Valle de Colchagua

Viña Montes

Icon wines

With two days, one night and 790 km separating us from Santiago we had to make up some ground. We agreed that a stop in Santa Cruz would put us within a comfortable distance of the capital and that a tour of Montes Vineyard would give us the opportunity to sample some fine wine in the Colchagua Valley region.

Tasting

We visited the production facilities and learned about some of the unique techniques used at Montes before heading down to the cellar for everyone´s favorite part. At Montes, they play Canto Gregoriano chants for the icon wines as they mature in the French fine grain Allier oak barrels. The price difference for a wine that has listened to the chants versus one that hasn´t is a little more than $100.   

Award winning grapes

Montes Apalta winery has the capacity to hold 2,300,000 litres of wine but they still commit to preserving nature on the upper hillsides. It was so hot during our visit, that we were relieved to only be outdoors long enough for a trip to the rooftop and a panoramic view of the sprawling vineyard and the scenic slopes that surround them.     

Búho al atardecer

Salto del Lajas

We cleared out of Santa Cruz early to return the rental car and make some final rounds in Santiago. We selected a dirt cheap hostel in the Brazil barrio to serve as a staging area for Jeremy to make his return trip and for us to ponder our next move.

I should mention that we did stumble across some good Chilean brews in the end. The Crater Porter Ale topped the list of a handful and Kross 5 wasn´t bad either.

Pucón y Volcán Villarrica

Pucón, Chile

Hermanos. Volcán Villarrica

Our next stop was Pucón. A true adventure destination that has a plethora of outdoor activities to choose from. For the duration of our stay we referred to it as "Banff", Chile. 

Lava tubes

For starters, Cindy decided that we should walk 250 meters into South America´s most active volcano. We almost didn´t make it due to all the bad tourists that ruin the access road. It had nothing to do with the road itself, the slope, the materials and techniques used to construct the route nor that annoying principle of gravity.   

Spelunking

When all was said and done we were treated to a really good tour. Plenty of information about volcanoes, volcanic material and a long history of eruptions went in one ear and out the other as we wandered through a maze of volcanic tubes and stared in amazement at the interesting formations and unique coloration. We eventually descended into total darkness and a cool temperature of about 8°C.  

Tilquilco Lake

After consuming a few empanadas napolitanas, Jeremy and I headed to the River Trancura to hydro-speed down the rapids. Equipped with wetsuits, fins, life jackets and over-sized flutter boards we waded into the chilly waters for our briefing. Our three minute lesson was cut short when one of our foursome made an early departure backwards down the first set of rapids against his will, yelling "I can´t!" The hour long thrill ride got better from there and Jeremy later summarized the experience stating. "There was more self preservation required that I expected."

Huerquehue National Park

Our visit to Parque Nacional Huerquehue included another hike and yet another waterfall. The steep uphill trek through massive old trees was perhaps the most impressive part of our tour and a good workout ta boot. After completing the loop we made the trip to Los Pozones natural hot springs for a relaxing soak. Polar dips in the ice cold river that ran past the thermal pools were optional.  

Puerto Octay

Centinela Lake, Puerto Octay

 Zapato Amarillo Hostel

We said "ciao" to the mythical island of Chiloé and headed north to Chile´s lake district. Another efficient ferry crossing and limited construction aided our progress. A rural hostel near the town of Puerto Octay became our next base of operations. Comfortable lodging and delicious food made this venue a memorable one. 

Andes background

After restful sleeps in our hobbit houses, Jeremy and I rented some wheels and set out for a "nice" bicycle ride through the country. The scenery was incredible. Green pastures, a pristine lake and a snow-capped volcano. It would have been especially enjoyable from a car. While we enjoyed the landscape and detested the biking, Cindy made her first successful attempt at hitchhiking. She and a friend from the hostel thumbed a ride across the countryside to a  nearby beach.     

Volcan Osorno

Day two at yellow shoe was the search for a hiking trail that either didn´t exist or was too difficult to find. After giving a good sandblasting to the undercarriage of our rental and starting an unsuccessful hike up a private driveway, we aborted  the original mission and took the more conventional road to the ski resort of Volcan Osorno. Exorbitant rates for foreign nationals and a sketchy lift operator put us off taking the double-chair just a bit higher.      

Empanadas de Chile

The best way to start one´s day in Chile is to devour one or several delicious empanadas. It is also one of the best ways to end your day or to spend a few minutes part way through your day. While the variety of these tasty treats is boundless, you can never go wrong with the standard empanada de pino. The  most common empanada in Chile incorporates meat, onion, boiled egg and an olive (often with the pit) all stuffed into a pastry and baked.   

La cascada, Puerto Octay

The last item on our list of things to do was the hike to "La Cascada". After a short, rugged trek through dense vegetation we were rewarded with a fairly impressive waterfall of about 40 metres. The mist at the base of the falls created a double rainbow and offered a refreshing shower.      

Crater del Volcan Puyehue 

After a great three days in Puerto Octay we checked out and headed to the Puyehue National Park. Inept road construction crews slowed our progress but after a few heavy equipment evasive maneuvers we were able to continue on and eventually arrive in one piece. We hiked across the crater and scaled the steep ridge on the other side. For the most part it was just us and those pesky high altitude horseflies.  

Our view from the hostel

Chiloé

Humboldt Currents

Ferry to Chiloé

One day after picking up our rental car in Santiago we were boarding the ferry for Chiloé. We had stayed in Chillán overnight and made good time down route 5. We drove directly onto the ferry and reached Ancud in the early evening. 

Curanto

After locating a hostel and getting some information about the local activities we finally got around to having supper in a popular local restaurant. Jeremy tried curanto, which is the famous dish of Chiloé. 

Pinguineras de Puñihuil

The following day we set out for Puñihuil Penguin Reserve. We had to maneuver an ugly stretch of road to reach the remote section of shore near the southwest tip of the island. Puñihuil is the only known shared breeding ground of both Humboldt and Magellanic penguins.   

Humboldt Penguin

We took a boat out to view three small islands and the intriguing creatures that call them home. Amazingly, we were able to see the two distinct colonies side by side. Large groups hanging out close to the water and others, normally in pairs, guarding the nests and burrowing holes like sentries. I would have loved to stick around for shift change.

Parque Nacional Chiloé

We worked our way south to Chiloé National Park. We hiked all the available trails in a few hours. The park was nice but not spectacular. Still, we enjoyed ourselves despite the swarming horse flies. The highlight was emerging from the forest, walking along the beach and wading into the cold water.  

Mythical Shores of Chiloé

Castro, Chiloé

Life in Castro was good. We were housed right on the water at the Palafito Hostel. When on-site, we spent our time on the spacious deck. Sipping wine, chatting and staring out across the bay to the hills beyond.   

Viviendo el destino

Before leaving we took turns taking a sea kayak into the bay. The view of all the colorful houses on stilts or "palafitos" from the water was an impressive one. 

Asado de cordero

We were fortunate to pass through Nercón during a festival. We stopped in for asado and apple empanadas before hitting the road.   

Valpo y Viña

Valparaíso at night

Ascensor 

After our hopes of seeing the finish of the Dakar rally in Santiago were dashed we bolted for the coast. We landed in Valpaíriso and checked into Hostel Mariposa up in the hills. One of the famous funiculars was located outside our bedroom window. It was no longer in service but many others continue to function on a daily basis. 

Our view in Valparaiso

The hills are so steep in Valpo that everyone seems to get a pretty good view. Our balcony served as a crows nest and lounge area.   

Pasillos de Valpo

During our stay, we explored several of the passageways that twist down to the city below. The steep stairs and dog cigars require your full attention at all times for the descent. The return trips were maybe more challenging for the same reasons under the cover of darkness and occasionally after a terremoto, which is a strong drink that leaves some with shaky legs. The beverage contains one scoop of pineapple ice-cream covered in pisco and white wine and is served in a 1 L glass. 

ValpoBier 2013

As luck would have it we arrived on the weekend and in time for the annual beer festival. In addition to this bit of good fortune, we were happy to discover that they were serving more than just Chilean brews. While Chile has plenty of great wine, it lacks a quality selection of readily available beer.  

Festival de la Cerveza

We managed to get tickets to a beer tasting hosted by a local Irish pub. Despite a long delay in getting started we had a good time tasting some unique brews and hearing about them from a true Irishman.  

Tipping them back in Valpo

Shortly after our tasting, the concert ended and the event came to a close. All in attendance staggered back down the waterfront and into the night. 

Castillo de Viña

Not far from Valparaíso is Viña del Mar. We used the metro that links the two cities to make a day trip to Viña. We quickly found some exotic empanadas that didn´t disappoint. We spent a chunk of our day walking around the main streets and along the beach. The water was not warm but that didn´t seem to deter the majority of visitors from enjoying the water.  

Chorrillana

We continued the assault on our Chilean cuisine to do list. Chorriana is not the most delicious option but a weak moment led to our first and last plate for three.      

Viña del Mar

Santiago de Chile

View of Santiago from San Cristóbal Hill

Mendigo, bronce. Bellas artes

We spent our first three days in Santiago living in the Bella Vista district. Our hostel was just steps away from the San Cristóbal Hill. We explored the nearby hill, a few of the surrounding neighborhoods and of course made a stop at Bellas Artes. An early positive was adjusting to the new currency and forgetting about the filthy Argentine peso. The bills in Argentina had a similar feel to a well used kleenex.

Bike & Wine. Viña Cousiño Macul

We bid farewell to Bella Vista and crossed the chocolaty Mapocho River in search of new digs in the downtown. We were upgrading for the arrival of big brother Jeremy. Neither of us was a bit upset about ending our string of dorm stays and our apartment set-up turned out to be perfect for three.

Cabernet Sauvignon grapes

Jeremy arrived without incident and a day later we were pedalling through the Cousiño Macul Vinyard, examining the vines and tasting the wine along the way. We had arrived via metro and taxi and bicicleta verde had our slick single speeds ready to go. 

After parking the bikes we headed down to the underground cellar for our second tasting. The picture shows only half of the impressive structure that was constructed around 1877. After completing the subterranean component of our tour we ascended the stone stairway back into daylight. Our final stop was back in the wine shop where we enjoyed the final tasting and the best of  what Cousiño Macul had to offer.

Menu

We were all eager to see some sights so we elected to take part in a city walking tour of Santiago. Our guide, Franco was phenomenal due to his sense of humor and his brutal honesty regarding the way of life in Santiago. We got a good look around at our starting point, Plaza de Armas and many of the important monuments and buildings that surround it. We stopped frequently and learned a little bit about the strange history and tough times during the recent and controversial dictatorship. After getting our fill of heavy Chilean history we made our way to Lastarria which is the main bohemian neighborhood and the cultural hub in Santiago.  

Living the destination!

Jeremy wanted to "live the destination" so after our lengthy tour we made our way to Gallindo in an effort to dismiss our hunger. We all selected a different typical dish to get a taste of what Chile had to offer. We agreed that Cindy had selected the most delicious but they were all worthy of eating. A mountainous portion of pastel de choclo or corn pie was the last to fall. Pisco sour and beer where the beverages of choice.   

Cañón del Atuel

Cañón del Atuel

Los burros

Our day started with a brief tour of San Rafael and a refreshing swim in the Atuel River. After those planned activities we made an unexpected stop.  Our progress towards the canyon was thwarted by a group of donkeys that appeared in the middle of the road. They efficiently stopped the flow of traffic and approached the windows. The trio made short work of any treat that was offered up and took a particular liking to crackers.

Las Gemelas

We weaved along the narrow road and enjoyed the view along the way. A mixture of interesting terrain and vegetation kept our minds off the scorching heat as we made our way into the canyon. 

Formations

We descended into the Atuel Canyon to witness some stunning formations and amazing color variation. Our guide was a little overzealous in  pointing out what he saw in any average rock. 

 

Desert skies

The last leg of our longer than expected, fifteen hour tour was spent speeding across the plains of Mendoza.        

San Huberto Vinyard

We spent our final day making our obligatory rounds to a few of the vinyards in the world famous region. These impressive barrels were the highlight and the free for all wine tasting that followed was the lowlight.