Dipping our toes into South America

As we were in the process of planning the whole trip, South America was the biggest uncertainty for me. While places like Vietnam and Cambodia sound a world away, and in some aspects are, the tourist trail has been well beaten in these parts recently making them seem much less intimidating. In my mind South America seemed likely to present more challenges with simple communication and safety, particularly in Peru and Argentina. Despite a bit of a rough start in Chile, almost entirely due to our complete unpreparedness regarding maps or travel guide, traveling in South America proved much simpler than I ever imagined. 

We arrived in Chile on March 22, and began our time there with three nights / two days in Santa Cruz, at the heart of wine country. We stayed at a ‘hostel’ that amounted to a woman’s house; she rented out her three rooms and slept at her parents’ place around the corner if the rooms were all booked. Despite speaking as much English as we do Spanish – that is, not much – she couldn’t have been more friendly or helpful in getting us settled in. She recommended a great dinner in town for our first night and helped us set up several winery visits for our first full day. The visits to three different wineries included spectacular scenery, a fantastic lunch and some excellent red wines.

Gondola ride on Vina Santa Cruz estate

Enjoying a 'light lunch' of bistek al pobre

Our second day was spent visiting the coastal town of Pichilemu (which fast became one of our favorite words to say) about 80km from Santa Cruz. The area is essentially a medium sized surf town with a lot of seasonal tourists but otherwise not much else going on. We were a bit out of season but the weather was still nice for a stroll along what was essentially an empty beach and for a casual lunch overlooking the ocean. 

On the beach in Pichilemu

Lunch with a view

After our time in Santa Cruz we backtracked a bit heading to Buin, just south of Santiago, to the vineyards of one of Chile’s largest wineries, Santa Rita. The visit, which included a night at the amazing onsite hotel, was arranged by our friend Hal who works for a wine importer in NYC. We enjoyed a brief tour and tasting, the highlight of which was seeing the modern production facilities, followed by an absolutely amazing and filling lunch at the winery’s restaurant. Our complementary dinner at the hotel ended up being a private dining experience as we were one of two couples staying at the hotel, and even included a pre-dinner pisco sour and cheese plate in the pool room. After almost three months of basic accommodation and simple dining to say we appreciated the experience is a drastic understatement. Thanks Hal!!! 

The vines are almost ready for harvest

Jess approves of the grapes

The gardens of the Casa Real hotel

Pre-dinner pool at Santa Rita's hotel

We had originally planned to go a good distance south in Chile before returning to the Santiago area for our last few days, but a in rare moment of clarity we changed our plans to limit the time spent on the road. We decided to only go as far south as Talca, a medium-sized town a few hundred kilometers south of Santiago. We settled into the quaint Austro/German run Casa Chueca, about 10km out of the downtown area, for four nights - our longest stay in one spot since Zanzibar in mid-January. Our time around Talca was a contrast of relaxation and physical strain as we undertook a fairly strenuous 25km hike in the Vilches national park area, which started around 11am and didn’t end till about 6:30pm, an hour after the park gates officially closed. Jess, always looking for the most challenging approach, decided to do the hike in her sandals (in fairness the sandals were due to an ongoing Achilles heel problem and she couldn’t wear her boots). Needless to say by the end of the hike there was a fair amount of ‘sharing of discomforts’…but thankfully no complaining. 

The next day Jess took a much needed rest day while I joined up with Wayne, a guidebook writer who was staying at the guesthouse, and a German girl for a private guided tour/short trek to a private park on the other side of the mountain from where we had hiked the previous day. The walking was far less cumbersome, thankfully, with highlight of the day being a stop for a lunch break by the river and not encountering another person the whole time. 

On the grounds of Casa Chueca

Jess is a trooper in her sandals in the Vilches

Mystery hike

Our final day in the region took us on the road that ultimately would lead through the Andes to Argentina for a visit to several well-hidden waterfalls. While the drive took a good two hours it was well worth it for the amazing scenery along the way and the unique and secluded setting at the falls. Completely unnoticeable from the road expect for spray when the wind picks up, we parked on the side of the highway and hiked out about 200m for an over-the-cliff look. For the 90 minutes we spent exploring the area we were the only people walking around and hardly a car passed by on the road. In constant amazement of the scenery, the little side trip ended up being one of our most enjoyable experiences in Chile. 

Leaning over the edge to check out a waterfall

We saw waterfalls AND we figured out how to use the auto-timer! 

From Talca we drove back to Santiago, dropped of the rental car at the airport and headed into the center where we caught a bus to Valparaiso. The bus and logistical process was as simple as we could have hoped for, further countering our concerns about travel in South America. Valparaiso is a coastal town about two hours from Santiago, largely set in steep hills leading down to the ocean - felt a bit like San Francisco crossed with Lisbon. Our time was largely spent wandering the streets and hills, taking in the views and the abundance of street art/graffiti. As usual we found some time to sample the local cuisine including an absolute heart attack on a plate called chorrillana. 

In the hills of Valparaiso

Pablo Neruda's view of the city

And if you like chorrillanas wait til you see chivitos!

The other highlight was a visit to two of the city’s three cemeteries, which have been officially closed since the earthquake in February 2010 but still admit visitors in small numbers if you can find a guard or caretaker. Aside from the grandeur of the tombs and the amazing views, the damage to a number of the tombs was striking. 

We ended our time in Chile with two nights in Santiago, a large sprawling city with a number of distinct neighborhoods but a limited number of must-see sites beyond the large main square and two hills (Santa Lucia and San Cristobal) that dot the city. Aside from some leisurely exploring and shoe shopping for Jess we enjoyed two excellent dinners, the second at a restaurant named Las Vacas Gordas (The Fat Cows) - how could you possibly go wrong with that? 

On Santa Lucia hill with San Cristobal in the background

Santiago's Plaza de Armas

Our 12 days in Chile were a nice mix of experiences and a good introduction to South America. We ate far better, and more, than we had expected, and enjoyed our time the beautiful Santa Cruz wine region and hiking in Talca without much around us but nature.