Isla de Damas/Valle de Elqui

Sorry! I have been lazy and just uploaded pictures last week but I have filled in the blanks with writing now!

Here are some more pictures from our boating adventure. 

Un lobo marinero from the marine reserve...sitting atop his/her mother.

We were allowed to get out and walk around the Isla de Damas (the Isla de los Choros is not accessible to human beings) so Jeanny, Grace and I took a walk to la playa de tijeras, about a 20 minute walk away from the dock. 

La playa de tijeras (Scissors Beach) on the Isla de Damas (the island of ladies)

After spending about an hour on the Isla de Damas, we climbed back in the boat and set sail for the mainland. On the bus ride back, the entire van was asleep from our exciting day out on the water. When we got back to our hostel there was still a little bit of sun out so we headed down to the beach to see the sunset. When we walked back from the beach, the streets were filled with Chileans celebrating the soccer team's victory over Colombia which clinched their place to compete in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. The Chileans went crazy....every single car was honking their horn to the chant, "¡Chi-Chi-Chi! ¡Le-Le-Le! ¡Viva Chile!”. Backs of trucks were filled with Chileans flying the country's flag and shouting "¡Viva Chile!". It was very entertaining display of national pride.

On Sunday, we traveled through the Valle de Elqui to visit the house of Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American to win the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1945. A dedicated school teacher, she was born in Vicuña but grew up and taught in the small village of Montegrande, about an hour way from Vicuña. When she died, she left everything she owned to the children of Montegrande. 

After going to Gabriela Mistral's house, we also visited a Capel factory where Chile's national drink, pisco sour is made. And who is the number one fan of pisco sour? My mom.

The beautiful Valle de Elqui

Word of the day: Me llamo=My name is _______(fill in the blank)