____blog busters____: Last week at Tenio Natural Reserve

Well, hello! We finnished our final week at the Tenio Natural Reserve. Last weekend we left to Puerto Varas, a lovely town full of decendents of German immigrants, and had some adventures. Once day we tried to visit a rustic hotsprings in the Vicente Rosales National Park. We waited and waited to see if we could cross a river by rowboat. Suddenly an old woman in her apron came with some visitors from a nearby town. This lady rowed us accross the swift river. Her bicepts were huge! Unfortunately there was not enough hot water to take a dip, but instead the family that came with us offered to take us back to Puerto Varas. Not only did they graciously drive us, but they took us out to candlelit dinner, bought chris roasted goat with local microbrew! They were just wonderful people. They wanted to make sure that we got to see real Chilean hospitality. So that was a great weekend, plus all the german pastries, yum!

Then back on the ranch, we worked hard on getting an existing greenhouse running better, plus we conditioned the soil in a new one, and planted more crops. We also burned trash, played with the chickens and pig, filled some giant holes with dirt and dug a lot in the dirt in general. But probably the best thing about this last week was hanging out with the local neighbors that work with the family who owns the ranch. They invited us over for boiled raw bread dough with butter-sugar, homemade bread, and seafood stew! So good. Then a round of mate, of course. They were so exicted to have us and converse and share ourlives with them, such hospitality and generosity! They even prayed for our safe travels, which was really special. sigh.....what great friends!

Anyway, we are well. We arrived 4 hours south to the Grand Island of Chiloe, which is a unique area of maritime culture, lots of sea mythology, ¨liquor de oro¨, a special liquor made of herbs, milk, sugar, sticks, and other things, AWESOME fish and seafood. We are headed out to the National Park of the area today, and will be back in a few days to get ready to arrive at our next farm which is near the city of Castro in Chiloe. More later. Miss you all! Chris and Beth

Chicken tractor at work!