Day 5 in Chile: Wine and Planes!

It is Thursday, May 12^th 2011 and today I woke up around 8:30 am (which was supposed to be 7:40 am). This morning I got ready extremely quick so we could leave around 9:00 am. After some breakfast, we boarded the bus and drove about an hour until we reached Vina Indomita, a winery in Chile. The décor was very modern and the winery looked and smelled beautifully. On this visit, we learned about the process of making wine and started out looking at the fields of grapes surrounding their building. We went in and saw the large machines used to make the different types of wine and the barrels they are stored in for flavor. After touring the winery, we had a wine tasting of three different types of wine. The first was a white wine that made your mouth water and was suggested for appetizers or before dinner. The second was a red wine that was sweet and similar to a chocolate type of smell. The third was also a red wine, but it tasted of a strange tobacco mixture and I did not find it to be very appealing. The white wine was probably my favorite because it was sweeter than the others and did not have a bitter taste. After the wine tasting, we stopped for lunch at a Chilean restaurant, which was very old fashioned. I had chicken with mashed potatoes and it was made very well. The second company we visited was LAN Airlines. At LAN, we learned about their different types of planes, the growth in their company, and the places they fly to. It was very interesting to hear about the company’s success in gaining more planes from joining together with other airlines. We also were able to see their planes being inspected and went inside a large plane that was being cleaned out for their next flight. The seats in first class were amazing and could be leaned back and expanded as you pleased. After this company visit, we traveled about an hour and a half back to the hotel and went in search of a nearby restaurant for dinner. On our way, we saw a Captain Jack Sparrow lookalike, who I tried to get a picture of. The best part is he looked almost exactly like Johnny Depp in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. Shortly after dinner, we went with a few Chilean students to a karaoke bar. We have been told, many people here in Chile party until five or six in the morning. To me, this seems impossible, but evidently it is common. Good night for now.