Minga translates roughly to cooperative work, and the term was explained as times when friends need to get things done that require more people than just the family. Usually, this involves the work as well as meal preparation and sharing.

The previous night, we tried “abalone” as an appetizer, which did not taste like the California variety. We later learned they are called loco here, and look different from abalone. The mussels were also different.

Our Minga happened at Raùl and Ilse’s house. They fed us fry bread (have to keep the workers happy), then they told us about their lives. Raùl loves to build miniature boats, and he sells them for displays.

We learned how Ilse spun wool from their sheep and which natural materials she used for the dyes in her handicrafts.

Raùl is quite the farmer, selling his potatoes and garlic, with a field of wheat on a neighboring property. He showed us his mill.

Raùl explained the flag of his people; the seven powers of Venus are the rain, the wind, the sun, the sky, the sea, the thunder, and the forest.

Our group helped prepare food, which needed to cook for a couple of hours before consumption.

We then got a tour of their property.

We took a boat across the bay rather than the bus to get back to Castro.

Marta and Carolina were impressed with the weather, and changed our plans to go to see penguins and other fascinating birds. First, we took a ferry to Chiloé Island, where we would spend two nights.

After we drove through the town of Ancud, we wandered around, exploring the island.

After a short walk, we found the place where our tour started, to take a boat around three islands to view the birds in the nature preserve. Getting on the boat was a unique experience; we climbed onto a platform on wheels, and three guys pushed the platform out to the boat.

Now, we were rewarded with sightings of beautiful birds.

Lunch was at a restaurant on the beach — great food and views.

The bus ride to Castro was uneventful, but then we stopped at a church that is part of an UNESCO World Heritage Site, consisting of 17 churches. The first we saw, completed in 1910, showed a melding of native people’s construction talents with European styles. This is one of the last churches built here.

Around Castro.

When we got up this morning, both of the large volcanoes that had been visible last night were obscured by clouds. People who live here told us this is normal. But by the time we were ready to start the day, they had emerged again. Just for us.

The short bus ride to the center of the national park, Vincent Perez Rosales, was filled with stories from Carolina, our local tour guide. She gave us ways to see and feel the forest from a Chilean point of view. We walked a quiet trail, Carolina picking leaves from certain plants.

After the rainforest, most of our group took another bus to hike up to Crater Rojo, a two mile round trip and slightly steep hike.

We had a few moments to change clothes before going to the music school sponsored by OAT’s foundation. Our group put money together to purchase strings for instruments and a few blank music books for the school.

After the concert at the music school, our group was split into two, seven in each half, each to visit a family and share a family dinner with them. Our hosts were Jacqueline and Roberto, in their fifties with two grown children (in college). They have been hosting OATs group for four years now, about one group a week. They were both charming and friendly. They showed us their back yard — all native plants, and gave us Pisco Sours before dinner. Then Jacqueline taught us how to make cheese empanadas. We each had to eat the one we created.

Dinner was a normal Chilean dinner for families; you would not find this in restaurants. A potato and squash stew with sausage slices on top. Delicious! Everyone talked about all subjects, answering questions, joking, like a happy family dinner.

After dinner, Roberto got out his guitar, and they sang beautiful duets at the table. The love that passed between them, in their eyes, was strong. Later, Roberto started playing Cat Stevens! So we all sang along. So much fun. We got along so well that Brian gave Roberto his business card, in the hopes they visit us in Colorado sometime.

Annoyance averted, crossing the Andes, moonlit volcanoes

This morning, we were awakened by a frantic message from our trip leader Marta that a bridge was being worked on, and we had to get going earlier than planned to avoid an enormous detour. Skipping breakfast at the hotel, scampering into the bus bleary-eyed, watching the bus driver taking curves a bit quickly, we made it past the construction. Passing also involved Santi (local guide from a day ago) showing papers to police indicating that our weight of vehicle could cross before 8AM. Twice, I think. In any case, the OAT team marvelously helped our bus through the construction zone. Marta called a restaurant, before it was open, left a message, and got us deliciously fed in record time.

Santi told us to watch for the change in ecosystems as we climbed into the Andes. As we drove west, the number of trees increased dramatically due to larger precipitation. Along this pass, paralleling a railway that Teddy Roosevelt took around the turn of the last century, the scenery was incredible.

We passed an area of dead trees and learned from Santi about a 2011 volcanic eruption that coated Bariloche, the town we spent a few days in, with ash. Mostly pebble-sized pumice and smaller ash, but the photos were impressive. One showed our local guide sweeping the pumice behind a bush (not under a rug) in his backyard.

Our group was lucky with the weather, because we were able to see the volcano that caused the eruption, more inland, eastward, than most of the Andes chain.

We went from one National Park to another in a matter of hours. At the top of the pass, the continental divide, we could walk from Argentina into Chile in a second.

We stopped for lunch at a car museum.

Marta took us on a tour of the town. The beautiful woman statue, a sacrifice to the gods of the volcano, was our goal.