From 'Lonely Planet' - Pablo Neruda said it best: 'Valparaiso, how absurd you are ... you haven't combed your hair, you've never had time to get dressed, life has always surprised you.' Ravaged over the years by a variety natural disasters, this is one of those great cities to walk, and walk, and walk! I'll... Continue Reading →
Caught the rattly local bus into the city early and jumped on the funicular to Cerro San Christobel, getting views of this enormous city. Walked the streets to Estacion Mapocho, no longer in service as a train station but has been tastefully transformed into a performing arts space, retaining its grandeur and colourful past. Lunch... Continue Reading →
A quick drive north. We left Chiloe heading for Puerto Varas where the plan was to book the cars in for servicing. Using iOverlander, we selected and located a recommended mechanics workshop. Arriving at 3pm, we expected to have to wait a day or so before they could do the 3 vehicles – but not... Continue Reading →
Every now and then we update the map which shows the route we take and the places we've stayed. Check out where we are. We're finally further north than when we began!
Isla Grande Chiloe and its archipelago, is famous for its churches as 16 have been heritage listed by UNESCO. As in many parts of the world, many of the first settlers came as evangelists to save the indigenous peoples (from themselves). In this area of Chile, some of the first Europeans to come were Jesuits.... Continue Reading →
Leaving Chaiten, we chose to travel by ferry to Quellon on the Isla Grande de Chiloe – a change from snow-capped mountains, glaciers and rivers… Our ferry was delayed by almost 2 hours, so the four hour trip had us arriving about 11.30pm. Driving in the dark, which we try to avoid, we made our... Continue Reading →
You can imagine that after 2 months on the road, we have had a whole range of bathroom ‘experiences’ in campgrounds, petrol stations, cafes and even the odd public toilet when they can be found. Whilst cleanliness has not generally been an issue, the quality of plumbing that we are used to at home has... Continue Reading →
The one-man border crossings at Paso Roballos were quick and easy and a good reason for choosing to cross at these remote locations. With the weather looking darker and the winds roaring, we travelled along the bottom of an enormous valley, passing through the privately owned Parque Patagonia and joined the Carratera Austral just south... Continue Reading →
Ruta 41 – This track deserves its own post! Another border crossing was in order. This time we were preparing to leave Argentina for a significant period of time, so we did the sensible thing and stocked up on things that would cost us more in Chile – mainly beer and wine! From Los Antiguos,... Continue Reading →
Notes from somewhere else... 