(Part 6 of a summary from my trip to South America in late July 2015)

 After our stay in Valparaiso, we made our way to Santiago; but not before taking part in a wine tour and tasting of Casas del Bosque and Viñamar de Casablanca wineries in the Casablanca Valley. After the tour was finished, we continued on to Santiago where we stayed at The Bellavista Hostel, located within walking distance of numerous bars, clubs and restaurants. My time in South America was coming to a close and soon I’d be back in the States; but not before skiing, or attempting to ski, in the Andes.

My original intention was to sit in the lodge while a couple of my friends skied. I had never skied before and I figured it was not smart to learn in the Andes. In my mind that would compare to a novice mountaineer attempting to summit Mount Everest. The only outcome would be a trip to the hospital and me in traction. Early the next morning, we walked to Chilextremo, the company that would transport us to the mountain and provide equipment. My friends paid for their transportation and equipment and I stepped up to the window to pay for transportation, as I was not going to ski. Just before I paid, my friends asked if I was sure I did not want to ski. They offered to teach me but I did not want to occupy their entire day if I struggled to pick it up. They jokingly said they’d give me an hour of instruction then I was on my own. With that I gave in and rented equipment as well. There was a good possibility I’d be returning to America in a cast.

We boarded the van and sat through the long ride to Valle Nevado, one of the largest ski resorts in South America. After arriving, we first bought hand and feet warmers, as the temperatures were lower than expected. We then strapped on our boots and stepped into our skis. The moment of truth had arrived. My friends demonstrated how to stop, turn and transfer your weight from one ski to the other to carve down the mountain. I’ll admit that I fell a couple times on the first run but I was happy with the results overall. By far the most stressful part of the day came next, when I had to navigate onto and then off the lift while pretending I knew what I was doing.  I’ll admit that over the course of the day I did take one nasty fall getting off the lift. But, I gained confidence with each successive run and was impressed by my performance on the slopes that day.

After a couple hours, we made our way to the resort bar for lunch before taking the van back to Santiago. After returning our boots and skis, we walked back to our hostel, showered and went out, as this was my last night South America. Over dinner, we reminisced about the prior two weeks and fondly recalled what we accomplished over our four days hiking in the Sacred Valley.

The next morning I woke up and packed up my remaining clothes. I went for a walk around downtown Santiago and took in my last few hours of foreign living and surviving on broken Spanish.  My cab arrived around 3:45 pm and I ducked inside for what was a 25-hour journey back to America with layovers in Sao Paulo, Brazil and Orlando, Florida.

I have described this trip as the best two weeks of my life and I continue to feel that way. This trip would have left a lasting impression upon me either way, but the four friends I traveled with caused it to have much more of an impact.  Without their motivation and encouragement I would not have skied, nor would I have even contemplated climbing Huayna Picchu.  They pushed me outside of my comfort zone and for that I am truly grateful.