Pucon and Santiago

My next stop was Pucon which is south of Santiago. It is such a lovely wee town and it is overlooked by an incredible active volcano called Villarica (see photo). It was also built on the edge of a lake and the water is so clean and fresh and cold! The water comes from the snow and ice melting in the mountains and running down the rocks into the lake. The sand around the lake is black because it is not normal sand; it comes from the black lava that once erupted from the volcano and it is quite pebbly.

I did some cool sports in Pucon. The first was called Canopy; this was 4 big zip wires (like a flying fox) over the forest. It was amazing! Very high up so there were great views. The second was called Hydro-Speed and I did it on the River Trancura just outside the town. It is hard to explain but I will try my best! First of all you wear a full wet suit, wet suit jacket, flippers on your feet and a helmet. You rest your arms and upper body on a big triangular shaped float and then you go down a river with lots of rapids. It was pretty scary stuff but very exciting too.

After being in Pucon I went back to Santiago and stayed in a house up on the hills. There was a brilliant view of Santiago at night (see photo) and lots of wildlife. I saw blue and yellow lizards and even a humming bird drinking the nectar from flowers. It was far too quick for me to take a photo though!

Soon I head up to the north of Chile in the desert to towns called La Serena and San Pedro. I have heard the stars in the sky at night are amazing.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Santiago

I have spent the last few weeks in Santiago, the capital of Chile. It is a great city. I have been to visit 2 schools here. One is called The Grange and is has an English website you can look at. The children here are taught in English, although they mostly speak Spanish at home. I helped in a P1 class and they even have Biff, Chip and Floppy reading books! It was a great school with friendly children and I really enjoyed my time there. The bottom classroom picture is The Grange.

The other school I went to was charity run in a much poorer area. The school did not have a lot of resources in the classroom but it was still a lovely place. The children were very friendly and keen to ask me questions about where I was from and to show me around their classroom and playground. The top picture is me helping them with their work which was all in Spanish. I will be going to this school again and I will take a few wee gifts for Christmas.

As well as visiting schools I have been exploring Santiago. One of the best things I have done is a cable car over the city, (see photo) pretty scary as its VERY high, but great views. There is a big statue of the Virgin Mary at the top of the hill and people go there to ask her for help and give thanks for good things that have happened to them.

I have also been to a crazy town just North of Santiago called Valparaiso. It is built on 42 hills, and I thought Edinburgh was hilly! There are lots of steep steps and interesting buildings. A few days ago I visited the sea-side town of Isla Negra, an hour away from Valparaiso, where Pablo Neruda's other house is. It is very beautiful.

Soon I travel South to a town called Pucon which has a smoking volcano!

Argentina to Chile

The journey through the Andes was spectacular! Winding roads through the mountains with sheets of ice on the hills and rivers of water running beside the road. At the border everyone had to get off the bus and have their passports stamped twice. Once to say you were leaving Argentina and once to say you were entering Chile. This will happen at every time I cross the border from one country to another.

I am now staying with family friends in the capital of Chile, Santiago. It is a very big city with over 5 million people. We have been going to museums to understand the country's history. In 1973 the military took over from the President, Salvador Allende. It was a terrible time for the country and many people died or disappeared. I have visited the big cemetary here which honours the dead.

I have also been to the house of a very famous poet called Pablo Neruda. He loved the sea so his house looked a bit like a boat, it was lovely. He has 2 other houses in Chile near the sea and I hope to visit them too. I will be in Santiago for a while, helping in a school here. Then I will go South in Chile and then all the way up North to the desert. I will tell you all about that next time!

Mendoza

After being in Iguazu I travelled to Cordoba, then to Mendoza. Mendoza is a beautiful little city with a huge park and lots of things to do. I went white water rafting in a place called Valle Grande, great fun!

I also went trekking up a big hill in the foot of the Andes. Instead of walking down we abseilied, 3 times. I was a bit scared of the heights but I still did it and I really enjoyed it. You wear a harness and a helmet to make sure you are safe and you walk down the cliff in little steps. 

After we finished abseiling I went to thermal springs up in the hills. They are natural springs of water which have been channelled into pools. It was very relaxing after all the hard work!

Buenos Aires - Iguazu

So the first 3 weeks of my travels have passed in a blur! I spent a few days getting to know Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. It is huge, with over 12 million people living there. I saw people doing tango in lovely squares. I went to a vibrant area called Boca where people paint their houses in bright colours and there are people made of papier mache on the balconies.

I saw a cemetary in Buenos Aires where the famous Eva Peron is buried. The cemetary had lots of small buildings, or mausoleums, to honour the dead and they were beautiful. It is very different to the cemetaries we have in Scotland.

I also went to a football game. The stadium was massive . The game was between River Plate (the Buenos Aires team) and Huracan. River were 3-0 down at half time but it ended 3-3! The fans play music and sing all the way through the match, even when they are losing!

I then travelled to Iguazu in the North of Argentina near Brazil. It is famous for its incredible waterfalls, the noise of the water flowing over the edge and crashing down at the bottom is really loud. In the area I also saw little animals called coatis (which are a little bit like a racoon) and lots of lizards and iguanas and butterflies. The waterfalls are bigger than the famous Niagra falls in America and it was a wonderful experience to see them.

Off we go!

Tomorrow I start my journey to Argentina. I am all packed up and very excited!