San Pedro de Atacama

Arriving in northern Chile to a desert with an altitude over 2438m, from sea level on Easter Island  where it rains daily is definitely a shock!  I would recommend that people end a trip to Chile on Easter Island and try to visit cooler areas together.

Rested during the afternoon and drank Coca Tea to stabilize ourselves to the elevation gain.  The day time temperature is considered extreme on the meter outside of the Museum.  I heard it was around 40C during the hottest part of the day.  Our hotel room is an Adobe structure and it is surprising cool.  We don't need air conditioning as the evening temperature drops to around 12C.

One our first evening we attend an Astronomy presentation by the company SPACE in the middle of the desert.  The constellations are unbelievably clear.  This area is one of the best places for astronomy as there are over 340 clear evenings.  Not a shock since they get less than 100mm of rain per year.  We learned about the southern hemisphere stars, what people thought in the past and were able to very a variety of constellations through the telescopes.  Our highlight was seeing Jupiter and the three moons in Jupiter's orbit.   Check out the information on the ALMA project which Canada is involved in supporting.

It is also worth a visit to Museo Gustavo Le Paige.  This museum is a collection of artifacts representing the lives of the inhabitants in this area prior to the Spanish influence.  The displays provide excellent information in English and Spanish.  Below is one of the gold artifacts from the Inca period.  The area around San Pedro de Atacama is the farthest southern point that the Inca ruled along the Andes between 1450 AD to 1810 AD.

Inca Gold Cup

The next tour is to Lunar Valley for sunset.  The valley has an snow white appearance because of the salt and other minerals that have leached through the ground.  This area in Chile was a seabed at one time and is rick in fossils and minerals.   This tour ended with viewing sunset and the changing colours on the Andes Mountains while drinking Carmenere Wine and eating cheese.

The three Marias with a white layer of salt.





Our second tour had us being picked up at 5:00 AM for a 1 1/2 hour ride to the Geysers to see sunrise over the Andes.  This area the elevation is 4,200 M above sea level.  You need to be careful as the elevation can give people mild elevation sickness.   We were recommended not to drink alcohol the night before and eat a lighter meal not red meat.  The road up to this area is quite windy in places and all you see on the drive up is the red tail lights of other vehicles winding their way up the valley.

Once at the geysers the guide reminds us not to touch the water as it is boiling at 89C and to walk slowly so that you do not feel the elevation.  Even with taking these precautions Bill felt the affects of the elevation.  I even had him drinking Coca Tea to try and reduce what he would feel.  This geyser field is known for being the highest elevation in the world.

The geysers have a wonderful display of steam in the morning that is wye the tour is set for sunrise.  Later in the day there is no steam as the valley warms up.  When we arrived it was 0C which was warmer that what were where told.  They had told us to be prepared for -15C.  None of the geysers shoot up like Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park in the US but you can walk around the area freely and they even have a primitive hot pool if you are brave enough to take a dip.

The colours come from different bacteria that lives in the geysers.  Current research is trying to link this bacteria to the bacteria that started life on earth.

On the way back to town the drive is spectacular for the wildlife and scenery.

Wild Vicuna which are camelids that are the first version of camels.

Meals in town are excellent.  Even though the town is constructed of adobe bricks and looks a little rustic the food has been exceptional.  Because we are in the desert and the evenings can be cool restaurants often have fire pits like this one in the Adobe restaurant on main street.  Which means you can leave smelling very smoky.



Our last tour is of the Salt Flats and Laguna where the flamingos nest.  The salt flats produce a salt that has clay in it so it is not used for human consumption.  Have you ever wondered were our road salt comes from?

There are three types of flamingos that nest in this area they are the Chilean, James and Peruvian Flamingo.  The James and Peruvian are only found at higher elevations while the Chilean Flamingo is found in Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile.  We also saw the Chilean Flamingo in El Calafate, Argentina.


What a great time in San Pedro de Atacama but it's time to leave and head back to temperatures below -25 C.  What a shock both culturally and temperature wise.

Touring Chile was a wonderful experience.  We certainly needed more time and southern Chile would be a great area to visit.  The southern fiords, Torres del Paine, the Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos in Patagonia and the Lake District are still on our list to see.  Chile has a lot to offer in sights and great wine.  Good bye for now!



 


Easter Island or Rapa-Nui

Arriving on Easter Island can be a shock to the senses.  The warm tropical breeze hits you as you get off the plane and walk to the terminal.  The sweet scent of the island helps to make you aware that you are no longer in Santiago. 

Rapa-Nui is part of Chile, islanders speak Spanish and their local language.  Everyone is very friendly and helpful which is great for the English speaking traveler.  As with an trip things can happen.  Before  arriving on the island make sure that you know the name of the local travel company if you have booked transfers or tours.  If they don't show up at the airport someone else will help you contact them.  Taxis are a common form of transportation and numerous, but don't expect them to speak English.  Take your hotel name with you and find out what the trip should cost from someone else so there is no confusion.  The taxi´s do not have meters.  If you are in town just look for a vehicle with orange symbols or footprints running down the side of the vehicle as they are taxi cabs.

When booking a hotel try to figure out where it is located.  Most people on the island live in the town which is spread out.  You can find hostel to five star spa hotels.  We choose a small Polynesian Hotel out of town.  The room was very basic but had a small kitchen so we could cook.  The shower was hot and the linens were changed daily.   Breakfast was a basket delivered to your room each morning which reminded me of the Cook Islands.  Only difference we did not get fresh coconut or papaya.  Coconut is not common on the island but the pineapple was fabulous.

If you walk to town from the hotel it takes about 45 minutes but a taxi only cost $3000 pesco´s.  The advantage of being out of town was that it was quiet any time of the day.  In the evening the breeze would cool down the room and we were able to leave our windows open.  Accommodation is expensive on the island especially during festival.  One girl told us that she had just found a bed in a dorm room that accommodates 4 people for $60 US per night. The girl at front  desk of our hotel was exceptional.  She spoke very good English and made excellent suggestions she even helped us solve our travel issues. 

Shopping for food can be interesting on the island.  There are a lot of small stores along the main Street.  We would start in the largest store but would find depending on the day and time there would be very little available.  We would see what they had and then make a decision on what would work.  Most of the time fresh produce consisted on onions, lemons and tomatoes.  A better choice is to go to the street market in the morning as you can get just about anything.  For a better variety stop at the gas station store.  In this store there is more variety but the cost is slightly higher.   If one store does not have bread go to the next store as they will probably have a supply.  Bread is fresh daily and is a round bun.  Buying food is a great way to understand how the people live on the island.

If you go to Easter Island the first fifteen day of February expect the island to be very busy.  This is there busiest time because it is Tapati Festival.  The Tapati Festival is a competition between two groups of people each group supports the nomination of one queen.  There are competitions for the selection of the Queen and points are warded at each competition.  The competitions feature Rapa-Nui cultural traditions.  During our stay we saw body painting/tattoo, wood carving, tapa cloth making, traditional dress being modeled, singing contests and Tango Rapa-Nui style.  The Triathlon was very interesting this involved canoeing across the lake in a reed boat,  then carrying two bunches of bananas around a crater, running half way around the crater on a higher elevation and last using only your hands across the lake on the reed boat.

Running the crater with two bunches of Bananas.

 

 

Paddling across the lake in the quarry crater on reed canoes part of the triathlon.

 

Good by to Rapi-Nui with found memories.

 

 

Valparaiso and Vina del Mar

If you want to get away from Santiago a day trip to Valparaiso is a great idea.  This area is not far from Santiago and the highway allows you to make the trip quickly.  Valparaiso is a major port for copper, fruit and vegetables that are exported from Chile. 

Along the way you pass through two major agriculture regions the valley produces corn, pumpkin, fruit, avocado, walnuts and almonds to name a few crops.  There is no visible water as the river is all underground so the area that does not access the water is dry and arid.  The second valley is a major producer of wine.  This allow us to spot at a winery along the way.  The Emiliana Winery is an organic winery.  They use plants and bird to help control pests.  Along the rows their are rose bush planted.  The roses are the first plants affected if there is an bug infestations so that the staff can deal with the pests before the destroy the grapes. 

Had a chance to try Coyan wine which is one of the higher end wine which I sell.  Coyan means Oak to the indigenous people of Patagonia.   This wine is a full bodied red blend that will age 14 years.  Recently the 2010 vintage was rated 91 points by wine spectator.  If you plan to age this wine you need to wait a minimum of 8 years.

After indulging myself we were off to visit Valparaiso which has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site.  This is a great town and I highly recommend a visit.  The building are fantastic and the murals give the town wonderful character.

Vina del Mar is a beach town.  This would be an excellent place to stay and enjoy the beach and Pacific Ocean for a few days.  Just remember that the water is not warm like the Caribbean.

 

Chile - Santiago

We arrived safely in Santiago Chile and had no problems with the 6:00 am flight but what a terrible time to fly.  I felt sorry for our guide who had to get up and take us to the airport at 4:00 am.  Canadians have to pay for an entry VISA.  When we arrived the immigration area was very confusing.  There is a lot of paper work to complete and it must be in duplicate.  The immigration paper and the agricultural control document.  All bags are scanned when entering Chile to control pests.  Make sure that you do not bring any fresh products or dries fruits.  If you do not report these items there is a huge fine.

Now what do you do for the whole day in Santiago when your hotel is at the airport and you can not check in until after 12:00?

Bill is always wanting to go so we found out how to get into the city.  The cheapest way was to take the blue airport bus to the subway then hop the subway to the city central.  With a little help from a man in the subway we figured out how to pay and which line to take.  It was not packed with people so the trip in was easy. 

The central market or Mercado was filled with fish and seafood there are numerous small restaurants located in this area. We headed down the pedestrian walkway and found St. Francis Church.  This church was built in the 1500's and is one of the few building still around from that time period. 

The Pre-Columbian Museum was excellent and we highly recommend a visit if you are interested in Inca and Aztec cultures.  There are also items from indigenous people prior to these civilizations.  There is an excellent display about the Chilean indigenous people in the basement.

Mummy

This last picture is a mummy.  The Pre-Columbian people would remove the organs, replacing them with stick and branches then pulling the skin over the body.  I found this fascinating as we had not heard this in other South American countries.

Now off to the funicular and up Cerro San Cristobal this hill provides a great view of Santiago.  While up top you have a great opportunity to relax and reflect on our day.   On the way we walked through the Bellvista Barrow.  The buildings in the area have been painted with a variety of murals.  Very interesting community.  The views from San Cristobal were fantastic.  The ride on the funicular is always fun.

It is 7:00 PM time to retrace out steps, heading back to the Holiday Inn at the airport.  The subway was certainly packed as people were heading home.  The subways transports 3 million people each day.

Most people are very friendly and helpful.  Just watch out for the pickpockets on the subway.  We had another person following us so we changed our route.  It must be the grey hair and our skin colour.  Blond hair also makes us stand out as tourists.

The Holiday Inn is a great choice and right across the street from the airport.  There are two sections to the hotel the new section at the back and the old tower. I was very please that the hotel monitors who can access the facilities and is very quiet.  We did not hear the planes with the fan on in the room.  The also have a pool, whirlpool and sauna to enjoy.  The food was also good.  We eat in the lounge and had the breakfast buffet.

Our next guided tour is the hills of Valaparaiso.  Then off to Easter Island for a few days during their Festival before returning to San Pedro de Atacama.

After all our tours in Chile we returned to Santiago to rest before depart on our 28 hour travel time to return home.

Hyatt Hotel in Santiago was a great choice.  The hotel is located in a business and financial area of the city about a half an hour from the airport.  Taxi cost $20,000 pesos or at the time about $40 US.  You can get there by bus and subway but it will take you a lot longer.  Check out this oasis - pool was great they have a spa area at your disposal.  The restaurants were also exceptional.  Need to spend a few pesos there is a large indoor mall a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Santiago Hyatt Hotel Pool

Mendoza

Wine country is certainly the correct name for this area.  The land is arid and nothing would grow here if they did not have an extensive irrigation system.  The Mendoza river is dry below the two dams as all the water is diverted for human use or irrigation.  They never get flash floods so all you see in the river near town is mounds of rock.

Our tour of the wineries included three different wineries.  I picked to visit Norton and Lugi Bosco because they are wines sold in Canada.  Both of these wineries only allow visits by booking a time and there is a cost involved.  At the Norton winery we started with a sparkling wine at 9:30 in the morning.

The Norton Bodega was very interesting we saw the new stainless steel fermenting tanks and got to taste the wine at this stage.  This wine was very green and not a lot of body.  Then we saw the older tanks made of tile and located underground.  Next we moved to the oak barrels that can only be used three time (French and American Oak).  The first use is for the best wine, second use is for the reserve and the last time the barrel is used is for their cheapest line of wine.  At this stage our guide syphoned out some wine that was barrel aged. This wine had more character but was still not the best.  The wine is then bottled and stored in the caves.  Our last tasting was the finished product and it was the Norton Malbec Reserva and was much better.  The price for this bottle was $100 peso's ($10 US).

Here we are tasting wine aged in French oak barrels.

At Lugi Bosco the tour was more formal with less access to the actual working winery.  Again there was a brief history about the founding of the winery and the current owners.  We sampled a few different wines.  What we tasted were new wines just released a dry Riesling, red blend and a very good Malbec from their ICON line.  Will have to check to see if we have this high end wine.  I have tried the reserve at home.

 Due to the daily earthquake tremors in Mendoza at this winery the barrels not stored directly on top of each other but supported with metal racks.

Storage of Wine Barrels Five High

The last winery we would have lunch.  This is a new winery called Bodega Ruca Malen and is well know for their chef: Lucas Busto.  After a brief tour we had lunch.  Lunch was a set menu that included a wine paring with each course.
Appetizer - was a quinoa salad with green apple and fresh herbs the wine was a Yauquen Chardonhay 2012.

Second Course - Cured Tupugato trout with crunchy sweet potatoes paired with a Yauquen Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon 2012.  This was an excellent pairing as the smokiness of the fish and wine were excellent together.

Third Course - wheat porridge and pine mushroom truffles. Roasted beetroot cream and grilled vegetables with goats cheese.  Paired with the Ruca Melan Merlot 2011.  Bill really enjoyed the Merlot.

Fourth Course - Grilled tenderloin steak served with potatoes, pumpkin, and eggplant.  The steak was wonderful and they served two wines with this course.  The Ruca Malen Reserva de Bodga and Kinien Cabernet Sauvignon 2008.  Bill was starting to feel the wine and drank the Cabernet Sauvignon as he was finished.  Not bad for someone who prefers a beer.  Maybe he is starting to appreciate wine.

Our fifth course - desert was not serve with wine.  What a great way to end our wine tour in Mendoza!

We had a free day so decided to take a tour to see Mount Aconcagua the tallest peak outside of the Himalayas.  This tour took us through the town of Uspallata on the way to the boarder between Chile and Argentina.  Parque Provincial Aconcagua is within a few Km of the boarder.  Here we walked a 2 Km route to see Lake Horcones and Mount Aconcagua.  What a spectacular day as the weather allowed us to see the top of the peak.

Laguna Los Horcones and Cerro Aconcagua

After seeing the mountain we stopped at the Inca Bridge.  This is a naturally formed bridge over a ravine.  At one time the area had a hotel and hot springs pool.  Now only the indigenous people are allowed to use the hot springs.

Puente Del Inca

What a great day.

What an awesome adventure through Argentina!

Transportation in Argentina

Getting around Argentina can be very challenging especially if you do not speak Spanish.  We have encounter several challenges.  In Bueno Aires remember that there are two different airports.  The international airport EZE is located out of the city and requires a long commute to get to downtown.  You can take a commuter bus, taxi or hire a Remise which is a private driver who can speak a little English.  The cost for a remise s about $150 pesos one way.

The other airport is just off the Atlantic Ocean near the harbour.  This airport is in town and goes by two names Newbery and Aeroparque so make sure you are clear which airport you need to fly from.  The Domestic terminal also has international flights.

We chose to fly some of our trip with Aerolineas Airline which we now know why they have a bad reputation.  The first flight was excellent to El Cafaten.  But leaving was another adventure.  Our flight to leave was at 2:00 pm.  At 12:20 pm the hotel staff informed us that the transfer agency had called to say our flight was cancelled and we need to make new arrangements.  The hotel staff were very helpful and told us we should go to the office in town to change our flight that it would be better than the airport.  The office closes on Friday at 12:30 so we had 10 minutes.  They suggest taking a Taxi.  We did arrive the four blocks in time but Taxis are challenging.  We got our flights changed to 3:30 pm to the International airport (EZE) and then we would have to take our luggage and get to the domestic terminal in Bueno Aires for the 9:30 pm flight to Mendoza.  We were happy that the issue was easy to solve.  We got our transfer to the airport at 1:30 pm. 

The airport was so lined up they only had four girls working.  We needed to drop off our luggage but all the flights were delayed and people where trying to get changes for the flight that was cancelled.  I kept checking but no one would let us drop off our luggage we just had to stand in line.  Our flight was delayed an hour but we still had not dropped off our luggage and the plane was boarding.  We did deposit our bags and when going through security they were paging us for the flight.  We were the third last group to board the plane.  They airline needs to do a better job of problem solving when there are issues.  So many frustrated people and nothing that you could do.

Now the flight was late 1 hour and we did not know if we could make it between the two terminals on Friday night.  We already had the experience of rushing between the terminal when we were flying with LAN to Puerto Iguazu.

As we landed at the airport in Bueno Aires we were both surprised to see the Atlantic Ocean and the downtown buildings.  The plane landed at the domestic terminal not the international terminal EZE that our baggage had been labeled.  This was great news for us as we would not have made our connection.  We only had 1 hour before our flight.  Once be checked our baggage for Mendoza we went through security we only had 30 minutes.  When it was time to board we discovered the plane was delayed 30 minutes which became an 1 hour in the end.  We did not eat because we thought we would be boarding and did not have enough time.  Finally we boarded and arrived in Mendoza at midnight.  By the time we got to our hotel after 1 pm and the restaurants were closed.  What a way to lose weight they only give you cookies on the flight with something to drink. I am so glad that we always have a granola bar in our pack.   At least we made it to Mendoza for our tour the next morning.

Taxi's in any country seem to be an issue.  They do not speak English and will drive you around to make more money.  Even when you have someone tell them were you want to go they take you twice as far as you need to go.  When we were trying to get to the airline office quickly the hotel told the driver.  He drove as far as he could to the edge of the main street before coming back and showing us the office.  When we finished at the office we walked back to the hotel and it only took us 10 minutes up hill.  We could have walked downhill faster if we had known where the office was located, faster than our 5 minute taxi ride for $30 peso's.  We had a similar experience in Buenos Aires getting to our hotel from the domestic airport.  The cost was double the night we arrived than the next morning going back to the terminal.

When planning a trip just remember that things don't always going as planned.  We hope our next flight from Mendoza to Santiago Chile at 6 am goes smoothly.

El Calafate

El Calafate is located in Patagonia in southern Argentina .  The government encouraged immigrants to move to this area because they were worried about the number of people from Chile that were settling in the area.  The Europeans were told that there was gold in the area so they moved to southern Argentina to discover that there was no gold.  This area has a large Italian and some British heritage and the settlers were given large areas of arid land that became ranches and estancias.  Most of the immigrants brought sheep that grazed on the native grasses, which grows very slowly, so they need a lot of land.  The sheep produce the merino wool and today is exported to China and Italy. 

The largest lake in Argentina is Lago Argentino which the town is located.  Few people live in the town during the winter but the population booms in the summer as many tourists both foreigners and Argentinians visit Calafate.  Most people visit the Perito Moreno Glaciar.

Perito Moreno Glaciar is spectacular.  It is one of the few glaciers that is not receding.  Every few years the glacier actually touches the moraine across the stream which creates an ice dam 60 meters high.  The water in the lake behind the ice dam builds up pressure and creates a cave which gradually causes the wall to fall sending the water rushing down stream to Lake Argentino.

If you have come to see the glaciers then you need to do the boat trip up to see the Upsala Glacier with a visit to Estancia Christina.  This is a full day trip which starts with a boat trip up to see the receding glacier in Braso Upsala.  The icebergs seen in Lake Argentino come from this glacier.

When you visit the Estancia you can take a truck 9 km to see the glacier from above to understand how the glacier is receding.  The icefields run along the top of the Andes between Chile and Argentina and it is easiest to reach the glaciers from the Argentine side.  the area parallel to the Andes is a national park and the country is protecting this area. 

The park wardens in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares are very helpful.  The entrance fee is currently 130,00 pesos per person which goes toward improving the park infrastructure.  This area is definitely a bucket list location just remember that it is an area that is still developing their travel industry and don't expect North American standards everywhere.

The trekking capital is located in El Chalten.  This town is very new and was established in 1953.  It is well known in Argentina for hiking and climbing.  The town is full of young backpackers who arrive daily by bus. El Chalten is about 213 km from El Cafaten.  This area reminds us of the Rocky Mountains National Parks in Alberta about 50 years ago.  Sidewalks are few but the main roads in town are paved.  The town has a lot of hostels and companies to take you into the mountains.  The mountains in this area of the Andes are only about 900 M above sea level.  On the drive up to El Chalten the common stopping place is where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid homesteaded for a few years.  You can see the partially restored homestead and have a coffee.

In El Calafate there are a variety of restaurants to choose from so you don't have to eat grilled meat every night.  For inexpensive and large servings of food go to Pura Vida, they do not take reservations so go early or be prepared to wait.

In town we were surprised by the number of dogs just wandering around.  At night we could frequently hear dogs barking like there were running and fighting for food.  This is so different from our culture.

If you like birds be sure to walk down to lake Argentino to see the flamingos, white swans and a variety of other birds.  You can also visit Laguna Nimez a natural reserve for a small fee.  They provide information about the different birds in the area.  To walk around this area is about 2 km. of trails.

The town is not very large so it  is easy to walk if you don't mind a few hills.