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Published: November 12th 2005
So I´ve decided to write one of the blogs...Steve can take the credit for the others...I just spell check them !!
So arriving in Chile was quite a sensory shock...after spending 3 nights in the Bolivian desert (very cold), we then arrived in San Pedro de Attacama, the driest desert on earth (very hot). San Pedro has definitely cottoned onto the tourist needs and there are numerous hostels, restaurants & bars, together with a generous sprinkling of hippy travellers!
The main tourist attraction in San Pedro is the Valle de Luna. We initially decided that we weren´t going to book ourselves on a tour as we´d had enough of the desert, but we changed our minds at the last minute, and we were very pleased we did.
The scenery was amazing...the pictures should hopefully relay that....we had great fun running down the sand dunes at high speed! We then walked to a great view point to watch the sun set.
As San Pedro doesn´t really have a lot more to offer and was very expensive, we decided to bring our flight to Santiago forward by a couple of days, and found ourselves an amazing hotel called Res
Londres, which is a beautifully restored mansion in downtown Santiago.
(Steve: Lou forgot to mention that we did a runner from the hotel...it was crap and expensive, and they couldnt be bothered to get up in the morning when we left...chuckle...30 something professionals eh!!)
There are some beautiful views of the city from various sites, especially in Bellavista, but there is also an amazing fortress type building in the centre, we have no idea what it was called. We were walking down from the top and had the shock of our lives when this massive blast went off.... After everything that has happened in London over the summer, we both immediately assumed that a bomb had gone off, but no one else seemed bothered, there were no sirens going off etc...we twigged about 5 mins later that at midday they fire the cannon from the top of the fortress...we have obviously been living in the city too long!
The highlight of Steve´s trip to Santiago was, of course, going for a curry!! It was a very posh restaurant, which some what disappointed Steve, but the disappointment didn´t last long!
After spending 2 nights in Santiago, we
decided to take the coach along to Valparaiso, on the coast, again it´s a lovely town, with a lot of character...very colourful houses, very steep hills, a decidedly bohemian feel about the place. We decided to hire a car for the day and drove North up the coast, stopping at some amazing seaside towns...there is some serious money in Chile..the houses were huge and their location spectacular.
(Steve: Of course..for those that know me...the latest plan is to buy a house in Chile - beautiful !!)
The next day we decided to go horseriding along the dunes...it was an amazing afternoon. I had never riden before and Steve only a few times...so when we were able to gallop along the beach it literally blow our minds away.. the adrenaline was most definitely pumping hard!! Unfortunately, near the end of the trip, my horse was spooked by a bird on the beach and reered up and promtly throw me off at the same time...Ive been nursing a very sore back and head eversince...almost ruined our plans for trekking in Torres Del Paines, but after a few days of rest I seem to have recovered enough to carry a backpack
No idea what I was ordering
and it turned out to be steak, egg, chips and fried onions...resultetc. It definitely hasnt put me off horseriding again, sorry Mum, it was the best feeling ever, and I know Steve agrees with me.
Whilst based in Valparaiso we cuaght a bus to the next town of Vina del Mar...the main attraction being the Casino!! We set ourselves a limit and lost the whole lot. I thought Steve was a pro!! I had visions of us being millionaires!!
Lou & Steve xxxx
STOP PRESS: Just watched England beat Argentina 3-2. Funniest thing was about 10 mins later, we were in a butchers getting some steak for our trek in Torres del Paine (well why not), and the butcher realised we were English...Michael Owen and Rooney he proclaimed loudly...seems theres no love lost between Chile and Argentinia then
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Mr Mark Henry Oram
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Can ONE get any greener with envy?
I have always wanted to see glacier all that frozen time water .. Drama!!!! Good pictures BTW... you 2 are always smiling that’s so lovely!!!! Yet one wonders that if maybe just once in while . ( for the sake of us London bound hobbits you understand). A picture of of ONE of you looking a maybe a little pensive/wondrous /astounded/ awe struck even . might be NICE!!! (You know me Lou always the demanding one). It’s so strange to think of you both relatively SOOO far away . yet I know more what your doing than when you were in ol’ London Town. I’m sitting at my Mac its 4.25am Sunday morning (got some mad sleeping patterns at the moment don’t ask I could properly do with an infusion for you high altitude exposed blood actually have you thought about selling it to those competing in the next Olympics when you get back????) Lou RE. Rio I am going to stay put here for a while go loads a stuff going on with the re building of my extension and new flat :)) I guess there’s always the option of meeting up with you in India next year!!!!! Keep these blogs coming my lovely’s safe passage for the next leg on your "AVENTURE OF A LIFE TIME " Love to you both Mark (for those of you that don’t know that’s Lou’s Brother)