Alana's Plus3 Chile Blog: The Day We Had Three Company Visits

Today was an extremely busy day, as we visited three companies, Hela, Conservas Centauro, and Bosque del Mauco. Hela was the first visit of the day, which is a company that produces various types of tools. I had no idea what to expect from this factory, but I ended up being mesmerized by the process. We were given ear plus and goggles, and made our way over to where they wrapped and boxed the paint brushes. The preciseness of the machines was amazing, and I watched in awe the plastic being perfected melted to wrap the brush. We also saw how they made the metal pieces on the brushes, how the attached the pig hair, and how they printed their company name on the brush. We moved on to the metal brushes, which were round and prickly. While touching one, I was poked and bled a bit, which shows just show sharp the metal was. There was one machine that twisted the metal, and a couple of my peers and I discussed the computer engineering needed to create a machine so accurate. Using our basic knowledge of computer programming, we did not even want to think of the code required for such a machine. We then were back on the bus, heading to Conservas Centauro, which is a canning company. Their primary focus is tomatoes, but they produce other foods as well. When we arrived we were given fashionable hair nets, and were guided around the factory. The jalapenos smelled delicious, and we were allowed to taste the tomato paste and ketchup. We then were introduced to the owner of the company, and he told us more about the different foods produced, and gave us a can of beans to take home. We all stared longingly at the beans, as we were all absolutely starving at this point, so we said our goodbyes and left the factory to grab some empanadas. The restaurant we went to this time was really interesting, as it was beach themed, decorated with plants, and had seashells as the gravel floor. Everyone ordered two empanadas this time, as it was about 3:00 at this point and we still hadn't eaten, so I got my favorite, the shrimp and cheese and tried something new-- the sweet milk. Both were delicious, but I struggled with the sweat milk, as the delicious carmel liquid inside was scalding hot and spilled all over my hands. Although I made a fool out of myself, it was still very, very yummy, and we all left feeling a thousand times better. We then went to the place that our noses have been waiting for, Bosque del Mauco. We were warned about the smell of this mushroom farm at the start of this trip, and it didn't disappoint. Noses were held as we wandered through the farm, seeing the different process necessary to create the optimal environment for mushroom growth. After the factory, we went back to the hotel, and disposed of our shoes, calling it a day.