Category: South America

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South America Uruguay

Cabo Polonio

Cabo Polonio is a rather unique place. It is located in Cabo Polonio National Park and is a small hippy village. The only electricity is run to the lighthouse, there is no piped running water and people flock here by the hundreds. The hostel I stayed at had solar power for heating water and electricity. Our tiny room had a 3 LED light strip which did a fantastic job of lighting the room.

The rocky outcrops that the lighthouse is built on is also home to a sea lion colony. There are also sea lions that live a little offshore on another small island.

The village is built pretty rough, with houses dotted anywhere really. Only a limited amount of cars are allowed and only for permanent residents. All day visitors must leave their cars in the large car park at the bus terminal and take a 4×4 truck to cover the 7km or so dune track to the village. The 4×4 trucks are all different and characterful, and the adults enjoy the trip as much as the kids! On both trips I saw small owls in the dunes- and odd sighting in the middle of the day. I have not found out what species it was yet though.Ā 

I have taken many photos of the village and various houses to help show the feel of the place. I arrived on a Sunday and was actually shocked by the amount of day visitors- both beaches were packedā€¦so much for my remote village retreat!! Luckily by nightfall ,most have left and all is good in the word again šŸ™‚ Perfect night for star gazing too! No clouds, no moon, very few lights and a glorious sky filled with all the stars and the Milky Way. It was superb!!

On my second night the star gazing was replaced by a magnificent lightning storm. Just sat on the back porch, on a day bed, facing the sea and watching a different sort of show- that was limited to a 42 inch screen.

Ā 

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South America Uruguay

La Pedrera

La Pedrera is the polar opposite of Punta del Este. It is a small community on the sea side, where the only street that has bitumen on it is the main road, and the others are all dirt roads. The houses are a mixture of shacks, old style houses that would go back many years and more modern dwellings. Some are even architecturally designed.

During the time I was there it was Carnival. I was warned by several people that thousands of people would descend upon the quiet village. There were some crowds, however more weekend numbers I guess. A few years ago upwards of 20,000 came to this town- however the locals were not pleased with this and asked that measures were put in place to limit those numbers! Iā€™m glad that it was on the quieter side! The beaches, yet again (picking up a trend here???) go on for miles, so you donā€™t have to walk for too long before you are nearly alone.

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South America Uruguay

Punta del Este

The playground of the richā€¦and apparently famous. Punta del Este is one of the most expensive places that you can stay in Uruguay, and that says a lot considering Uruguay is probably the most expensive country in Latin America. Yes, I thought this was Chile, but I was wrong! You have your choice of beaches, one that has waves as it faces the predominant wind direction, and the other is in a more protected bay and is thus calmer. The skyline is filled with high rise apartments, which doesnā€™t give it much character- I suppose it can be compared to a smaller version of the Gold Coast in Australia. I however stayed in a lovely, old established neighbourhood that has big houses and large open gardens. It was nice to stay away from the hustle and bustle and be in the quiet suburbs.

So the city is very commercial, however the beaches are great and go on for miles and miles! The water, being on the Atlantic Ocean is a little cool, but not too bad. Not as cold as the Atlantic in Cape Town as an example.

The Marina attests to the wealthā€¦ with some yachts as big as housesā€¦ others a bit more ā€œnormalā€.

For the first time I also had a really tasty combination sushiā€¦ if you have a chance or make your own: salmon, Philly cheese and MANGOā€¦.yummy! Wouldnā€™t have thought to do that but it was great!

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South America Uruguay

Montevideo

The bus trip between Colonia and Montevideo is alongside the coast and through farmlands- mainly maize and cattle farms. Its green and tranquil. Montevideo is a sprawling city with sightseeing possibilities from one end to another; which does make it a bit challenging to get around. I stayed in the historical centre. I arrive on Saturday afternoon, and head out down the main street to explore, however as it is late afternoon nearly all the shops are already closed. I thought it would be a good opportunity to check the historical buildings, without crowds, until a huge downpour of rain set in and I got completely soaked!

On Sunday- as is the case in small or big cities- the whole city center was pretty much shutdown. I went for a walk around Ciudad Vieja, down the pedestrian streets. There is a mixture of old colonial buildings, art deco and newer buildings. It was surprising though how quickly the streets turned from pleasant, to one block away from the tourist area, pretty dodgy! The market was preparing their asados (barbeques) and smelled real good! The meat and sausages are placed on pyramidal, rotating grids above the coals.

In the evening I was lucky enough to get a tour of the more distant parts of Montevideo with another of Frankā€™s cousins! Maria took me for a drive down the never ending Rambla (river side promenade). We also went to have a traditional dinner of chivito, a sandwich filled with tomato, lettuce, ham, cheese and a very thin steak. It was good. We also tried to find some candombe music (traditional drums that are played in the streets) established from African slaves. As a final cherry on the cake we did a night drive around the Palacio Legislativo ā€“ parliament buildings. (Photos are taken during the day)

As nearly all the museums are closed on Sunday I made Monday my museum day. The first stop was the Andes 1972 museum. It is about the Air Force plane crash of flight 571 that had a Uruguayan rugby team and some family members on-board. It crashed into the Andes on a flight to Santiago. The museum focuses on the facts of the accident and the survival of the passengers (not all) during the 72 days that followed. It does not focus on the survivors that ate the dead to sustain themselves. I also met and had a small tour by the curator: Norwegian/Uruguayan Jorg Thomsen. He is clearly very knowledgeable and passionate about the topic and it was great meeting him. 16 out of 45 passengers and crew survived; not all died on impact. The famous book ā€œAliveā€ is based on this event, and there is also a movie. (No photos are allowed in the museum- sorry).

The gaucho (cowboy) museum is located in a beautiful old colonial building. It has a superb marble staircase to the first floor and brilliant wooden staircase to the second floor. There is a large exhibition of exquisite silver crafted cowboy and horse paraphernalia. There was also a mate (pronounced ma-tey) display (traditional herbal bitter tea) that is drunk across much of South America. I need to explain this as it is much deeper than just drinking tea! Uruguayans walk around hugging their thermal flasks and mates (the carved mugs that you drink from) and drinking straws in the streets, at work and in the parks- everywhere and anywhere. Learn more about the mate culture here.

The town hall (Intendencia) has a 270-degree viewpoint from its top floor, and is great to check out the major buildings of the city and the extent of the city too!

On Monday afternoon Maria took me to Prado Park and the great neighbourhood that it is located in. We started in the rose garden of the park. The neighbourhood is not top class allegedly- though it would have been in its heyday- there are many old mansions and large gardens in the area. The Hotel del Prado is located in the park and available for functions. We also stopped by a superb neo-gothic church (Las Carmelitas), though it was closed.

On Tuesday I went to the tile museum- a private collection of hundreds of historic tiles from around the world. Maria was kind enough to offer to take me to the bus station, and took me for a spin of the eastern Carrasco neighbourhood. It used to be a separate seaside holiday retreat, but has now been soaked into the expanding city. It has a completely different relaxed vibe to the actual city. It is also the modern version of Prado neighbourhood and is considered a very classy place to live. The houses are large and within large gardens too!

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South America Uruguay

Colonia

I arrive in Colonia del Sacramento (Colonia) after a painless 1-hour trip across the widest river in the world: Rio de la Plata. Both the Argentinian and Uruguayan immigration requirements are taken care of in Buenos Aires, so itā€™s an easy exit once we arrive. Ā The arrival terminal is new and easy to get around. A short walk through tree lined streets gets me to my accommodation in the old city.

The old city is great- a UNESCO world heritage site ā€“ originally established by the Portuguese. The city gets many day visitors, so its lovely when the evening comes and these people are all gone! Mind you, itā€™s even better in the early morning to take a walk around the old town and its completely quiet and empty- heaven!

In the evening, while watching the sunset, I get the privilege to witness another beautiful phenomenon, there is a massive incoming thunder storm. Two beautiful events rolled into one- while the sky changed colours there were massive lightning strikes out on the river, cloud to water and cloud to cloud- what a show by mother nature!

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Argentina South America

Buenos Aires

A completely stinking hot Buenos Aires welcomed me! It was 40Ā°C and humid!! Arriving at the bus terminal and valuing safety I decided to take a taxi to my accommodation, which wasnā€™t far, rather than walking through a really dodgy looking part of the city. Iā€™m glad I did, but not glad that I was ripped off by the driver. I want to learn Spanish just to be able to argue with these type of people!

I walked around the city, to get some exercise as I havenā€™t been hiking in a while. Many kilometers later and sweating buckets in the heat; I did a revisit of the places that I had been to on my trip 10 years ago.

I stayed in Recoleta, a famous and rather posh neighbourhood. It is close to the Recoleta Cemetery- where Evita Peron and many famous Argentinians are buried. There are goliath tombs/vaults here- unbelievably so! The area is also close to the law faculty and Belles Artes Museum, but unfortunately it was closed until April. There is a park close by which has a modern art piece- a flower, made from metal which opens and closes with the sun.

The following day I did a huge loop around the city and took in many notable sites.

A beautiful old theater (El Ateneo Grand Splendid) now host to a bookshop- such a great idea!!Ā 

The Plaza 25 de Mayo terminates on one end with the Casa Rosada (pink house) and is home to the president. About 10 blocks west of the Casa Rosada the National Congress building stands on the other end of a grand Plaza -aptly named Plaza del Congreso.Ā 

The Catedral Metropolitana is a huge cathedral located on Plaza 25 de Mayo and its most important feature is that it is the resting place of General Jose San Martin- the most important figure in gaining the independence of Chile, Peru and Argentina. He is thus a hero among all these nations. His mausoleumĀ has its own ‘chapel’ and is guarded; I was there inadvertently when the changing of the guard took place.

The Obelisco, which is located in the center of 9 de Julio Street and commemorates the foundation of the city. It sits on one of the widest streets in the world- I think I counted 16 lanes of traffic! Close by to this monument is the Teatro Colon – a majestic theater that i did not do a tour of due to the long lines of interested people.Ā 

Puerto Madero is now a modern, skyscraper filled, business and apartment location. This area has been refurbished from an old port and railway stations. It is lined with trendy and expensive restaurants and bars. Also the place that I have had the yummiest and smoothest passion fruit mousse ice cream ever!

On my second full day I walked to two well-known neighbourhoods- San Telmo and La Boca. San Telmo is the oldest neighbourhood in Buenos Aires and is home to a great old style market. I had a pear cider to help with the heat.

La Boca is the most colourful suburb of the city- it was originally painted many colours as the people used leftover ship yard paint to paint their houses. There are many couples dancing tango. It is now a must on any personā€™s travel itinerary. Having said this, it is extremely kitsch and there 100% for tourists.

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Argentina South America

Rosario

I was really excited to go to Rosarioā€¦ and itā€™s not quite what you may be thinking. I was excited because for once in my travels I was actually going to have someone pick me up from the bus terminal! I need to rewind a bit hereā€¦a few months ago, at my friendā€™s wedding in South Africa, I met up with a friend from primary school- Frank. He reminded me that he has family in Argentina and Uruguay and during the past months we planned a get together. So it was Frankā€™s uncle, aunt and cousin who came to pick me up!

Our first excursion was a walk to the flag monument and monument of the unknown soldier. Ā Here you can take an elevator to the top of the monument for 360 degree views of the city. Itā€™s impressive- the city is huge and the Parana River that runs alongside it is also a large tributary to Rio de La Plata that flows alongside Bueno Aires. We take a walk along the river and take in some of the popular neighbourhoods.

The next day we visit the city center and explore some of the old colonial style buildings- there are many of these and the detail in this architecture is exquisite. My favourite must be the stainless glass ceiling of the Club Espana. It extends across the top of the whole staircase and central area of the building.

In the afternoon we go for a drive and walk to another part of Rosario- the re-invented railyards and agricultural silos. It is the newest and trendiest part of Rosario with the most expensive apartments. We also check out the Rosario Victoria Bridge and sunset over the city from Costa Alta.

Between walking, driving and eating out in the city I enjoy the vibe- similar to Cordoba with the students in the city too. On my final night we also went out to eat at Rock&Feller ā€“ where I finally have a great Argentinian steak- medium! I have not had any luck with steaks, ordering them medium and getting them well done! One should note that most people in Argentina eat their steaks well done L

I am so grateful to the family for having looked after me so well, their fantastic hospitality and taking me to see so many great places in their home city!

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Argentina South America

Cordoba

Cordoba is a great city with a super student vibe and a few up and coming neighbourhoods. The architecture is rather European and there are many cultural events and museums around.

I did two walking tours in the city. The first was around New Cordoba and Guemes. These are the student and bohemian neighbourhoods respectively.

A funny story relating to the polar bear statue in one of the photos: The statue was made to commemorate the polar bears in the Antarctic! The only problem is that there are no polar bears in the Antarctic! When the politicians found this out they tried to keep it secret. However, some revolutionaries stole the statue and it ended up left in the middle of traffic for 4 monthsā€¦so not much of a secret!

The second tour was around the historical centre. Ā 

I had noticed in Mendoza, and now also in Cordoba, that half the city parks and many sidewalks are all dug up and being improved and wondered why- for a country in economic crisis. The answer is pretty simple: it is election year this year :).

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Argentina South America

Mendoza

After a 16-hour night bus ride, that was 1.5 hours late, I arrived in Mendoza. I had a short nap and headed out to explore the city. As I was walking around I couldnā€™t believe how a whole city completely shut down for siesta- something I am not used to. I did not particularly fall in love with Mendoza- my favourite part was the large park west of the city centre- which is not very city like šŸ™‚ . Av Sariemento, from city centre towards the park is also pleasant and filled with houses of the rich.

The first day trip that I did from Mendoza was to hike to the Confluencia base camp of Mt Aconcagua- the highest mountain in the Americas at over 6,900m above sea level. I decided to take a tour to cut down on the travel time, but with 3.5 hours one way I donā€™t think that I got that right! The walk is 5 hours return. Itā€™s not difficult- and you get to an elevation of 3,400m. The route is through a valley and surrounded by rainbow coloured mountains. We only got a quick glimpse of the peak of Aconcagua- when we first arrived, and then she disappeared behind the clouds. I was hoping for a few more glimpses at least to help encourage the next high altitude peak challenge. 

The second day trip was out to Maipu Valley- one of the wine growing regions near the city. It is in a flat area, with the Andes as a background in the far distance. Mind you, each time I visit vineyards I compare them to those in the Cape, in South Africa, and I still havenā€™t seen vineyards that are placed more scenically than those in the Cape!! The full day trip was on Valentineā€™s Dayā€¦and I think that I have found a new way to celebrate this dayā€¦ starting with the first glass of Syrah at 09h30 šŸ™‚ . I did very much enjoy the Malbecs, a variety that Argentina is very well known for. I had a three course lunch at Espacio Trapiche, which was tasty. We went to the following wineries:

  1. Trivento (which is actually associated with Concho y Torro, Chile)
  2. Frutta Roja (also does plum, cherry and other organic produce)
  3. Tempus Alba
  4. Trapiche
  5. Bodega la Rural (had a great museum attached and you can exchange the value of your entry ticket for a bottle of wine and only pay the difference if required.)
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Argentina South America

Bariloche

It is not my first time in Bariloche- I came here 10 years ago, on my first trip to South America (Argentina & Peru). It has definitely grown, especially the centre from what I can remember. The masses of holiday makers also take away from the ā€œvillage feelā€. So what are the masses here to do? Well, Bariloche is a Swiss style town known for its ice cream and chocolatesā€¦mmmmmā€¦ oh yes, and for those who want to work off all those calories, also hiking and skiing in the winter!

I did all the above- and happy to say that the chocolates and ice cream are totally delicious!! A few nights I enjoyed some Malbec wine and chocolatesā€¦ while updating and catching up on the blog J .

I also spent two full days out and about. The first hike I did was to Cerro Campanario. It is a fairly steep and dusty 30-minute hike to a lookout and top of a ski lift (yes you can just take the ski lift!). The view is great though. Once back down I jump onto another bus- further out to the peninsula ā€“ Llao Llao. Here there are several walking options and I take a walk through the forest and down to the lake.

I have been looking forward to the Refugio Frey hike- it is after all the most popular hike in this area. Popularity comes at a price though- crowds- so to try and avoid them I took the first bus out -07h00 and arrived at 08h00 at the start of the trail with 5 other hikers only. It was great when we all spread out you felt all alone. There were few people who actually passed me on the whole 3 hours up- just some trail runners. The hike is pretty pleasant, until the last hour or so- where itā€™s pretty heavy going. Yes- this is a definitive trend with all the hikes I am going- when you are half dead, and not at the top yet then you have to push a hell of a lot more!! After some good huffing and puffing I finally got site of the Refugio, and upon arrival had a pleasant view of the area.

I took a different route down- along the Lago Gutierrez ā€“ though it was somewhat disappointing as the path is far from the lake and has little to no view of it, for most of the trail. I did get to soak my feet in the lake when I eventually reached the end of the 24km hike.

It was really pleasant, and having left early I missed all the crowds. Walking through the forest I saw many pretty birds and saw my first woodpeckers ā€œin actionā€. It was both a female and male magellanic woodpecker. The male has a crested red head, the female only a little red at the beak. That male woodpecker was hammering so hard; it took that tree from all angles- it was amazing.

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Argentina South America

El Chalten

I caught a three-hour bus from El Calafate to El Chaltenā€¦lucky to have gotten a seat with all the people! From when we left the bus station though, the bus was not sounding too healthy and the driver struggled to put it into gear. We freewheeled down the hills tooā€¦until two hours in, the bus finally gave up the ghost. We all shuffled out, grabbed our bags and squashed into a bus that had been behind us. So there were passengers in the aisles and down the stairs, I shudder to think how overloaded we were- but got there safe an hour later.

El Chalten is north of El Calafate, as the crow flies. It is a small village set up for backpackers, hikers and rock climbers and has many beer gardens to relax in after a single or multi day hike! Whatā€™s great is that the hikes our nearly outside your doorstep, and thus no buses have to be caught first to get there.

While here I did two, single day hikes. The first was to Laguna de Los Tres. It is a 20km return hike (excluding the part you walk in town) and is rated as moderate, and the last 1 km is difficult as there is an altitude gain of 400m. I headed out nice and early in the morning- to ensure I get there- unlike my disappointment in Torres del Paine! This was a great decision as it was cool and for the first few hours I had the trail to myself. I loved this trail much more than the Mirador Torres trail in Torres del Paine. The main reason for this is that you have regular sightings of Fitz Roy and neighbouring peaks and glaciers; and they are a sight to behold. The last 1 km is also a bit less strenuous than the Torres hike; and it is not constantly uphill. The peaks were covered with a few passing clouds, but the turquoise waters of the lake in the foreground and the spires in the background, made for a superb view!

The next day I embarked, early, on another 18km hike to Laguna Torre. This hike starts off with a hilly start but then is a bit easier going. The day was so clear, with blue skies and not a cloud to be seen- a rarity in these parts, as the peaks are often cloud covered! I was glad to arrive to the lake, with views of the three towers that lure rock climbers, without too many people being there. The lake contains a few small icebergs from the glaciers that feed these waters up above. On the return trip I pass masses of people, and am glad to have missed them. The temperatures also increase and I finally begin my defrosting process in 24C weather (I have been in the cold south for over 6 weeks now J)

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Argentina South America

El Calafate

After a painless 1-hour flight from Ushuaia, I landed in El Calafateā€¦ it was that or a 20-24 hour bus trip!! The town is located near the edge of the Andes Mountains and is most famous for trekking and the Perito Moreno glacier. I spent my first day exploring the town and doing a long walk down to and alongside Lago Argentino ā€“ a huge glacial lake, with stunning blue- green waters. The town, though touristy, is pleasant and filled with cosy cottages. The next day I went to the main attraction: Perito Moreno by bus, as it is 80km west of the town, towards the Chilean border. The drive there is really very scenic, with snow covered mountains and sheep Estancias. The road follows the shores of Lago Argentino. It was also exciting as there was a large group of condors feeding on a sheep close to the road. These birds are spectacular- and so large- with wingspans of 3m!

The glacier is located in southern portion of Los Glaciares National Park. There are a series of walks in front of the glacier- on the opposite side of the lake and ablation area. All of these are stainless steel boardwalks, with lots of stairs interconnecting the levels and viewing platforms. You can actually thus get pretty close to the glacier- and she is a beauty to observe as she calves often and if the tourists are not noisy, you can hear the popping and exploding of the ice inside the glacier. It actually sounds like an approaching thunderstorm. The ice is released off the face (calving) with explosions rather than it just falling off. The face of the glacier is 40-70m high and it is 5km wide! It also contains many ice peaks and crevasses- which makes it a very aesthetically pleasing glacier to see!

As I was satisfied with my glaciology for the day I decided that it was nearly time to go and catch the bus, so I made my way up to the waiting area at the end of the trails ā€“ the top car park. I asked four people whether my bus company picked up people from top and bottom car parks and they all said yes. So I waitedā€¦and waited and no bus showed up. This is now a problem, as I saidā€¦80km is a bit far to walk!! So I took the shuttle bus to the lower car park and decided to try and hitchhike for 45min with no takers L ! So I changed my strategy and stalked an English couple that were making their way to the car park. I excused myself and plead my case to see if they would take pity on me- and the great Paul and Claire Weeks did!! So grateful that they didā€¦best English couple ever!! We also had a very entertaining trip, I told them about my trip to Antarctica and gave them some tips about their southern travels and they shared stories of their travels and rubbing shoulders with Kit Harington.

The funniest was when Claire nearly grabbed the steering wheel every time Paul took a corner- which was all the time on the windy road!! The usual conversation of trusting your partner driving came upā€¦I just said that thatā€™s what wives are for. Just before we entered El Calafate again, Paul wasnā€™t slowing down for a speed bump ahead. So I said ā€œHey Paul, speed bump aheadā€¦ oh and sorry, now you have two wivesā€; we laughed so hard we cried. Not a few minutes later and Paul confesses that they havenā€™t quite figured out how the right of way principles work in Argentina. I was likeā€¦ā€ This is not making me feel safe or confidentā€ and again we burst into tears. So happy that I missed that bus in the endā€¦all is well that ends well and makes you laugh!!

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Argentina South America

Ushuaia

Marketed as the ā€œEnd of the Worldā€; Ushuaia was in essence done in two parts: one prior to my Antarctica trip, and the other, post. As it turned out, my Czech friend and I met up on the same bus from Puerto Natales, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina! This made a 12-hour journey that much more enjoyable, once we swapped seats with our allotted neighbours. The distance is only 600km, but the border crossings take a bit of time. The day after arrival we headed off to Laguna Esmeralda, approximately 25km east of town. There is a 4-hour hike here to a small glacier and glacial lake through some peat bog. The weather played along until the end of the hike when it started raining, and earlier being windy as it gets here!

That evening I went to check into the pre Antarctica departure hotel, just outside of the town. It is a very fancy hotel, definitely not normally what I would sign up for. It is situated on a hill overlooking the city and port. I was also going to take advantage of all the amenities on offer, and thus spent the evening/night in the indoor pool, the outdoor heated pool, Jacuzzi and sauna!! I also met my roommates, for the duration of the trip, and we hit I off straight away- which is great for 3 weeks in 1 room! We had the morning and early afternoon to discover some more of the city, which didnā€™t take too long. It is not a particularly beautiful city- the main street is lined with outdoor gear shops and it is overall very industrial. We embarked on the ship at 5pm. And the rest of the update will be under the Antarctica section of the blog šŸ™‚ .

I had a few days in town after the Antarctica trip- which was good as I had a lot of sleep to catch up on!! So I had a fair bit of planned spare time to just process all the sights and experiences and also to visit the main attraction in the area- Tierra del Fuego National Park. On a sunny and warm day (15C which was considered a heat wave by the locals) I headed off for a very tranquil 8km walk called the Sendero Costera. It is located along the waterā€™s shores, through the beech forest. With not many people on it, it was lovely to just listen to the birds and to the lapping waters and admire the clear waters and mountains in the background.

Categories
Chile South America

Balmaceda & Serrano Glaciers

A day trip from Puerto Natales, in a small boat, takes you through the Ultima Esperanza Fjord. We traveled past a seal colony, waterfalls and a cormorant colony. There are also cattle ranches in the area- farming first commenced here in 1880s. We stop for a very tasty barbecue lamb and chicken lunch at Estancia Perales.

The most captivating stops for the day, are however the two glaciers: Balmecada and Serrano. The Balmecada glacier is retreating through a valley, away from the fjord it once touched in the 1980s. The photos so how much this has retreated in the last 30 years.Ā 

The Serrano glacier is a short 1 hour return walk. All the boats stop here for this walk, making it pretty crowded unfortunately .Ā 

Both of these glaciers are in Bernardo O’Higgins National Park.Ā 

Categories
Chile South America

Torres del Paine

The most famous of all national parks in Chile and Patagonia- Torres del Paine (Towers of the mountains named Paine). This park is located 2 hours by bus from Puerto Natales. It is known for the W-trek and O-treks. however you need to be pretty organised and book 6 months in advance to book camping or accommodation spots. I was not this organised, so stayed in town and commuted daily. Note this park is also the most expensive!

The first day (Christmas) was actually planned at Christmas Eve diner and involved a bunch of us from the ferry. We took the 7am bus, waited in a fairly long queue to purchase our entry tickets and took another bus to Pudeto. It is from here that we caught the catamaran across Lake Pehoe at 11am. The trip to Paine Grande camp site took 30min and we had some great views. We then headed towards Campo Italiano and planned to turn around once 2.5 hours were up, so that we can get the bus back.Ā 

The next day, the weather remained clear and warm- and very rare find this far south! So I decided to head off and do the most well known of the one day treks- to the viewpoint of the towers- Torres Mirador. The walk was shown as 4.5 hours one way- which was a close call t make it back to the bus on time. The walk was tough and pretty much all uphill. Then I got to the last- steepest section which is due to take 1 hour 1 way. I was already pretty drained, but thought that I would give this last bit a crack, as the whole walk culminated in the view of the towers, which you pretty much cannot see as you walk through the forest and valley. The last section is all uphill- clambering up the remaining large rocks and glacial moraine of the glacier that used to exist here. I got about half way up and looked at the time,and with a heavy heart I decided to turn around. I slowly made my way down the rocks, absolutely disappointed and devastated with myself that I didn’t make it to the viewpoint. Mostly due to my lack of fitness. I have included a photo from a friend- Marcel to show what I missed out on. It was taken on the same day.Ā 

Categories
Chile South America

Navimag Ferry

As I have mentioned I needed to get to Puerto Montt for the ferry to Puerto Natales. It leaves once per week (on Fridays). It is a 4 day, 3 night trip through the channels and fjords of Patagonia as well as Pacific Ocean ā€“as the glacier area is impassable to ships. I have included the route in the pictures.

Day 1 of our trip was check in and sail. We left approximately 17h30. The weather in Puerto Montt was sunny with blue skies. This is of course great as you could see all the volcano peaks in the area.

In the afternoon of day 2 we hit the Pacific Ocean. The paramedic came around to offer us all sea sickness tablets. Most people took them, and those that didnā€™t immediately before hitting the ocean took them later. The tablets have a side effect of drowsiness- so much of the shipā€™ travellers also passed out. The sea was relatively calm- but the swells were obviously larger than in the channels. I felt fine, but sleep alluded me this night.

Day 3 was a rainy day- a pity as the fjords would have been a sight to behold. However the constant drizzle and low cloud cover did not allow for this. The weather cleared a bit in the afternoon, so we were fortunate to view fjords after rain- which means that there are many waterfalls. We dropped off a few passengers, and picked up some new ones in the tiny village of Puerto Eden. This is the most remote of Chileā€™s community- the 120 odd people are only serviced by the Navimag ferry. There are no cars or roads here. The wind howls through this channel and though beautiful, I cannot imagine the cold of a winter here! There is also a naval base here.

Day 4 was Christmas Eve, and the day we disembarked at Puerto Natales. It was also on this last day that we crossed the narrowest of the fjords- made tricky by the dotting of little islands throughout the channel- this is called ā€œWhite Passā€. This is one of the critical points of the cruise, where slack water must be available and high tide is a must. It can also only be passed during daylight hours.Ā 

There is a faster way to get to Puerto Natales- by bus. This slower, and more unique way was my preferred option- and I am glad I took it. At the end I spoke to most of the passengers on board, made some new friends, got to experience some bone chilling winds and had good company for Christmas Eve dinner- a first for me -Pizza ! About 12 of us from the ferry met up and had an orphan Christmas at a great pizza place- Base Camp.

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Chile South America

Chiloe Island

A large island, accessible by regular ferries, is a lovely quaint, predominantly farming area with 3 larger towns: Ancud in the north, Castro in the centre and Quellon in the south. I didnā€™t have adequate time to head all the way south as I was time bound by the ferry I was catching to Puerto Natales from Puerto Montt.

I liked the country feel of the island. It is most well-known for penguins and itā€™s church circuit of 16 Unesco churches. They are made predominantly of wood. Some of them lie on the islands off of Chiloe.

First stop was Ancud, where I stayed just across from the San Antonio Fort. This home had a great view of the bay! I also got to know the notary publics and printing places in Ancud as I was selling my house in New Zealand during this time. Note to self: selling a house in a time zone that is 16 hours ahead, certifying paperwork in a country where you do not speak the language is a character building experience!

There is a public bus from Ancud to the penguin colony in Islotes De Punihuil. Humboldt and Magellenes penguins come here to mate for several months of the year, starting in September. The difference between the adult penguins is their stripes. The Humboldt has one stripe around the neck, while the other has two. The juveniles are difficult to tell apart. There are also several species of birds endemic to the area.

There is only one bus out of the penguin beach- 17h15. However, 17h15 came and went, 18h00 came and went and 18h30 came and still no bus. You could see it half way down the beach- but I hadnā€™t moved for the last 1.5 hours. I turned out to have a flat tyre. A pick up ute came past the three of us waiting for the bus. We asked when the bus is coming- and were told it wasnā€™t. We were offered a ride though at the back of the pickup.Ā  So we all gladly hopped in as 30km is a long way to walk back to town! We were dropped of 10km down the road- where one of the guys offered us a lift into town in his pickup. This was really kind as he had no other business there.

Castro is known for its palafitos (homes on stilts) and is the point from which my Czech friend (from Pucon) and I did a day trip out of, using public transport. We visited three churches: Achao, lunch in Curaco, another church in Dalcahue and then further to Tenaun. Tenaun is the smallest of these towns, I would hardly call it a settlement, but the church is very beautiful. We were lucky to get in 2 minutes before they started fumigating. This would have been painful after a 45-minute wait for the bus and another hour or so of a bus trip from Dalcahue. Back in Castro we visited the Unesco church in Plaza de Armas (main square). The exterior is corrugated iron, painted yellow and the interior is exquisite wooden panelling. I must add the Chiloe is well known for pretty rough weather- and yet luck was on our side and rain mainly came when we were on the bus šŸ™‚ .

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Chile South America

Pucon

Pucon is known as the adventure capital of the South. You can do white river rafting, climb an active volcano (Villarica) , including gas mask & oxygen due to the sulphorous gases it continuously emits. There are are also national parks to keep hikers busy.Ā 

This is of course if the weather plays its part. When I arrived it happened to be pretty rainy- you wouldn’t even know that there is a volcano around due to the low cloud cover!Ā 

However, when you stay in a hostel there are always other travelers to meet- so I be-friended two German girls with whom I spent the next two days.Ā 

Our first outing on the best weather day- was a hike inĀ Huerquehue National Park. We were very happy to go with a easier option -and thus set our sites on the Los Lagos (lakes) hike. Upon getting to the bus station we saw a sign that stated that this trail was closed for maintenance. Damn! The other option was the San Sebastian trail. This sounded tough in the descriptions we read the day before…”You think you have reached the top but you haven’t!” was used at least 6 times! However, when we got to the national park we found out that this trail was closed due to snow! So we had one option: Quinchol trail. This is a continuously climbing and steep trail, but rewards you with great views! I went at my usual granny pace. The trail winds up through ancientĀ AraucanĆ­a tree forest. Several people described it as being a “Jurassic Park feeling”. At the top circuit there are great views of Villarica on clear days.

There was an incident while we were having lunch on top of the hill- one of the girls spotted a very large spider. It turned out to be a tarantula!!Ā  I did not know that they are endemic here- until this very moment!Ā 

The area around Pucon has tens of thermal springs of all sorts and temperatures, sizes and costs. The day after the hike we went to Los Pozones, serviced by public buses and the cheapest of the hot springs. This was good to relax, and at the shoulder season, didn’t have too many people.Ā  Unfortunately I do not have photos as there were many warnings of theft- so I took the bare minimum with me. This trip was together with the German girls as well as a Czech lady that i met on the bus ride back from the National Park. We continued our exploration the next day of the waterfalls of the area. The weather played along most of the time… we clocked 18km between waterfalls and heading back into Pucon before we hitched a ride.Ā 

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Chile South America

Lota

El Chiflon el Diablo (The Devil’s Whistle) is an underground coal mine in Lota, Chile. It is just over an hour bus ride from Concepcion. The town of Lota has run into tough times after the mine closed in the 1997 due to cheaper Colombian coal hitting the market.Ā 

The mine tunnels are supported by eucalyptus wooden beams, and are developed under the sea.Ā Operation started in 1857 , when the town became the center of Chile’s coal production. Lota boomed as a small port.

The mine is ventilated by strong coastal breezes and is one of very few mines that does not require forced or mechanical ventilation in the world.Ā 

A truly beautiful attraction in Lota is the Isadora Cousino Park. The botanical gardens were planted by the original mine owners with various tree and flower species, and overlook the Pacific Ocean, the old port and mine shaft.Ā 

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Chile South America

Chuquicamata Mine and abandoned Township

Chuquicamata copper mine has been operating for the last 103 years as an open pit. The life of the open pit mineĀ  is coming to an end in 2020, however production is being taken over by the underground section prior to this end date.

The tour commences after a 30 minutes drive from Calama city, to the abandoned ghost town of Chuquicamata. All personnel who worked on the mine inhabited this mining town. The town had schools, hospital, churches, theater and a stadium as well as housing for 20,000 residents. All personnel were moved to Calama by the company, into company housing, by February 2008. Half of the town was then tipped over with rock waste from the mine ā€“including the hospital. The remainder of the ghost town ā€“inclusive of the town center – is now however considered national heritage and part of Chileā€™s history.

The open pit is the largest copper mine in the world- 5km long, 3.5km wide and 1.1km deep and is stated owned (CODELCO). There are an impressive 87 dump trucks on this mine! Though non-impressively most of them were queuing when I was there.

A bit confusingly (is this a word?) ā€“ all people drive on the left hand side of the mine roads, due to the left hand drive trucks, and when you leave work you drive on the right hand side again.Ā 

If you are interested in visiting, you need to email visitas@codelco.cl with the amount of people and date you would like to visit. Tours happen Monday to Friday. A 40 seater bus is used for the trip and fills up fast. The tour is free, CODELCO suggests making a voluntary donation to a children’s charity as “payment”.

Ā 

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Chile South America

San Pedro de Atacama Part 2

Laguna Cejar is North Chileā€™s Dead Sea. Floating and relaxing effortlessly is the name of the game. UNFORTUNATELY, though, there are no magma chambers under this lake- so the water is a bit cold for my liking. Having said that, the view of the Andes is glorious!!

Part of the trip is to go to Ojos de Salar (Eyes of the salt pan) which is nothing exciting, but gives Instagram fanatics a place to take perspective photos due to large, dry lake. No a very exciting stop though.

The last stop- for sunset drinks and snacks- is the best. Tebenquiche is located in the north of Salar de Atacama (Atacama salt flat) at 2,300m amsl. It is scientifically significant in that it contains stromatolites. Stromatolites are formed by bacteria and are thought to have significantly increased the oxygen on our planet several million years ago by the process of photosynthesis. They are now only found here, in Australia and in the Amazon.

Stromatolites are the mounds that you will see in the lagoon in the photos. From a purely aesthetic point of view- the blues around this lake are so beautiful and so many hues- together with the blue sky, and then changing colours during sunset- it is purely WOW.

Laguna Chaxa contained the most flamingos out of all the lakes at the time of visiting. The lake gets visits from the three types of flamingos that call Chile home: Andean, Chilean and James flamingos. They differ in height, beak and tail feather colours.

As I seem to be writing this post back to front, I will actually close off the San Pedro de Atacama portion of the blog with photos of the actual township!Ā 

This area has been known to be inhabited since 11,000 years ago. The local people are called Lican and the indigenous language is Kunza. This language has nearly died out as the Spanish would cut the local’s tongue out if you spoke it!Ā 

San Pedro is not an attractive town by any means, but the surroundings are.Ā 

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Chile South America

San Pedro de Atacama Part 1

A relatively short bus trip of 5 hours, gets you from Antofagasta to San Pedro de Atacama. This is a small desert town, out of which you can explore the Atacama Desert and volcanoes surrounding the area. Iā€™m sure that the tourist to local ratio is at least 5:1 ā€“ itā€™s very popular!

I spent nearly a week here- not because I had such a packed schedule here but it tied in well with a very cheap flight I managed to get from Calama to Concepcion, in the south. Five days would be just perfect.

Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) is a mixture of sand dunes and a large crater giving it a moon-like appearance. It also has salt caves to explore- mind you, you do need to contort a bit to get through them. The Valley is located in the Cordillera de la Sal. We went in the late afternoon and stayed for sunset too. The colours across the volcanoes and Andes is great- not sure that the photos capture it.

Licancabur is a 6,000m amsl volcano that overlooks San Pedro, and has a classic shape but cannot be climbed from Chile. It is too dangerous due to the landmines that Pinochet dropped on the Bolivia/Chile border during the 20th Century War of the Pacific. The locations of the landmines are unknown- and every time there is a large downpour they move.

The Laguna Altiplanicas (highland lakes) are located at 4,200m amsl. They consist of Laguna Miscanti – 15km2 surface area and Miniques-1,5km2 . ā€œMiscantiā€ means “frogs” in the local language and the volcano by the lake is named after the lake. The smaller lake also has a volcano next two it. There is a theory that states that the lakes may have become two after a volcanic explosion. Flamingoes do live in these lakes- though there were only two when I was visiting šŸ™‚ .

The lakes do freeze as sub-zero temperatures do occur regularly at this altitude. Ā 

The smaller volcanoes between the larger ones are known as Punta Negras (black points) and do have some thermal waters.

During this trip we were lucky to spot some local animals. The vicuna- highland relative of the llama- lives between 3,500 and 4,500m amsl. The suri is an Andean ostrich and the viscacha which is like a rabbit/chinchilla rodent. Ā Vicuna wool is the most expensive in the world, however due to the protection of the animal hunting and wool gathering is not allowed.

A 04h00 rise and shine and a pick up between 04h30 and 05h00 means that a trip to El Tatio geysers was coming up.Ā  El Tatio is the third largest geyser field in the world, behind Yellowstone and a field in Siberia that you can only fly over. It is also the highest geyser field at 4,300m amsl. Amazingly you can walk through and around the geyser field. The feeling of walking on top of a very active volcano- with magma chambers ONLY 6-8m below your feet and water that squirts out of holes at 85Ā°C is a bit unsettling. The temperatures ranges experienced during the day- San Pedro de Atacama was approximately 6Ā°C, -5Ā°C in El Tatio and then 28Ā°C when we got back at midday. I later heard that two days after I did this trip it was -12Ā°C in the morning!!! The reason for the trips being so early is for the greater variation in temperature between the steam and outside temperature. It gives a more dramatic and visible impact.Ā 

The road to and from the geysers is a dirt road ā€“which is great as you can explore more outback areas. We stopped in a couple of places which included two wetlands in the desert!! Machuca is a tiny town of 10 families and is supported by tourism- the best things here are the church and the wetland of the same name.Ā 

Had a lovely time at Hierbas Buenas (Petroglyphs) and Valle del Arcoiris (Rainbow Valley). It was a great morning out ā€“in the only area around San Pedro that must not have 23 tours happening at the same time! Had a peaceful walk around the petroglyphs ā€“which were between 1,000 and 5,000 years old. Images include llamas, foxes, monkey and dog.

The rainbow colours in the valley are due to many different minerals.

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Chile South America

Antofagasta

Antofagasta reminded me of Whyallaā€¦the only two similarities being that they are both on the coast and the amount of mining vehicles around in town. Antofagasta has several mines around and is the port out of which all the copper from Chuquicamata Mine is exported and the mines around Atacama. I stopped here after a 12-hour bus trip from La Serena-and due to being in mining have heard the name of Antofagasta a few times- so thought that I would stay a day.

The city is long and narrow and has campamentos (locations) running up into the hills. Again, the poorer people live in the hills, while the richer people live closer to the coast.

Below is a collection of photos from the day. Includes a very nice modern library.

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Chile South America

La Serena & Elqui Valley

A lovely smaller city, with an impressive bus station- some are just shocking, La Serena was my base for seeing the Elqui Valley. This valley runs from the coast into the border crossing with Argentina.

The first stop was Puclaro Dam. It has apparently been designed to withstand a 10.0 earthquake- which is good considering it holds 200 million cubic meters of water.

The making of Pisco- Chileā€™s national beverage /(under argument with Peru) ā€“ was next on the agenda. Pisco is made similarly to white wine, though it is kept in large barrels for 2 years and some varieties are aged in burnt French oak barrels for 1 year. This spirit is used most often In the making of Pisco sours. It tastes a fair bit like tequila- though tequila is made from Agave.

As one drives through the valley, the valley floor narrows considerably and becomes more dramatic as you have mountains that rise rapidly to approx. 2,000-2,700m above sea level. The valley is covered with white grapes for Pisco- (only Pisco from this valley can be called Pisco in Chile- the same as with Champagne) . Surprisingly there is also a large avocado plantation here. Avocados are very thirsty trees- and vines like dry arid climates. They pump water to the avocado trees from the river in the valley.

Lunch was at Elqui Pisco- a quaint little village ā€“with a charming atmosphere.

In the evening was- the best part really- watching the stars in the best country for itā€¦ no, I mean it. Chile has the worldā€™s best skies for viewing the galaxies. The worldā€™s largest telescope is currently under construction by 12 countries in Europe- it is un-originally called Extremely Large Telescope ?!?! It will have a laser that is 60cm wide and can point to objects 150km away. The mirror of the telescope is the size of a swimming pool- 40m in diameter!!!

On the hills (2,700m) you can see 3 telescopes (GEMINI, SOAR, Tololo) ā€“which cost approximately Euro 40 000 per hour to operate. I asked the astronomer how one pays for the cost and if there is a long waiting list, how do these astronomers determine who gets to use these bad boys?Ā  Basically you need to get sponsors, with a justification of what you are out to prove or find and how you suggest going about it.

The sky was glorious! We saw Saturn and Mars, some nebula and stars of Orionā€™s belt. The clarity from Mamalluca ā€“the public observatory we were at, at 1,100m ā€“ was crisp clear. It is also from this valley that everyone is getting majorly excited about for June 2019, when there will be a solar eclipse.

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Chile South America

Valparaiso

There are funiculars and stairs and narrow passages and roadways that get you lost in the most colourful city in Chile- if not the world! The town is most well-known for its spectacular street art and Bohemian vibe. Itā€™s not something thatā€™s easy to describe- so Iā€™m just going to spam you with photos.

This city was once known as the Pearl of the Pacific as it was a crucial stop and port for those travelling around the South American continent. The traffic through here changed dramatically in 1914 though- when the Panama Canal opened and ships no longer had to go around the horn.

Barring this importance, it was never planned to be a big town- which shows in the extremely winding streets that go nowhere and everywhere and donā€™t join where you would like them to! There is a small strip of reclaimed land between the see and the hills; however, then itā€™s a steep climb to all the neighbourhoods- I know I did a 600m walk up those hills with my backpack and all the kit, coming from the bus station. The whole town is made up of hills- and unlike most places in the world, property prices decrease as you go further up the hill!

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Chile South America

Santa Rita & Concha Y Toro Wineries

Carmenere is not a red wine that I was aware of until I had my first taste of it and some amazing history on my wine tour to these two huge wineries. Carmenere vines had become extinct in Bordeaux due to a Phylloxera (louse that eats vine roots) breakout that killed all known plants in 1867. Fast forward to 1994- an ampelographer- person who studies vine leavesā€¦yes, one can specialize THAT much!!! Realized that the merlot vines in Chile were turning red in the fall; BUT merlot vines turned yellow in the fall before losing their leaves. Further testing revealed that Chile now contains 95% of the worldā€™s Carmenere! Vines were brought from Bordeaux in 1850s and were well protected from attacks by Chileā€™s natural borders.

Santa Rita was the first stop on the day trip out of Santiago. The winery was founded in 1880 in the Maipo Valley. It is located 40km south of the city. The current most popular brand of the winery is ā€œ120ā€, named after 120 army personnel who took refuge on the estate during the battle of Rancagua.

The winery has magnificent gardens and a boutique hotel that costs 500 USD per night. It also boasts its own church-due to the fact that its original owner was a very religious man. One of the owners was also a fanatic collector of pre Colombian Art- which is now housed in a free museum on site. This collection is very extensive and has gold pieces that I had not even seen in the museum in Santiago! There is a total of 3,000 pieces that are well displayed and described, and included earthenware, textiles and metal work.

After this winery we went to lunch- having an opportunity to meet the others in the group and chat. While most of the group was Spanish they introduced themselves, when all of a sudden people around the table started clapping-being behind on story here I inquired as to what was happening. The couple next to me were on their honeymoon. Upon finding this out the Mexican lady sitting opposite me, says that she has something to wish them well with- Elxir de Amor (Elixir of love) ā€“ and whips a hip flask filled with tequila from her handbag. To this we all passed the flask around the table and drank to their health- SALUT!

Concha Y Toro ā€“ the second winery for the day, is located in Pirque. It is the largest producer of wine in Latin America! It was founded in 1883. The company is listed on the Santiago and New York Stock Exchange.

The brand is best known for its ā€œCasillero del Diabloā€ / Cellar of the Devil range of wines.

I asked out guide as to the numbers of visitors they have dailyā€¦ low season is about 300 to 400 and high season- 1000 per day!!

As a matter of fact Chilean wines are very cheap- not because they are nasty- but because the wine is not taxed. A good bottle of wine will set you back 5-10 USD. On another side noteā€¦books are taxed at 19% in Chile ā€¦ leading the to the highest illiteracy levels in Latin America!

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Chile South America

Easter Island

So named due to the landing of Europeans on the island on Easter in 1722, the island is better known as Rapa Nui to the locals. No one is 100% sure as to where or when the first people arrived on the island. DNA tests have shown Polynesian descent- not as previously thought that locals came from the South American mainland- as per the famous Norwegian Kon Tiki sailing.

Some words that you should understand:

Moai: the statues that the island is well known for

Ahu: the platforms upon which the statues stand. The name proceeding ā€œAhuā€ is the name of the statue/ congregation of statues.

Pukao: the top knot/ head piece that some statues have.

Something to note is that the Rapa Nui language is not a written language and thus there is no written record of all the ā€œhows and whysā€- information has been passed down verbally from generation to generation.

The question that most people have is why the Moai were put up in the first place. They were carved and erected after the passing of someone important in a given tribe. It is said that the person who died ā€“the ancestorā€™s mana (spirit/ nearly like a good karma) would then stay and watch over the tribe. All Moai are facing inland-facing the area of land where the tribe lives- to protect their tribesā€¦all bar one. Ahu Akivi faces west- towards to ocean. It is assumed that it actually faces the island from which the original settlers were thought to have come from (Marquesas); and thereby protects that tribe.

Moai protection was relevant as long as you could see the Moai from any part of the land that it protected- lets refer to it as the area of influence.

The Moai are nearly all made of volcanic ash- found in one area of the island- Rano Raraku- or the quarry. Very few statues were made of basalt. There are hundreds of statues that remain here in various phases of carving and transport. All tribes on the island carved their Moai at the quarry and made certain to use the limited material that they had wisely. You can thus find Moai carved left/ right/ upside down/ diagonally etc.

The Moai were ā€œwalkedā€ from Rano Raraku ā€“the quarry- to their location. The latest theory is that long ropes were thrown around the statues and they were inched / wobbled from side to side and ā€œwalkedā€ to their final Ahu- or platform. The base of the Moai is a D-shape which allowed for this; but also made them susceptible to toppling over. Once a Moai toppled then it was left in place as it was believed that the mana was gone.

One can tell whether a Moai made it to its Ahu/platform and toppled over once there or toppled before arriving to his platform. The reason behind this is that the eyes are only finished once the Moai is in place on top of the Ahu. Ā What that means is that the eyes are carved out V shape at the quarry, then once atop the Ahu, they got carved out to be concave and finished off by adding white coral to be the white of the eye and black obsidian to be the pupil of the eye.

The top knots are mined from the red scoria quarry- Puna Pau. They were transported separately and the largest is 2m high!! Ā (it belongs to the largest transported Moai- at 12m high and 80t in weight!!) The name of this Moai is Ahu Te Pito Kura. For a theory of how the Pukao were placed on top of the heads of the Moai see this link.

The statues that are standing on the island have all been restored- all statues had been pulled down by the Rapa Nui people when they stopped believing in their powers. When exactly this happened it is not known. When Europeans came to the island in late 1700s their records showed that they helped the locals pull down the last standing Moai. On trips dating from 1722 through 1804 the number of standing Moai reduced at each encounter.

Orongo- which is in the very south of the island is dominated by the Rano Kau crater- is the place known for the Birdman competition. The competition included the strongest men in the island competing by climbing down a sheer 300m cliff face, swimming around an islet, climbing up cliffs to get to the top and getting the first laid egg of the tern that nests here. They could of course wait a few weeks for them to first get there! Then the winner needs to swim back from the island and climb back up the cliff without breaking the egg. The winner gets the palest virgin as a prize and to rule for a year-until the next competition. The ritual ended when Christianity was introduced to the island. It is worthwhile noting that Red Bull came to the island a few years ago to determine whether to have a modern day competition and said that it was far too dangerous and they wouldnā€™t!!!

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Chile South America

Santiago de Chile

As the capital city of Chile, one would expect a stack of things to do and see, however it is a bit underwhelming.

There are some heritage, old European style buildings, a few modern skyscrapers, but otherwise the architecture is pretty bland and I would even say dirty- nothing a lick of paint couldnā€™t fix.

I was lucky to spend a weekend with a Chilean friend of mine whom I met in Whyalla, Australia.

The first thing on the list on Saturday was to organise a ticket to Easter Island- having had issues with paying with my debit card online since being in South Africa, this was eventually sorted after a couple of hours- it wasnā€™t easy- but it got sorted!

Lunch was at the central market- a traditional corn pie called Pastel De Choclo. Which has mincemeat and chicken with a thick, glazed topping of corn.

In the afternoon we walked through Park Forestral ā€“ the cityā€™s central park -and came across hundreds of people. We were both excited- thinking we have come across something good happening-like a festival- it turned out that everyone was there chasing Pokemons !!

On Sunday we did an East (rich suburbs) to West (poor suburbs) trip via the metro and buses to see all sides of the city. The eastern most stop of Metro 1 is Los Dominicos . Here one finds the church of the same name, after the first order of monks that arrived here and a very diverse market of Chilean products ā€“leather, copper, horse hair art called crin (see this link for an example- itā€™s very fine work!), ponchos and traditional gaucho (cowboy) hats.

As my friend was ensuring that I taste traditional Chilean food- I had my first Empanada ā€“ ā€œpinoā€- which is with mincemeat, onions, half a boiled egg and an olive. I must say that I find Chilean food bland- like the buildings ā€¦. It lacks a bit of spice, not heat, but spice.

We then travelled west by bus all the way to Maipu suburb, and as you do so you can see the poverty more as time progressed. The Basilica of the Virgin del Carmen (Patron Saint of Chile) is located here. The structure is absolutely enormous and has a grand stained glass window. It was built between 1948 and 1974, in place of several previously damaged chapels/ cathedrals that were placed in the exact position where the fight for independence of Chile was won after the Army of the Andes asked for intercession when fighting against the Spanish and won.

Museums are closed on Mondays- as in pretty much ALL museums, so I did a walking tour that commences in Plaza de Armas at 10am and 3pm daily. I always enjoy doing these as you get a good summary of history and way around the main attractions. It is also on this tour that I learned about ā€œcoffee with legsā€. This was started by a female entrepreneur in the 70s to entice people to drink the bad coffee in Chileā€¦so what is it? Coffee bars where you stand around bar type tables and are served your coffee by scantily dressed ladies. Clearly this is more popular with the menā€¦ and there isnā€™t a ladies option for me to enjoy šŸ™Ā  .

Tuesday was my cultural museum day. I visited the National Museum- which unfortunately didnā€™t have English descriptions; after which I spent a large portion of the early afternoon in the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art. This has the history of Chile prior to European settlement and was interesting ā€“ I hadnā€™t recalled that the Inca empire stretched all the way to Santiago area. TheĀ Museum exhibits artefacts and describes the history and use thereof- like the spatulas that Shamans used to empty their stomach contents prior to getting high on their chosen concoctions.

Excited to see some of the arty bits of the city the next two Museums (MAVI and Museum Belles Artes) and their exhibitions were a letdown. I do not profess to have any knowledge of art but do find some pieces interesting/intriguing when I visit ā€œartyā€ placesā€¦ however I left uninspired!

Ā 

I do have a love of old libraries- and the National Library of Chile did not disappoint- when walking into the old majestic library rooms the perfume of old books is in the air and it feels like if you are going back decades in time! Below areĀ some photos of the library and a few other buildings of note.Ā 

The area around the student house (with chairs etc hanging out of the windows???) has several spaces where people come together to practice their dancing/ juggling/ street art and you can just go there and watch. Several galleries are located in close proximity.