Blogs from Chile, South America - page 3

It was cold at night. The typical desert weather – almost zero humidity, the days are hot, nights are cold; especially in the winter times. I made a mental note of turning on the propane tank heater at night when I would be back after the day trip. Yes, it would be a busy day; I knew that. During my planning stage, Daniela, the Manager from Ckoi Lodge made it a point we visit Piedras Rojas salt plain. It is located high above the sea level, over 4500m. Daniela chalked out the plan - on our way, we should visit the Laguna Miscanti and Minisque in the altiplano (high plain region of Andean region) of Atacama Desert. On our way back, we must stop in Laguna Chaxy. So, it was an all day busy, busy schedule ... read more

Has it ever happened to you that sometime you visit a small town and you fall in love with the place? You start thinking - “I wish I could live here”. I don’t know about others, but this has happened to me a number of times. Once I was visiting Sapa in extreme North Vietnam and I loved the place. I started looking into rental property in Sapa. And I just stayed there for 2 nights only! I know what you are thinking – “what a crazy dude you are”. Maybe, I am. The same thing happened to me when Ryan and I flew to Punta Arenas. We only stayed there 3 nights and the place felt like home to me – coffee shop in patio, convenience stores in downtown, bank line ups, travel stores, small ... read more

As our bus made its way down the highway after the trip to Osorno volcano, our tour guide Jenny stood up with mike in her hand. “We are going to take a boat ride in Lake Todos los Santos”. Yup, that would be our next destination. Los Lagos region where Puerto Varas is located, is famous for its beauty of lakes. Lakes, rapids, waterfalls are scattered throughout the region and water sports like river rafting are popular in the region. Lake Todos is about 76 km east of Puerto Varas. Well, it’s just one day here for us, so more we can cover in a day is a bonus for us. Yes, we had to buy a separate ticket for the boat ride as it was not included in the tour cost. But I tell you, ... read more

We booked all our tours in Chile in advance except a trip to Valpariso. What I found after studying internet, Valpariso is very close to Santiago and a day tour can be easily arranged from hotels when we were there. After we checked in at Best Western, I asked the front desk if they can arrange a day trip to Valpariso for the next day. The hotel was a decent one, conveniently located close to the underground metro station and next to a busy thoroughfare. People at front desk were friendly and helpful. “Not a problem”, the gentleman at the front desk confirmed and he arranged a pick up from the hotel on the following day. We were advised to pay to the tour guy directly. Valpariso is a port city around 116 km from Santiago. ... read more

(Day 303 on the road)Visiting San Pedro de Atacama was special: It was the first place on this trip that I had been to before. Back in my student days, when I was doing an internship with a major airline, I was able to negotiate two free worldwide flights as part of my compensation package (the pay itself was pretty rubbish, if I remember correctly). I took one of those flights to Santiago de Chile and visited the Atacama Desert on that trip. Pretty much the only thing I remember about that visit in 2002 - some 21 years ago - was that it was bloody cold. And I can say that with certainty: That part hasn't changed much (a lot of other things have). I stayed in a guesthouse for three nights, and after freezing ... read more