Sunburn

On Christmas eve day we got up early and met Natalia again for a catamaran tour of the glaciers, almost exactly as I'd done with my dad in Alaska a couple years ago. It was really cool of course, but it was a little long and repetitive. Natalia is a bubbly local who has been guiding for 14 years and did an amazing job of giving us the inside scoop on everything from the owner of the boat tour company (and thus, Califate) to the history of the glaciers and the Andes. She made the tour. Anna's brother Nathanial (Than) was completely hilarious as well and helped pass the travel time with his antics. He probably took 100 pictures of himself with various ice formations. We all got totally sunburnt even though we'd been thoroughly warned about it.

The Family

Fierce Wind and Fierce Woman

After the boat tour we came back and prepared for some horseback riding, which I've never done before. It was--so far--the highlight of the trip! Riding was great and the views were amazing. It's really hard to describe, but as Than put it: "This really makes everything else seem insignificant, doesn't it?"

Mountains and Horses

This whole trip has been so surreal since it is such a foreign place in so many ways but so familiar and comfortable in many other ways. We had an incredible Christmas eve dinner with our hosts and the other guests seated at one long wooden table in the barn, and the staff brought us amazing grilled lamb, chicken, and beef. It was the best steak I've ever had and the lamb ribs were divine as well. The dinner experience couldn't have been more perfect for someone separated from his family--it felt like home.

The Roast