Keystone State Boychoir

Home, sweet home! Of course, not without a little fanfare…and singing.

Homecoming Philadelphia, PA USA on January 5, 2016. (Photos by E Bryan Crenshaw III).

Singing for the welcoming crowd.

And of course, more singing.

A warm welcome.

On our way back home, we meandered a bit in the Peruvian countryside.  Our train trip into Aguas Calientes was taken at night, but we took a daylight train back, so we could see the route along a river.  On the bus trip to Cusco from the end of the train line, we made two stops: Incan Salt Mines and a small family farm with llamas and alpacas. During the final leg of the trip through the outskirts of Cusco, we passed many houses with architecture from the colonial period.

The final leg of the trip was a flight from Cusco to Lima, and then to JFK.

Train Ride Leaving Aguas Calientes, Peru on January 4, 2016. (Photos by E Bryan Crenshaw III).

Incan Salt Mines.

Llama and Alpaca Farm Visit.

Colonial Architecture in the Outskirts of Cusco, Peru.

The highlight of the tour was our visit to Machu Picchu. However, it wasn’t an easy journey; a flight to Lima and then Cusco, a bus to a train to Aguas Calientes where we stayed for the night, and finally a bus up the mountain to Machu Picchu. Nonetheless, it was well worth the multimodal transporation hassle.

In Aguas Calientes, the choir had one of their best opportunities for souvenir shopping in a open market, which featured clothing, musical instruments, and plenty of tchotchkes. 

The trip up to Machu Picchu was traversed on a winding switchback road, and once at the bus depot, the choir hiked into the ruins.  Many of the boys hiked even further up to the Intipunku or Sun Gate, where they sang and took in the scenery.

Group Photo at Machu Picchu, Peru on January 3, 2016. (Photo by E Bryan Crenshaw III).

Shopping in Aguas Calientes, Peru on January 3, 2016.

Looking Down on Road to Machu Picchu, Peru on January 3, 2016.

Intipunku or Sun Gate. Machu Picchu, Peru on January 3, 2016.

The third, and final, stop in the Lakes Region was in Villarrica. We shared music with a local choir, Niños Cantores de la Araucania, who taught the choir a song from the native Mapuche tradition. Mapuche translates as “People of the Land.” The local choir wore costumes that reflect the Mapuche culture of which they sang and shared with KSB.

The next day, the choir sang in the plaza outside the main municipal building in Villarica. The choir sang about “White Christmas” and the municipal building was adorned with Santa Claus, Christmas Trees, etc. All of this winter symbolism seemed strangely at odds with the strong, summer, sun beating down on the choir. The Villarrica Volcano looming over Villarrica Lake dominates the skyline of this town, and you will see it in the background of many photos. Of course, there were the dogs – a record of three dogs joined the choir to help with the concert.

From Villarica, we travel to Peru and Machu Picchu. Just a heads up. We’ll attempt to load as many photos as possible from Machu Picchu prior to catching the plane home, but that blog post may be limited. We’ll eventually get up a full blog post, but the full-length version might post after we get home.

Concert with Niños Cantores de la Araucania. Villarrica, Chile on December 30, 2015. (Photo by E Bryan Crenshaw III).

Concert with Niños Cantores de la Araucania. Villarrica, Chile on December 30, 2015. (Photo by E Bryan Crenshaw III).

Concert with Niños Cantores de la Araucania. Villarrica, Chile on December 30, 2015. (Photo by E Bryan Crenshaw III).

Concert with Niños Cantores de la Araucania. Villarrica, Chile on December 30, 2015. (Photo by E Bryan Crenshaw III).

Sing in the Town Center of Villarrica, Chile on December 31, 2015. (Photo by E Bryan Crenshaw III).

The second resort town in the Lakes Region that we visted was Pucón, which lies on the Villarica Lake below the Villarica Volcano. The hotel in which we stayed is a grand, old hotel, which had been rebranded by the “Enjoy” hotel chain that we’ve seen more than once in Chile. The hotel sits on a volcanic beach, and the boys enjoyed time off in the pool prior to the concert.

The concert was outdoors as the sun was setting, and was greeted enthusiastically by vacationers in lounge chairs. A good night, and then off to the town of Villarica on the other side of the lake…

Volcanic Beach Outside Venue. Hotel Concert in Pucón, Chile on December 29, 2015. (Photos by E Bryan Crenshaw III).

Volcano Villarrica, viewed across the park in front of the hotel.

Pool Time Prior to the Hotel Concert in Pucón.

Outdoors Concert With the Sun Setting in the Background.

When we pulled up to the Teatro del Lago, there it was, rising over Lake Llanquihue, a big, beautiful, snow-capped, volcano, Volcán Osorno. Too bad it was quickly covered by clouds, and would remain so for the rest of our stay in Frutillar. Nonetheless, that first sighting was epic.

Frutillar is a small, resort town in the Lakes Region of Chile, and the beginning of our tour of three such villages in the “Los Lagos” Region. The town lies nestled along the shore of Lake Llanquihue. Interestingly, we visited Frutillar Bajo, the low city, but a few miles away lies Frutillar Alto, where the folks of more modest means live. A very odd arrangement.

The Teatro del Lago was nearly as awe-inspiring as the volcano. It was a real bonus that both could be experienced simultaneously, because Osorno Volcano was visible from the theater where the choir sang (when we could see it). The brightly-lit, amphitheater looked out over the lake. The choir was so popular that the first concert was completely sold out, and they scheduled a second concert the next day. We recorded the second concert, so we’re hoping to have a “Chile On Tour” recording.

In the evening, the moon rose over Lake Llanquihue, and the next morning the sun rose over the Calbuco Volcano. Mother Nature was at her best during our visit to Frutillar.

Our journey takes us further into the Lakes Region to another small, resort town, Pucón.

En Español:

Cuando estábamos llegando a Frutillar, fuimos impresionados por la belleza de los volcanes y el lago. Hace 6 años, los niños no pudieron ver el volcán porque estaba cubierto por las nubes. Nos sentimos emocionados que tuviéramos la oportunidad de cantar dos veces en Teatro del Lago, uno de los lugares más lindos que hemos visitado. Mientras estábamos en Frutillar, caminamos por la playa, que es tan bonita por la mañana como preciosa por la noche.

A Sunny Day Provides a Beautiful View of Volcano Osorno, as the Choir Arrives at Teatro del Lago. Frutillar Concert in Frutillar, Chile on December 27, 2015. (Photos by E Bryan Crenshaw III).

Frutillar Concert.

Choir Members Emulating the Photo in the Poster Advertising the Frutillar Concert.

Sunrise Over the Calbuco Volcano and Lake Llanquihue in Frutillar, Chile on December 29, 2015.

Because the seas were too rough on Christmas Eve, we were unable to make our first attempt to sail to Magdalena Island, where the The Penguins Natural Monument is located. Fortunately, we packed two ship tours into a single day on the day after Christimas, and successfully made it to Magdalena Island after our naval vessel tour of the Strait of Magellan. On this second tour, we headed north and east, towards the Atlantic Ocean, for approximately two hours. Although the trip to the island and back takes 4 hours and our time on the island was restricted to an hour, it was well worth it.

The penguins on the island were medium-sized Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus), named for Magellan who initially observed them in 1520. These penguins are related to those found in South African and the Galápagos islands. They nest in a large colonies in burrows on the island, and the boys observed many juvenile penguins in the burrows with their parents.

On a high point at the end of the trail, a lighthouse overlooks the surrounding sea. The boys sang at the light house, despite admonitions from the tour guides that we needed to vacate the island to stay on schedule.

Needless to say the visit was a delight for all, especially for several of the boys with an affinity towards these awkward, but lovable creatures.