Chile
– March 25 – April 9, 2019
Just finished a
wonderful 3 weeks in Columbia
with Intrepid Travel and now it was time to be on my own. After a delicious lunch at Cantina y Punto in
Bogota, I took a taxi to the airport only to find the flight to Lima and on to
Santiago had been so delayed that by the time we reached Lima, the connecting
flight had already left…Rebooked for the morning flight and after a bus and
then metro I arrived at my Airbnb in the Belles Artes district which was
delightful. I had a whole studio to
myself!!! First stop was a café for
coffee and a brownie and then I wandered around and up to the Plaza des Armes.
Returned to my
studio and realized there had been a time change of 2 hours so I had missed my
reservation at Aqui esta coco!!! Took
the metro there anyway and there was a nice little table for me out on the
patio. Had a delicious ceviche with
peppers and red onions and a crème brulee, both fine but nothing special. The atmosphere was great so I was glad I had
come.
In the morning I
stopped for a croissant and coffee at Opera nearby and then walked to the
central market where a lot of seafood restaurants are located. It was too early to see much action but I got
a feel for the place anyway. Walked to
Centro Gabriela Mistral, a striking building with a small art exhibition on the
bottom floor which I enjoyed and then on to La Chascona, built in 1953 by Pablo
Neruda for his secret love and then wife, Matide Urrutia. The multi-level house is very ecletic in
design and filled with interesting paintings, furniture, carved wooden
sculptures, etc. A must see!!! There was a self-guided tour so you could
enjoy the history of his collection.
Stopped at
Mamboleta for brownie and ice cream and then walked to the top of Cerro Lucia where
there is a little castle and a lovely view of the city. Later that evening I walked over to the Bella
Vista area to Peumayen, an ancestral restaurant with unique food and music of Chile. I had the vegetarian selection and the
courses came out in threes on a wooden board.
It was a fabulous experience!!
First came a board of different breads and starters, i.e. pine nut and
honey and smoked cauliflower, etc., one of mains, i.e. lentil and quinoa
croquettes with chimichurri and one of desserts, i.e. chocolate cake with
rocoto marmalade.
In the morning I
took the metro and then bus back to the airport where I had some coffee and a
muffin and then flew to Puerta Montt.
Picked up a car at the airport and they gave me a GPS for free which I
was delighted to have. Found my way to
the airbnb and the host came out to greet me.
He showed me the studio and then we went to lunch at his friend’s
restaurant in town which was very nice.
Had some delicious pork, cucumber salad and chocolate cake. I stayed on in town and wandered around,
finally making my way up a very steep hill to Chile Picante where I had a
delicious dinner, i.e. salmon ceviche/fish with vegetables and pesto/crepes
with orange sauce, and a great view of the city.
There was only one
other couple in the restaurant and when they heard me ask the waiter to call a
taxi for me they offered to take me back to my airbnb!!! Really nice.
I speak just enough Spanish to get by which really helped.
Drove to Puerta
Vargas, a very cute little town nearby, for coffee and a muffin in the morning
at Barista and then wandered along the water for a bit. Drove to Frutillar and took a tour
(unfortunately only in Spanish) of the famous theatre on the lake with fabulous
acoustics and where many famous people have performed. Wandered back to my car passing some very
cute little houses along the way. Drove
up to Se Cocina and had a fabulous lunch even though I was the only person in
the restaurant!!! Had some cold
shellfish from the area which I did not recognize, grilled salmon with roast
Chilean potatoes and a lemon pie.
Beautiful view of the garden and very peaceful. Drove up to the Volcano Ostorno hoping for a
view but it was foggy all the way up and I didn’t see a thing…
Relaxed in my
airbnb and made some tea to go with the brownie I had picked up at
breakfast. Very nice.
Made some coffee
in the morning and heated up a muffin for breakfast, checked out and then drove
to the ferry to Chiloe
Island known for its
wooden churches built by the Jesuit missionaries in the 17th and 18th
centuries. Visited the Centro de
Visitantes Immaculada Conception in Ancud, which houses scale models of all 16
wooden churches and then wandered around the city down to the waterfront where
I had cheesecake and coffee at a cute little café called Café Amaranthine.
Drove on to Dalcahue,
a town facing the inner sea of the island and visited the Church Nuestra Senora
de los Dolores, the first of the many wooden churches I would visit. Drove on into Castro, the capital of Chiloe island where I met my host and followed him up to
the Cabana about 5 miles out of town where I had planned to spend three
nights. The road up was not paved and I
found it very difficult to climb. Later
I drove into Castro and visited the Iglesia San Francisco de Castro, a lovely
yellow church with a fantastic wooden interior and vaulted ceiling made using
ship building techniques. Wandered down
San Martin to the palafitos, little houses and restaurants set on the
water. Had dinner nearby at Mercadito,
grilled trout and salad.
Had a terrible
experience on returning to the Cabana as I couldn’t find the dirt path
entrance. I called my host who did not
answer the phone and finally asked a couple to help me. He spent almost an hour trying to find the
place which lucky for me he did…
Heated up a roll
for breakfast, made some coffee and had some fruit and headed out to San Juan and then to
Tenaun to see the churches. The one in San Juan was very old and
a village lady let me inside. Each one
has special icons and is unique. Drove
to Isla Aucar, south of Quemchi, and walked the wooden bridge across the water
to the park. Stopped in Dalcahue for
lemon pie and coffee and then took the ferry to Isla Quinchao. Stopped first in Curaco de Velez, a sweet
little town where you can take the walkway over the marshland. On to Achao, another cute town with a very
nice Iglesia Santa Maria de Loreto, Chiloe’s
oldest.
Returned to my
Cabana and then drove to Castro and had dinner at Cevicheria near the
palafitos, i.e. seafood stew filled with mussels, salmon, clams, etc. Very tasty.
After breakfast in
the morning and a drive down that very dangerous road out, I decided to stay at
one of the palafito’s my last night as I did not want to miss this
experience. Found a lovely Palafito
Hostel on the water and it was charming.
Returned to the Cabana and driving up the road my car almost flipped
over – really the last straw. Luckily
the host helped me set the car straight which took some doing and I told him I
was leaving. He gave me a bit of a
refund but at that point I didn’t really care.
After checking in
to the palafito I drove south and stopped in Nercon to visit Iglesia Nuestra
Senora de Gracia and was lucky again that someone let me inside. There was a beautiful all-wood sculpture of
St. Michael. On to Chonchi, a really
nice town on the water. Visited the
church and then walked down to the waterfront where I found a little café where
I had a delicious piece of chocolate cake and coffee.
Drove to Parque
Nacional with some guidance from a very nice school bus driver and stopped in
Rahue to pay the admission to walk the Muelle de las Armas shrouded in
folklore. This “dock of souls” was
crafted by Marcelo Orellana Rivera, a Chilean wood sculptor. It is quite a hike across some very windy but
beautiful landscape where this “dock” seems to disappear into the bay… It took
about 2 hours total but was well worth it.
Returned to my little palafito to shower and get warm. Later I walked next door to Cazador for a
fabulous dinner. Sat by the window and
enjoyed a glass of wine, hake fish with seafood sauce, organic greens and a
slice of roasted pumpkin. So relaxing
after such a busy day…
Took a little walk
along the water and then had breakfast at the communal table, i.e. homemade
bread and jam, hard cooked eggs and coffee.
Drove to Cucao and took the ferry to Pagua and then drove on to Puerto
Varas to spend a few hours before my flight to Punta Arenas.
Walked along the water and then stopped at Barista for a nice brownie
and coffee before heading to the airport and returning my car.
In Punta Arenas I picked up
another rental car (no GPS this time) and drove to my airbnb using the map but
it was late, dark and raining so I couldn’t really find it. Stopped at a little café along the way and
someone called my host and then let me follow them to the airbnb where my host
awaited me. I had a little studio of my
own and my host was so nice. She took me
into town (so I didn’t have to drive and get lost) and we had some soup at
Marmita, a very sweet little restaurant in town. Afterwards she drove up the hill so I could
get a nice view of the city and then around the city center so I could get a
feel for the city as the airbnb was about a 10 minute drive away. So very nice…
Drove into town in
the morning and had a delicious muffin and coffee at Wake Up Café. Walked up to the cemetery which was filled
with very ornate headstones and gravesites and then spent some time in the
Magallanes Regional Museum located in the Neoclassic mansion of the
Braun-Menendez family with its interesting collection of furniture and objects
that reflect Magallanes’ golden age.
Stopped at Wake Up for a quick chicken salad and then headed to Punta
Natales about 3 hours away.
My airbnb Cabana
was a bit farther out of town then I had expected but it was a little house and
very nice. Walked into town and back and
then drove up to Singular Hotel up on the hill for dinner. It used to be a packing warehouse so is
enormous and still has much of the equipment available to see. The view from the restaurant is lovely. Had an exquisite dinner, i.e. octopus with
romesco sauce, rabbit loins with caramelized carrot puree and flourless
chocolate cake.
Walked down to the
little café I had stopped at on my way in for a delicious chocolate muffin and
headed out to Torres del Paine National Park but headed out the long
way!!! After about 2 hours driving I
stopped a big bus and asked where I was and he told me I was still about 2
hours away as I started off in the wrong direction. He suggested I just relax and enjoy the
beauty which I did and was actually quite happy to have seen all I did on that
beautiful day as the weather only worsened after I arrived!!! Luckily I had picked up a brownie at the café
this morning and filled my water bottle so I was good to go!
I saw some
beautiful lakes, llamas, mountains, waterfalls, etc. and finally arrived in
Villa Serrano near the lake and Cabanas del Paine where I stayed for three
nights. The Cabanas are in a great
location about 15 minutes from the entrance to the park and much cheaper than
staying in the park. Close to the lake
and other nice hotels, it was perfect for me.
I walked over to Pampa Lodge nearby and booked a horse riding trip for
the morning and later returned to Rio Serrano for salmon with tamale corn
sauce.
Nice buffet
breakfast overlooking the lake, i.e. toast, eggs, lots of fruit and great
coffee. Walked over to Pampa Lodge and
although it was pouring rain, I took a two hour ride out into the woods and
through the lagoon.
Drove into the
park and on to the most beautiful hotel called Explora, an awesome, very modern
building, and an expensive all inclusive hotel. I talked them into “letting me” stay for lunch
and it was a wonderful, although expensive, experience. I sat by the window overlooking the lake and
had a mixed salad, grilled fish with carrot puree and chocolate fondue with
strawberries for dessert plus a glass of wine and coffee. Since it was rainy I returned to the Cabana
for a hot shower. Just had some pancakes
filled with cheese and rhubarb later relaxing in the dining room.
After breakfast
the next morning I drove to Lago Grey about 30 minutes away and found the
Mirador trail down to the lake. Walked
to the end and enjoyed the beauty, i.e. a lot of little glaciers, ice and
stillness. The walk took about two
hours. Returned to the hotel for lunch
overlooking the lake, i.e. pumpkin soup, glass of wine, beef cooked very slowly
so it was very tender and served with potato puree and a chocolate
dessert.
Unfortunately it
was still raining so returned to the Cabana to plan the rest of my trip. Nice dessert buffet for dinner.
Beautiful day in
the morning and unfortunately it was the day I had to leave. Stopped at the Milodon Caves
where remnants of several species of extinct animals were found and where the
indigenous Selk’nam people lived.
Stopped in Puert
Natalas at the café where I had had breakfast and had a very nice pumpkin soup
and carrot cake before heading into Punta
Arenas and back to the airbnb where I had stayed
before. Parked my car and took a nice
walk along the water and back. Drove to
Yegua Loca for dinner. It is a little
hotel and very fun little café as well with great food. I had grilled octopus with quinoa and a very
nice chocolate dessert.
Took a peaceful
walk along the water after a delicious muffin and coffee at Wake Up and then
stopped there again for pumpkin soup and passion fruit tart. Returned the car and flew to Santiago, arriving about 7 p.m. Bus and then metro to the Bella Vista area
where I was staying in an airbnb with multiple locks and combinations which
just about did me in!! I finally got
inside and it was really nice. Closed up
everything and walked to the singular Hotel for dinner. Had delicious grilled octopus with avocado
cream, a glass of wine and a chocolate mousse dessert. Walked back to the airbnb even though it was
quite late as it seemed safe enough.
Had a brownie and
coffee for breakfast at the porta café and then took the metro to Pajaros where
I caught a bus to Valpariso about 1-1/2 hours away. Took a local bus up to La Sebastiana, another
of Pablo Neruda’s home and a lovely one at that. Five stories filled with paintings, unique
furniture, antique maps, etc. Took another
bus back into the center to see the famous colored houses and painted murals,
stopping for coffee and pie at a little café where someone was playing the
guitar and singing…Bus back to Santiago where I checked out of my airbnb and
stopped by Bocanariz for a quick lunch of grilled octopus with crisp potatoes
in a spicy sauce. Metro to bus and bus
to the airport and home!!! Another
excellent trip!!!