San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

After a restless overnight journey we arrived in San Pedro de Atacama, upon leaving the coach we could already feel two things; the intense heat and the thin air, San Pedro de Atacama lies at roughly 2407 metres above sea level. We walked with our heavy backpacks to our hostel and as it was too early to check in we sat on the dusty sofas in the outside courtyard with heavy eyelids and shortness of breath. After drinking as much water as we could manage to combat the altitude sickness we walked very slowly into the centre of town for breakfast before spending several hours talking to the many tourist agencies to set about organising a tour of Salar de Uyuni which we had learned could be done from San Pedro de Atacama. We found a tour operater that could organise three tours in the desert and also our Salt Flats tour.

Two by Two

Reflective Flamingos

Our first tour was to Piedra Rojas or 'Red Rock'. We were picked up early and did the rounds to pick up everybody else. After a drive the first stop was to a church tower made with old materials including cactus fibres. We then stopped at the beautiful Atacama Salt Flat where we saw flamingos perfectly reflected in the shallow water. We learned that the pink appearance comes from their diet of brine shrimp which gradually turns their grey feathers the pretty blush colour; the older the flamingo the pinker their feathers. We admired the birds and the otherworldly landscape for some time, the air was thin but bearable and the moon was out; it really felt as though we were walking on the surface of another planet. We returned to the van and had breakfast overlooking the salt, the sun had started beating down.

Mirror Lake

At Piedra Rojas

The next stop was the red rocks themselves. We had been warned by the helpful tour operator who booked the trip that the photographs advertised of the rocks aren't quite accurate, they are often photoshopped to look more red to entice visitors. Unless it has been raining the rocks are actually a dusky brown colour. Despite the colour the rock formations are still impressive. We were advised not to run and jump in the area due to the altitude as overexertion can cause altitude sickness and so we slowly walked across the landscape to the still lake reflecting the mountains. Colour remains ever present in my memory of the place, blue sky, white salt and brown rock. 

Little Stone Arch

On Another Planet

We boarded the van again and drove on to a sight with large lakes, volcanoes and vicûna's; our wonderful guide was very patient and after explaining everything in Spanish repeated it again in English for us as we were the only non Spanish speakers on the tour. The locals attribute fascinating stories to the landscapes which were a joy to hear. After a short walk by the lakes we had lunch at a quiet little town with the tour group before the long drive back to San Pedro. 

Sun Mountain and Geyser

Traditional House

The following day I was awake before 4am. I could hear dogs barking, people in conversation walking by the wide open windows and cars screeching past. The air was hot and dry and the lack of oxygen made my head feel fuzzy. We had a sunrise tour of the desert geysers and so falling back to sleep wasn't an option. We got on the minibus and were squeezed between two large blokes. Everybody including us fell back to sleep for the journey as we were encouraged to do by the guide. We awoke at the geysers and disembarked, it was cold and we were grateful we decided to wear our under layers. The geysers were amazing, huge bellows of steam rose toward the moon as the sun slowly appeared shining light on the tips of mountains. We've been lucky enough to see geysers in New Zealand and Iceland on our travels but these were by far the most impressive. Walking through the worlds highest geyser field we watched as the mud bubbled and minerals caused brightly coloured water to shimmer under the sun. We had some breakfast and afterwards Craig took a dip in the thermal pool, it looked lovely and warm until he got out. The steam as his warm body hit the chilly air reminded me of why I wanted to stay a spectator in my warm thermal socks. We went to another geyser field a short drive away and saw two erupt right in front of us; we were in awe. We stopped again at a church and viewpoint before returning to San Pedro. We had a short time to organise many things before our afternoon tour to the Moon Valley. We had to have lunch, buy supplies for our Salar de Uyuni tour the following day, book accommodation for the end of the tour in Uyuni and arrange a place to stay over Christmas before places got booked up in Sucre, Bolivia. After a little stress we managed to organise everything with time to spare. 

Cinnamon Tea at Sunrise

Moon Valley

We were picked up for our Moon Valley tour which began just a short drive away as it is not far from the town. We found ourselves at some salt tunnels which we walked and crawled through; the entire tunnel is made from salt though we decided not to taste the walls. We then walked to a viewpoint where we could see volcanoes and huge sand dunes which really made us feel as though we were in the desert. As with our tour the day before we learned stories from folklore of the mountain and volcanoes which were fascinating. We saw the three 'Maria's' made from rock before watching the sunset at Mirador Coyote. The orange sun setting over the vast landscape was an excellent way to end our weeks in beautiful and diverse Chile.

Sun Set at Coyote Mirador

Next: entering Bolivia via Salar de Uyuni.

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Valparaíso, Chile

We spent five nights in the colourful city walking the streets, climbing the steps and riding the funicular railways. A bohemian place coated in a myriad of hues; the hills or cerros were our favourite place to be while in the city.  

The murals and graffiti are undeniably beautiful and captivating. The history of the city that we learned on an excellent walking tour described a city that grew unplanned. The quirky nature of the sprawling buildings and winding streets became understandable when we learned of the unintended port city's beginnings. 

Other adventures in the city included a boat ride where we got up close to warships and sea lions and a ride on one of the old trams where the conductor was listening to Metallica. We also drank cocktails with amazing views and wandered around the quiet cemetary. 

Valparaíso though unique didn't capture my heart like I expected it to, a wrong turn in a bad neighbourhood and an encounter with a drunk man meant I left with a bitter taste in my mouth. Many people on our trip advised that 'Valpo' was their favourite city and for them surpassed their time in Santiago, for us I think it was the opposite. 

Next stop: La Serena and venturing closer to the Chilean desert.  

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Santiago, Chile

We arrived in Santiago early, around 7.30am. On Kate and Michael's recommendation we decided to stay in an Airbnb apartment owned by Pato. We dropped off our bags and went out for breakfast, after a long overnight journey we were famished. After some walking we found Wonderland; a quaint looking place with Alice in Wonderland inspired decorations and a delicious sounding menu. A British guy greeted us and told us that we could have scrambled eggs with baked beans, we were sold. Along with our beans and eggs we had home-made muffins, freshly squeezed orange juice and builders brew tea. After our epic breakfast we went for a walk to the park; it was a beautifully sunny and hot day. We decided to go to Palais de Belles Artes to see what art what was on display. After a wander around the exhibits I found the most interesting thing to be the ships mast and sails in the main foyer, little fans created a wind so that it looked like the sails were on the high seas. 

We left the museum and sat in the park under the shade of a tree before walking to Cerro Santa Lucia. After walking up some steps we found ourselves at the top of the hill with amazing panoramic views all around. It felt like a complete oasis from the bustling city below, even the air felt cleaner and cooler. We ventured up and down stairways, through narrow rock and past decorative fountains. There were trees providing shade, pretty flowers and cacti. We had a refreshing drink from a vendor before walking to the apartment via the supermarket. We met Pato our host and his beautiful golden retriever Oliver. It was after hearing about Oliver from Kate and Michael that we decided we really wanted to stay. Our room wasn't quite ready so we found a bar around the corner to while away some time. 

Cerro Santa Lucia

Plant Problem

The next morning we FaceTimed with Craig's family who were having an early Christmas gathering, it was so wonderful to see everyone and especially speak to Craig's nephews Alfie and Aidan who we miss very much. Pato took us to the market he visits for fresh fruit and vegetables every Sunday. We strolled the few blocks to the market and enjoyed walking among the crowds seeing everything that was on offer. With Pato's help as our Spanish is not up to scratch we bought lots of fresh produce to take home, plenty of fruits for breakfast and vegetables for dinners too. On the return home we tried a local type of fast food called sopapilla which is a fried pumpkin bread, it was very tasty and also very cheap. After preparing a fresh fruit salad for lunch we ventured out to Centro Gabriela Mistral an impressive creative hub to check out the architecture and then walked to Museo de Artes Visuales. The gallery contained some very interesting things although the bottom floor was closed off and I couldn't help but think that the best stuff was down there; from the balcony I could see art containing maps and painterly goodness.

Flowers at the Market

The Freshest of Fruits

We caught the excellent metro to the Costanera centre and took the elevator to the top of the tower where we were rewarded with views over the entire city and to the Andes beyond. Once back at ground level we went searching through the countless shops to find a gopro stand which we had misplaced earlier in the trip and we treated ourselves to a Cinnabon purely because they feature on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty; one of our favourite films.

Costanera Centre

The City and Me

The next day on Pato's recommendation we went to the Yungay district to see the street art and more dilapidated side of the city. It didn't feel like the safest of areas so after taking some snaps of the graffiti we started walking to a metro stop. Before leaving the area we spotted a sign advertising vegan food so we went to take a closer look. We found a vegan shop full to bursting with ethical products including vegan completos a type of hot dog with avocado that our friends Sarah and Lee had tasted when they were in Santiago. We pulled up a stool and gorged on completos, delicious juice and vegan dessert. As vegetarians we sometimes miss out on local food experiences as they often feature meat, it was so lovely to be able to encounter something authentically 'Chilean' but with a veggie friendly twist. 

Yungay

Colourful Craig

After our amazing lunch we went to Cerro San Cristobal. Unfortunately the cable car was not running and the funicular railway was broken so we took a minibus to the top. Again we had wonderful views of the city but could also enjoy the quiet gardens and shady spots to people watch while sipping on cold sparkling drinks. From the bottom of the hill we walked to Plaza de Armas which is Santiago's most famous square. The square was full of interesting characters and is shaded by tall palm trees. We went inside Catedral Metropolitana which was beautiful, stained glass windows created rainbow light and displays of bright fresh lillies left a sweet aroma. 

The Aisle

Cathedral Interior

On our final full day in the city we decided to make it a quiet one, we enjoyed a day in the apartment and in the afternoon we went back to the Costanera centre to watch Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with the biggest bucket of popcorn imaginable. The next day we packed our things and gave Pato a farewell hug, we went to Wonderland for another filling breakfast before heading to the bus station to leave the city for Valparaiso. Our time in Santiago had been fantastic, probably because we were staying with a local who was happy to share his favourite parts of the city with us. Each day was spent doing exactly what we wanted and miraculously despite all the foodie treats we still managed to come in under budget. 

Sunset over Santiago (and the view from our apartment).  

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