Let me start this by saying it is faster to BUY a car in the USA than to rent one in Chile. It’s all good though. I got out of the Econorent office with a nice little Hyundai and a printout of Google map showing the route out of town! The Penguin helped navigate and we made it to stop #1 without incident!
About halfway between Santiago and Valparaiso is the Casablanca Valley, one of the cool climate wine regions in Chile. I stopped to enjoy some lunch and taste some wine at Verramonte.
Verramonte wines include some very nice labels such as Ritual, Primus and Neyen.
I don’t know what sheep have to do with wine, but they were cute.A really cool table that I might just have built when back in the states.
Navigating the twisty-turny streets of Valparaiso was interesting. I couldn’t take any pictures since I was driving and The Penguin doesnt have thumbs. Finding the hotel was a challenge and I was very happy that I got an international SIM card for the phone.
The hotel, Casa Puente, is nice. A bit understaffed, but pretty. And the view is quite lovely.
My first full day in this S. American capitol city was a rainy one. I walked around to get my bearings and just enjoyed being in a place with paved streets. I have been to this city several times, but this is the first time in 31 years that I have really spent some time here. The city has grown and changed a lot in 31 years, almost all for the better.
When the rain and cold got to be too much on day one, I took refuge indoors. One of the good things about a large city is there is always an art museum. The better thing about Santiago is that it is free!
The musuem did not allow picutres of the art, but the inside of the building was very pretty. I loved the staircase.
Santiago is a city of contrasts: both modern and historic; traditional and progressive; technological and environmental. Just walking around you are treated to wonderful sights. It’s also incredibly clean. I am glad I came here. This is a city where I would enjoy spending a long time.
When I was traveling here in the 90’s, this was the CTC building. It is supposed to look like a cell phone.
Costanera Center
Seeing this building made me think of home. Yes, San Francisco, Santiago has THE SAME BUILDING! Same architect and everything. Google it. Only difference is that Santiago has a prettier backdrop.
Another day was spent going up to the mountains. To get to the first snow field, Farellones, you have to climb fast. Santiago sits at just below 2,000ft and Farellones is at about 8,000 and only 36 km (22 miles) away. The road is all switchbacks and each “curve” is numbered. There are 40 in total. It is not a road for people prone to motion sickness or with a fear of hights.
Once you get there, it’s worth it.
And yes, St. Joseph and The Penguin had fun too. The Penguin more so than St. Joseph (he liked the desert). Penguin was so happy to see snow!
A final day in Santiago was spent taking the hop-on, hop-off bus. They can be very useful to get to places public transport may not go.
On one of the city’s hills are stations of the cross leading up to a pretty little church.
Love that Santiago has public bike rentals.Penguin likes the upper deck of the bus.
I have made it to Santiago. Am I sad that I could not get to Salta, yes. But, it just means I will have to make another trip. I remember one old friend telling me she always wanted to go to Salta, so now we can go together.
I have until August 11th to play in Chile. Anyone got any favorite spots? I am thinking of heading down to Puerto Varas for a week. Lakes, snow capped volcanos (yeah, I know more snow is not what I should be seeking), fresh air and some nice hiking.
My hotel in Santiago is called The Sommelier (I am not kidding), so I also may never leave here.
If you “get” the title of today’s post, you get a prize. You will also be dating yourself.
According to the Chilean police and road folks, IF IT DOESN’T RAIN AGAIN, the road to Argentina will open on Wednesday…just in time for my bus to Salta, Argentina on Thursday morning.
If the road doesn’t open, plan B is to fly to Santiago and continue on my travels from there. What the hell I will do in Santiago for two weeks remains to be seen. Do I have the right clothes to go down to the Lake District? Cross your fingers that that clouds I see rolling in and the high winds outside do not mean MORE RAIN and snow. As lovely as this desert town is, I would like to get out of here.
For those of you who did not believe me about the dogs, see below. These pictures I took this morning in less than 30 minutes fo walking around near my hotel. There was one dog (1st picture) that has only three legs but has not been neutered. Locals will apparently pay to have a dogs leg amputated but not to fix them so they don’t have MORE DOGS. Most of them are super cute and if I were headed back stateside, I might bring one home. If you are ever looking for a super cute, well socialized dog, now you know where to go.
A freak winter rain has hit the Atacama dessert. Most tours have been cancelled since snow has fallen in the higher elevations. Stargazing tours cancelled since you cannot see stars. I choose to look at the bright side…when I do get out there, the scenery should be spectacular.
Getting here from the airport city of Calama was interesting. Vast swaths of nothing for the 100km journey. I chose to stay one night in Calama since it took me 12 hours to get there from Quito. I then took a local bus. Turns out, there are plenty of transportation options easily arranged right at the airport. The only people coming to Calama are Canadian mining executives and tourists going to Atacama.
If you decide to come here, and are able, stock up on supplies and water in Calama. There are no real food stores here, just corner markets, and everything is expensive.
San Pedro de Atacama, the tourist center, is not much to write home about. This city is at an altitude of about 7,900 feet. Lower than Quito, but still up there. There are two main streets, neither paved, with souvenir shops selling all the same things and about 400 tour companies hawking the same tours. All tourists were just wandering around aimlessly today…up and down the same two unpaved streets.
There are dogs everywhere. EVERYWHERE! Some strays, some with collars, some without. Dogs were bored too and some fights broke out. A bit of lawlessness in this desert outpost. The dogs reminded me of a trip my mother and I took to Patagonia about 17 years ago. After dinner in Punta Arenas, Chile (the complete other end of this LONG country), Mom insisted on a taking her leftovers with her. Well, on the way back to the hotel, we were followed by a pack of dogs. A whole new definition of doggy bag. Don’t walk around anywhere in this country with a bag of cooked meat!
The only real thing of interest is the church. Built in the 1700s using traditional Adobe techniques and materials. It wasn’t open today (priest is probably stuck in the mountains) but there was a hole in the door that allowed me a peak inside.
View from the hole in the door
Since the roads are unpaved and most structures are built from Adobe, there is a fine brown dust that covers everything; shoes, windows, dogs. Whether or not I want to, I will be taking a bit of Atacama along with me.
I bought my bus ticket for Salta today. The bus station was a bit of a circus since the road to Argentina was closed due to snow. No busses coming or going. Hopefully, by next week this will all be sorted out. It’s not supposed to rain anymore after today.
I am not going to give any information about the next few days, since everything is up in the air due to weather. You’ll jut have to check back in.
I decided the previous post was getting too long, and given the sketchiness of the internet connection here, I didn’t want to lose everything I wrote.
The previous post showed Sea Lions and different boobies. Perhaps one of the most interesting birds in the Galapagos is the Frigate bird. They are known as the pirates because they steal food from everyone else. And, they are one of the few (maybe only) sea birds that cannot land on water.
The male has a red pouch he can inflate to an enormous size to get the attention of the female.
The chicks are cute, but when they get a bit older, they look a bit like teradactyls (sp?)
In flight, the birds still impress.
You can just make out the pouch…
One creature of the Galapagos that I just loved was the crab. So colorful they almost look fake. They too are just about everywhere.
And, I cannot forget the giant tortoise. Not everywhere, but still easy to spot. We saw them both at a breeding center (and got to see two of them actually breeding) and in the wild.
I think Spielberg was inspired by the giant tortoise when he created one of his most iconic characters. Which one am I thinking of?
Alas, I cannot leave out the iguanas, Marine and Land. The marine ones are almost as ubiquitous as sea lions. They are the only marine iguana that FEEDS in the water. Others swim, but don’t feed.
Marine Iguanas mate for life. And here’s a fun fact that will make all you guys following this wish you were a Marine Iguana…the males have two penises.
Land iguanas a bit better looking. They are known for their contant “joker” smile.
There are several other animals I saw, but I know you are now asking “what about St. Joseph and the Penguin?”. Well, they had a great time in the Galapagos.
One day they made a new friend.
And St. Joseph got to visit the bridge.
This is all for tonight. It is getting late and I have an early start tomorrow in San Pedro de Atacama.
The first thing you notice when you get to the Galapagos is how stark everything looks. It is a region of contrasts. On the coast of the islands, it is almost a desert. Up in the highlands there is lush vegetation.
Beauty is everywhere, especially along the shore.
Of course, it’s the animals we all came here to see.
The sea lions are everywhere. I don’t think a day went by that we didn’t see some. And, on a couple of islands, you had to be careful not to trip over them.
The blue footed boobie is perhabs the most famous animal of the islands and they did not disappoint. The instensity of the color of the feet depends on when they last ate. The bluer the feet, the more recent the meal. They are also known as the clowns of the Galapagos and you can certainly see why. Their faces are just so goofy. I fell in love.
The juveniles’ feet arent blue yet, but their faces are still fantastic.
Boobie chicks are really fluffy.
There is also a red footed boobie. Not as common and much shyer (shier?), but we were able to see a few on the second to last day.
They have really beautiful blue faces. Yes, that really is the color.
We left Quito on a 7am flight, which means we were all up at 4am. There is a bit of buraucracy in getting here. All sorts of controls, which are probably a good thing. There are some great pictures of the flight out of quito on Instagram.
We got to the islands at about 10 am. After a quick bus ride we were on our boat, the Montserrat. She is a decent size boat and there are 20 passengers, 12 crew and 2 guides.
Our first stop was Mosquera island where we met a number of friendly sea lions. Almost all of them were female and it was very special to see the mums with their pups. I even got to see a couple of them nursing.
We also saw a juvenile marine iguana, a lava lizzard, numerous pelicans and some very cool crabs.
I had my first try snorkeling off a beach. It was a good effort, but my mild claustrophobia kicked in and I didn’t spend more than 30 minutes out there. The guides were very helpful and understanding.
Everyone on the trip seem very nice so far. We have a good mix of folks. I would say about 1/3 are from the US. We have a few from Australia and New Zealand and a couple from Europe.
Here are some photos in no particular order. Really slow internet and now I must dash. More later.
The first thing you notice when you get to the Galapagos is how stark everything looks. It is a region of contrasts. On the coast of the islands, it is almost a desert. Up in the highlands there is lush vegetation.
