Traveling for more that 24 hours can be a pain in the a#&, but going to a new country, with unknowns, new friends, and different places, that travel time seems to be totally worth. With my week one quickly progressing, and only four weeks in Patagonia, Chile I knew every second was precious. I started off my internships with a fjord trip. We first met the nine clients, in a hostel called the Guest House. The fjord trip was going to be nine days in three different fjords near Puerto Montt. After a near death experience in a van to the fjords we arrived at the location where we were going to start this incredible journey. We loaded gear onto a smaller vessel that would be home base for the week and a half. The boss man was Francisco Valle, the cook Yoyi Valle, the crew members Rouel and Cloudeo, and the three guilds, Bryan Maddox, Sam Carter, and myself. I worked really, really hard during this trip. Over the 9 days I worked about 140 hours. It was a great experience, I had multiple responsibilities, ranging from relaying messages from the workers to the clients, setting up all the meals, cleaning up and cooking. My Spanish as far as I could tell greatly improved over a short span, due to the quick commands, and rapid communication. The surrounding area is amazing, We are at 0 ft elevation and the mountains rise 3000+ feet all around us. Glaciers loomed over our smaller ship, making you feel small, very few things in Colorado can compare. Waterfalls dotted the landscape, some massive others trickles. There are no water born diseases in Chile so almost every single fresh water source is drinkable. One of my many highlights for this trip was swimming the the glacial rivers. The freezing cold water, was refreshing due to the late summer weather of Chile. Colorado has a harsh and brilliant sun but the hole in the ozone layer redefines the meaning of intense sun. Every Once and awhile a pod of dolphins would show up and surf the wake of the ship. It is magnificent to see such graceful animals dart and jump in the ocean and so close to you. Each day had a new adventure that would completely new and different. The only consistency was there was no consistency, other than food we always got food. Working in the kitchen was always interesting, with me trying to teach Yoyi some English, me trying to understand the frantic Chilean Spanish, preparing meals, and so forth. I always was enjoying myself, learning a newer language and trying to cook at the same time is tricky business, but it was a challenge I enjoyed. As the days quickly pass by the final day was one of the best. There is a natural hot springs in the fjords, and it is absolutely stunning. The springs start at a natural seep and the scalding water runs down a series of pools. Each pool becomes cooler and cooler. Right over the ridge is a medium size glacial river that is a nice place to cool off. Running between the two places and shocking your body felt great. We sailed out and so began part two.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2016
Categories |