Blogs from Maitencillo, Valparaíso Region, Chile, South America

Heading Out of the City In Chile we tried to do two things: Easter Island and Patagonia. We were unsuccessful at both. We had no interest in Easter Island until our friend Justin planted the seed. Then we spent about a month trying to get airfare, but Lan has a monopoly and can charge ridiculous prices for the five hour flight out into the Pacific. We hoped for some last minute fares, but it looked like it would cost about $1000 a person round trip for about a five to six day stay. That was just not in our budget. So, we tried to go down to Patagonia. If you have ever seen a map of Chilean Patagonia you will notice that about ¾ of the way down the country the road ends. It just ... read more

Last month I shook up my normal back and forth routine to Santiago and hopped on a bus heading north of Valparaiso to a beach town called Maitencillo. A clue that I knew next to nothing about what I was doing was in the fact that I had to keep referring to my guidebook to remember how to pronounce the name. Think, think, and keep repeating to self... Maitencillo, Maitencillo, until it comes naturally. A bit like my problem with the artichokes. The driver asked where I would like to be left in town. I asked for "the center" and started to feel a bit worried when we drove past a large number of beachside shops all boarded up tight as can be. Ah yes, October is not the high season. I was left at a ... read more