mom, dad, aunt, uncle, and cousin).  Placencia is on a tiny peninsula in the southern part of Belize.  I'm glad we experienced the southern part, because it isn't as full of resorts and is not as touristy as the northern part.  We got to see how locals lived and learned some about the Belizean culture.

cool looking palm, eh?

 We stayed at The Maine Stay, which are really nice cabanas right on the beach.  White sand, crystal clear water, and palm trees.  It doesn't get much more relaxing then this.

Butch running around on the beach livin' the doggie dream

During our stay we adopted two dogs;  Lady and Butch.  They were the first 2 dogs that I have touched in over a year.  It was nice not hearing "you won't be able to get pregnant if you touch those dogs!" We went to the grocery store asking for doggie bones.  We only got weird looks from the workers.  Oh, the thought they probably had in their head (The dogs here are lucky if they get fed dog food!).  Dog treats? Whoa, what were we thinking?!

a house near the ocean

During our trip we ate really yummy seafood, saw Mayan ruins,  hiked to caves and swimming holes, went snorkeling, and much more! I regret not going scuba diving, but the snorkeling was still amazing.  We took a 2 hour long boat ride to Glover's Reef.  We spent the day snorkeling, and relaxing on the boat.  I saw a nurse shark, a sting ray, a spotted eagle ray, squid, a baracuda, starfish, and a number of fish with beautiful shapes and colors.  And not to mention, the beautiful coral reef.

boat ride on monkey river

buying our frappachinos & smoothies at the coffee stand.
The stand next to it was where we bought our vegetables & mangos.

We took a boat tour to "Monkey River".  Monkey River is the name of the village and the river.  This river is full of crocodiles and beautiful birds.  We didn't spot any crocodiles, and I  tried not to think about them too much during our swimming part of the trip.  My cousin Max had a Belize bird chart.  He taught us the name of all the pretty birds we saw throughout the week.   We took an hour long hike through the jungle, in which I really enjoyed seeing the abundance of bamboo, and plant species.  I really just enjoyed being in nature again.

Our local guide feeding his pet Paca

chuchito chewing on coco

During our hike we searched for howler monkeys.  The search didn't last long, because of how loud they howl, we didn't have a problem finding any.  These monkeys didn't get as close to as us as the ones we saw in Costa Rica (where they would steal people's stuff), but it was still really neat to see them.  We got a small village tour from a local.  His name was Raymond and he had a pet Paca.  The night before, we were curious about this food item on the menu at a restaurant in town.  Good thing we didn't order that.  On our way back we went Manatee watching.  We did see one, but only for a very brief moment.

My parents looking at jewelry from a local vendor.
They are on the "worlds most narrowest street"
Yes, it is in the Guinness Book of World Records

It was a much needed week with my family, especially after leaving my community.   Being in good company in a beautiful place certainly helps with  the strange feeling I get when I think about not going back to El Salvador to live.  It does mess with my head, and I think it will take awhile for things to really "sink in".   It'll be harder when I am traveling on my own.  I'll have time to do more thinking, and I will probably have many times where I'll feel alone, confused, and lost (if not, literally).  I appreciate the week I had with my family, and the good times we had together in Belize.  However, it's time to leave Paradise behind.. (well, at least, for now.)

a house downtown with their tree of wisdom

hiking the jungle 

It is a strange feeling that I am not going home.  I feel I should be preparing this next week, as my "vacation away from my vacation."  However, it only continues.  My journey has just begun. Right now I don't have a home, nor do I know where home is.  However, I don't really mind.  It makes life more exciting not knowing where one will end up.  All I know is that I love the feeling of freedom. I am about to  meet people from all over the world. I will see many more beautiful places, and learn a number of different cultures.  I am about to embark on a journey of a lifetime.  Please continue to follow me on my travels.


Next stop:  Santiago, Chile.