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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Lake District, Chile

Bariloche in Argentina's Lake District turned out to be one of our favourite places, so we were excited to see the area from the Chilean side.

Puerto Varas

Our first stop was in Puerto Varas. We found our hostel with some help from a local lady, two sweet dogs greeted us with excited wagging tails as we checked in. The dorm room was certainly different, I had a top bunk with a little curtain while Craig's bed was in the rafters. He had to climb a ladder which was rusticly carved from wood to reach a tiny balcony then use a foot stall to reach his mattress overlooking the rest of the room.

We ventured out for a walk, across the lake from the town two huge volcanoes dominate the landscape. We got some maracuya flavour ice creams and enjoyed the perfectly sunny day on the lake shore where children played, dogs wandered and locals sunned themselves. 

Osorno Volcano

Looking Out Over the Lake

The following day we decided to go for a walk in the national park. We waited what seemed like a long time for our bus to Petrohue, with no timetable we sat and people watched in the meantime. An older gent, slightly scruffy in appearance started chatting to us. He mentioned that he had lived in the U.K. and started talking about the wedding of Charles and Diana of all things. I was slightly on edge as while he was chatting away, his false teeth kept slipping and I was worried they'd fall out of his mouth! Our bus appeared and so we said goodbye and we got on, what a characterful chap we thought. 

Walking Through Forest

Kicking Up Dust

Once at the national park we started walking, the trail was sandy which made things a little difficult but the landscape was very beautiful. The volcano was visible and the whole area was covered with bright yellow flowers. We walked for a few hours before returning to make sure we were in time for the last bus.  

It Was All Yellow

Craig Admiring the View

The weather had taken a turn for the worse the next day. We decided to see the Petrohue waterfall as we didn't have time the day before. It was raining cats and dogs and stupidly we were wearing canvas shoes rather than our boots. The power of the river was incredible and it was a beautiful deep blue colour. We walked along a little trail and ended up taking a wrong turn, while crossing a stream a rock moved and Craig's whole foot ended up engulfed by water, two seconds later he hit his head on a low branch, he was not happy! On our return to Puerto Varas we stopped by Cafe Barista for treats. I had an orange and cinnamon hot chocolate which smelt like Christmas and an amazing raspberry cheesecake to go with it, while Craig had his favourite; lemon meringue pie. In the evening Nary the wonderful hostel owner made us all pisco sours and we had lots of fun chatting to all the guests, attempting to speak Spanish and laughing the evening away. 

Valdvia  

We left Puerto Varas for Valdivia a short journey away. We checked in to our hostel and then immediately caught a local bus to a fort where we spotted a type of small dolphin off the coast and got chatting to a local family.  

Sunbathing Sea Lion  

Waiting for Fish

The next day we walked along the waterfront to see the huge sea lions and the undercover market. Birds were flocking to the fish stalls and the fresh fruits looked so inviting. We crossed the bridge and enjoyed a picnic in the botanical garden before looking around and practicing our photography skills. 

Pucón 

We left Valdivia after two nights and ventured to Pucón, home to a huge volcano that people flock to the area to climb. On the day we arrived it was 32 degrees Celsius and we could really feel it. We walked to the sandy beach on the lake and sat under the shade of a tree. When we returned to the hostel to make dinner I noticed how horrible the kitchen was, dirty and poorly equipped. My mood suddenly dropped and wasn't helped by a terrible nights sleep either. 

Los Lagos in Huerquehue  

On the Trail

Parque Nacional Huerquehue was on our itinerary so the following morning we got up early to catch the once a day bus. Unfortunately the bus was full but as there were so many of us waiting they put on an extra bus to take us the one hour journey. We signed in, paid the fee and began the Los Lagos trail, about a 7km round trip through forest to picturesque lakes and back again. We stopped at a pretty waterfall on the way up a steep trail which provided much needed rest. After chatting with two British couples at a viewpoint we continued only to come across a type of tarantula on the path. My first instinct was to let out a little squeal, spiders are not my favourite. With some coaxing I managed to dash past the huge spider and continue on. We reached the lakes and stopped for lunch while other walkers dived in the freezing water. On our return we stopped by another waterfall and thankfully didn't come across another spider! 

In Huerquehue National Park

Hairy Spider on the Trail

We checked into a new hostel the next day, one recommended by a couple on our walk. Already the new hostel had a much nicer vibe, we got chatting to several people in the kitchen including Australian couple Kate and Michael. After hanging out for a while we decided to get some fresh air and ice cream while the Aussie's went to see the beach. In the evening we all went out for dinner at a vegetarian restaurant where we enjoyed Mexican food, brownies and fun chat. 

Volcano and Dusty Roads

Lush Forest  

After a slow start the four of us decided to go to Ojos del Caburgua, some nearby waterfalls. We caught a local bus and disembarked at the falls where we paid a small entrance fee. It was a hot sunny day and the water looked very inviting, it was crystal clear and a beautiful azure colour. We found a spot overlooking a lagoon for our picnic lunch before deciding to see the other side of the river. It turned out that the other side is owned by someone else and there is no bridge to cross the river. We walked around which ended up being at least a 3 kilometre walk in the baking sun along dusty roads. A piña ice lolly helped cool us down and we saw the falls from a different and more impressive perspective. 

At Ojos del Caburgua  

Crossing Rivers

With the prospect of walking all the way back round to the bus stop we decided to instead cross the river. The Aussie's made it look so easy, hopping from one stone to the next, Kate was wearing flip flops! I seem to be incapable of keeping my balance in such moments and so took what I thought to be a less risky route. With everyone safely across I found myself stranded at the bottom of a 20 foot riverbank surrounded by rocks and bush. With Craig at the top looking down I thought I found a way up I could manage, suddenly he slipped and my heart raced. He grabbed a branch which snapped in his hands, I held out my arms instinctively to catch him and he landed perfectly, knees bent and on his feet with just a couple of grazes and a bleeding finger. Together we scrambled up the bank being careful not to snag ourselves on the barbed wire while Micheal and Kate looked on, we'd saved ourselves a walk but somehow I'd made it more difficult than it really needed to be! 

Next stop; back to city life in Santiago.  

 🎥 Chile - Up's and Down's:

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