Coffee with legs, Dog Kennels and woolly jumpers for the
strays, sugary margarita style beer, Chilean Wine, street art, history and
wonderful scenery, what’s not to like about Chile? Well climbing a snow-capped
volcano for one but more on that later!
We were looking forward to Chile as we actually had a travel
plan. We also though it would be a ‘soft’ landing into South America after
being spoilt by the ease of language and food of ANZ. We were right, it’s
incredibly easy to get around Chile, the buses are cheap, comfortable and on
time and the roads are pretty good too. We only took internal flights to use up
the freebies on our Round the World ticket.
The street dogs are the healthiest we have seen. Locals
actually adopt them in their area and put out food and water. They dress them
in neighbourhood colours when it gets a bit nippy, and in Santiago they raise
money for dog kennels in the park and vet bills. Chile is the NO.1 place for
strays!
One thing we wasn’t impressed with is the food! as well as a
sweet tooth, Chileans seem to like anything fried! It’s difficult to find food
with any colour here!
If we are honest, we would say the Argentinian side of
Patagonia is more impressive than Chile but there was probably more to do there
than we saw.
Chiloe felt a long way to go for what it actually had to
offer, but it did feel a bit out of season there so we didn’t go to the next
town which was supposed to be beautiful
We loved Valdivia, probably because that was where we met up
with our friends again. It’s a big town with a really friendly vibe! lots of English
spoken due to it being a university town.
And then onto Pucon, very touristy but the No.1 place for
adrenalin sports and bloody Volcano Villarrica! The pain of the climb and the humiliation
of everyone overtaking you (Shel not Glenn) as you climbed a bloody
Volcano in high winds with a huge backpack and ice pics to be rewarded with
Magma you couldn’t actually see! I am mentally and physically scarred (nose) by
the experience. We should have known better when speaking to two separate Chilean
couples who were on holiday, and neither of the women made it to the top! It
was pure pride that got me to the top of that volcano!
The white-water rafting made up for it though! I’ll never
forget Glenn’s shocked face when the top half of his body was in the water and
he was clinging on for dear life with his legs. The boat keeps going at speed!
If you are left in the freezing water and can’t grab the paddle, your only hope
is to be able to grab a piece of rope that is thrown to you and be dragged in.
Great fun. Grade 5’s next!
Despite our encounter in Santiago, we loved the city! Really
edgy, lots of history and a great nightlife. Aim for the Bella Vista area if
you are there and like cheap beer! The same with Valpariso and its funky wall
art and funiculars (that we couldn’t ride due to a government strike)
La Serena was okay, a good stop off point. The Pisco tour
was pretty average in content but brought to life by the guide.
San Pedro is amazing, despite the hostels being really low
quality and very over priced. The excursions are reasonable, the desert is
amazing, like being on the moon, and the dusty little town, whilst a bit touristy,
is pretty cool too.
We’ve really enjoyed our month traveling around Chile and
would recommend coming.
Top tips:
Okay for female travels but better not to do it alone
Take the free walking tours in Santiago and Valpariso,
excellent!
Be prepared to eat beige food!
Chileans talk fast, and miss out the ends of words, so don’t
be surprised if you can’t understand them and they can’t understand your tiny
bit of hastily learnt Spanish.
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