Valparaíso y Viña del Mar

I'm in Valparaíso. I wandered around the hills and looking at the UNESCO world heritage colorful houses, then rested at a cafe.




It is a strange place that I don't love as much as I thought I would, but that could be due to my general mood.
Plans have changed. I stayed at La Casa Roja last night instead of heading straight to Valpo, and my suitcases are still there. I was going to just spend one night here and then go back to Santiago Wednesday night, but Grandma's condition has gotten worse. Tonight I will change my flight to go to New York tomorrow.

I stayed at a nice hostel in Valparaíso, then went 15 minutes up the coast to Viña del Mar, which is the beachier town.

San Pedro de Atacama

Right off the bat, I should say I didn't do the desert as well as I could have. I had some issues.
First problem: money. I came to Chile with a credit card, a temporary debit card I knew would expire in a month, some dollars, some pesos, and some travelers cheques. Dad was going to send my new debit card, but that fell through. Mom was going to visit at the end and bring some more cash, but that also fell through. So I arrived with the cash I had and quickly realized that it wouldn't last me, but most places in San Pedro don't take cards.
Second problem: San Pedro de Atacama is touristy to the point of uncomfortable for me. It consists entirely of tourist agencies that all offer the same excursions, “artesan” shops that all sell the same souvenirs, and restaurants that all sell basically the same overpriced food. And a church. That's it.

Almost anywhere, I can wander aimlessly and feel engaged in my surroundings and completely safe. Not here. Walking around my first night was the first time that I felt at all like a potential target, because the divide between local and outsider is so blatant. The locals in the North are much more native-looking than in the South (even if that isn't politically correct) so foreigners are just a lot more obvious. The streets are all very small and very identical, with the church as the only landmark. If I wandered like I did in Santiago, Pucón, Puerto Varas, or Frutillar, I would look incredibly lost. In addition, all of the sights to see are outside of the city itself, and there is no public transportation, hence tour overload.
Third problem: organized tours really aren't my style, but that is really all there is to do. In order to see the unique landscapes, you have to fork over a bunch of money for package deals. When you book all of your tours at the same office, you can get a discount, but only when you use cash. Bummer.
All that being said, I still did some really cool stuff.
I went to the largest salt flat in Chile, Salar de Atacama, to watch the sun set over Laguna Chaxa in La Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos. The changing light was magical.





Lumped in with that tour was a visit to Toconao, an oasis in the desert that used to be famous for ancient irrigation systems and now is famous for hordes of tourists coming to look at its gardens and old church.
I went to Laguna Cejar, which has a higher salt concentration than the Dead Sea, so you float.

Unfortunately, that tour was hours of driving with obnoxious Spaniards who wouldn't shut up about the included pisco sour, and a short amount of time in the surprisingly frigid water. Definitely could have skipped that one.
I went sand-boarding on the dunes of Valle de la Muerte. That activity alone made the trip to the desert. It was a total blast, and I was a total natural.

I was going to do skiing, but just like on the volcano, I didn't want to hike up in the ski boots. For boarding, I hiked up in my sneakers and didn't care about falling in the sand, so I got hella good hella quick.
Afterwards, the sandboarding folks went to Valle de la Luna to watch another sunset over another crazy landscape.


Because I wanted to fit in everything I could, I then went to a star-gazing tour at an observatory a bit outside the city. It was led by a French guy who really likes to hear himself talk, thinks he is absolutely hilarious, and probably wants to extend the tour as long as possible to justify the cost. He explained a bunch of stuff that Dad had already taught me in Joshua Tree, made stupid jokes about how to seduce women by pointing to constellations, then finally let us look in some telescopes. Both a plus and a minus: the moon was out. This meant less stars, but a really awesome view of the moon.

I went on the Geyser del Tatio tour, which left at 4:00am. I had been warned by Lonely Planet, the tourist agency, and other tourists that it is really really cold, but nothing can adequately prepare you for -15ºC. They claim that there is more condensation of the vapor rising from the geyser fields when it is really cold, but I didn't see a difference between when we got there before sunrise and when we left. I was wearing 2 hats, a scarf, 6 layers on top, 3 pairs of pants, ski socks, and toe-warmers. I was miserable, thinking to myself, “I can't believe I paid to be here.” I just wanted to leave. There was the option to go in a hotspring, but you actually have to be insane to voluntarily get wet in that temperature.


Eventually we left and stopped at a tiny village and a wetlands, before a surprise hike through a cactus gorge. By this time, it is mid-day in the desert, which means hot hot hot. I left all of my layers in the van and was left scrambling over rocks in a tank top, leggings and cowboy boots. Not very practical.


Overall I'm glad I went, because I got to see a completely different region of Chile and the sand-boarding was just that much fun. But, unlike Pucón, I never want to go back. It just really wasn't my style of travel. In the South, I took public buses from quaint towns to National Parks and spent my days as I pleased. In the desert, I spent too much, had too little control, and saw a bit of the exploitation of the native Chileans.

All of the pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2065495&id=1055040014&l=a82fbe21a8

Puerto Varas

I cried when I said goodbye to Gloria and Leo. I couldn't even say goodbye to Volcán Villarrica, because it was a grey and cloudy day. Gloomy. But the bus ride to Puerto Varas was quite nice, including one of the most incredible sunsets I have ever seen. I sped my way through the Rivers Region and into the Lakes Region, which is famous for German influence in food and architecture and more massive glacial and volcanic lakes.
Puerto Varas is adorable and beautiful. The town sits on hills surrounding one bay of Lago Llanquihue, with snow-capped Volcanos Osorno and Cabulco nearby. Yesterday I walked around a bit, then took a bus to Saltos del Petrohué which is part of Parque Vicente Pérez Rosales (the oldest national park in Chile). A short hike in, then a series of bridges and platforms over a raging turquoise river, surrounded by the mountains and volcanos. There was another trail, Sendero los Enamorados, that followed the river, with many small trails leading off through the forests (perfect for the lovers the trail is named after). A ranger of sorts told me about a third trail and walked with me for a while (probably because he was slightly enamorado with me).




From Los Saltos, I hitch-hiked 6km to Lago Todos Los Santos, where there was a nice beach that I wandered down.


I found a trail leading into the woods and followed it, eventually stumbling upon a wide road. Lava flows tend to make very clear and flat paths, so I headed straight towards Volcán Osorno. As I climbed, my view of Lago Todos Los Santos reappeared above the trees and my view of the volcano got better and better.



While walking, I got a call from Gloria. "Ah Mara, te hecho de menos!" Yes, Glora, I miss you too. She wanted to know if I knew "otra chica lista, linda, y amable" who would want to come down to Pucón and replace me. I hope I can find someone to whom I can pass along this experience. I posted this on my facebook: "ATTENTION CHICAS: I have been called upon to find a replacement for my job in Pucón. The job is more like an extended vacation with bosses more like host parents. If you consider yourself outdoorsy and adventurous, this will be the experience of a lifetime. If you or anyone you know is interested, holler at me."
I turned around at the base of the volcano, when the sun was beginning to go down and my camera had died and I didn't want to get stranded. I walked back towards the lake and followed the lava path all the way to the beach. I walked back towards Los Saltos, eventually hitch-hiked part of the way, then walked more towards Ensenada and hitch-hiked again all the way back to Puerto Varas. Along the way, I met a Swiss girl studying Architecture in Valparaíso and a British guy who moved to Buenos Aires for a girl who didn't work out. Both of them are planning to go to Pucón, so of course I told them about Paradise and drew them maps of where it is since I had run out of business cards. It wasn't until we decided to get dinner together in town that we realized we are staying the same hostel.
Today I wanted to go rafting, but none of the outfitters will take only one person (it is still low season). The only available extreme activity was to do Río Petrohué in a double kayak with a guide behind me, but that was going to be quite expensive. Instead, I walked around Puerto Varas, doing a loop to cover their famous Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón (built in 1915) and a few of the more famous early 20th century German houses.


I got to the edge of town, where there is a park on a hill overlooking the entire massive lake.



On my way back towards the center, I took a detour along some train tracks, then down a road past a fancy hotel to walk along the beach.


I took a public bus in the opposite direction as Petrohué and Parque Rosales to Frutillar, a smaller lakeside village also with quaint German architecture. Just lovely.





I am now back at Compass del Sur, my hostel. I would like a nap but will no doubt sleep the entire bus ride to Santiago tonight.

All of my pictures can be seen here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2065268&id=1055040014&l=b38455052a

Ciao, Pucón!

I'm leaving today. Bittersweet. The folks that filled up the hostel this weekend have slowly moved on, and now it is my turn to do the same. The two remaining guests are girls from the study abroad group I met at El Cañi, and we went out last night to celebrate. Pisco sour, pisco, piscola...muy peligroso. We hung out with an Australian they had met the day before and a bunch of his kayak guide friends. Fun fun super fun.


I'm not sure what my blogging will be like on the rest of my journey, but I'll probably keep posting every few days.

Santuario El Cañi and Beyond

Yesterday I hiked in El Cañi nature sanctuary. It was absolutely gorgeous. Before even arriving at the entrance, I walked past farms which were adorable baby animal sanctuaries. Since animals all give birth in September, the springtime scenery included calves staring at me through fences and little lambs jumping on and around bales of hay.

The hike went steeply uphill through forests and past trickling waterfalls.




When I stopped to snap photos of a nice view, I recognized the two lakes I could see below me as Lago Caburgua and Lago Tinquilco, which is where Parque Huerquehue starts.

I caught up with a small group of hikers and made conversation. They were Americans studying abroad in Valdivia, a college town near here. They were on an organized excursion to Pucón but wanted to stay an extra night, so I gladly gave them a business card. We hiked together for a while, then they stopped for lunch and I continued.
Eventually, I came to a refugio, where I saw the rest of the group of Americans. There were probably 30 total, and I had caught up with and met the stragglers on my way. I overheard some discussions about what to do in Pucón, so I introduced myself and offered my professional opinion (and Paradise business card). Most of the group were from Oregon and Washington, and I admit that it was nice to be around Americans for a change. After resting and eating an empanada, I joined them for the rest of the hike. After about 15 minutes, we crossed the snow line.

They were all really excited, even though some were wearing sandals and one girl was even barefoot due to terrible blisters. On the way, I talked to them about Pucón and my experience, and they all listened with eager ears. After 40 minutes in the snow, we arrived at Laguna Negra. Gorgeous of course. We sat around, took pictures, and made snow angels for a while before turning back.



I chatted with a solo New Yorker while waiting for the public bus back to Pucón, and when I expressed how much I didn't want to leave in a couple weeks he said, "well why do you have to?" It got me thinking. It was a hard question to answer. I could honestly see myself dropping everything and just staying here indefinitely. That is how much I love it. However, I'm not going to abandon home just yet. I have 11 more days to explore the country, and then I will most likely cry my way back to San Francisco.
Unfortunately, Grandma is not out of the woods yet, so Mom went to New York to be with her. I am disappointed that she won't be visiting but completely support her decision. And, there is a silver lining: she said that she would transfer her ticket to my name. That means I am officially coming back!
Traveling solo changes things. I was bummed for a minute and stared blankly at the map, but I am very happy with what I have decided to do.

Revised itinerary:
Oct 12: bus South to Puerto Varas (German settlement in the Lakes District)
Oct 13: white water rafting on Río Petrohué
Oct 14: hiking in Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales, then overnight bus North to Santiago
Oct 15: fly North to San Pedro de Atacama (driest desert in the world)
Oct 16: 4am departure for a sunrise tour of El Tatio geyser (the highest geyser field in the world), then late-afternoon tour of Valle de la Luna to watch the surreal sunset transformation of the salt flats
Oct 17: all day tour of the Altiplano Lakes, including Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, then night tour for desert star-gazing through telescopes
Oct 18: sand boarding on the dunes of Valle de la Muerte, then fly back down to Santiago and bus West to Valparaiso
Oct 19: wander the colorful streets and hills, then 15 minute bus to Viña del Mar to relax on the beach and check out the gardens
Oct 20: day trip to hike Parque Nacional La Campana
Oct 21: bus back to Santiago, then fly all the way back to San Francisco

I am not going to Patagonia at all, but you really shouldn't rush Patagonia. And, now I get to see the North, which I hadn't planned on previously. When I come back (not if), I will do Patagonia and do it right, which occupies at least a week. The only disadvantage to my new plan is that I have to bring everything with me along the whole way, so I think I am saying goodbye to my Volkls.

I am very sad to be leaving Pucón, but having that ticket to return makes it easier. I am absolutely thrilled with everything so far and everything ahead, and I realized that I absolutely want to do this again. I am really good at this and I really enjoy this, and if I can find another gig I will go in a heartbeat. To all those who didn't believe me when I said I would stay in SF after this, you were probably right. I just want to see the world.