Free day in Santiago: By Arnav Vaid

(Pic1: The boys holding the Bryant flag proudly at sunrise)

As all good things have to come to an end, so does our incredible SIE trip. These two weeks can only be described as perfect, and was definitely one of the best experiences I have ever had. 

On January 19th, 2018, our last day in paradise, we wanted to end on a high note; making the most of every remaining moment. We had a free day in Santiago, with a plethora of opportunities to do whatever we wanted. 

(Pic2: Tyler & Rocky bonding)

For most people the best way to make the most of our free day was to wake up as early as possible. With Tyler’s skilful persuasion and Jaden’s foresight, twenty of us decided to go on an early morning hike to watch the sunrise over Santiago.

So, while many students slept soundly in their comfortable hotel beds, we ventured off to a nearby mountain to make the most of our day. We were up and ready to go at 5am sharp and were excited  to begin our day on a positive note. Professors Berdiev and Gomez also decided to accompany us on the hike which got us even more excited for what lay ahead. We could always use Bediev’s quick witted humour to help us get through a tough hike! 

On reaching the location of the hike, about an hour away from our hotel, we were greeted by the presence of a pack of dogs, one of which decided to give us some company and walk with us the entire way. We took the liberty of naming the dog Rocky for its never say never attitude, as it took on steep hills with the group despite its injured leg. 

We marched as one big group confidently onto a path and were excited that sunrise was going to be really soon. Zack walked proudly with the bryant flag strapped across his back and most of us were merely singing our way to the top. Except, twenty minutes into the hike we realised we were on the wrong path, in fact we weren't hiking at all, we were descending. Immediately, we turned around and paced ourselves onto the correct pathway we passed by in the beginning of our journey!  

(Pic3: Zack hiking proudly with the Bryant flag across his back)

This seemed more like a hike, it was steep and challenging to get to the top. However, all of us took this challenge on and weren't fazed by the intimidating climb. While most of us only climbed part of the mountain and sat by an observation deck overlooking the magnificent Andes mountains, a few adventurous students decided to run for the peak before sunrise. I was not in the adventurous bunch of people, however, I quite enjoyed the beautiful view I got from the deck where most of us took solace. Despite, the smaller groups higher vantage point, as the sun dawned upon us, the view was pretty spectacular from everywhere. While many of us were tired and exhausted from the steep climb, it was all worth it after witnessing one of the most beautiful sunrises. All of us were quiet, just starring at the bliss of nature, watching the sun over the Andes mountains turn everything in Santiago to Gold. Soon the bird started to chirp and the sun awoke everyone in Santiago leading to yet another beautiful morning. Bridget Gomes aptly describes the moment saying, “ this was my first sunrise hike and to say that it was in Chile is a once in a lifetime experience. it was so beautiful at the top and something I will never forget”. It was indeed the perfect start to the perfect day in Santiago. 

(Pic4: Watching the beautiful sunrise)

The rest of our short free day in Santiago was spent visiting places we didn't have much time to focus on previously due to time constraints and shopping for last minute souvenirs. I joined my friends visiting Patio Bellavista, a local marketplace where we had a nice local meal and spent most of our free time shopping for our family members and friends. Another small group of students decided to just spend their day relaxing at the park by our hotel, having a picnic. Either way, most students made the most of this free day in Santiago, personally I would not have spent it any differently. Gian described the free day in Santiago as, “a nice relaxing day to close out an awesome SIE experience”. Thomas said, “having the last day be free was extremely relaxing and gave me the opportunity to come back to places I only briefly visited”. I agree with both of them, this was definitely a relaxing day and I couldn't imagine myself doing anything else to close out one of the best experiences I have ever had!