Mar 19 - Atacama Altiplano

Atacama 19 March

Alarms at 5am and a 5.30am departure with Danielo our guide. We were heading off for a 2 hour drive to sunrise at El Tatio Geysers.

The stars were unbelievable even with a partial moon and we got out a one of the high points to look. It was so weird as the constellations here are either completely different to ours or they are upside down !

Just before sunrise - these geysers are over 40m tall

The road climbed consistently and when we arrived we were at 4400m. The air was so thin and full of Sulphur but we could immediately see why sunrise was the time to go. 

A low blanket of steam covers the whole site -
about 10km2 in total with the two sites

The clouds of volcanic steam bursting into the cold atmosphere of the early dawn was just spectacular especially with the snowy Andes peaks as backdrop and we watched and photographed through the next 0m two hours as jets created a fog of steam punctuated by columns of steam sometimes 40m in the air.

Cant see a thing ....

The people walking though steam
show the scale of the geysers

The moment of sunrise - a breathtaking moment

We liked it so much,
we posed 2 pictures

So, to end a perfect morning,
breakfast on the glaziers after everyone had gone

 We were the only people left at the site and Danielo had brought some breakfast with him and the three of us sat drinking coffee watching the last of the vapour disappear as the sun warmed the temperature up and no more 
steam was visible. Just 

wonderful !

Long roads but never
without stunning scenary

Originally, the geothermal field was developed by a Italian company but due to mal-practice, there was an explosion and the remains of the plant and accommodation are still around.
This old pump remains in the middle of the filed.







We headed back down the stunning road which we had driven up in the dark with no idea what we were passing, stopping at a pretty wetlands area, but the mountains were the stars of the show. The road passed close to Licancabur, the live volcano and every corner we turned the view was more spectacular.

Vicuna and baby - seen on the way

Along the way, there was loads of wildlife and you could stop at every 

This volcano has the remains of 
a mine track going up into the crater where Sulphur was mined until President Pinochet closed it down.  This is at well over 5500m so we could not imagine how people could breath at this height although we were beginning to realise that here in South America, people had not just faced poverty but the nautural enemies of geology and climate to survive.

By the time we got back, the heat and the altitude was taking its toll. We headed off downtown for a Bolivian beer and a pizza before going off later in the evening to look at the stars with an astronomy guide. Steve who knows this subject well, was still feeling a bit rough from the altitude and we had opted for an early night and left Janette, Mandy and Paul to go star gazing. 

It was  great, they had a little astronomical dome and a good telescope with auto tracking. We started off just sitting outside looking at the night sky which was just stunning. The milky way was bright and dense and the clarity of the sky meant we could see things not visible in the UK with the naked eye, like Orion’s shield. 

With the telescope, we had a good look at the Pleiades and at the Omega Centuria star cluster which is only visible in the southern hemisphere. It was just incredible, over 2 million stars and looked just like a kaleidoscope through the telescope. Jupiter was the planet that was clearly visible and we could see its stripes clearly but not the spot as it was on the back side.  We also saw 3 of its moons clearly. All very impressive, the skies are crystal clear and the altitude and lack of any pollution made it just the best viewing conditions.

Its not for nothing that the largest telescopes in the world are sited at the Alma Observatory which is just outside San Pedro de Atacama and can be easily seen from the road into town.

Night viewing over, we headed back to the hotel. Paul and Mandy for a nightcap (again sensibly starting at 9.30) and Janette to bed for another 5.30am start.

Sulphur everywhere

Typical Bolivian Scenary

Ahh bless

Which way is it?

Wetlands area teeming with wildlife

Pink Flamingos - not uncommon in this country

Mar 18 - Atacama Desert

Atacama Desert  18 March 2017

The road to Moon Valley and its active volcanoes

Today we headed out to the so called "Moon Valley" again after breakfast. This time we went right into the valley and walked through from one end to the other. 

Recrystallised salt over many millions
of years creates weird textures

This strange and wonderful landscape was named moon valley as a result of all the Selenite covering the ground interspersed with a dusting of salt which blows in from the Salt flats or has been recrystallized with the volcanic activity. Selenite comes from the moon god hence the name Moon  valley.

Gypsum cavern

First, we walked through a huge cavern carved out by the harsh weather and mother nature.

Very beautiful but totally alien, baking hot and already a 2 mile walk was about as much as we could muster and even that was with about 4 pints of water between the two of us.  Paul and Mandy had a different car and guide and were coming from a different direction.  

Gypsum and salt cover the landscape by
earth movement and by swirling around

The Atacama Desert - red sand and forbidding...
"DO NOT PASS".....as if!!

After 2 miles, the driver picked us up
we were tired!

Scenery was stunning but the geology was more fascinating.  It was becoming clear to us that the Andes provides everything to Chile, climate, water, scenery, agriculture, mineral wealth, tourism and not to forget the hundreds of great wines.

In the afternoon, we had a wander round the town which is all preserved as “adobe” type mud buildings with straw panel doors, including our hotel. The town is a busy bustling tourist centre as this area is very popular with South American tourists as well as foreigners. More like a back-packing centre with precious little to buy other than tours, water bottles  and tee shirts, nevertheless, very pretty and a Unesco world heritage site obviously.

Later this afternoon, we headed out to Rainbow Valley which had the most amazing geology giving the hills their distinctive and very different colours hence the name. 

Rainbow Valley - Mix of geology

We saw green hills from copper oxide, white glass sheets of gypsum, sparkling crystals of calcite, calcium carbonate powder, granited of every colour and mica glistening for hundred of yards around (from the ones Steve could identify). 

Our two big trucks for heavy
duty exploring

We had a walk through the valley  and then headed off to another area which had very early petroglyphs mainly featuring lamas…not generally in short supply in central Chile!

Petroglyphs - 12,000 years old and still in
the open in this bone dry desert

Now, the heat and altitude are becoming an issue and we are realising our limitations especially as the temperature is touching 35 degrees and even with factor 50 sun block we are getting a bit of a colour. Steve was searching for the vultures at this point and walking was really very slow.

We headed back to the hotel for a relaxing evening in the very pretty outdoor living room complete with comfy sofas and roaring fires. Much needed !

The temperature here soars through the day even at high altitude and the sun is extremely strong but at night it drops to minus temperatures and is very cold.

Off to bed early as we had (foolishly) opted for a sunrise session the next day while Paul and Mandy much more sensibly had negotiated a 9.30 start !!

Mar 17 - Santiago to the Atacama Desert

Santiago to Atacama 17 March 2017

We left Matetic in this morning in the cloud that usually prevails in this valley for our flight from Santiago to Calama airport which is the gateway to the Atacama Desert. 

Goodbye to Matetic and a little haven of peace

As usual, miles and miles have to be covered to get anywhere

2 Hour flight all the way up the Andes

This flight takes us over the Andes at a very low level and we can see all the volcano peaks clearly from the window. Mandy was checking the pilot's height to make sure we had enough clearance !! 

Calamar itself is not our ultimate destination but the reason that we noted a lot of flights to Calamar from Santiago – was Copper.  

Calamar is a town that is created for  copper workers of the largest open cast copper mine in the world and as usual, not without regular environmental accidents.

We transferred over to our hotel which is in San Pedro de Atacama. The route takes us through Dinosaur valley and the end of Moon valley on a road that was used by Jaguar Cars for a TV advert.

Dinosaur Valley - a small taste of what was to come

The altitude now starts to kick in from here on, San Pedro de Atacama is at 2600m so we started feeling the effects slightly (heady) but once checked in we headed off for sunset view from Moon Valley on the edge of the salt flats. 

The hotel drivers provided drinks and canapes in front of a lake with a larger than life sunset and our first views of the many volcanoes (active and inactive) that were to dominate our stay here.

Back to the hotel for dinner, minimal alcohol on this leg as it accentuates the effects of altitude sickness and we have to stay really hydrated all the time here. 

The UV is off the scale and dehydration is a major cause of problems for visitors and we will have another week or so at altitudes gradually moving towards 5000m plus, so everyone is being careful.

Fireside setting outside in the hotel - nice and restful

16th March - Matetic Vinyard (outside Valparaiso)

Matetic Vinyard– 16 March 2017

We left Valparaiso this morning but only for a short transfer to half way between Valparaiso and Santiago. We drove through the Casablanca Valley which is where the majority of the Chilean white wine production is from due to the damp and cool environment, near the sea and surrounded by mountains giving it plenty of mist & rain which is apparent good for great wines.

Our destination was the Matetic Vineyard on the border between the Casablanca Valley and the San Antonio valley both major wine areas. The area produces whites and Pinot Noirs which are less sweet due to the climate and the coastal influence and we were heading for a vineyard which has Casonas for a one night stay.

Our weather luck was holding as we arrived in brilliant sunshine, with a gentle breeze, just perfect. This weather was unusual for this wine area which should have been damp and misty.

The estate was in a pretty valley and the entrance was lush with palm trees, roses and lavender. The building is an old wine estate and had 9 very pretty rooms round a courtyard filled with plants & flowers. 

Mandy, Paul & Janette headed off for a short trip to the winery for a tour round & a tasting. Again it is main production season here so the winery was very busy and there was lots to see.
Steve having had more than enough of our wine tasting shenanigans headed off to the pool area to enjoy the sunshine and the peace and quiet !! 

This is a completely organic and bio dynamic winery and the tour was really interesting. They explained how they manage pest control and soil supplements without any chemicals & tied to the seasons and wildlife. They use Alpacas to keep weeds down and for fertiliser and the plentiful hawks control the rabbit population & prevent vine damage.

Loads of Syrah

They were in full production, the grapes are all collected by hand in baskets and then sorted to remove any stem and then passed into stainless steel vats for a first pressing & fermentation. From there they are either bottled or aged in oak depending on the wine.
Surprisingly for this area, they had an award winning Syrah. This usually comes from very warm areas and is a wine full of tannin, oak and very sweet & strong.

The Master Wine Maker

The winemaker explained that here they grow the Syrah grapes on the side of the hill to minimise the cool breezes but they then produce a much less sweet and less tannin Syrah.
When we got to tasting, for non Syrah lovers, the Syrah was just fantastic, very different. So good in fact that we had a bottle that evening for dinner !

We had a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc out on the little terrace by the room in the evening sun and then went over to the little glass dining room for a lovely dinner with our special Syrah, just lovely and a very nice way to end our wine odyssey in Chile.

Dinner in the vinyard - just 6 rooms in the hotel

Happiness is.......

Tomorrow our travels continue north to Atacama, the hottest, highest and driest region on earth....fear and trepidation follows....

Sorry for long delays in the blog.  This is due to poor internet in Bolivia but we are trying to catch up...honest!!

Mar 14 & 15 - Valparaiso

Valparaiso 14 March

Off today to explore Valparaiso. We headed down to the lower level and had to decide between a bus trip (which all look like they came out of Heartbeat) or a trolley bus. The trolley buses are great, really old and amazing they still function at all but they are one of the main methods of transport for the locals or portenos as they are known. Decision made, we hopped on the trolley bus to the terminus. Not having enough small change, the trolley driver let us travel for free – very embarrassing but very kind !

Ancient trolley bus but go every 5  mins ...with bumps

Brilliant fun on the Trolley bus -
even compete strangers were talking to us !

The journey took us along the main streets and through all the squares. The lower area has a very colonial feel to it in the squares with palm trees and statues and the streets between are busy, seedy and full of graffiti. 

The Terminus - and head quarters !!

We got off at the terminus to find the station was a converted trolley bus with the control depot in the front cab and a little waiting area in the back and paintings of locals on the windows !

Having done the full circuit, our next foray was the metro train which runs from the port along the coast to Vina del Mar. 

Vina del Mar - rich playground with gated
communities, luxury cars
and more quality restaurants that
you can shake a stick at !

This area is the upmarket part of town. Expensive sea front apartment blocks along a stretch of white sand beaches with lifeguards. Ferrari’s and Range Rovers here instead of rust buckets ! The gap between the have’s and the have not’s quite distinct in a country with no welfare system for the poor.

View of Valparaiso from Vina del Mar (beach)

Vina del Mar (above)

We then hopped back on the metro and were back in time for a walking tour of the main areas and hills. 

The old quarter of Valparaiso - pretty and different

This explained why the houses were all brightly painted here, same as in Ushuai, the first immigrants used paint from the ships. The corrugated iron facades were to protect the clay from humidity.

The tourist quarter (or one of) with
their brightly painted houses

Unesco made the main square and two of the hills World Heritage sites in the 1960’s and this has really helped the city protect its heritage and encourage tourism to support the local economy.

The reason street art is so prevalent here is that graffiti is rife, so the people who own the buildings commission a street artist to paint the building and the graffiti artists won’t desecrate these paintings.

The city is very prone to fire, so on the lower level there are fire stations every few blocks, sponsored by different countries and all with volunteer firemen. We saw the American, German and British ones near the main square. 

Dont worry about the house burning down
it happens all the time !!

The need for them was demonstrated visibly this afternoon when a fire broke out in the lower part of the city while we were doing our walking tour on the hill above. The guide hardly broke stride in his talk as the sirens went off and within minutes it was all over, fire out and on we went with the walk.

By the end of the walking tour up hill and down steps on top of our entire day walking we were ready for a beer and a sit down !

Another pleasant evening with good food and wine.

If all else fails then there is always...

Valparaiso 15 March

Shopping day today ! We needed a soft bag to add to our travel bags, Janette’s case has now turned into wine transportation and Paul made to suffer excess load due to Janettes wine habit….so off we went into the main local shopping are on the hunt for a bag, bubble wrap and sellotape. No mean feat given our limited Spanish but with the help of some very kind, friendly and patient locals we managed them all.
Steve was loving his commannd of Latin Spanish as he discovered the bubble wrap was "plastica bublia bublia" 

Lovely weather today, clear sunny and warm with a breeze so coffee in the sun, some more street art photgraphs and a wander round the little artisan shops dotted around the hills and the afternoon was gone.

Nice city, Valparaiso and given the dire warnings we were given about petty crime and watching cameras etc, we again found the people to be unfailingly pleasant and kind. 
We had walked the length of the city twice and met just lovely people so we will leave it with very happy memories once again.