Penguino Excursion....success!

First of all, it is May 1st. WHAT! Where is the time going?! It is crazy.

So this saturday we decided that we wanted to go on a day trip. We have each spent so many days in our bed that we were wanting to do something with our free day, so when we heard that there was a possiblity for penguin sighting less than 2 hours north, we jumped at the chance.

So this morning around 11:30, 5 gringas set out to find penguins. We headed to Plaza Viña which is where you pick up a bus. We weren't quite sure what bus we needed to get on, so we sat there for a good 20 minutes waiting and debating which bus to take. Finally we found a bus that took us a majority of the way there. They dropped us off on the side of the road and told us that a bus would come in 5 minutes that we needed to get on. Luckily, it came! I thought they were crazy, but a bus actually came, so that was cool. Our destination to find these penguins was Cachagua. After the 2nd bus we were dropped off and told to walk down the hill to the water. We found a sign that assured us that we were on the right track.

When we finally got down to the water we weren't quite sure that this is where we were going to see penguins, we kept walking along a nice pathway along the coast and came across the island. All the houses here were beautiful and you could tell that we were in a high class part of the coast. We were all excited because here we were about to see penguins, but they were sort of far away...so we weren't quite sure. Then we saw a little black blob start to waddle and then we knew....WE HAD FOUND THE PENGUINS!

real hard to see, but those black dots on the white rocks, those are penguins!

There was an old couple from Switzerland that I met who happened to have binoculars. They were nice enough to let us use them, and we were able to see the penguins even closer. That would be such a great thing to have for the future. a little pair of travel binoculars. 

Abby H, Natalie and I in front of the island...you get an idea of how far away the penguins were.

After the penguins we wanted to head back to the town of Horcon, a place we visited with ISA earlier. They had great artesanias, aka hand made crafts. We were told to go wait at the bus stop, and that the buses come about once an hour. good time. on the way to the stop I found this cool plant.

they look like green roses. i really like them!

So we sat at the bus stop for about an hour, got on the bus, transfered buses, and finally made it to Horcon! By this time i was starving, so we headed straight for the restaurant where we knew they would have good empanadas, a staple of Chilean food. They are basically this yummy baked or fried item that you can fill with anything. Today i got Crab and Cheese, * Jaiba y queso*, and ham and cheese *jamon y queso*.  SO YUMMY. oh and i also got an order of french fries *papas fritas*. 

Walking through the town we came across these old men who were making their own fishing nets. This isn't surprising because Horcon is a small fisherman town. 

making the nets.

These men told us that we could go upstairs on the side of a building, cross over the porch railing, and walk around to the front of the building which had a beautiful view of the water. 

After Horcon we decided to head home. The ride home felt like FOREVER. We had been on the local bus or *micro* for at least 3 hours today. We got dropped off at the classic flower clock of Viña del Mar and what did we see in front of it...a bride and groom getting their picture taken!! So obviously we had to go admire. It was so great, they got some great pictures for sure. Weddings make me happy :)

there they are. i didn't go full creeper status and get the great picture i wanted to, and also i had my small camera. but just know that if i had my good camera with me, i would have gotten a great shot!

Over all it was a great day! Lots of walking around and exploring, but definitely a good way to spend a Saturday. I have to admit though, I am definitely excited to relax and do nothing all day Sunday. Friday and Saturday have been busy busy busy for me, and im glad to just relax and read some Harry Potter in Spanish. 

Chao for now.