Ralco

Okay, so I have clearly gotten a little behind in my posting, and for this I am dearly sorry, because now it means that I have to pay to use the internet and I am on the road. I also can't help but feel that looking back on a lot of these moments, memories have been lost. Please forgive the delay and lack of details. I am going to be better in the future.

So, way back in the end of September a bunch of us Chillan folk met up with a few other volunteers in Los Angeles and headed out to Ralco, a tiiiiiiny town in the Alto Bio Bio area. Alto Bio Bio is incredibly beautiful and very isolated, from what I can tell. The three hour bus trip was stunning, and since it was springtime, everything was green and blooming. I felt so alive!

I invited my host brother to come with us, too, because I couldn't bear the thought of being away from him for an entire weekend, since it would mean not seeing him for two weeks. As I approached the end of my time in Chillan, I started to guard my time with my family more and more, knowing that my life with them would not remain constant. So, I brought Felipe with me!

The weekend was a lot of fun. We rented a couple cabins, went for a long walk in the wilderness, made dinner, drank copious amounts of wine and jote (red wine and coke), and played round after round of Apples to Apples, our favorite game here. As always, it was great to spend time with the gang and hang out in new surroundings.

We found the only restaurant in town that was open and ate lunch there both days!

Jen and me at the restaurant.
The Wong and Felipssss at the restaurant.
Here I am hanging out in the Plaza de Armas shortly after we arrived.
Saturday after we settled into our cabins, we decided to take a walk in search of this lake we had been told was 3 kilometers away. In typical Chilean fashion, the lake was more like 13 kilometers away, but everyone we asked kept telling us it's only 20 more minutes on foot!

I had a minor diabetic crisis about 10 minutes into our walk, in which I realized I was being an irresponsible diabetic and had left home without snacks in case I got a low bloodsugar. I turned back to collect some food, hoping to catch up with the others, and Felipe insisted on going with me. What a good brother! I really do love that kid. So anyway, we got snacks and then started walking after our buddies, but after about an hour and a half we gave up finding them or the lake. Turned out, they had hitched a ride in some truck, so we never got to see the lake, but we had good brother-sister bonding. We barked at dogs, cooed at baby lambs, poked things with sticks, took ridiculous pictures. I love those moments with him, when I realize we really have become family.

Views of the countryside as seen from our adventure.
"Downtown" Ralco and the Plaza de Armas.

Ralco is not somewhere I had ever intended to visit, but the LA volunteers had been there on a Ministry-sponsored excursion, and insisted we go back. They were right about its beauty and serenity. It was good for me to get off the beaten path, relax with my pals, let go of plans and go with the flow.

On the way home, Felipssss sent me a darling text message thanking me for inviting him and wishing me a good week. Love him!