Chile-in’ out, Maxin’, Relaxin’ All Cool

Trip Region: South America
Country(ies): Chile
Partners Trek? No
Cost: $2485
Airfare Estimate: $1500
Structure:   •   Lodging:   •   Nightlife: 7   •   Activity: 6

Chile-in’ out, Maxin’, Relaxin’ All Cool
(To the tune of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song)

Intro
Now, this is an Mtrek all about how
5 MBA 2’s show you how to get down.
We’d like to take a minute – Just keep reading on
We’ll tell you how much fun you’ll have (if you can rap to this song).

Verse 1
In west South America, country of Chile
Hot springs and Wineries is where we’ll spend most of our days
Chile-in’ out maxin’ and relaxin’ all cool
While taking shots, drinking wine outside the b-school
When 5 MBAs who were up to no good
Decided to make trouble outside our neighborhood
We had one conversation and took on a dare
We’re heading to a country with cool crisp air.
We made all the plans to make your choice clear, there’ll be a lot of fun so have no fear
If anything else, The “Ross Difference” is here.
All that’s left is for you to join in, come on down – see you there!

The rest of out the song will be completed with the Trekkers during the trip!

Day 1 — Saturday, Aug 18

Ready, set, go!

Day 2 — Sunday, Aug 19

Hope you slept on the plane because the adventure starts right away! We’ll check into the hotel, head out for an orientation walk around Santiago in the afternoon, and get acquainted over an authentic Chilean meal. Welcome Meeting at hotel starts at 6pm local time. For those that still have energy after a full day of travel, a night cap to follow!

Day 3 — Monday, Aug 20

Time to leave Santiago already - don’t worry, we’ll be back. Today we head west, stopping first for a tour of an organic vineyard in the Casablanca Valley before moving on to the coastal, colorful city of Valparaiso, or as the cool kids call it, “Valpo.”

Day 4 — Tuesday, Aug 21

Today we’ll get a guided tour of beautiful Valparaiso, which includes Plaza Aníbal Pinto, Paseo Gervasoni, Reloj Turri, Paseo Yugoslavo, Calle Serrano and culminates at Muelle Prat (Prat Dock). Get your cameras ready! Courtney would love to get a "jump shot" pic of everyone here. Be sure to check out the amazing seafood and street art. This evening may be a good day to test out our wine skills.

Day 5 — Wednesday, Aug 22

Today we travel north to the desert! After a quick flight and drive, we arrive in San Pedro de Atacama, our home base in the Atacama Desert. This is one of the driest places on Earth and apparently looks like Mars! We’ll go for a stroll around town and take it easy that night because...

Day 6 — Thursday, Aug 23

...today begins prettyyyy early. You can sleep on the ride up to El Tatio Geyser Field - and when we say up, we literally mean UP. The geysers are at over 14,000 feet above sea level. Nicole will spend approximately 3 hours getting the perfect Instagram pic, and then we’ll have the afternoon free for optional activities such as a visit to the hot springs or a hike.

Day 7 — Friday, Aug 24

After another night in San Pedro, we head south to check out the historic town of Toconao, the Atacama Salt Flats, and the Chaxa Lagoon, where we’ll see not one, not two, but THREE kinds of flamingos. Then we’ll get a tour of Moon Valley and watch the sunset. Jonathan used to want to be an astronaut, so this is the closest he will ever get to the moon. Screen reader support enabled.

Day 8 — Saturday, Aug 25

Time to fly back down to Santiago! We’ll have some free time to explore and shop (this is probably when Kevin will go off in search of the local Nike store).

Day 9 — Sunday, Aug 26

We’ve only been to one vineyard so far on this trip, which doesn’t seem like nearly enough, right? Here we will challenge Becca to put her wine skills to the test! After a free morning, we’ll venture out to Concha Y Toro, one of Chile’s most famous vineyards, in the Maipo Canyon. Back in Santiago, we’ll have one last group dinner and night out (*tear*).

Day 10 — Monday, Aug 27

Goodbye, Chile! Time to go home to Ann Arbor, because classes (and more importantly, football) start soon! Be on the lookout for our first MTrek reunion shortly after classes start.