Chile: San Pedro de Atacama, Caldera, La Serena, Santiago, Viña Del Mar, Valparaíso, Pucón (Week 23-26)

San Pedro de Atacama

I crossed into Chile from Bolivia after ending the Uyuni Salt Flats tour. My first destination was San Pedro de Atacama. From the beginning I was received with a western/desert vibe from the town. Most things were a sandy brown or white color: buildings, homes, stores, the dirt itself.

Sarah and I continued on together from Uyuni and planned to have this be our first stop to check out a few places that interested us. One of those places broadly being the Atacama Desert. Within the desert I wanted to visit a location known as Moon Valley to look at geological formations that have formed over many years resembling the surface of the moon. The second thing I wanted to do was go stargazing in the desert. The Atacama desert is the driest desert in the world. Because of its location being situated between the Andes mountains and the Pacific coast, it has environmental factors that have caused it to be so dry. In the east, the Andes mountains block any clouds from coming over contributing to having almost no moisture. In the west, there is the Humboldt current that comes up from the south Antarctic pushing away any warm wind coming in from the Pacific Ocean. It creates an immensely dry environment and makes it perfect for clear skies, very limited air pollution, and stargazing at night. The Atacama Desert also has one of the most sought out observatories in the world. Many countries take turns throughout the year borrowing time and space within the observatory to do space research. All this information I learned from a super informative tour guide in the desert. By no means did I know any of this beforehand.

Being that the climate was so warm in the Atacama, I felt at home. I missed feeling heat on my skin and enjoying constant sunshine. The prior months in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia had given pretty chilly and wet months. I took advantage of the hostel’s kitchen to do much cooking and continue working on improving my oatmeal (pictures of the progress will be found towards the end of this post.)

Visiting Moon Valley was full of intriguing new learnings for me. The tour began in the afternoon and ended in the evening, to get the opportunity to be able to watch the sunset over Moon Valley. From the beginning of the tour, our guide had hats ready to lend those who didn’t bring one. Both Sarah and I needed one. I continue to be so grateful for having guides that transcend their passion and interest on what they are teaching to visitors and travelers. The more excited and interested they sound, the more I am able to learn and stay engaged. But I think that‘s easy to say for any teacher and student dynamic. He shared information on the environment itself, the geological findings that have been made such as meteor landings, why the Atacama is the driest desert and why it is such a fascinating place to study. From what I understood, there is no living plant or animal that lives in this desert because of how dry it is. I tasted some unique salt found within the rocks. The guide said it is in its purest form which is why it tastes very delicious and doesn’t give off that “salty” taste that table salt tends to have. I actually enjoyed it so much I continued picking salt off the rock to eat. Moon Valley itself did resemble pictures of what I’ve seen the moon surface to look like a bit. The sunset was gorgeous and seeing the pretty pink colors being cast over the Andes mountains was really beautiful as well.

Before leaving San Pedro de Atacama, I knew I had to go out into the desert night and do some stargazing. Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of some of the clearest skies available where a lot of space research is done? Though I have no pictures to show (my camera is not fancy enough to capture night star photography), the night sky had the most stars I had ever seen. With our naked eye we saw galaxies (that look like small clouds) and constellations, such as Orion. Through the different telescopes we got to see different nebulae, galaxies, and individual stars. Our guide explained how one can navigate the sky by noticing particular reference points to help guide us. Something that astonished me because as a newbie star gazer, it was difficult for me to look at particular reference points and distinguish their differences, so my navigation entailed just constantly being in awe of every little white spec, cloudy image and information being given to me, without any clear direction on how to navigate my way around solo. That is why I am very thankful for another extremely informed guide teaching me. The night was very chilly and it ended past midnight with a cup of coffee, hot chocolate and tea for everyone.

Caldera

Next, I went to Caldera a small town that served as a home base to visit a few beaches considered to be some of the most beautiful in Chile. Three of these beaches were Bahia Inglesa, Playa Chorrillos, and Playa La Virgen. I decided I wanted to separate from bestie for a few weeks and meet up again during Christmas time to spend the holidays together. I shared I wanted some solo travel time and to continue things on my own pace. My first night in Caldera I met Julie, a lovely and fun girl from the French part of Switzerland. However, I was in a state of travel where I didn’t care to socialize or talk much to people. But since there isn’t much that can be done when sharing space with others, socializing and conversating still needed to happen even if minimally. We began having the typical get to know you talks with questions, sharing where we were at in our travels, what our next plans were, etc. That first evening we went out for dinner and decided that the next day we would head to Bahia Inglesa together. The next morning, we arrived at Bahia Inglesa around 11am and walked along the shore for a little more than an hour hoping this would give the sun time to come out. We only had two main goals for the beach: sunbathing and not burning. Here is where I realized how late the sun rises and sets in Chile, which held true for the rest of my time in the country. The sun rises around 12pm and sets between 8-9pm. I’m not sure if this is a year-round thing or if it is only seasonal. The majority of our time at Bahia Inglesa we had overcast, but we got a peek of the sun for a few minutes around 2-2:30pm. I can see how the beach is considered one of the most beautiful in Chile. However, it was highly disguised by the weather that day. We arrived at the hostel slightly burnt and not too tanned so our plan of tanning and not burning was unsuccessful.

The next two days during my stay in Caldera Julie and I went on a beach and geology guided tour. We went to Playa Chorrillos and Playa La Virgen and learned tons from our tour guide about the geology in the area and how earthquakes play a role in all of it, as Chile is known for constantly having earthquakes and very strong ones (compared to California). During this day’s excursion I was surprised at how much of my geology knowledge resurfaced from the one geology course I took way back at during my university days. A course so interesting to me, I even considered majoring in geology for a short period of time. I started answering certain questions on rocks, minerals, and tectonic plate movements correctly and I may have potentially started being that one person in a group tour that borderline becomes annoying. Luckily, our group was a small one of three travelers so the girls were patient and hopefully I didn’t become THAT person to them. The weather that day was even gloomier and chillier than our time in Bahia Inglesa two days before, so again it was very difficult to see the beauty these beaches had to offer. I believe the sun and it’s shining light has a lot of power in highlighting (both literally and figuratively) the beauty certain landscapes have to offer. The sun was not on our side those days. Still, here are some pics to take a look for yourself. The few days staying in Caldera, Julie and I got a chance to cook some very tasty meals including wraps with sautéed veggies, guacamole and beans and a very tasty veggie spaghetti that was created by accident. So a new recipe for me to continue exploring! We had a singing session duet-style in our dorm room with 90s and 00s pop/r&b (one of my favorite memories with her). We decided to head on south together to our next stop in Chile since we had similar routes planned. I had shared with her I was at a place in my travels where I was exhausted and didn’t care to socialize with new people at the moment. Still knowing this, she shared how understandable those feelings were, and we still got to make great memories in Caldera and into La Serena, our next stop.

La Serena

Aside from continuing to want more coastal beach time, the main reason I had planned to go to La Serena was to have a midway stopping point between Caldera and Valparaíso, which is much further south. Since Chile is one long country, long bus rides are pretty common, one thing I’ve been trying to avoid now. La Serena is a small city along the coast where I did a lot of walking to visit the beach, shops (one in particular to reminisce on my robe and slipper wearing evenings back home in Long Beach), the botanical gardens where I saw bonsai trees, and many bookstores where I looked for Michelle Obama’s “Becoming.” La Serena almost served as a rest stop for me where I began planning small Christmas gifts and cards I wanted to send to my family and friends, in addition to thinking about gifts I can potentially get bestie for our Christmas gift exchange we planned to have. Julie and I continued doing more cooking in La Serena. She shared that one of her favorite memories with me was shamelessly walking through the city center in our flip flops and socks to buy groceries (vid below). La Serena was also where I had one of the best shawarma’s in South America thus far. In the words of Rachel Ray, “Yum-O!”

Santiago

I decided to make a slight change of plans given timing and where I was at in Chile. So instead of heading to Valparaíso after La Serena (as was my original plan), I decided to go to Santiago. This way I can more comfortably go to Viña del Mar to meet with Sarah for Christmas and go to Valparaíso after since it’s only about 10 minutes away. Ever since the announcement of Michelle Obama’s book release, I’ve been estimating where I’d be in my travels so I can get my hands on a copy of it. In Bolivia I had absolutely no opportunity. Santiago is where I had my highest hopes in finding it, and to add to the challenge, an English copy of it. I can truthfully say I visited nearly 10 bookstores in Santiago without any luck. Aside from my book hunt, I really enjoyed the days I was in Santiago. A few travelers I had previously met shared Santiago was not a city they liked very much. On the contrary, I liked it more than I was expecting. Particularly because of the parks, outdoor art markets selling books, jewelry, vegan food, food in general and many other goodies. Here is where it dawned on me how much Chileans love their bookstores. Even in La Serena there were bookstores found constantly throughout the city with some blocks even having multiple bookstores within. Santiago is where I took advantage of the hostel’s nice kitchen to continue doing more and more experimentation with my oatmeal. My interest and persistence in cooking are teaching me how slight changes in factors can create huge changes in taste and consistency. Here, is where I also went on a wine tour to an area south of Santiago called Santa Rita. Still, with my very limited liking to wine I found it very interesting and learned three basic things to do before drinking a glass of wine: look at the color against a white napkin and under some light source, swivel your glass a few times to allow oxygen to enter and aromas to come out stronger, then finally taste. I also learned the multitude of factors that contribute to creating a variety of wines: soil, water source, climate, air, length of fermentation, type of barrels they are stored in, length of time stored, variety of grape, particular time of harvest (degree of ripeness and daytime vs. nighttime picking) and many more. In my hostel I met George, a Tennessean just in the beginning of his travels with no set date to return back home. We chatted about travels, work, and he schooled me a bit on politics and economy while visiting the Museum of Memory that focused on the dictatorship during the Pinochet era. I also got to spend half a day with a 19-year-old German who is taking some time to travel before returning home to begin his university studies. I continue to be in awe with how courageous some travelers are with exploring new countries on their own at such young ages. I did Christmas shopping for bestie and found a few items that would meet our $10 and under limit, which you will later find out was not nearly as thoughtful as what she gifted me. I drank my first Chilean sour and purchased my plane ticket back home for March.

Viña Del Mar/ Valparaíso

It’s Christmas time and Viña Del Mar is where bestie and I decided to spend it together. We booked an Airbnb for a few nights to have more comfort, watch holiday movies from a list we made, and do some holiday cooking. Viña Del Mar is a slightly posher area found right outside Valparaiso with cute cafes, some nice restaurants we had a chance to try, and a beach many seem to flock to. I got a chance to do some light running in the neighborhood and it felt so wonderful! I’m excited to go back home and get back to running again. For holiday cooking, we both decided to attempt to do some sort of food from back home. Tamales were completely out of the picture though Sarah really wanted some. Good quality masa was nowhere to be found in Chile. She planned on doing a version of roast dinner which is a special meal her family has during Christmas. I made some “yum-o” veggie wraps while she put in effort to create a roast dinner that came out tastier than she even expected. We somehow created a very flavorful cheese sauce where we mixed different ingredients that probably aren’t good for our health but nonetheless added flavor to our meal. We did our gift exchange Christmas Day, and it was so special. She gifted me some of the most thoughtful gifts I’ve ever received. Some incense, delicious smelling tea and a journal with pictures and notes of our travels together so far. I was in tears. Whereas my gifts to her didn’t come remotely as close to her effort and thought. Viña Del Mar was a very nice resting point. We didn’t do a whole lot besides relaxing and enjoying the holidays together, catching some sun for a few days, movie watching, cooking and visiting Valparaíso for a day where we got a tour of the town center and visited Pablo Neruda’s once home now museum.

Oatmeal update: It’s varying in ingredients and it’s improving! I discovered if I don’t have plant-based milk as a liquid base to add flavor when cooking the oats, I can substitute it for water and dates instead.

Pucón

Pucon was a last minute decision and the last place I visited in Chile. Sarah and I decided we wanted to spend New Years here and not in the highly recommended Valparaíso known for its parties and fireworks show. I have zero regrets in our decision. Pucon is a very small town located in northern Patagonia. Though I didn’t get the opportunity to go deep into Patagonia and visit all the scenic natural landscapes found within, Pucon was still beautiful without a doubt. The town was small, adorable, and had a lodgey/camp kind of ambiance with lots of little shops and restaurants. We had the best banana split ice cream we’ve ever tasted. New Year’s Eve was spent getting tipsy off a wannabe michelada, watching the town’s fireworks show before walking past a live band as we made our way back to the hostel. New Years morning welcomed me with a traveler deciding to sleep completely exposed and naked in our 14-bed dorm room with me getting the clearest view from everyone as his bed was next to mine. However, New Year’s Day also welcomed me with horseback riding through the meadows and along a serene river. It was the most wonderful horseback riding experience I’ve had. The instructor was very informative on how we should treat the horses and what actions to do to give it commands while riding. She even taught us how to trot and gallop on our horse knowing there were more inexperienced riders in our group, including myself. Galloping is what did it for me in the best of ways! I left that experience feeling like a pro rider since I was able to do one of the biggest fears, I had with horseback riding. Sarah and I have dropped jokes ever since that day about how fabulous of equestrian riders we are now. This experience even took me into looking up volunteer opportunities with horses in Argentina. Horseback riding in Patagonia was without a doubt one of the highlights of my entire time in Chile. Pucon was just a little sample of what Patagonia has to offer. There’s no doubt I’ll be coming back to Chile, particularly for Patagonia but broadly for how comfortable I felt in the country.

Chile gave me a taste of California because of weather and beaches. Yet, it was the beginning of a different Latin American vibe I hadn’t felt in the previous countries. Architecture, lifestyle, and food were some of the reasons why. I definitely plan to come back again. There is an entire southern half of the country I didn’t get a chance to visit, and I definitely know I want to further explore Chile’s Patagonia. Chile is also the most expensive country I’ve visited so far, and it will most likely be the most expensive country I’ll visit in all of South America. The people in Chile are very kind. I slowed down a ton being here in respects to adventuring and the number of places I visited, compared to the pace I was going at in previous countries. I’m realizing more and more that even within travel, especially long-term travel, you deal with real life situations. Sometimes even more than life back home where routine tends to bring a lot of repetitiveness on a day-to-day basis. Travel is more than just paradise and beautiful things to see. It tests your emotions, sanity, strength, values and ability to survive amongst many things that can be thrown at you. It’s also begun to make me look deeper into what I find important and what I want to prioritize in my life. Some of which I already know and am continuing to get confirmations about such as having healthier living practices and seeking to build stronger and healthier relationships with empowering people, including those I already have amongst my family and friends. New ones being realizing I want to contribute to living more sustainably with our planet, coming into a better understanding of expectations I have in a workplace for better balance, and seeking a deeper relationship with God.