Hello all! I’m finally back home (Valdivia) after 2.5 months of unforgettable summer travels. I know you have all been glued to your computer screens, pressing the “refresh” key every five minutes, waiting for my update so, after a period of shameless negligence on my part, I will try to make it up to you with a photo essay of my wanderings:

Family portrait on Volcan Villarrica, Chile

It wouldn’t be a Dappen vacation if somebody weren’t jumping. I met up with my family in Santiago in mid-December. We spent about two weeks making our way south in our rented car through central Chile, dipping briefly in Argentina for stops in San Martin de los Andes and Bariloche. Highlights included the discovery of what looked suspiciously like tarantulas in a national park near Valparaiso; a three-hour singing marathon during part of our road trip; swimming outside on Christmas day; greeting the new year on a street corner in Bariloche, discussing Ayn Rand with a Brazilian (random); collecting strange tan lines; and discovering that Heather and I have almost identical tastes in what we want to name our future children (don’t ask).

Day-hiking near Bariloche, Argentina

We rolled into Valdivia in time for Manolla’s 7th birthday, and I got to try out my skills as a translator while Chilean and American families got to know one another. It was an enormous success. After a tearful goodbye, Dad and I put Mom and Heather on a bus back to Santiago and then decided that, after months of procrastination, it was finally time to plan our week together. For more pictures of the family, click here to see my facebook album.

Volcan Antuco, aka Mt. Doom

Part one of my week with Dad was a stop in Parque Nacional Laguna del Laja, where we day-hiked and climbed the park’s volcano. I have never seen so much volcanic scree in my life. I made it to the top, only because I was promised that we could find a way down that was less terrifying than the way up (NOTE: “terrifying” is a relative term…Allison has a tendency to perceive danger in situations that other people find relatively safe).

Campsite of questionable legality

From the national park, we spent another day driving north and, near Santiago, crossed into Argentina. Our stint was filled with exploits of questionable legality (such as our campsite along the side of the highway, pictured above), as border crossings in South America are much more complicated than necessary.

Snapping pictures of Aconcagua

In Argentina, we spent three days backpacking at the base of Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside of the Himalayas and therefore the tallest in South America. We camped at the first of the series of camps on the mountain and then hiked to the base of the southern face of the peak at 13,000 ft. Click here for more photos.

Back in Santiago, I said goodbye to Dad and hopped on a plane south. I was worried that seeing my family would make me want to go home too badly, but it was the opposite. It was definitely hard to say goodbye to them, and I cried both times, but in the end it was perfect the perfect cure for the homesickness I’d been feeling before. At the end I felt rejuvinated and excited for staying another semester.

Lilly, Alex, and I with Glacier Grey in the background

Sunrise at Torres del Paine

In Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, I met up with Alex and Lilly and we spent 8 days hiking a circuit around the park, 7 of which included some form of precipitation. Despite the often crummy weather, we saw some truly spectacular views and had a wonderful time. On our 8th and final day in the park, we were rewarded we a beautiful view of the torres (towers) at sunrise and gorgeous weather for the hike down. Back at the main road, we waited for the boat to carry us out across the road that had been flooded by all the last week’s rain. Click here for photos of the entire epic.

Headless penguin on Isla Magdalena

From Puerto Natales, we took a ferry out to Isla Magdalena, and island covered with more that 75,00o couples of magellanic penguins and their offspring. Penguins were EVERYWHERE!

Lighthouse at the end of the world

We then headed to Ushuaia, Argentina — the world’s southern-most city. We sampled the ice cream, took a tour of the Beagle Channel, hiked in Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego and, while wearing our down coats in mid-summer, marveled that the indigenous tribes who used to live in the area went clothed in nothing but a tiny cape and seal fat. Check out my facebook album from the end of the world (in case you haven’t noticed yet, I took A LOT of pictures).

Perito Moreno Glacier

I left Lilly and Alex and traveled north through Argentina to El Calafate, Argentina. There, I visited the Perito Moreno glacier. The ice creaked and groaned and popped like a living beast, and pieces occasionally would calve off and come crashing into the lake below.

Cerro Torre

I then headed to El Chalten, where I spent three days backpacking through part of Parque Nacional de los Glaciares. I had gorgeous weather and was lucky enough to have unbelievable views of Cerro Torre (above) and the Fitz Roy Massif (below).

Laguna de los Tres with the Fitz Roy Massif behind

A colorful break from the bus ride

I then hopped on a bus that took me north through Argetine pampa…42 hours later I arrived in Valdivia, safe and sound and with enormously swollen ankles. For the complete photos from my solo trip, follow this link. I spent a week resting, washing laundry, and answering emails before I packed up my bags again and headed to Cuzco, Peru to meet up with my friend Kate, another Midd student who will be joining me in Valdivia next semester.

12-sided inca stone in the streets of Cuzco

We spent one full day wandering around the streets of Cuzco, which is a fascinating blend between Inca and Spanish culture. We ate a wonderful American-style breakfast, visited some of the churches around the main plaza, and wandered through the streets, where you can find houses and shops built around the remains of Inca walls.

Misty Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu was just like the postcards, multiplied by 100. The ruins, set among the clouds and surrounded by sheer cliffs, deserve every bit of hype they receive. We spent the entire day wandering around, discovering passages and buildings that were off the route of the main tour groups. For such a famous, popular site, it was amazingly unregulated. In the afternoon, we stalked llamas and, waiting for the last bus, were able to get a glimpse of the ruins without the huge hoards of people. Beautiful!

Sillustani tombs

From Cuzco, we headed to Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. We took a day trip out to see the Sillustani tombs, constructed by the quechua tribes living on the altiplano. Click here for the first album of Peru photos.

Kate and I on Isla Taquile

The next day, we took a boat out on the lake, where we were able to visit Los Uros, a series of floating islands built out of reeds by the local people. From there, we went to Isla Taquile, where we were treated to a typical lunch and were pulled in to join in a demonstration of the wedding dance. Kate was lucky enough to snag the best date: the three-year-old son of the restaurant owner.

Plaza de Armas, Arequipa

In Arequipa, we wandered the city, found a great book exchange, visited an excellent museum with the frozen mummy of a child sacrificed by the Incas to the volcano gods, and I had my wallet robbed. Fortunately, nothing irreplaceable was lost and, by the time I found out the wallet was gone, I had already ordered a cup of hot chocolate — the perfect comfort drink!

Rock formation near Valle de la Luna

Lake in the altiplano

Flamingos in the Atacama Salt Flat

From Arequipa, we headed south into Chile and spent four days in San Pedro de Atacama. While there, we took tours out to see the Valle de la Luna, a valley of beautiful, twisted desert rock; the salt flats; the lakes in the altiplano; and the Tatio geyser field, the highest and third largest geyser field in the world. The desert was truly spectacular and we were finally able to enjoy warm, summer weather! Here is the last collection of photos from the summer.

We reluctantly said goodbye to the little town in the middle of the desert and boarded a 24-hour bus to take us through the rest of the world’s driest desert, back to Santiago and the Middlebury orientation.