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Geoff and Alex in Valpraiso
This little seafood restaurant was lovely and was situated in a bustling old fish market in Valpraiso.Hi Guys,
Things have changed dramatically since our last blog (Australia) and we are now back in South Africa. But that’s now and I still have to report on the last few months of travel spent in Chile and Argentina………………….
We arrived in Chile on the 12 Feb and our first impression of Santiago was one of awe, it was so exciting to be in a city so different to Sydney and different to what we both know. The people also made a great first impression, the staff at the hostel were super friendly and within minutes we had befriended a rowdy Brazilian bunch and they asked us to join them for a night out on the town. We went along to this huge club that played all the right (or wrong) classics and after a few piscos (the Chilean national drink) we were flinging each other around on the dance floor. What was great was that the drink also gave us the temporary ability to speak Spanish!
Geoff, Alex’s father, arrived 2 days later from England minus his suitcase which was still in Madrid but was on its way. Geoff’s comfortable hotel was no more than a
In the shade of a Willow
I swam in the icy river, while Alex made the Brie and avo sandwiches. few hundred metres from our hostel which worked out nicely.
Our Spanish classes started shortly after Geoff arrived and we were all very nervous to start off with. The school was really great though and even though the teachers didn’t speak a word of English, we met loads of other students from all over the world and the atmosphere was friendly. Alex and I stayed in separate houses with different Chilean families. This was tough because the families were both so kind and accommodating but there was little for us to say to each other because of the language barrier.
The two weeks of lessons flew by really fast and we all learnt a lot but still I don’t think it was nearly long enough. Our biggest problem is listening and understanding what is being said back to us after saying something.
The Chileans are especially known for their rapid, blurry way of speaking and its incredibly daunting when someone says a few words to you and you have no idea what they just said.
On the weekends during the course we made trips out of the city. We went to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar,
The Oasis at Pisco Elqui
In the middle of the desert there was this little village with a swimming pool. two large seaside towns packed full of ramshackle houses and buildings hugging the steep coast. In some places the hills are so steep there are cable cars called “ascensores” that lift people up to their houses. The seafood is exquisite in this region, if you understand, what you are ordering as most of the time we took our chances and were either pleasantly surprised or lost our appetites very quickly depending on what was placed in front of us.
The day after finishing our Spanish lessons, Geoff hired a car and we set off for a two week road trip up to the north of Chile to the San Pedro de Atacama desert which is approximately 2000 kms from Santiago and follows the Panamerican highway through some of the most baron landscapes we had ever seen. We took turns with the drive and stopped off at various towns a long the way. Our first stop over was in the Elqui valley where the counties national drink “Pisco” is manufactured. It’s a crazy landscape because the valley is surrounded by massive mountains that have no vegetation on them at all but in the valley its luscious green with beautiful blue
The hand in the Desert
A very surreal sight when you are driving across this flat desert and you see a giant hand coming out of the ground. rivers and wine orchards. There is a small hippy community that lives in the valley and in the evenings they all come out of their “smoky” huts to sell their bracelets, juggle and play guitar in the public square.
The skies are so clear at night and the valley is really high up so there are a few observatories in the area. We drove up a very steep mountain pass and visited one for a look through their high powered telescopes. The tour was unfortunately in Spanish so we didn’t understand anything but it was amazing to see the rings of Saturn.
We headed further up the coast and marveled at the ominous terrain of rugged rocky mountains and the deep blue of the Pacific. Not a soul insight for miles.
One of the stopovers was a bay called Bahia Inglesa which got its name from the countless attacks English pirates made on the small village by the sea, back in the 1600s Sir Francis Drake being one of the them, The beach is idyllic and it was a matter of seconds before we were all floating in its turquoise waters.
After the Bay we headed
View over the Pacific
This view overlooks the National Park 'Pan de Azucar' up to another great stopover which was the National Park Pan de Azucar here we experienced absolute desolation, white empty beaches and perfectly clear water. We managed to get a boat ride to a small island off the coast and saw plenty of penguins, sea lions, sea otters, pelicans and dolphins. The park was virtually deserted and this added to the atmosphere of being in such a magical place.
Alex’s go……
The gem of north Chile though, was the oasis village of San Pedro de Atacama. Situated in the direst place on earth but the mountains surrounding are vibrant ranging from oranges and golds to greens and violets.
We drove to on to one of the most stunning Lakes in the region. Laguna Miscanti my father nearly had a heart attack on the way as the roads were terrible but we made it! We were rewarded with brilliant turquoise blue waters 4300 metres above sea level and snow capped volcanoes. From there we headed back down to Laguna Chaca home to dozens of pink flamingoes and the beautiful Laguna Salada whose waters are covered with floating plates of salt. Definitely has to be on of the magnificent
The Crystal lake
4000 meters above sea level and surrounded by volcanoes. A great setting for Dragon stories. things we have ever seen. We also dragged ourselves out of bed in the dead of the night, then we stand shivering in the street while you wait for the tour company to collect us. Then you embark on a 3 hour trip across bumpy roads. At 4300 meteres above sea level is the hightest geothermal field in the world. What’s this you ask? Well essentially a field with blowholes full of bubbling water. It was bitterly cold though but fortunately there’s a swimming pool near the geysers filled with warm thermal water so we all hopped in for a dip - including Dad!
We also visited the Valle de la Luna (The Valley of the Moon) which was dramatic and lives up to its name. In this area it is alleged that the Americans shot their footage of the landing on the moon! We were there at sunset when it transformed into spellbinding colors.
Dad’s trip was coming to an end so unfortunately we had to venture south again to ensure he got his flight. 2500km later with a few stops along the way we arrived at a hotel with the biggest swimming pool in the world!
The Geothermic Geyser Field
we warmed up the milk for our tea in these boiling water holes. 1km long! Compliments of Dad we stayed in this lovely apartment with views of the sea and the pool. I swam 2 lengths, the equivalent of 80 lengths in a 25km pool with Dad walking along poolside just like the ol’ days!
We deposited Dad back at the airport just in time for his flight literally as they’d moved the time but he got upgraded so he was happy. We were sad to see him go, apart from the great company along with him went the lovely meals in restaurants , the car etc etc!!!
Back to Santiago for one last visit to stock up on a few supplies and party one last time before heading to the depths of Patagonia. One camping store later we were being informed by Iv a dutch guy who had moved to Chile “for the mountains, man!”. That the ultimate experience in Patagonia was to kayak in Torres Del Paine and Bernardo Higgins past glaciers, through the fjords out to the sea. 10 mins later we were sold and he was on the phone booking the trip for us. Quite a big dent in the budget but that’s what credit cards are
Hot Springs
Alex and Geoff taking it easy. made for!
5 days of bus travel later we rocked up in Puerta Natales and met Jon our Columbian guide. A couple of hours later we were heading off, in a big 4x4 with two kayaks attached to the roof, to the Rio Serrano where we would start our voyage. It wasn’t long before we attempted to kayak. However, the wind had picked up and we were being blown into the banks of the river. This wasn’t what I had signed up for! 10 minutes later Jon was pulling us out the water as there was no chance of us getting anywhere. That night we camped out in an old shack on the river bank, gauchos’ horses grazed in front of the hut, and we had views of the spectacular towers of Torres del Paine. Jon was a chef, as well as a kayaking guide, and we were served salmon with spicy noodles. Delicious. The next day the river was as still as a milk pond, so we set off for a full day kayaking. It was a rewarding experience the mountain range was unbelievably beautiful and there wasn’t a soul insight. The next nights camping we were at
The posing Llamas
Driving through the middle of nowhere and here are these llamas just sitting there waiting for us to take there picture. the mosquito capital of the world. You’ll see in the photos attached to this blog that this is no exaggeration. After dinner Jon and Dan went on a hike looking for puma, apparently there were many in that area. They didn’t see them but they did pick up their tracks and their poo! We enjoyed another full day kayaking 8 hours through the fjords past glaciers. We were the only ones, I felt like we were explorers.
Having kayaked through the Torres del Paine National Park we then went on a 6 day hike through the park. Fully loaded with food for six days and all our camping equipment we embarked on the hike. We hiked for 8 hours with approximately 16kgs of stuff on our backs. We did about the same amount of walking every day but our bags got lighter as we ate! The hike took us past beautiful lagoons, glaciers and the towers themselves which grace every postcard in Chile but nothing can prepare you for the true magnificence of them.
We did another grueling and bitterly cold 4 day hike in the National Park Los Glaciars. One thing we do know is that we
were not equipped for the weather like this and we learnt our lesson the hard way. They say the best way to combat freezing temperatures and spine numbingly cold winds is by wearing layers. Well Dan had 3 pairs of pants on, 2 tshirts, long sleeve top, a jersey and two thick jackets and he still felt the cold. In the mornings our tent was covered in snow!
As the weather was starting to turn in Patagonia we ventured north to Peninsula Valdes which is where (if you have ever seen Blue Planet) the killer whales beach to catch the baby sea lions. We were there at the right time of year so we hired a car and set off to the beach where this occurs and waited………At high tide 8 killer whales appeared on the horizon and started to work their way up and down the beach looking for innocent sea lions getting closer and closer to the beach, soon they were only 1 metre away from the shore. It was an incredible sight. One of females had a baby with her and they were breaching out of the water so we could see them in all their
The Largest Pool in the World!
We made a special trip to this small town just so that Alex could have a swim in this awesome pool. Its a kilometer (1000m) long, really deep in some places and has massive floating trampolines, motor boats and sandy beaches surrounding it. I felt sorry for the pool boy. Alex swam 2 lengths! glory.
Alas the Patagonia part of our trip was at an end and having had our fill of nature we were keen to embark on the city life in Buenos Aries. But we were only in Buenos Aires a couple of hours when Dan checked his email and found out that his father had had another serious stroke. Dan arrived in South Africa a few days later. At first his father’s health was critical but gradually it started improving on a daily basis. A couple of weeks later I also flew to South Africa and we have now been here about a month. Gary is now in a rehabilitation centre in Cape Town, where he is receiving help from physiotherapists, occupational and speech therapists. Dan is going to stay here for the next few months to help with the care of his father. He has also managed to get his old job back as a designer at the City of Cape Town Council so he will be able to earn some money while he is here.
Having procrastinated about what I am going to do, I have now decided to return to South America to do some volunteer
The Kayak mission
The wind was blowing gale force, it was freezing and all we could do was laugh. work. It’s going to be tough leaving Dan behind next weekend but 60 days isn’t a lifetime and we will reunite in Peru at the beginning of August to do the Inca trail together. After the Inca trail we will travel around Peru and Bolivia until our return flight to England on the 9th September.
So that’s all folks and probably our last travel blog for a while! I hope you have enjoyed the updates and that things are all good in your lives.
With love, Alex and Dan xxxx
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