Jackie is immersing herself more and more in the Chilean culture. She discovered that the biggest wars are not between countries, but between soccer teams, and she hosted her first Chilean party where she served avocado and eggplant finger sandwiches and was introduced to "pauncho romano," a New Year's punch consisting of three bottles of champagne, a pint of pineapple ice cream, and some pineapple juice.
While on a unique camping expedition, Jackie got to participate in CIEE's annual hike up a steep mountain, pleasantly named "The March de Muerte." "Muerte" means "death," by the way. The trip sounds like quite the adventure:
After hours of ascent, we emerged at one end of a lush ravine, and were rewarded by a breathtaking view of a waterfall cascading down the opposite side, surrounded by misty rainbows. Our guide encouraged us to disregard the signs proclaiming "Peligroso" (Danger), crawl through the fence, and climb around near the top of the waterfall. The water from the spring feeding the waterfall was clean enough to drink, and we had a great time splashing each other and waiting for someone to fall in. The walk back was much easier; highlights included a tarantula crossing the trail (we tried not to think too hard about sleeping in tents) and a fellow hiker playing a digeridoo.
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