We are about 3/4 of the way through our stay in quaint little Choshuenco. New to this year is a paved main street as well as paved sections of road on the way into the town. We are staying at La Posada a small hostel right in the middle of town. There is a large beach here lake side and a pretty frickin sweet rusted up old boat. We have however not only brought the party to this town, but also the rain. It has rained here non-stop since day two and there are no signs of it lightening up.
The Fuy is definitely a highlight of this little venture. There are three sections to this river. The upper is a mixture of steep rapids and waterfalls highlighted by the park and huck 25 footer. The middle and lower are both boulder garden type drops. The middle and lower sections can be run one to the other however to run the upper into everything else may be a bit of a venture.
Yesterday we took a small break from the river and went to Huilo-Huilo private park or something like that, I don’t think it was a national park. There was 2 huge waterfalls one a 130 footer and the other a 90 footer called Salto de Puma.
See you on the water!
Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category
Charming Chosuenco and the Furious Fuy
Saturday, February 6th, 2010Rio Llanchahue
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010This run was done by geography teacher Matt Smink, and student Stephen Forster. I did not take part as I was not in the country. I am however conveying this information to you to better your river running experience. Photos on map by Matt Smink.
Drive from Pucon to Rio Llancahue
This is the drive from Pucon to the put-in Of the Rio Llancahue. The drive goes past the Termas Geometricas near Conaripe. Be wary though as the road is not maintained as well as others in the area so nice weather and a four wheel drive car is recommended. The put in will be marked with a sign that says: “No a las centrales hidroelectricas de paso en una zona de turistica.”
The run is a solid class 4 venture beginning with a good twenty foot drop. There are many other drops which can be run, scouted and portaged with the help of the riverside road. After the three waterfalls there is however a mandatory portage on river right due to log jams. (See photos).
The run ends after a short twisting slide, and are able to be seen from the road. Be sure to keep your suit on as tons of hot springs are close by!
P.S. Be sure to watch out for wood, and the drops can be easily portaged on the road that runs alongside
See you on the water!
Well here we are!
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010So yeah. Here we are in ‘The’ land of amazingness. Clear water, clean drops and tons o’ gorgeous beauties. Here is the keeping parents happy part of the blog. First off all our flights went well, and we all had tons of fun. Second, we are getting tons of good food. Third we have a coach who is alright, oh what am I saying he’s pretty good. Mr. Billy Harris is one of the greatest kayak instructors to come out of the great white north. Canada! We have also met up with the gap year kids, David, Kyle, and Katie and all our other teachers. So sad to see Melina go but Callie is a great replacement. Aside from Callie we also have Lorenzo, the new all chilean, all the time spanish teacher.
We spent a few days in Pucon and now we are in the little, but growing, town of Choshuenco near the Rio Fuy. the Fuy is great with both play and drops, like today. Today, we had a little park and huck sesh, with Jess lightin’ up her first drop. Yeah Jess! And we’ll see what tomorrow brings!
See you on the water!
Siete Tazas
Thursday, December 17th, 2009Have any of you wondered what the Rio Claro looks like from inside the canyon? Here is a quick look into the Rio Claro from the eyes of New River Academy video class. Enjoy!
Tino
Frozen Blueberries
Thursday, December 10th, 2009
Yesterday we all got a surprise of going to the next town over and going to a beautiful hostel for Clay’s birthday. We learned to play croket, and the owner taught us how to make ice cream. While we were making it we couldn’t stop eating the frozen blueberries that went in. When the ice cream was done we all ate it in the hot tub, and acted like we were soup being boiled. It was so fun. Thanks Dave for the surprise!
Achibueno! Gehzuntight!
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009Although my actual river time on the Achibueno was limited (see past article about teacups and back pain), time spent taking photos definitely made up for it. Situated in a quaint little chalet type lodge, surrounded by snowcapped peaks, and access provided only by a Chilean 4×4 road (the road was not so much a road, but an adventure) our Achibueno base was by far the most rustic, as well as the most relaxing. We arrived late in the afternoon to a warm fire and dinner only an hour away. We have been eating like kings, so don’t worry mom and dad. I set up my hammock and did a little homework. As the sun was starting to wane the time arrived for some longer exposure shots. I captured an excellent photo of Andy writing our physics test by head-lamp. The next day after a half day of school we did the never ending run. What we thought was 9 kilometers turned into 900… minus like 885, the last half of which we were barely scraping over rocks. The upper section, though short was just as fun. There are more boofs per mile than any other river ever, there were more bpm’s than techno music. After two colder days off I pulled my self up by my bootie straps and ran the upper section. Though short it did provide tons of fun. With some more technical maneuvers, and some burlier holes the run turned into a super sweet game of follow the leader.
The time off the water did provide me with some great pictures. For our photo class our assignment was to do long exposure shots. The grand fire place provided a great source for lighting as well as the gathering of people. It was hard to get star trails this time around, but the clouds did move relatively fast so that helped to provide some cool night shots. The time spent at the Achibueno was great, no interwebs and limited electricity brought us closer together, but the smell from camping and wet gear may have driven us a little apart, however I am very grateful for dave for organizing such a wonderful string of destinations. High five Dave!
See you on the water!
Achiebueno Update
Friday, November 27th, 2009“And then they were off again, marching into the distance with the sense of adventure burning in their eyes”
This holiday week we spent going back to our roots, to the simple things in life. To get to this place we had to travel on the bumpiest road imaginable. I don’t even know how we made it that far by car. The rawr of the motor pushing the van over another large rock, romping down the road until we finally reached the point we couldn’t go any further. We all groggily hopped out of the car and proceeded to hike a mile to reach our new temporary home. Many animals (cows, goats, and sheep) greeting us with their bleating cries as we walked past.
When we finally got inside it was as if we had stepped back years in time. A fire, and now our spirits keep the place warm. The whole place was constructed by the hands of a determined man. It feels as if you have walked into a wooden palace, with all the round logs for us to marvel at. A few sparse lights come on when the sun goes back into hiding. The murmur of the generator outside will be heard when this happens. Time to charge up those computers!
Our dinner is almost already for us around this time too, the wonderful aromas spreading throughout the whole lodge. One of the things we all love most about our meals is the fresh bread. It is all prepared by hand and then cooked under a fire, instead of our traditional oven. After dinner we all flop onto the beds around the large fire and play cards, tell stories, and work on our homework. I definitely think being here has brought us closer together. Now we’re even having Thanksgiving together; we’re like a giant family. I think we’re all very thankful for all the gifts and everything we’ve been given, especially the gift of attending a school as cool as this.
The river here is quite mind blowing, it seems as if everywhere we travel I see a different color blue and each is equally as beautiful. The water color here is a nice minty blue most likely because it was snowmelt only a few hours ago. Which means the water is definitely very cold, but the river is so worth having that nip on your nose for a couple of hours. The Achiebueno has large granite rocks throughout complementing the water color. It’s so fun twisting and turning through the boulder fields, finding new lines each time we run it.
As you can see, we’re in another spectacular place and this one suites the Thanksgiving holiday. I wish you all a Happy Turkey Day!
Ahh, Beautiful Chile…
Thursday, November 12th, 2009Hello Everyone!
Sorry I have not been blogging much.
Things have been awesome here in Chile. Everyone loved The Maipo, and I know that we are all sad to leave Pichilemu tomorrow. It has been really nice to have a town a block away from us. There has been lots of chilean foods to taste here. Mainly sweets…but hey, whos counting?
Haakon and I!!
Meals have been beyond great. The cooks we have here are AWESOME! Every meal is delish and healthy. We always have fresh juice and bread. And when I say fresh juice, I mean, made with a blender right before the meal. Usually the ingrediants include strawberries or kiwis, or pinapple, and water. But this morning we had bananas blended with milk. I think I had a whole blender full just by myself!
Tino Specht at a Waterfall near the Maipo, Chile
Another cool part of living in town is that we are so immersed in Chilean culture here. If you want anything at all, you have to use spanish to get it. And there are always people willing to talk and learn more about you. I hope that by the end of next quarter, I am fluent in spanish. It is not going to be easy, but I think that Stephen Forster and I may just be able to achieve that goal.
Speaking of Stephen, survival class rode horses in the sand dunes yesterday to look at beach herbology. It was really fun. And I have to say, I do not think Matt Hill has a future as a cowboy. He looked like a wet noodle. But he had fun! The ride was beautiful, except I couldnt get my horse to walk! It only wanted to run. Stephen and I ended the ride with a gallop along the surf. It was so much fun…until a pack of stray dogs started chasing us. I was worried that the horses would buck, but they just ran faster, and the ride ended with no harm to anyone. Although, the horse seemed really to like running in the actual water. I didn’t mind…but my last clean pair of socks got really sandy and wet. Boo.
Haakon on a Kid's ride in Pichilemu Chile...Goof.
Laundry here is hung out in the sweet fresh air to dry. It smells delicious when dry. And do not worry Moms, the boys did laundry today…FINALLY!!! This car ride might actually smell decent! Huzzah!
Everyone has been throwing huge in the water. On the first day out, there was a huge seal swimming right among us. At one point he popped up ten feet from my boat! He was adorable! It was a really cool experience. I think that all the kids have been loving ocean surf. It can be intimidating, but it is really good practice for boofing holes, and the tricks go really big!!
Some Closed Store Fronts in Pichilemu Chile
Classes have amped up in intensity. Actually, In all my classes, we are ahead of the syllabus…meaning we have zoomed past public school course syllabus. Even in AP English we are way far ahead. It has allowed us a little flexability in upcoming projects. One day in physics, we went to the beach to draw elipses and learn more about tangential speed, and the planets in orbit. Pretty cool studying the moon and its affects on the tides when we are right near a beach depending on the tides for wave size.
I cannot wait to see what this next week and the Sietes Tazas have to hold. It is supposed to be one of the most picturesque places in Chile. Just one more adventure in this once in a lifetime experience we are having here in Beautiful Chile…
-Tracy d’Arbeloff
Kickin’ Back in Pichilemu
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009The magical little surf town of Pichilemu has enchanted us all. Everyone enjoys walking around to all the little shops, buying cakes or bargaining for their first pair of Alpaca socks. I think what has marveled us all the most is the amazing waves. Everyone is going so huge on all their tricks and getting a little sun on there face to prove it. This is my first time ocean surfing and I absolutely love it! Its all pretty exciting to be able to have classes in these exquisite little cafes, the green park, or sometimes even on the beach. The sand on these beaches is way different than any beach on the east coast I have been to. Its really dark, almost black sand, from the volcanoes I guess? Some people have even been lucky enough to see some of the rarer wildlife such as a baby sea lion poking around through the surf.
Yesterday, we had a scavenger hunt all through Pichilemu. It was so fun running around trying to complete all the funny tasks. Then afterwards we all went to surf at Punta de los Lobos, aka Point of the Wolves, (cue scary music). I saw some of the biggest ocean waves there, and I think one 2-3 star day there was enough to satisfy my curiosity. I know of course some of the daredevils in the group will want to go out to the point on those 5 star days though. As you can see we’re all not worrying and being happy in this lovely little surf town.
Academic Report: Spanish Scavenger Hunt
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009Pichilemu, Chile
By David Hughes
Any parent and student who experience the New River Academy academic structure soon realizes the tremendous educational advantage of the low teacher to student ratio 1:2. In short, “There is no replacement for caring qualified educators in a one on one setting.”
Stephen Forster, Clay Whitaker, Haaken Samuelson, and Tracy d'Arbeloff plan Spanish scavenger hunt.
Spanish is especially exciting this year as three students are showing promise to walk away from the school year conversational and fluent in Spanish. Matti Hill, Tracy d’Arbeloff, and Stephen Forster are all charging the language.
Zoe Ross feeds the metal horse for 20 points.
As an exciting and fun way to learn more about Pichilemu, Spanish, video, and photo Alex Anderson, Stephen, Tracy, and I made the Spanish scavenger hunt a two period activity for the entire school of 9 students and five staff.
Haaken Samuelson earns his team Spanish points by finding and riding the red eared cow.
Spanish Scavenger Hunt Goals:
A. Learn and practice Spanish in a fun challenging setting.
B. Create situations that offered excellent video and photo opportunities.
Alex Anderson, Taylor Cote, and Eric Bartl purchase churros for more Spanish scavenger hunt points.
There were three equal teams each with videographer and photographer. Tracy, Alex, and Stephen had to take leadership photo and video roles as they had previously created the hunt list. Teams were staff: Melina Coogan, Andy Kirby, and Matt Smink. Student team Stephen: Haaken Samuelson, Clay Whitaker, Tracy, and Zoe Ross. Student team Alex: Taylor Cote, Matti Hill, and Eric Bartl.
Matti Hill and Alex Anderson negotiate hotel prices for team points.
Here are some of the highlights in translation:
Taylor Cote does a 20 second dance with a stranger for another 20 points.
Taylor, Matti, Alex, and Eric
A. for 20 points “toca la musica para el dinero.” They sang Row, Row, Your Boat and someone actually paid them money.
B. For 20 points they negotiated the best price for a group of 5 for 3 nights at the Hotel Asthur.
C. For 25 points they played with children in the park.
D. for 25 points they found and critiqued the artwork of “the metal horse.”
E. For 5 points they bought and explained a churro.
F. For 15 points they called hoe from a “centro de llamada.”
G. For 10 points they sent a post card from the post office to a parent.
H. For 20 points they took a photo shoot in front of the giant nude mermaid mural while making it “PG” rated.
Eric Bartl has to translate the answer to the ferry's question to Cindarella.
Staff Team
A. Tino play guitar, Andy play violin, and Melina sing Wagon Wheel for an equivalent 20 points.
B. For 10 points they found and bought ice cream at Bacado’s dulceria (sweetery).
C. For 5 points they gave a flower to a Chilean.
D. For 30 points they danced with a stranger for 20 seconds.
Team Haaken, Clay, Tracy, and Zoe
A. For 5 points they withdrew money from an ATM.
B. For 5 points they bought and explained a churro.
C. For 15 points they called hoe from a “centro de llamada.”
D. For 15 points they road a horse to the beach.
E. For 20 points they rode the cow with red ears (kiddie ride).
F. Tracy, Zoe, Haaken, and Clay found, translated, and answered the wall mural of the ferry and Cindarella, “Te consedo un deseo.”
Each team of course found and discovered more during their Spanish scavenger hunt. Taylor stated, “This is awesome.” During dinner each team shared stories of their huge educational experiences.
The winning team won four beach float toys to use to protect their skirts from imploding in the Pichilemu surf. Winning Team: Taylor Cote, Matti Hill, Eric Bartl, and Alex Anderson
Spanish Success- I hope to post photos soon.
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