One week from today I'll be leaving for Chile! Lately my every thought has been about Chile and while I'm getting seriously excited, some nerves are starting to settle in too. Still, the excitement outweighs the anxiety by far. I received my regional placement and it looks like I'm going to be living in the tenth region, known as the Lakes Region. As you can see from the map, it's pretty far south. It's about 500 miles south of the capitol of Santiago and over 5000 miles south of North Carolina. It's generally considered the gateway to Patagonia since it is the starting point of Carretera Austral or Southern Highway that runs through Chilean Patagonia and because it offers crossing points to Argentine Patagonia. Most of what I've read indicates that it's an ideal base for outdoor excursions so it looks like I'll have plenty of chances to go hiking and fishing! I've read multiple descriptions that compare it to Washington or British Columbia both in terms of geography and climate. Apparently it's riddled with rivers, lakes, mountains, bays, islands, and volcanoes. It stays cool year round and receives heavy rains in the winter months(i.e. the entire time I'll be there), so it's a good thing I just bought a new rain jacket. What brand jacket you may ask? Patagonia, of course.
Here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what the Lakes Region looks like:
