Un cumpleaños feliz!

I hiked up to Refugio Chileno on Nov. 5 with a dozen eggs in the top of my backpack and down on the 6th with an apricot cake to share. My roommate Alejandra radioed the folks at Chileno the day of my hike to let them know it was my 27th birthday, and I must say, the folks at Chileno did me right. A 'Happy Birthday' sign, printed in box letters on sheets of graph paper, greeted me above the hiker hostel's entrance. Pato, the gregarious hostel jefe, led the dining room of guests in a 'Happy Birthday' song after dinner. And after the dishes were clean and the guests tucked into their bunk beds, Freddy combined those eggs with flour, sugar and fruit, and we all ate the result. Mmm, mmm, good!