Rio Clarillo

Monday the 18th we decided to take in some nature, and Claudia's boyfriend Sebastian recommended the Reserva Nacional Rio Clarillo. It just outside of Santiago, and the best thing is that we could get there by city bus. Unlike car-dependant North America, in Chile there are little mini-buses called micros everywhere, not just in the cities but in small town and connecting rural villages to each other as well as to the bigger centres. So we took the bus to the end of the line and there we were at the entrance to the nature reserve, which is situated in a valley in the pre-cordillera of the Andes.

Only thing was was that it was was sort of cold and foggy and even drizzly at times. So we bundled up and packed a lunch and got to the park and wandered in and around and then climbed to the top of this mountain to see.... well, fog! We were actually in a low-lying cloud.

I enjoyed the trip, though. The terrain, the landscape, the plants and the animals are so different from what I'm used to in Montreal and Nova Scotia.

And though it sucked to get back to the house chilled to the bone, the fact that it inspired Claudia to make a steaming pot of cazuela, this Chilean stew made with chicken, potatoes, squash and corn, was okay with me.