condor de los andes

So I never really got around to writing about Bariloche and I have some time to kill so here it is. We stayed at the coziest hostel with a view of the water. I could watch the sunset from my bunk. The town is beautiful, surrounded by mountains and full of chocolate shops. There is a mexican restaurant that is actually good which is totally amazing! Our class went white water rafting and we took on some level 4 rapids, but had a guide always shouting orders, kind of like a drill sergeant, which totally killed most of the excitement. I would so love to take that river on with a two person raft and my dad. We went on a couple of plant walks, one with a local university student and the other with a doctor who studies the medicinal uses of plants. We had some days off which were spent doing equal parts homework and mischief. Okay, maybe a little more mischief, I snuck to the top of a church bell tower. But I also spent a lot of time at outdoor stores and preparing food for the 6 day hike. The first day of the hike were totally what I was expected, a beautiful walk through the forest on a clear path, then camping by a river. Day two we cleared the timber line. Day three was absolute maddness. We climbed straight up snow and then rocks. Having a heavy pack throws off your balance so much. I learned how to rockclimb! But I had to be rescued once. Then we slid down skree on the other side of the mountain, every step sending you down an extra meter and causing mini avalanches. Day four there was snow, 90 mph winds and we had to summit another mountain. We had to kick step up the snow (we didn´t have any kind of equipment other then bamboo walking sticks) and drop down whenever the wind gusts hit or be totally knocked over. Felt so good to make it to camp. The last two days were back in the forest, the only big excitments being some river forging. We got back to Bariloche and pizza and beer were in order. Then we took a bus to Chile, through a snowy mountain pass. The bus was sliding off the curvy steep road and the driver was busy counting money and drinking mate. We had one of the best class dinners ever, full of live music and pitchers of beer and ordering mishaps involving tripe soup. I really love Chile, and can´t wait to spend a month there looking at tide pools. Alright, I´m kicking myself off the computer. LOVE!