February 25 – March 8

Hello again… Rach and I are currently in Peru but this blog post will showcase our travels to Santiago and the surrounding areas in Chile! We kept joking that this trip was a vacation from our vacation; we took a flight from Puerto Natales to Santiago and returned in time to meet Caroline across the border in Argentina. We desperately wanted some warmer weather and beach time after the “O” Circuit, so we decided to take a 10 day excursion up north. This side journey is solely based on a trip my Mom (Colleen) took 30 years ago! We followed almost the exact route she took from Santiago, up along the coast, and into the Elqui Valley. Enjoy!

Pichilemu

Rach and I rented a car for this trip so that we could take advantage of the little time we had. Our first stop was the “laid back” beach town of Pichilemu. Chilean schools were heading back into session the following week so we were there during the last weekend of summer for kids and families. The small city was filled to the brim with people and the beaches were really crowded. Little did we know, the water temperature in the ocean at this latitude was freezing and the ocean breeze made for some cold dips. Nonetheless, it was nice to lay and walk along the local beaches. Rach and I both decided it was time to get out hair cut here and Rach got an amazing trim but I had to fix mine myself….

Our two excursions around Pichilemu include the Las Salinas de Cáhuil (salt flats) and Punta de Lobos. The salt flats were a neat salt production area and Puntas de Lobos showcased some great surfers and a nice beach! The last picture is not spooky sea creatures, but cochacuyo, a type of sea kelp that is a traditional Chilean food still very popular today as an ingredient in soups and other dishes.

Isla Negra & Valparaíso

Our next stop was the small town of Isla Negra, where the famous Chilean poet Pablo Nerudo artistically created his dream home on the beach and showcased his many collections of items from around the world. We only spent the morning here, as we were heading for the large port city of Valparaíso. This city is known as the “San Francisco of South America” for its steep city streets and incredible street art. We walked and took funiculars up and down through some maze like streets that were all plastered with murals. Take a look at some of our favorites:

Ovalle & La Serena

The next morning Rach and I drove up the coast and a little inland to the town of Ovalle. Rach had heard of a wine harvest festival going on here so we spent a night downtown next to the festivities. We had the privilege of tasting many different kinds of wines and piscos. Pisco is an alcohol distilled from grapes and can be clear or different shades of brown from the oak barrels. We can’t wait to make some pisco sours for friends and family! The festival concluded with a concert that hosted one of Chile’s famous cueca bands. The next day we drove to the coast town of La Serena where we got another beach day in.

Valle del Elqui

Our final stop before heading back to Santiago was the Valle del Elqui (Elqui Valley). My mom raved about this place so we had to check it out. The valley is well known as the region that grows pisco grapes and distills pisco. There is a ongoing battle between Chile and Peru of which country actually created pisco and Chile claims it was here. We toured a few different pisquerias (pisco distilleries) where we learned about the distillation process and tried many different types of pisco. Other things that the Elqui Valley is known for is cooking food with the sun and the amazing star gazing opportunities. We went to a restaurant where they cooked all of the food in these little windowed boxes or by a reflective dish! The star gazing in the valley is so famous because not only is the light pollution not bad, but the dry heat of the dessert doesn’t distort any telescopes or imaging lenses. Rach and I went on a star gazing tour where we got to look through a massive telescope and see many different stars, galaxies, nebulas, and even the moon!

Santiago

Our final days we spent in the capital city of Santiago, Chile. I had been here 10 and 13 years ago to train for some ski racing but never actually toured the city. Rach and I took some more funiculars to get some nice views around and also went on a walking tour. Santiago is said to have a lack of an identity due to the Pinochet dictatorship that lasted into the 90’s. There was a lot of cultural suppression and the result left the capital area without any real culture from the indigenous people or the Spaniards that claimed the lands long ago. Our last night we met a guy named Aman from the UK and he graciously took us out to a nice dinner before we had to get up at 2am for our flight back down to Puerto Natales.

Thanks Mom for all the fantastic suggestions!