Portillo= heaven

From the chairlift, which goes over many roads!

The lake, called La Laguna de los Incas.

Portillo resort, very near the Argentinian border! We were on a bus for almost 9 hours total getting there and back, but this view is worth it! As they say, "Vale la pena" (Worth the pain)

Another incredible sunset in Vina! The geography in Chile is just ridiculous-- from beach to mountains in just a few hours! I am so lucky!

This week was another great one in Chile! This week I have quite a bit more homework and also my service learning begins, so I was glad I could enjoy these days to their fullest. I went to the beach twice to watch the sun set, had some delicious ice cream (there are ice cream places everywhere, it is hard to resist!) and went snowboarding in the mountains. That adventure was definitely the highlight of my trip thus far! The photos I posted above hardly do justice to the incredible views of Portillo. Snowboard in the Andes: check!

I will write more about my service learning later this week, we have introduction meetings this week so I don't know details. What I do know is that I will be splitting my time between two organizations: Jefas de Hogar, an organization for businesswomen in Valparaiso and Fondo Esperanza, a micro-loan bank here in Vina! I am excited to be volunteering in more than one place, for variety's sake! More to come later.