Another quick reminder to help me out with a daily vote on this MEC contest! If you could simply click on the link below, and vote for my photography entry about hiking, you could help me win a hiking trip to the Arctic! Thanks for helping!! http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/324364/voteable_entries/68689974
Now on to the interesting stuff. I met up with my travel group in Santiago (check out GAP Adventures, they're a bit pricy, but if you don't speak the language well it helps a lot), and we headed south via an overnight bus ride to the town of Pucon, Chile. In my group were me, 3 girls (Lupita, Noora, and Janet), and our tour guide. The town of Pucon showed some rainy weather, so we could not climb the nearby volcano, Villaricca. Instead, we went for a soaking wet hike through a national park to a waterfall, which was pretty fun, given the circumstances. I probably wouldn't have done a similar hike in BC in those conditions, but you need to take what you get when travelling.
The next day we went for some whitewater rafting, followed by a visit to some badass hot springs, 2 activities that are extremely enjoyable in the rain. Afterwards, the guides brought us to their house for a BBQ feast; carne asada and wine in vast amounts. The hospitality down there was absolutely amazing. After 2 days in Pucon, we took off east, crossing the border into Argentina, first visiting a town called San Martin de los Andes. To be continued...