San Pedro de Atacama, Chile - Day 2

So today I had a very packed day of tours starting at 4am until 2pm for an early morning geysers tour and then another tour of the Death Valley, Moon Valley, and some desert sites from 4pm to 9pm.

El Tatio Geyser Field is located in the Andes Mountains of northern Chile at 4,200 meters above sea level. With over 80 active geysers, El Tatio is the largest geyser field in the southern hemisphere and the third largest field in the world, after Yellowstone, and Dolina Giezerov in Russia. And at 4,200 meters, the El Tatio field is purported that they are the highest elevation geyser field in the world.

The best time to see them is at sunrise when each geyser is surmounted by a column of steam that condenses in the bitterly cold morning air. The steam plumes disappear as the air warms up. The tourist agency told me it was going to be cold, but it was hot in San Pedro, so I wore a T shirt and thin hiking pants and a light jacket and I figured that would be sufficient. WOW was I freezing. When the sun was down, the weather hit -11 degrees Celsius (12 degrees Fahrenheit) and I was doing jumping jacks to stay warm. I would take a picture and then warm my fingers up and try and repeat. What I didn’t understand was how people were swimming in the hot springs. As soon as you get out of the water, you must be freezing. Once the sun came up, it warmed up a bit but it was still rather chilly.

The second tour of the day included Death Valley, a huge desert canyon; Moon Valley, a desert space that had rolling valleys and hills which resemble the moon’s surface; and a desert peak climb to watch the sun set. A very very packed and satisfying day.

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile - Day 2

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile - Day 1

So 2 other travelers, Oliver from France and Martina from Switzerland, and I made the 6-7 hour car journey together from Salta to San Pedro. We were on our way to San Pedro, the desert town in Chile's Atacama Desert. The town serves as a gateway to multiple outdoor activities, archeological sites, and natural wonders such as geysers and desert formations. It’s a popular tourist attraction for foreigners and local Chilean’s alike.

It was a fun talkative journey as we meandered our way through the mountains and salt flats until we got to the border crossing with Chile. We had been speeding most of the way to stay in front of a large tourist bus as we did not want to get stuck behind 80 some people for the border crossing formalities. But it didn’t matter because when we got there the line snaked around the building and we got caught in the quagmire. After some questioning, we found out that the power to the station just went out. Backup generator? Nope. Welcome to South America. We waited for 3 hours and during that time the office managed to process perhaps 15 people tops using the manual process.

So our driver goes to the front of the line and who knows what kind of deal he made with the man in charge but he ushers us to the front amid the stares and Spanish outbursts to “Respect the line!” After getting our passports stamped and hurriedly skirting out amid hostile glares, we got in our car…where we waited for 10 minutes while our drivers got…coffee. Coffee? UMM…were you doing something during our 3 hour wait in line?

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile - Day 1

Valparaiso, Chile - Day 3

Today was a blog day while I awaited the New Years Eve festivities in Valparaiso. The city is the site of the largest fireworks display in the world. More than a million people flock from around the world to Valparaiso to watch 20 tons of fireworks go off from seven locations throughout the pier. For me, fireworks are often very similar. Regardless of the location, most shows have a similar bouquet of fireworks with some being slightly longer or slightly higher or slightly more elaborate. But at the end of the day, they kind of look the same. Valparaiso was like watching 7 shows at the same time in a wrap around IMAX theater. Because they shot the fireworks off from multiple spots along a half moon shaped bay and because they spent an exorbitantly excessive amount of money during this global economic crisis, the show was an amazingly coordinated display unlike anything that I’ve ever seen before. And I forgot my camera.

Valparaiso, Chile - Day 2

I went to some museums, hills tops, to a local restaurant, and to observe some street performers in a park. A long day of wandering. Other people may call what I did today a long day of getting lost. I prefer wandering.

Valparasio, Chile - Day 2

Valparaiso, Chile - Day 1

Valparaiso, a Unesco Site, is an artsy bohemian town about an hour and a half northwest of Santiago along the Pacific coast. A cluster of winding streets, massive hills, and cable cars permeate the city. They have artists galore and homeless people aplenty.

Valparaiso is definitely not for everybody. It’s a very overcrowded city; the streets are narrow and people are everywhere. There are rough edges not just at the city edges but throughout the city. Of all the cities that I’ve ever visited, it’s one easiest cities to get lost in as the streets names change a couple times for the same street on one stretch of road, most of the streets are extremely windy, there are few main streets to walk along, and the city is built around multiple hills and along a bay which adds to the confusion. Certainly, the flock of homeless people laying around the entire city also makes it somewhat difficult to ascertain the “safe” areas from the somewhat “shady” areas.

For the shutterbug, wanderlust takes over and exploring the numerous side streets on each hill can become a multiple day activity. The artistic graffiti, colorful houses, and small art galleries on the hills are a joy to discover with each street providing a glimpse into the local art work and often crescendoing into the next find.

Valparasio, Chile - Day 1

Santiago, Chile - Day 2

So here are some things that I’ve learned about Argentina and Chile so far while traveling.

1. Most stores close between 2-6pm for a siesta so it’s really hard to purchase things or plan anything during this time. If you’re gushing blood and you need a bandage, tough luck wait until 6pm.
2. Most restaurants do not open for dinner until 8pm. Get a snack.
3. Argentineans eat a huge meal really late at like 10 or 11 pm so restaurants do not get packed until then.

Today I learned that in Santiago, restaurants are closed for dinner on Sunday.

I’ve been craving sushi for a long time and there was a sushi restaurant right next to where I was staying. I noticed it after walking back home the night before from a really crappy Korean restaurant. The Korean food was rather authentic, the place was run by Koreans, and only Koreans were in the restaurant. But the seafood tofu stew that I ordered was horrible, the shrimp were half rotten and the tofu somewhat grainy.

On the way back from that restaurant I passed this Japanese restaurant next to where I was staying. It was packed with people. Good sign. Packed with Asian people. Even better sign. So I decided to give it a try the following night. I went to the Santiago zoo, climbed up a mini mountain for a view, checked out a pre Columbian museum, and worked on my blog. In anticipation of my sushi dinner, I had forgone a large lunch and had a snack instead. After working on my blog, I exit my building promptly at 8pm, turn right, walk down the block and low and behold the restaurant is closed! WHHHHAT?!? What’s going on? I checked the time, it’s past 8 pm so the restaurant should be open. It’s Sunday? Japanese restaurants are closed on Sundays! No wait a minute ALL restaurants are closed on Sunday evenings! So like no one eats on a Sunday?

So I’m wandering around Santiago trying to find something to eat and I run into a Chinese restaurant…and it’s open. Just like in the states on Christmas and Thanksgiving, Chinese restaurants seem to open when others close. That’s work ethic.

Santiago, Chile - Day 2

Santiago, Chile - Day 1

So today I explored a couple museums including the Museo de Santiago, Academia de Belle Artes, and Museo de Belle Artes before joining a friend from NYC for lunch. Cata, a native Chilean, who was working in NYC, gave me an exclusive tour of her home town and then took me to a delicious lunch at a beautiful restaurant. Traveling is exponentially better when a local shows you around.

Santiago, Chile - Day 1

Pucon, Chile - Day 4

Today I went rappelling down a couple waterfalls. Was a fun day in the sun; however, I’ve done a bunch of rappelling while rock climbing so this was just kind of like rappelling under a shower.

I learned today from the tour guide that you can buy an acre of land in Pucon, Chile for around 10k dollars. What an amazing deal. Pucon is going to blow up as a tourist destination. It has everything – mountains, trekking, a volcano, a lake, great restaurants, a well oiled tourist infrastructure, and beautiful weather. Perhaps I’ll invest when I’m done traveling. Or if I win the lottery.

Pucon, Chile - Day 4

Pucon, Chile - Day 3

For Christmas Day, some Aussie friends that I met on the Volcano trek and I cooked a feast (by backpacking standards). It was weird having Christmas in the southern hemisphere where it was 85 degrees and sunny with people hanging out at the lake. I contemplated wrapping a gift for myself and opening it up and pretending to be surprised. But I thought of that idea too late on Christmas, the shops were closed, and I didn’t feel like wrapping my Tupperware. Oh well.

Pucon, Chile - Day 3

Pucon, Chile - Day 2

I'm going to die. My lungs are screaming for oxygen, my heart is racing, and my legs are burning. I feel like I’m going to fall off the side of the volcano. I had to wake up at 5 am and I’m exhausted. Why am I torturing myself to climb a stupid volcano that at 2800 meters is the highest I had been so far? It’s probably just going to erupt half way up anyway.

Well the trip up Villarrica volcano in Villarrica National Park was definitely memorable. But the views from the top and along the ascent made the trip well worth it. Viewing stunning 360 degree panoramic views of amazing mountains and other volcanoes. Glimpsing inside the volcano spewing burning sulfuric acid smelling like a combination of rotting eggs and burning tires. Trekking on the white shimmery surface with specks of grey volcanic puke and wisps of hot steam coming up from the snow.

All amazing. But coming down was the best part. How, you may ask, do you climb up a volcano almost 3000 meters high for 7 hours and then descend in a little more than 30 minutes? Why sliding down on your butt of course. Ya OOOOOKAAAY. When I got to the top and looked down and saw the slick steep descent and the ants sized people still climbing up, I started looking around for the helicopter…or perhaps a ski lift. Nope we’re skiing down on our butts in little trails left by other brazen souls. So after a brief tutorial on how to break with your ice pick and your feet, down we go. The first trail was a bit slow as I bumped around trying to get a hang of the breaking system. The remaining trails were somewhat reminiscent of the Tasmanian devil being shot out of a cannon downhill. I lost control a couple times and spun around in circles while flying down the mountain. So much exhilarating fun. When I got to the bottom, I was ready to hike up another 7 hours to do it again. I even thought about signing up for the same trek the next day. I should submit this as an event to the Olympic committee for inclusion in 2012.

Pucon, Chile - Day 2

Pucon, Chile - Day 1

So I took my first bus between cities in South America from Bariloche to Pucon, and I almost get stranded at the transfer point. We stopped in Osorno, Chile, and I had about an hour in between bus rides. I grabbed a quick empanada and waited for my bus in front of the company bus sign where I thought the bus would be pulling up to. When another bus from the same company going to a different destination pulled up at about the time that mine was suppose to leave, I wondered where mine was and went into the station to ask the desk person. He made a quick call and told me that it was on the other side of the terminal and that I would have to run to make it. I was the last one on the bus and they started pulling away as soon as I stepped on it. At least I got some exercise.

One of the first things that I noticed about Chile is the amazing fresh produce selection and quality in the supermarkets. Argentina's produce in the local supermarkets across the country were somewhat lacking. The selection usually included cabbage, potatoes, onions, carrots and the like with most of the produce being bruised and beaten up. Celery would be extremely limp and predominantly brown, if you found a predominantly green one with some spring left in it when you poked it, you'd be lucky. Given, Argentina had specialty vegetable vendors which had a more favorable variety and quality although it was still below what I would expect from a country of Argentina’s resources.

Chile, on the other hand, literally a 4 hour bus ride away was a word of difference. Freshness, Quality, Variety. I felt like I was back in the states. I promptly bought about 5lbs of fruits for less than 5 dollars and gorged on fresh fruit…something that was sorely missing from my meat diet for the last month and half.

Pucon, Chile - Day 1

Torres del Paine, Chile - Day 1

The Torres del Paine National Park in Chile is popular hiking destination with three huge towers created by glacier movements. Most hikers do a 5 day trek in the shape of a “W” around the three large spires.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to stay there for 5 days so I did a one day tour from El Calafate. We left at 6 in the morning and got back at 10 pm. It was a long trip but well worth it as the views are stunningly breathtaking. Sometimes amazing landscape views cannot be truly captured in all their exquisite beauty with a simple photo. I tried. I tried hard. But I failed desperately.

Torres del Paine, Chile - Day 1