On our first full day at Cliffs, Bailey and I went with Alberto to do several of the hikes along the tops of the cliffs and peninsulas (the seagull trail, pudu trail, and altavista trail). Altavista means "high views", and a pudu is a little shy deer. We didn't get to see any pudu, but we did see pudu droppings, spotted dolphins playing down in the surf,and saw little birds on the trails. Because of the rain and clouds, we couldn't see very far out along the cliffs, but there were some huge waves crashing on the rocks that provided plenty of awe and entertainment. This area is rich and abundant in rare plant life, especially nalca which is literally a dinosaur bush. Nalca has a tall thick stem and huge leaves that can grow as big as a table! The leaves are coarse and spiny. We also saw many berries of deep purple and red. and nalca along the trail.
After our wet morning hikes, we had fish and rice for lunch and visited the horse stables for a bit. There was even more rain in the afternoon, so we hung out in the casino watching soccer and chatting with Miguel.
After dinner, Drake invited Bailey and I to the lodge to socialize with the guest that they had that night. He is a tour operator staying at the resort to write about the preserve and then hopefully recommend it to his clients.The lodge is beautiful and made of laurel wood and granite. There are lots of dolphin-themed furniture and furs on the chairs and couches too. There is a meeting room, a spa, a yoga room, an exercise room, and a lookout. The lodge is small and quaint, but very comfortable and cozy. As the sky cleared, we were treated to an amazingly vibrant sunset at the lodge- it looked like the sky was on fire!
Luis fixed the four of us some awesome drinks at the bar! I had my first Pisco Sour, a fantastic Chilean concoction, and one of Luis's creations of fresh arugula, pineapple, and vodka all blended together- it was delicious and tasted so fresh and like a garden! Mom, you would love it! We enjoyed some hazelnuts, almonds, dried apricots, sunflower seeds, and cheese with our drinks and talked about Bailey's internship at Cliffs, Bailey and my plans for the future (maybe we will start an outdoor recreation center!), and Drake's background and how he got connected with Cliffs (he grew up in Hawaii and knew since he was 13 that he wanted to go into hospitality, which he then studied at FSU).
After returning from the lodge, Bailey and I hung out with Alberto and Roberto for a while. The sky was clear for the night, so a bunch of us went out to the beach to enjoy the stars, the moonlit surf, and some more drinks :) Of course, the Southern Cross grabbed my attention again, and the moon was so bright that none of us needed flashlights! I had a good time hanging out with Bailey, Felipe, Luis, Byron, Andrea, Miguel, Arturo, and Christian, but it was exhausting speaking so much Spanish. I'm frustrated at not being able to contribute to conversations and get to know Bailey's Chilean family on a deeper level. I just keep telling myself to work at it every day and to be patient.
The next day, Bailey and I hiked the Olivillo trail with Felipe and Allison. The trail takes you up through the forest and is supposed to dump out on Ortiga Beach, but unknown to us, the trail had been destroyed by logging trucks. There is a company logging here in order to remove the non-native eucalyptus trees from the area. I have no idea why, but instead of targeting specific trees, they are clear-cutting entire sections of the forest. No one at Cliffs knew that their fallen trees had completely blocked and covered up the path, so we were glad that we didn't have guests with us on this hike (it wouldn't have appeared to be very eco-friendly as Cliffs promises).
We didn't want to turn back, so we picked our way over the fallen trees and through the deep mud for an hour. It was a mess. There were times when you would misstep and fall down into the piles of trees, or the mud was caked so heavy on your boots it felt like you were carrying an extra five pounds on each foot. Luckily we hooked back up with the trail and made it down to the beach. By the time we got to the beach though, it was pouring rain and cold and very windy. We snapped a few photos and started walking along the beach back to the lodge. However, the tide was so high and the wind so strong that the waves were crashing right up against the cliffs. We hugged the cliffs and avoided the ocean water as much as we could. We timed the waves and ran through during the time when the waves pulled back to the ocean. I was most worried about us getting swept away and pulled into the ocean and pushed against the rocks, but luckily that didn't happen. We all got wet in the end though, as there were parts that we just had to run through the water. We stumbled along the rocks and stone beaches, passed by the lugeros collecting seaweed that they later dry and send to Japan, and finally made it back to the casino- wet, cold, tired, and just in time for a perfect lunch of soup, pork chops, and rice!
After lunch Bailey and I relaxed in La Ruca and attempted to dry off for about an hour, then headed to the stables to see the horses. We joined Marcos and Patricio on a ride up the gravel road to the organic gardens. They needed to cut wood in the nearby forest to make a fence. I rode a horse named Goliat (Goliath), and he was all black with bright blue eyes, which I had never seen in a horse before. The others horses were paints that were very pretty.
The Chilean horses are short and small compared to the horses I learned to ride, and the Chilean saddles too are small and simple, just a tiny blanket and a wool mat with half-boots for stirrups. I'm glad we weren't riding long, because without all that cushion we would've been really sore. It was so fun to ride again, but I was initially a bit nervous and skittish around the horses. I was disappointed in how timid I was and in how much I had forgotten about horses (how to approach them put the halter on, lead them, and saddle them). I trained baby Arabian horses when I was 11 years old for goodness sake! However, by the end of the ride I was comfortable again, and I hope I don't go this long again without riding horses.
After a dinner of pasta and seafood sauce of clams and mussels, Bailey and I hung out with Negra, Roberto, Mike, and Zorron at the Wing while we did laundry, and then we headed to bed to prepare for a long day of travel to Huilo Huilo in the morning.
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