Santiago & Valparaiso, Chile (E)

Miners rescue capsule in front of La Moneda, Santiago

The ride over the pass to Chile was another highlight of my trip through South America with stunning landscape of green valleys, barren canyons and snowcapped mountains. At the border post on the Chilean side of the pass I had to endure the thorough searches for fruits, cheese and other forbidden products and the whole procedure took three hours before we were officially “released” into Chile. Another spectacular mountain road led us down to sea level into the capital Santiago de Chile.

I knew the city from my short stopover back in July and therefore made my way to Moai Viajero Hostal where I spent four nights during my first visit. The employees of this hostel are amongst the friendliest hosts I came across on this trip so it was clear that I would return there when in Santiago. The pleasant spring climate made sightseeing very enjoyable and I spent two days walking around the city centre and the Bellavista neighbourhood with its colourful houses and relaxed atmosphere. The evenings and nights were spent enjoying Santiago’s nightlife with some of the hostel employees.

Barrio Bellavista

As mentioned in my last entry I was expecting Ulli & Suse to arrive in Santiago on their way hitchhiking down Chile and Argentina. I picked them up in their hostel and we moved over to “my” place as I could strike a good deal for a triple room. By now I knew the city quite well and could therefore act as a city guide showing them the highlights of Santiago. We spent three days together, two of them in the capital city. The third day we took a bus to Valparaiso, an important seaport north of Santiago with interesting colourful houses built on various small hills. There was a big live concert that evening where we could get a taste of local Chilean music before we had to head to the bus station to catch the last bus back to Santiago. There our paths parted again and I made my way down south towards the Chilean Lake District.

Valparaiso

Valparaiso mirrored port

Mendoza, Argentinien (G)

Die 18 Stunden im Bus vergingen wie im Fluge, da wir uns für einen Cama-Bus mit breiten angenehmen Sitzen entschieden haben. So hatten wir einen angenehmen Schlaf aber entgegen meinen Erwartungen war der Service im teuer bezahlten Bus nicht besonders luxurös. Die Mahlzeiten bestanden grösstenteils aus in Zellophan verpackten Crackers, nur das Abendessen ähnelte der während Langstreckenflügen servierten Nahrung. Gegen Mittag kamen wir dann in Mendoza an und machten uns auf die Suche nach einem Hostel. Einmal mehr bestätigte sich, dass die Party-Hostels die saubersten und modernsten sind und wie schon in La Paz war es auch hier nicht besonders laut.

Weingut in Maipú

Uns gefiel Mendoza richtig gut; Die breiten Boulevards sind mit Bäumen gesäumt, es gibt viele gute Restaurants, Eisdielen und Cafes. So verbrachten wir drei gemütliche Tage in der Stadt ohne viel erwähnenswertes zu unternehmen. Nachdem wir übers Wochenende das Nachtleben erkundeten, machten wir uns Montags auf den Weg nach Maipú, um uns einige der berühmten Argentinischen Weingüter anzusehen. Auf der eintägigen Tour per Fahrrad besuchten wir verschiedene Bodegas, degustierten Wein, Schokolade und verspiesen jede Menge Steaks.

 Wein und Fleisch in Maipú mit Thomas & Lars

Hier in Mendoza trennten sich unsere Wege und ich machte mich auf den Weg zurück nach Chile, wo nebst vielen neuen Eindrücken ein Wiedersehen mit den Angestellten des Hostels Moai Viajero in Santiago sowie mit Suse & Ulli auf dem Programm standen.

Mendoza - Alte Autos an jeder Ecke

Auf dem Weg nach Chile

Purmamarca, Salta & Cafayate, Argentina (E)

After some trouble and arguments with the bus company who didn’t want to accept my valid ticket, I was finally allowed on the bus and left San Pedro de Atacama towards Argentina. The bus crept up the mountains until we reached the border post on the Jama pass at 4,400 meters. The mountain scenery was spectacular and the rocks kept on changing shapes and colors. The Jujuy region is famous for the multicolored mountains and I left the bus earlier than planned to spend some time in Purmamarca, a little town based below one of the most beautiful hills of this region. Lydie, a French girl I met on the bus decided to join me and we soon found a good hostel and not so good food...
The name “Cerro de los Siete Colores” does not need much explanation; the seven different colors are quite clearly visible, especially in the morning sun. Easier said than done though - There was no morning sun the day after we arrived, just a lot of clouds and a chilly wind. We decided to spend the day hiking around Purmamarca and give the hill another chance early next morning. The luck was on our side and we were able to see the well lit Cerro from a viewing point before taking the bus to our next destination.

The city of Salta promised to be a nice place to relax for a few days and I didn’t know if there is much to do anyway. The guidebook raves about the old colonial buildings of this “white city” but I didn’t find it very colonial nor where the buildings whiter than in other cities. However I did like the relaxed atmosphere on the main square where people gather day and night to meet, chat and drink coffee. There were proper supermarkets & department stores so I could stock up on some much needed items that weren’t available in Bolivia.

I was sitting on a bench on the main square when someone called my name. It was Stefan, the German housemate of the bungalow in Airlie Beach (Australia). We couldn’t quite believe this coincidence is happening and quickly took pictures to document it. Stefan and his friend joined us that evening for dinner and we could exchange our travel tales whilst enjoying my first proper steak in Argentina.



I knew that Lars from the Uyuni trip was in Salta too so we arranged to meet and discuss our travel plans. He was planning to rent a car for a two-day roundtrip through the wine region south of Salta and I was more than up for a road trip. With Lydie & Thomas from France we found two more people who wanted to join us. The next morning the four of us got the rented VW Gol out of the garage and left Salta for two days. The little car climbed the mountains outside of Salta until we reached a high plateau covered with thousands of huge cacti before descending down to the picturesque town of Cachi where we had lunch. The ride continued along stunning mountain scenery and through beautiful valleys on National Route 40 which covers the entire length of Argentina from the border with Bolivia to the southern tip of the country. We stopped in Cafayate for the night and had a massive tasty steak and some wine. Cafayate is an important wine producing area and we were able to see the production and taste the excellent juice the next day during a visit at Bodega El Esteco, the biggest winery in Cafayate. We continued the road trip back to Salta with many stops on the way to see more of the stunning scenery. Lars, Thomas & I decided to leave Salta the following day to head down to Mendoza where more steaks and wine were waiting for us.

Quebrada de las Conchas

Me posing with Lydie, Lars, Thomas

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile (G)

Von der Anden-Hochebene ging es auf Chilenischer Seite steil bergab auf knapp 2‘500 Meter über Meer in die Atacama Wüste. Uns fiel sofort auf, dass die Strassen in Chile viel besser unterhalten werden und auch sonst bemerkt man den Unterschied zwischen dem armen Bolivien und dem wohlhabenden Chile an jeder Ecke.

Wir wurden direkt zur Chilenischen Zollstation gefahren, wo wir die obligaten Stempel in den Pass bekamen und unsere Rucksäcke auf Früchte, Nüsse und andere verbotene “Substanzen“ durchsucht wurden. Wie erwartet wurden sie bei uns nicht fündig und wir konnten unsere Fahrt in den Wüstenort San Pedro de Atacama fortsetzen. San Pedro ist das touristische und wirtschaftliche Zentrum der Atacama Wüste, laut Wikipedia die trockenste Wüste der Welt. Reisebüros, Restaurants und Bars prägen das Stadtbild, die Häuser sind traditionell einstöckig und aus Lehmziegeln gebaut.

Wir entschlossen uns, die lokalen Touren-Anbieter nicht mit unserem Geld zu beglücken (Hostel & Essen waren uns dank Chilenischen Preisen schon teuer genug) und die geplanten Ausflüge auf eigene Faust zu unternehmen. So war ich die nächsten drei Tage ausschliesslich mit einem Mountainbike unterwegs, was nach der langen Sportfreien Zeit mal wieder richtig Spass machte. Am ersten Tag radelten Claudia, Joanna und ich nachmittags los, um uns das nahe gelegene “Valle de la Luna“ (Tal des Mondes) anzuschauen. Der Name ist hier Programm - Unterschiedlichste Gesteinsformationen und Sanddünen in der vegetationsarmen Wüste lassen einen glauben, sich auf einem fremden Planeten oder eben Trabanten zu befinden. Böse Zungen behaupten, eine gewisse Grossmacht habe hier 1969 die Mondlandung gefilmt ;-)
Wir genossen die Stille der Wüste, die wir den ganzen Nachmittag für uns alleine hatten. Abends kamen dann die Tourbusse angefahren und wir entschlossen uns umzukehren. Bei einem guten Glas Wein und einer Empanada (gefüllte Teigtasche) liessen wir den Tag ausklingen.

Valle de la Luna

 Claudia & Joanna

Am nächsten Morgen brachte ich Claudia und Joanna zum Busbahnhof und war anschliessend zwei Tage alleine unterwegs. Mit Mountainbike und Wasservorrat zog ich los, die umliegenden Täler und Hügel zu erkunden und stiess dabei auf viele schöne Dörfchen und eindrückliche Canyons.

Die Zeit in San Pedro verging wie im Fluge und schon wartete ein neues Reiseland auf mich. Nach einem kurzen Abstecher nach Argentinien werde ich aber wieder nach Chile zurück kommen, um mir mehr von diesem interessanten Land anzuschauen. Gemäss provisorischer Reiseplanung werde ich die Grenze dieser beiden Länder etwa fünf Mal überqueren.

Salar de Uyuni & High Andes (E)

I met three other travellers in the bus to Uyuni and we decided to join up for a tour through the salt flats and the Bolivian altiplano. Claudia & Lars from Germany, Joanna from Poland and two girls from England & the US were part of our group for the next three days. Our Backpacks were loaded on top of a Toyota Land Cruiser 4WD together with food, petrol and other essential equipment for the trip through desert and rough terrain.

The first stop was at a train cemetery where dozens of rusty locomotives found their final resting place. The British built railway had once been used to transport minerals from the nearby mountains and transport them to Chile and the coastal ports. The trains were abandoned in the 1940's, producing an eerie train cemetery, one feels like being in the middle of an old western movie.

We continued our way onto the Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat at 3,656 meters above sea level. The ancient lakes are covered with a thick crust of blinding white salt which expands for miles and miles until it meets the horizon. Only very few mountains are visible in the far distance and they seem to be floating in mid air, an optical illusion caused by salt and light. We stopped in the middle of nowhere to take some funny pictures playing with the optical illusion of not having any point of reference.

The first night was spent in a nice Hostel made out of salt blocks and cactus wood so we didn’t have to suffer from the cold temperatures of the desert night. Early next morning we left the salt flat and salt hotel behind us and headed for the high Andean mountains & lagoons. The barren landscape above 4,000 meters with its mountain peaks, bizarre rock formations and colorful lagoons was literally breathtaking and we couldn’t stop taking pictures. It was one of the most fascinating sights I’ve ever seen!
All seven lagoons we visited were shimmering in different colors and we could watch flamingos searching for food in the shallow water. The second night was much colder than the first one with temperatures dropping to around -10 degrees. The thermal clothes were much needed as was the sleeping bag I rented for the trip.

Arbol de Piedra - Stone Tree

Laguna Colorada - Colored Lagoon

The third day started at 4:30am with an early breakfast in freezing conditions. We packed our bags and headed towards the Chilean border, stopping on the way to see an impressive geyser field where we watched the sunrise. Once we reached the border post in the middle of nowhere, it was time to say good-bye to some of our group members as they were heading back towards Uyuni. A few days later we learned that their/our car had a major accident on the way back to Uyuni, overturning and landing on the side. Fortunately Susannah, our English group member, had the good idea that everyone should wear their seat belts just minutes before the accident happened and therefore no one was seriously injured and they could get out of the car through the broken windscreen.

Claudia, Joanna and I made our way across the border and were picked up by a Chilean bus bringing us to San Pedro de Atacama.

Salt flat

Our car

Susannah, Lars, Joanna & I

Vicuña