reserva nacional Río Clarillo

This weekend I decided I needed to get out of the city and so, accompanied by two friends from the program, I went to the Río Clarillo national reserve. It is in the foothills of the Andes mountains about two hours from the city center. The reserve is home to hiking trails and some rare plant and animal species, including the Chilean palm and the Chilean iguana. Apparently most people take private cars to the reserve, because when the bus let us off at the entrance, the rangers looked surprised. "It's 4km to the actual park," they told us. I was already aware of this as the guide book had made note of it. We went our way along the dirt road for awhile when suddenly a truck pulled up. It was a ranger. "Do you want a lift?" he asked us. I think maybe they sent him after us because they were worried about us walking in the heat. On the other hand, we had come there to hike, so regardless of whether or not we were given a lift to the actual reserve, we would have been walking in the heat anyway.

I saw the Chilean palm, and a tarantula-like spider which was actually not a tarantula at all, but rather some other arachnid, the name of which I soon forgot. I caught a very brief glimpse of a Chilean iguana, but it did not stay in sight long enough for a photo. The reserve was almost deserted, which was surprising since it was a Saturday and the weather was perfect as usual. While walking along a river, I slipped on a mossy rock and got my pants wet and muddy. They soon dried in the intense sun. We ended up having to walk the 4km back to the bus stop, and choked everytime a car came along the road as it threw up clouds of dust. It was nice to dust off the old hiking boots again. Next time I want to actually go up into the Andes.

Classes start this week at La Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (Catholic University) and at La Universidad de Chile. We have until the 28th to attend whichever classes we like; after that date we have to register. I am kind of nervous about starting school here. I don't really know what to expect; only that everything will be different.

In response to a comment made by my aunt Shelia, I will comment on the status of my Chilean Spanish. Someone with a knowledge of standard Spanish could make themselves understood here, but understanding the response given by a Chilean is a different story. The first week here I bought a book called "How to Survive in the Chilean Jungle". It contains almost 200 pages worth of Chilean slang and the translation into English. The most popular 200 words are helpfully starred in the book, and I have tried to learn them all, but it is an overwhelming task. To make matters worse, Chileans speak at least twice as quickly as any other speakers of Spanish. At times it is very frustrating, but when I catch a new phrase or slang word being used I have to pat myself on the back.