The Van

Getting around in Chile has been very different than Ecuador.  In Ecuador, we always had a driver coming to pick us up, and drop us off at different hotels.  In Chile, on the other hand, it has been our family along with Grandma and Grandpa in a 12-person van, driving between hotels.  Altogether, the experience hasn’t been all that bad, aside from some carsickness and cramps.  

We got the car when it was brand new.  Now, at the end of our trip, it looks like a big trash can inside. We always buy some snacks for the long car rides.  After the snacks are gone, we leave all the wrappers and garbage in the seat pockets, which, from there, make their way onto the floor.  During our long rides, (which usually vary from between 3 to 5 hours) we don’t usually interact much.  The grownups just relax, look for directions or listen an audio book about Tina Fey, while I listen to music, watch movies, play a game in my phone or read and Ruby just listens to an audiobook by herself.  These rides are not the most fun thing in the world, but they are alright if you have a phone. :D

Ruby's Birthday

A couple days ago was Ruby's birthday!  The first thing we did was exchange presents over breakfast.  If I remember correctly, I think Ruby got two sets of earrings, a necklace and a bracelet.  After that, we went to school just like a normal day, except during break, there was a special cake for Ruby and we all sang Happy Birthday, in Spanish.  I didn't even know about it.

After school was over, we headed to a town called Banos just outside Cuenca.  When we arrived at the actual spa, we found out the one half of it was closed for cleaning.  We decided to make do with the other half.  The spa contained a 42 degree pool (keep in mind this is Celsius) and two Turkish steam rooms, one for women and one for both men and women. After we spent a while in the main pool, we all climbed out and got some refreshments.  Ruby and I each got a yogurt parfait and orange juice.

When we got back into town, we headed over to an Italian restaurant that Ruby picked out.  We all had some variety of pasta with sauce on it.  For dessert, we ate banana splits.  Ruby and I each got our own while my parents stole little bites off of them.  Over all, it was a fun and tiring day!