Matrimonio Chileno

Our friends, Federico and Joselin, got married on Saturday 14 January, and we were invited to share their special day. Chilean weddings are a serious all-night affair with the ceremony only starting at 8 o'clock at night!

We arrived at the reception venue and sat down to dinner at around 10pm and then the dancing started. We managed to stay until 3am, just as the appetizers were being served, but we weren't hardcore enough to last until the soup at 5am...

Felicitaciones, Fede y Yoyo! Prospera vida matrimonial!

70km Race

On Sunday 8 January Daniel competed in the Licanray-Villarrica 70km Ultra Maraton. After a spectacular sprint, he claimed a podium finish with third place in a time of 6:01:20.

Congratulations, Daniel!

Official race results:
http://www.olimpo.cl/sitio/ultra_resultados2012.html

Article in La Segunda newspaper:
http://www.lasegunda.com/Noticias/Impreso/2012/01/711481/ultramaraton-70-km-al-limite

Official race photos:
(to be uploaded)

Pucón-Villarrica-Lican Ray

We spent the weekend exploring three little villages in Chile's "Lake District": Pucón, Villarrica and Lican Ray. These villages are popular in winter for skiing and hot springs, and in summer for the lakes and beautiful views of the volcano.

We stayed in a cabaña in Lican Ray near La Playa Chica. All the beaches in the area have black sand because of the volcano, and the lakes are a clear, deep blue. We took a boat ride on the tranquil Lago Calafquen, admiring the colorful boats and beautiful private islands.

The area is also where the native Mapuche hail from and there are craft markets galore. We'll definitely be back to visit this beautiful part of Chile.

Camping in the Andes

Daniel and I spent New Year's Eve camping in the Andes. We hiked up from Yerba Loca to a beautiful camping site at over 2800m near a glacier. We managed to sneak a bottle of wine into our rucksacks, which we enjoyed in our valley, next to a river, with the glacier and waterfalls in the background.

It was a little hard at times to take in enough fresh air for the next breath, but we survived the altitude and welcomed the new year together.

¡Feliz Año Nuevo a todo!