What I Did Last Summer, Part 1

After Generals, Sam and I took a trip to Chile. While I was studying for my comps, I knew that I would need to get away from Princeton, so we spent a lot of time daydreaming about possible locations. For awhile, I was seriously considering Uzbekistan (still am seriously considering it). But we also knew that I would be exhausted after my exams, and we weren't quite sure if I'd be up for an intensive trip through Central Asia. So we decided to go to Chile, where Sam served his mission. But because Sam only served in a part of Santiago, most of the places we saw were new to him, too.

[Santiago]

[Scenes along the Chilean coastline. We--and by we, I mean Sam--drove south of Santiago to Pucon, and then back up north to Valle del Elqui--which is about a third of the country.]

[morning glow.]

[Why am I wearing a sweater in May, you ask? Because late May in the Southern Hemisphere is their late fall and winter. And although it never got too, too cold during our time there, my body runs cold almost always. Hence, the pictures of me will always be in cardigans, sweaters, or coats.]

[Waterfalls!]

[Everything the light touches is his kingdom]

[Morning faces in the morning light.]

[On our way to Pucon. We had to stop and take a picture and take in the view because this was truly one of the most breathtaking sights I've ever seen.]

[So many views of the volcano.]

[Turn the corner and see a volcano.]

[More waterfalls!]

[This cat followed us around at the waterfall park. There were a couple of moments when I thought she would fall in. She didn't, but there were a few close calls.]

[Lord of the Rings vibes.]

[Deserted beach town in late May.]

[Scampering on the cliffs. Sam is a much more natural scamper-er than I am.]

[With the blue house. This was one of our favorite places we stayed.]

[So cozy and eccentric. Sam said it had a very "Pablo Neruda feel," and, after going to the Pablo Neruda house, I would have to agree with him.]

[Anniversary breakfast on the roof.]

[Road of the Stars. We stayed in the Valle del Elqui for two nights, since it has one of the darkest skies in the world. Of course, as luck would have it, both nights we were there were cloudy. But that didn't take away from some of the incredible views.]

[Case in point.]

[We also stayed at a ranch that fulfilled all of my Parent Trap villa dreams.]

[Love these flowers.]

[Love this man.]

There are so many un-pictured moments from our trip, like visiting the Gabriela Mistral museum, or going to the Pablo Neruda home, or meeting people from Sam's mission who he loves and those who love him, or going to the Museum of Memory in Santiago and learning about the devastation of the dictatorship on this country, or the sights from the twists and turns that the road offered us. 

Chile is a beautiful country, and I would love to go back someday and see more of the country (especially Patagonia and the Atacama Desert). As one of my friends recently said in response to someone telling her that it was impossible to "keep up" with her and her travels, that it's hard to keep up with the world. That's why we've gotta go see it, if we are able.