North of Chile - Atacama Desert

The best way to travel in Chile is with no plans. Just drive off into the vast expanse of the Atacama desert in your rental car, or with your thumb in the air. That's how we ended up in the Atacama Desert, and even crazier, it was on a holiday. If there's one thing more abandoned and lonely than the vast desert expanse, it's Chile on a holiday. We combined the two.

The day we got off of the plane in Antofagasta was Battle of Iquique Day. We had absolutely no plans. Well, actually, we were vaguely attempting to make it to San Pedro by late afternoon - and we knew it had to be via Calama. So there we were, a couple clueless travelers hanging out by the baggage claim, obviously without a cab and without reservations. Eduardo, of course, was eager to provide the cab.

We were in a part of Chile that many pass through, but few really see. It's an eery stretch of abandoned desert highway between Calama and Antofagasta. We were so lucky not to take the bus. Don't take the bus. If you take the bus to Calama you will miss everything.

It was a gorgeous sunny day. Well, it always is in Antofagasta. In fact, if you pay attention, you will notice that you cross the Tropic of Capricorn on the ride between the airport and town.

As we drove along, Eduardo asked us if we would like to take a "special" tour to Calama. It turns out that Eduardo was born in a local nitrate mine not too far away and has lived in the area all of his life. He loves it, would never think of moving and he knows nearly everything about the local history and geography. The drive is technically only 2.5 hours, but there is a lot to see, and Eduardo was willing to take as long as we wanted. As the price was right, 15,000 pesos plus gas, we decided to take a chance.

We needed to pick up a few things for the trip in Antofagasta. Eduardo was happy to oblige, driving us from grocery store to cash machine to hardware store, commenting on the colorful urban scenery on all sides.

(About the hardware store, if you are going to San Pedro, you are going to need a flashlight, as the town generator peters out at about midnight every night, leaving you there in the pitch black.)

The first stop out of town was the ruins of an old silver foundry dating back to the days before the War of the Pacific, when Antofagasta was a part of Bolivian territory. Situated on the coast, the old adobe ruins are beautiful and fascinating, one of many exceptional photo opportunities.

From here, it's into the desert, and what a desert it is. A mere few hundred kilometers south of the only true desert on earth, where the humidity actually reaches an astonishing zero percent, the Atacama desert is a fascinating study of reds, browns and breathtaking blues.

Thanks to Eduardo's running commentary from the front of the cab, however, what on the surface looks like an impressive but useless and lifeless outland becomes an incredibly complex landscape, full of mines, landmarks, ghost towns, graveyards and history. Look out for the several-thousand-year-old pictoglyph, several hundred yards across and in the shape of a lizard. Most impressive of all is Estacion Baquedano. There are actually two Baquedano train stations, one of them abandoned, the other all but.

Around old Baquedano, see the collection of zinc English style bungalows, dating from the early 1900s, where a few poor families still live. The English ran a nitrate mine at Baquedano, selling the nitrate to the Germans to make bombs that were carried across the channel to drop onto London during WWII. Go figure.

This is truly one of the marvels of Chile. In the abandoned yard behind the tracks, several ancient steam engines sit petrifying in the desert sun, along with a couple of cabooses and a small clock tower. Feel free to poke around the barn and crawl on the engines. There doesn't seem to be anyone around who really cares.

Back a little bit off of the road is a graveyard typical of northern Chile, very colorful and with all the plots fenced off with what look exactly like large baby cribs with the beds removed, a truly surreal place. On the other side of this is a plain full of nearly century-old rubbish - shards of china, English beer bottles twisted in the sun, shells and most bizarre, any number of old mining boots, now hardened and shrunk to about the size of a baby's shoe. Hunt around for a few souvenirs before hitting the road again.

We arrived in Calama late in the afternoon, thoroughly happy with ourselves and our new friend. After a frantic last minute search for a straw hat and a quick late lunch of fried fish and salad we said our good-byes and made out for San Pedro, much richer for the experience. By the way, If you go under a full moon, make sure you do the bus ride from Calama to San Pedro in the dark, as this part of the desert is even more stunning under the moon than during the day.

If your Spanish is decent and you would like to make the trip, give Eduardo Iriarte a call at (56-55) 275-170, Tenglo 5690, Villa los Copihues, Antofagasta. He is an excellent and patient guide and is also available for trips north to Tocopilla and Iquique as well as to the south towards National Park Pan de Azucar.

Wildlife in Antarctica

Two of the largest penguin colonies in southern Chile are just outside Punta Arenas, the capital of Region XII. Each year in the springand summer the penguins return from the chilly waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to breed and raise their young.



From December to February Magellanic penguins, which get their name from the Magallanes region in which they breed (named after a Spanish captain who explored the straits), can be seen in abundance at the Seno Otway (Otway Sound) penguin colony and the colony on Isla Magdalene. Both sites offer excellent penguin viewing where visitors can approach to within a few feet of the breeding birds.

The Magellanic penguin is a large bird (3.5-4.5 kgs) and can inflict a nasty bite if provoked or harassed. Therefore, it is suggested to give the penguins plenty of space and never cross the boundaries of the designated breeding area. A camera with a powerful lens or a pair of binoculars will supply all the necessary viewing power. Be assured that the playful and humorous nature of the penguins will make for a very enjoyable wildlife encounter.

During my stay in Punta Arenas I decided to view the penguins from the more accessible, land based Seno Otway colony. Prices vary, so ask your hostel, hospedaje or hotel manager and shop around.

A tour of the Seno Otway colony is self-guided, so getting there is your only concern. There are numerous tour operators in Punta Arenas providing transportation to and from the colony, and prices vary quite a bit - from 4,000 to 7,000 pesos (US$7-12) per person. Entrance to the colony is currently 2,000 pesos (US$3.50) per person.

Many Punta Arenas tour operators, both for penguin viewing and sea kayaking, have offices east of Plaza Munoz Gamero near the intersection of Lautaro Navarro and Pedro Montt.

The tour to Isla Magdalena is considered to be better than the Seno Otway tour because of the larger number of penguins there. However, the island is only reachable by boat and so makes for a pricier tour. In addition, tours there only go on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, departing from Tres Puentes Terminal at 3:30 p.m. and returning at 9 p.m. the same day. The cost of the tour for one adult is US$30, US$15 for children.

Magellanic penguins are naturally curious creatures and are extremely tame. Because the penguins allow visitors to approach very close, one can observe their silly and playful behavior. The penguins usually move through the colony in large groups, making for a follow-the-leader type parade. They follow worn trails as if their kindergarten class was out on a field trip.

It's hilarious to see a succession of penguins jump a small boulder only to land flat footed and come up reeling and rocking like a weeble-wobble. Their awkwardness on land, reflected in hopping movements, will make even the most serious people smile, and the naturally funny burst out laughing.

Conversely, penguins are impressive swimmers and exit the water with immense power. When visiting the penguin colonies, remember to respect the friendly nature of the birds and never provoke one. Several over-zealous people have people victims of penguin bites and were painfully reminded that the comedians of the poles are still wild.

Weekend Getaway To...Antarctica?

Antarctica, the coldest, windiest and most remote continent on the planet, has long been a destination primarily for scientists and explorers. It contains 90 percent of the world’s ice, winds blow gusts of 150 km/h and the temperature averages -47 degrees Celsius at the South Pole. It has no permanent residents.



Sounds like a good place for a vacation? Tourism is quickly growing on the icy continent – in 2003, 22,000 people visited Antarctica, up from 17,000 three years ago.

Antarctica’s natural wonders and unspoiled beauty are becoming more and more accessible to the public, drawing more people every year, from adventurers to tourists. Though it empties in the winter of all but a few people who maintain the research bases, the summer will bring travelers eager to see its sights.

It is the cleanest continent in the world, with stunning views and untouched landscapes, but only recently has it become possible for the average tourist to travel to Antarctica and experience its bleak grandeur. The journey does not come cheap.

Rates for a trip to Antarctica vary according to length of stay and accommodations. The cheapest possible journey is a day trip from Punta Arenas, which costs US$1,875. Travelers go to King George Island and to Fildes beach to see penguins and sea lions, then return the same day to Punta Arenas.

The company Antarctica XXI offers a program that combines a plane trip from Punta Arenas to King George Island with a six-day cruise on the ship Aleksey Maryshev and costs between US$6,350 and US$9,125, depending on the type of cabin. Antarctic Shipping Company has a 15-day cruise to the Antarctic peninsula for between US$5,895 and US$11,310.

Adventure companies are taking more people each year into the interior of Antarctica, the coldest and least hospitable area. This summer they will bring 180 people, 40 more than last summer, into the interior, of which 120 will climb Mount Vinson.

The Train in Portillo

The disembarking passengers looked contented- perhaps even a little nonchalant considering that they had just savored a long stretch of one of the most spectacular railway journeys in the world. After their stay in Portillo, high in the Chilean Andes, the train would take them on to Mendoza in Argentina. 1949. Almost 50 years ago.



What a magnificent spectacle this railway is. The scenery in many parts makes one blink and blink again at the scale, geometry and color of the formations. Most impressive though is that this railway line breathes the dogged determination and engineering cunning of its latterday construction team as it forges its way for 250 miles up and then down opposing glacial valleys of the Chilean and Argentinian Andes, topping 11,000ft at the border crossing, its track hewed out of rock at almost impossible gradients, zigzagging across countless surging rivers and taking occasional respite in the few accessible stretches of flat valley floor.

The construction challenge which faced the builders in each of these glacial valleys was very similar given that in most parts each consists of precipitous and flaky mountain sides and a river in turmoil. The geography of both valleys has many contrasts however. The Chilean side rises slowly from Los Andes through a tight river valley, the mountains on either side hard, cold and sheer. The river, at the time of my passing in January, was a gushing torrent, still swollen with winter thaw. It was lined in parts by lush foliage and pampa grass which gave the false impression that man had taken a thoughtful part in the riverbank's design. The final section of the climb up to Portillo and on to the border tunnel is very steep and culminates in a wild flurry of bends up the front wall of the corrie which guards the glacial tarn at the top. Hotel Portillo sits proudly at the end of the lake, across from the majestic peaks of Los Tres Hermanos (The Three Brothers). And in a bygone era, denying gravity and the harsh landscape, the small-guage railway made its patient way up as well, often taking a different route to the road but depositing its passengers all the same at the hotel gates.

Passing through the tunnel into Argentina the passenger could be forgiven for assuming himself to be 1000 miles from the scenes left behind minutes earlier in Chile. The mountains appear chalky, even powdery and are multicolored with vivid reds, browns and oranges. The valley is wider and the views broader. The river here is as brown and gushing as its Chilean cousin but follows a much flatter valley floor. There are no lush grasses or pampa shrubs. The scenery is all the more spectacular however, given the majestic expansiveness of the terrain. And the railway pylons in their relentless march on to Mendoza, some skewed at an angle, are made to resemble matchsticks placed in an untidy row by a youngster, lost in his game of make-believe trains.

A short stretch of road affords the passenger a brief glimpse of Acongagua, fairly unimpressive as a mountain from this angle but captivating nonetheless given its stature as the highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. I stared at it for several minutes, caught out by Man's fascination for extremes- the hottest, widest, deepest, heaviest and in this case....the highest.

After another hour a remarkable feature develops in the river valley- a separate smaller valley develops within- its walls deep and sheer as if created by a gigantic plough through a frozen sea of chocolate cheesecake. Possibly the result of grind at the base of a glacier millions of years ago. This feature continues for many miles and at least provides temporary respite for the railway track. Eventually the two valleys give way once again to a single one and another treat is immediately in store- Uspallata. An oasis in this vast desert of multicolored hills and mountain peaks. Swaying groves of eucalyptus and clear water springs- and then the pampa grass again. Here the train must take a few extra puffs in readiness for the two hour descent into Mendoza.

The adjectives in this short account fall way short of providing adequate description of the journey from Los Andes to Mendoza or of bringing back to life the drive and dexterity of the team that carved an almost impossible railway track through these two valleys. 1949. The date was etched into the bottom corner of the photograph. Hotel Portillo was silent in its off season- open for tea and coffee only.

What I would give to be on that platform in Portillo now, ready for the journey on to Mendoza. Time nudges everything along including the way in which we perceive scientific, engineering or moral progress. Awards will no doubt be granted this year to Santiago's elite engineers and architects who have designed and built some of the world's most advanced office buildings. The awards will be richly deserved in today's context. But I would encourage the winners to take a short trip up part of this railway track and confirm the immense engineering feat it represents. And when one considers the most redeeming feature of this railway we may then have another perspective on progress. It is that the track has long since become derelict- its bridges mostly breached, its tracks rusted and warped and in parts crumpled and tossed disrespectfully aside. Many of its neat pylons lie crumpled to one side like the valiant footsoldiers of a defeated yet proud army. I daydream about one day taking that train ride but the first sound of a jet or the sight of an air-conditioned bus brings me back to earth. Progress, after all, has moved us all along.

Welcome to Chile's Travel

Hi my name is Rebecca West, and this is where you can read about all the cool places I get to travel to while living and vacationing here in Chile. I just graduated from college and up to recently I didn't speak any Spanish at all. I'd always wanted to learn Spanish, and so I figured travel in South America was just the ticket, so I signed up for an intensive course in Santiago de Chile in summer, early 2007. From the moment I first got here I fell in love with this beautiful country, and one beautiful person in particular :-) I've decided to stay here for a whole year - needless to say, much longer than the 6-week course! Also, I will hopefully be living in Chile even longer if I keep finding work teaching English! My lifelong ambition is to be an award winning writer.

But for now, I'm going to spend a good deal of time traveling, so stay tuned and look for more travel stories as they happen, and as fast as I can write them! Also, as I learn the "Chile ropes" I will write more useful things about bus schedules, plane tickets and things you need to know before traveling to Chile. Till then, if you have any questions about traveling in Chile, just leave a comment, or email me and I'll do my best to help you out, fellow Chile travelers!

A Weekend In Valparaíso, Chile

If you're one of those eccentric types who enjoys, on occasion, breathing air that is less visible, flavorful and tangible than that of Santiago, then heading to the coast for the weekend is just what you need. And if you tire of the beach, Chile's main port town of Valparaíso, dubbed "La Joya Del Pacífico" ("The Jewel of the Pacific") in one classic song, might be the place.



There is a street in Valparaíso, that like many streets in Valparaíso, winds, in almost perfect roundness, up through an old water drainage system. The buildings roll along like the water and pleasantly remind you that nature abhors a straight line. This alone, in a city as curious and lovely as Valparaíso, would be almost undistinguished if it were not for the fact that it's saturated with bars, bar-restaurants, and bar-restaurant-music-clubs.

The best bar-restaurants in Valparaíso, Chile, in my opinion, are found on Cerro Alegre, located at Almirante Montt 448. Here they play authentic vinyl records serve their very own, delicious, Cerro Alegre beer. They also serve scrumptious sandwiches, and the crowd is about as hip as it gets in Valpo.

Not just these enticing locales, there are a plenty of fun things to do in Valparaíso, Chile. If it's not a tradition at this point to ascend this impressive monument to entertainment drink by drink, let this article be a directive to that end. Forget all the Valparaíso tourist information - make this your unofficial tour of the city:

Maybe for graduations or other celebration with no exact sense of reverence, people can start at the Plaza Ecuador and work their way up the hill in alcohol-soaked increments. This comes with the warning that if you go too far you end up in a strange old cemetery with ancient above-the-ground graves. If you go even further you end up near a perhaps even older, stranger prison that leaks a brown liquid that smells of something hardly human. With these institutions looming over, you drink in honor of two of our greatest human limitations, mortality and law.

Of course, as every great journey should have a solid base, this one has the Cinzano. Cinzano lies at the base of this hill along the Plaza Ecuador. The ambiance is a chunky mix for which the Germans kindly invented the word "kitsch." The art includes a painting featuring a blue-suited 50's-type "cruisin'" sort of fellow with a New York background, which in an attempt at surrealism places the Washington monument alongside the Empire State Building. Others from the same artist (his number is listed to promote sales) feature half-naked women of leisure doing leisurely things.

Overhead lighting at the bar is fluorescent and eye-burning. Perhaps the most impressive key of this multi-faceted club environment is the live entertainment. There are numerous levels of "entertainment"; the music is only one spoke in the grand wheel of diversion. It goes something like this:

In the first act, a tall, thin, plainly dressed man on guitar, balances out a thick-glassed woman in a faded flowery dress. This would-be Polish housemaid ostensibly has the job of singing through a Mr. Microphone-quality audio-system and grooving to the tunes.

The second act belongs to three 50-something guys who you would guess have been friends since they grew-up and out of the same test-tube. They're oozing with camaraderie and not a small bulb of quirky talent. A specialty of these three is "Valparaíso Mi Amor" and other songs of whimsy, which often involve the audience joining in for several bars. It should be advised to take a back seat in the audience if you are not the singing-in-public type or are Spanish-impaired. One of the finest sights is to see these guys share the praise after a well-played song. They point back and forth at each other insisting that the others are the true geniuses behind the group.

Finally, the accordion player gives a wonderful performance, seemingly almost wandering off to sleep only to burst out with a cacophonous and melodic solo that proves a long-held belief of this writer that the instrument is not completely ill-suited for rock and roll.

As for the rest, each individual must be his own judge in the dangers of making his way up the hill. There are some "must-sees" along the way. The J Cruz is famous for being a night's-end hang-out. About half-way up the hill a little hole in the wall serves what could best be described as an Arab version of a taco made with something that looks like waffle-cone bread. Just past that is the Liverpool Club, which has such Fab Four things such as cheap beer, exceedingly loud music, and various pictures of John Lennon. The Wall serves a hipper crowd and has a finer construction that you might expect in the affluent neighborhood of a big city. The rest are an assortment of impressive names with rather unimpressive formats or odd concept bars (like a castle that you have to enter the lower caverns of before you can even get a drink), but either way, it's a good excuse to visit a beautiful town.

Here are your options for transportation from Santiago to Valparaíso, Chile:

While is possible to take a taxi from Santiago to Valparaíso, but it will end up costing you a pretty penny. Better yet, the bus from Santiago to Valparaiso is always a good way to get to there. Take the Metro to Universidad de Santiago, where there is underground access to the bus station. A round-trip ticket to Valpo can be bought for 2,700 pesos (ask for an open-ended ticket). Plaza Ecuador can be reached by micro if you follow Avenida Brazil to Concepción.

Hot Springs Termas de Colina

Stressed out? Feeling like a cat in its ninth and final life after yet another micrero tried to take a playful swipe at you with his bus? Or maybe you're just bored with life.

So, of course, you’d like a change. Get things out of your system. The Great Weekend Escape. Hah! Join the exodus, pal. Heading for the beaches, Viña or Algarrobo maybe? To battle it out with a few million other souls for your personal square inch of sand? Heading for the mountains and lakes of the south? Half the weekend passes and you’re still «heading».
So why not try some place less well-known, that isn’t on the tip of everyone’s tongue? A place that is cool, quiet and - thank God! - actually close to Santiago?

Yes, folks, a short stay in Termas de Colina is just what the doctor ordered! The next destination for your weekend outing. It’s also called Baños de Colina but we’ll just refer to it as «the hot springs of Colina».

The hot springs of Colina are situated on the slopes of the Andes, at the foot of Mt. Cocalan (900 mts.), roughly 930 meters above sea-level. The word colina, incidentally, is a corruption of coliruna which means «brave chieftain» in the Quechua tongue.

A colorful past: Until a couple of years ago there were baños (hot baths) at Colina that took their water from the springs. They were located at the bottom of a ravine, at the spot where it opens out into a plain that was once dotted with the beautiful haciendas of Peldehue, Colina and Polpaico.

Historical and literary references to the baths abound. The hot springs at Colina are perhaps the oldest in Chile. They enjoyed a predominantly middle-class patronage, at least in their final years, and were referred to as las Aguas Buenas (the good waters) due to, as one writer elegantly and discreetly puts it, "their beneficial effect on the ailments of the fair sex". To this you might also add rheumatic pains and chronic gout. The same - anonymous - source claimed that they were also most effective «for activating the digestion of those who suffer from a weak constitution or have suffered from frequent attacks of diarrhea.»

He was not the only one to note the curative powers of the water. On September 2, 1822, Mary Graham noted in her travel log, «Diary of My Experiences in Chile», that the water of the baths was colorless and odorless and was recommendable to persons suffering from jaundice, scrofula and skin diseases thanks to the minerals and salts contained in it.

In his treatise on the mineral waters of Chile, the late don Ignacio Domeyko, once rector of the University of Chile, notes poetically: «the hot springs at Colina were frequently visited at the time of independence, mainly by those wounded by the bullets of war or by the arrows of love».

The baths at Colina ceased to exist sometime ago. Their place has been taken by a worthy successor - Hotel Termas de Colina. A modern, neat and compact establishment, the hotel started functioning a little more than a year ago and has already gained a faithful clientèle.

The unique selling proposition of the hotel is, of course, the spring water that is channeled into its saunas, Jacuzzi, hot cabins, and even its rooms. The terms «hot springs», however, is a misnomer in this case for the water is not hot but warm, at a comfortable 25 to 30 degrees Celsius.

The sensation of being close to nature is sharpened by the birds you can hear chirping around you. In fact, the term microclimate in this case, would refer not only to the proximity of the mountains and the altitude but also to the feeling of tranquility that sweeps through you.

The hotel has 6 independent modules equipped with air-conditioning and kitchenettes, apart from the tastefully furnished and comfortable rooms in the main building.

Its conference facilities are regularly used by private companies. For those seeking recreation away from the enormous open-air swimming pool, there is a gym and a games room where you can release your tension by smashing a table-tennis ball over the net or by gently smacking a billiard ball across the baize.

The hotel restaurant keeps up the high standards set by the rest of the establishment and offers a simple but tasty cuisine. After a good meal, you can stroll over to a chair in the patio and read a book or take a walk in the moonlight. Whatever you choose to do, your stay is bound to be restful and pleasant.

Day visitors can avail of all the hot-spring water facilities (Jacuzzi, sauna, swimming pool, individual cabin) for a fee that ranges between US$10-15 a day for each facility.

Distance and Cost: You take just 50 minutes by car to travel the 40 kms. to the hotel, traveling northwards along Independencia from the center and turning right after Esmeralda. To give you an idea of the tariffs, a double room, with continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner included, works out at around US$154 a day for two people.

Enquiries and reservations: Contact the Santiago office at Local 171, Galerias Crowne Plaza, Alameda 142 (tel. no.: 56-2-632 7399/632 2253; fax: 56-2-632 6214) or call the hotel directly (tel./fax: 56-2-844 0991/2/3).

Colchagua Valley Wine Country Tour

There has always been something fairy tale-like about steam trains: the noise of the engine, the trail of smoke, the lazy winding through picturesque countryside. Add fantastic wines or a fine lunch, and you have all the ingredients for a perfect day out.



The Colchagua valley, two hours south of Santiago, is the ideal setting for the fairytale. As the steam train puffs its way from San Fernando to Peralillo, stopping at Santa Cruz for a lunch and a tour of the vineyards and wine museum, you pass through endless rows of vines set against the snow-capped backdrop of the Andes Mountains.

The wine train was officially opened by President Ricardo Lagos during hid presidency. After three years of work that cost US $5 million, the project has created more than 800 jobs. It is hoped that the train will encourage more people to explore the region. The line runs along the old San Fernando to Pichilemu route, which was operational from 1872 until 1989, and declared a National Monument. The 1913 steam train has been restored to its former glory and passengers enjoy guided tours, Chilean wine and fine cuisine throughout the journey.



The train runs on Saturdays and Sundays, with transport from Santiago leaving at 8am, returning 8:30pm the same day. Tickets can be purchased through travel agents, tourist operators and “EFE boleterías.”