Blogs from Chile, South America - page 3

“If there is a heaven on Earth, this is it”, those were actually the words came out of my mouth when I stood in front of Torres del Paine! I was awed! Speechless! Three jagged edges crowned the snow covered mountain peaks and silently displayed their brilliant beauty under a blue canopy of sky. Waterfalls flowing from the mountain snow emptied into a small river. The light emerald colour water of the river is flowing like a dancing little girl. Not a soul was near by except us. The Nature has given it’s all and the beauty of the Nature is silently observed by Mother Nature herself! I am from Alberta, and I grew up with the beauty of the Rockies in my later part of life. Indeed, Rockies has opened up to me in hundred ... 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

Week 1 Chiloe Island Here we are again, on our travels, and for those of you new to my blog it will be a combination of things we have done and sometimes reflections on a place or people. We are in Chile till 3rd March and then fly to Buenos Aires where Chris will join his old school friend for an Antarctic cruise and then we will meet up in Montevideo for 8-9 days. We started our trio from home and we were glad to get a lift from the village into Mula from our friend Mel. We got the bus to Murcia city then a taxi to the train station. Our first trip on an AVE, the high-speed train, was uneventful. It could have been different when a group of young men arrived with one ... read more