Since our last post we have travelled from the northern part of Chile to Santiago. After San Pedro de Atacama, we took the bus to two beach towns: Caldera and Bahia Inglesa. I think we found about the only hostel in Caldera and were lucky that we drove past it on the way into town. It was a really cool little fishing town with many different coloured boats in the harbour and a great fish market with fresh seafood and ceviche (which fortunately did not make us sick!)
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| Caldera |
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| Right outside the fish market in Caldera - waiting for some scraps perhaps? |
Bahia Inglesa was about 5 km away and had a very different feel. There was a beautiful white sand beach to relax on and look out at the turquoise coloured water. The town was pretty dead at this time of year but it was nice to have the beach almost to ourselves.
Our next stop was La Serena. The city is right beside the Elqui Valley and is world-renowned for its observatories and stargazing. We went to the Mamalluca observatory and were able to see some of those things missing from Northern night-time skies like the Southern Cross. We were also able to see nebulas, the milky way, and Jupiter.
We also did a tour of the Elqui valley for some pisco tasting. We tried one pisco that was 70% alcohol and left our throats very angry. The mango sours that followed (only for little girls as we were told) were much more appealing. During our tour we had lunch in a restaurant that uses solar ovens to cook all of its food. We may have to build one for ourselves as the meat was unbelievably tender and delicious!
Our next stop was La Serena. The city is right beside the Elqui Valley and is world-renowned for its observatories and stargazing. We went to the Mamalluca observatory and were able to see some of those things missing from Northern night-time skies like the Southern Cross. We were also able to see nebulas, the milky way, and Jupiter.
We also did a tour of the Elqui valley for some pisco tasting. We tried one pisco that was 70% alcohol and left our throats very angry. The mango sours that followed (only for little girls as we were told) were much more appealing. During our tour we had lunch in a restaurant that uses solar ovens to cook all of its food. We may have to build one for ourselves as the meat was unbelievably tender and delicious!
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| Solar Ovens in the Elqui Valley |
After La Serena we arrived in Valparaiso and we loved the city. We stayed in a great hostel (Casa Verde Limon) that had some circus elements to it such as a trapeze. It was so interesting to wander the streets in Valpo and see all of the graffiti and different coloured houses. It was quite the bohemian wonderland. We also visited the nearby beach resort town of Vina del Mar. It was a beautiful place too but had more of a European feel to it. Interestingly, we read that Valparaiso can be dangerous but were later told by a Chilean that all of the pick-pocketers from Valpo go to Vina del Mar during the day because that is where all the money is!
Our last stop in Chile is Santiago and we have been enjoying the city for the past couple days. We did a walking tour of the city and were lucky enough to be here on a Sunday when many of the museums are free. The most interesting one that we went to was the museum of human rights which focuses on Chile from 1973 to 1990.
Tomorrow we are off to Mendoza for some (and by some...I mean a LOT) of wine-tasting!
Tomorrow we are off to Mendoza for some (and by some...I mean a LOT) of wine-tasting!
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