TOPtoTOP expedition reports

Rio Tolten - Corral

NOTE: 4 years ago on the 3th of December 2002 we started the TOPtoTOP Expedition with Swiss TOPtoTOP on the highest "TOP" in Geneva! Many thanks to all of you who make this project possible!!

Before we went to the school in Corral we have had two very exciting experiences: Sailina has done a apprenticeship as a midwife in Victoria and with Gino's raft we went in two days 100 km down the Tolten river to the Pacific. The captain made a mistake, the boat flipped and everything was floating. Unfortunately nobody hurts and we lost not too much equipment so that we were able to continue. We slept at Peter Gruebler's place just on the River in Freire and were quite happy to have an outboarder for the last distance to the sea.

In addition to our normal program in the school of Corral we planted a native try in the school yard in honor to our member Annemarie Buechler, Sabine showed the girls all about baby care and Salina broke the table of teacher Ina.

For Andri it was the first time on sea when we went to visit this school and the first time he took a bath when we have been back at Helena's place in Valdivia.
At Helena and Federico's house Salina is doing a lot of ticks, but most of the time she is running around in the garden or is training dog Greta:

Mocho - UACH - Pacific - CH

IMPORTANT: SALINA IS ILL!
Wir sind gerade auf dem Weg ins Spital St. Gallen. Salina hat eine Lungenentzuendung. Bezueglich Fest und Taufe gibt es zur Zeit noch keine Aenderung. Updates auf dieser Page oder Tel. 052 378 10 50 bzw. Tel. 081 723 39 77.

NOTE: Alle Informationen fuer Andri's Taufe und Willkommensparty am naechsten Wochenende den 16.-17.12.2006 hier als Download (pdf).

MOCHO
Caco from CECS offered the equipment and Dario his guiding know how. That was the formula to organize a workshop in ice climbing and crevasse rescue for young people from the region. Our members and friends from Switzerland Iris und Urs just joined us and climbed the first time in their life a volcano! Dario has had the pleasure to enjoy the spring snow at the end.

The start of this trip was a nice lunch at Erico's place. He's dream is to become a mountain guide. His grand grandfather came to Chile. It would be great when he can join the Swiss mountain guide formation in the future. To do so, it would be perfect to get a donation for his ticket to Switzerland, so that Dario can teach him skiing this winter? Email to dario@toptotop.org if you want to donate sth for his ticket.

UACH
The next day we had a TOPtoTOP presentation in the botanical institute of the University Austral of Chile. Salina was again a big help!

Christina, the director of the institute offered us to plant an Alerce tree in the beautiful botanical garden of the University for Andri. Gino Casassa has done a nice prayer and so we planted the Alerce over Andri's and Sabine’s placenta. With all our friends we went to the park Saval to have a barbeque.

PACIFIC - CH
The last days we went out with Alex sailing and Sabine made a goodbye - Roesti for Elena and Federico. After a short stop in Santiago by Sarah, Doris, Elias and Markus we arrived in Switzerland and have had a warm welcome from family and friends:

... and today we already have been in the snow to check it out for the welcome party next Sunday together with Tessa, Bregitte and Peter.

Andri in hospital!

After Salina, - Andri also has a pneumonia!

4 years on the expedition and nothing happened. 4 years without Xmas at home. Now in Switzerland for a visit and it seems that we will have Xmas in hospital!

The phone number of our room 417 in the hospital "Kinderspital Ostschweiz" in St. Gallen is: 0041 71 243 36 23 or 0041 71 243 71 80.

We have had a very nice welcome party and baptism; thanks to all participants; - pictures coming soon.

That's Xmas!

Salina and Andri are over the mountain. Today it is the 24th and tonight Andri can come home! Thanks to the staff of the hospital "Kinderspital Ostschweiz"!

Here the pictures from the baptism of Andri and the welcome party. Thanks to Pater Stephan and goodwife Christin Reiter and goodfather Joerg van der Heyde and many thanks for Ottavia and Reto Schwoerer for the food and Rosi and Ernst Ammann for the wonderful music!

Thanks to all participants:

Also Nona and Nani are happy!