Months later, sitting here on a cloudy, late summer day in Melbourne, the time has come to collect our thoughts on our time in Chilito. So here’s our take, highs and lows and a few tips for your next trip to Chile.

Chile Highlights

Some of our favourite places

1. Torres del Paine and Patagonia: Distant mountain peaks, glistening lakes, and grassy plains stretching for as far as the eye can see. Patagonia has long been synonymous with outdoor adventure. Sarah and I went down to Torres del Paine for just that… and what we found proved to be our favourite experience in Chile. And probably not just because we didn’t get rained on.

2. La Serena and the Elqui Valley – After spending a few days in the Bolivian and Chilean deserts, it was a nice change of pace landing in this sea side town. Modern but with an old world charm, La Serena was a beautiful place to spend a few days relaxing. For a total change of pace, we took a day trip to the Elqui Valley to sample papaya and pisco and rub shoulders with a few older Chilean tourists. Our time in La Serena definitely felt more like a holiday than backpacking.

3. Valparaiso – Sarah and I left the capital of Santiago bound for this city of hills and murals to celebrate our second wedding anniversary. What we found was a charming haunt, with all the air of art, poetry, and music. We loosened up the purse strings and threw caution to the wind to mark this milestone in our journey together.

Some of our favourite hostels

1. Felipe’s House, Santiago – Not so much a hostel as a home… and a wonderful place to lay our heads for a few days. Thanks again, Felipe!

2. Hotel Cirilo Armstrong, Valparaiso – We graded up a bit during our visit to Valparaiso. With beautiful, bright, and airy rooms overlooking the rolling hills of the seaside town, this hotel was probably the nicest one we stayed in since leaving Melbourne months before. The staff were helpful and the breakfast divine. It’s a little hard to find on Cerro Alegre… but all the cab drivers know where it is.

3. Tin House Hostel, Puerto Natales – We stayed at this quaint little hostel before setting off to hike the W Circuit in the Torres del Paine National Park and the night of our return to civilisation. The place felt more like a comfortable, warm little cabin home than a travelers hostel. The staff was immeasurably helpful with information about Puerton Natales and the nearby park. And Sarah still sometimes dreams about the breakfast… yum!

Some of our favourite activities

1. Hiking the W Circuit – It had been a while since we had done any trekking, and last time we had a guide a cook and a team of helpful Chaskis. This time it was just us two and a jumbo pack of beef jerky. Thank goodness we got to experience all the beauty of this trek with fair winds and not a drop of rain!

2. Tasting the delights of the Elqui Valley – We felt much more like Chilean day trippers on our outing to the Elqui Valley… complete with a guide, mini-bus, and a stop for lunch. But exploring the valley in this manner allowed us to cover a lot of ground and enjoy an Epicurean afternoon, sampling a few delights… including Chilean Pisco.

3. Checking out the Penguins on Chiloe – Sure enough, the little tuxedo wearing guys love the enchanted island of Chiloe. So we spent a beautiful afternoon making our way out to visit them waddle in the sunny day.

Chile Lowlights

1. Dolla Dolla Bills, Y’all – Coming off of a few months spent between Bolivia and Peru, arriving in Chile felt like we left the dollar store and stumbled into Tiffany’s. Okay, maybe that’s not a really fair example (no diamonds were harmed in the previous statement) but the truth is, compared to the countries north of it, Chile is expensive. For us, we chose to travel from North to South on the continent, leaving the more developed countries (read: expensive) towards the end of the trip. We’d end up spending less time in Chile and Argentina, largely due to the cost difference. This isn’t much of a lowlight really and we knew it before going. But, there’s something to be said about being able to spoiling yourself… on a shoestring. The cost differences we noticed immediately were transportation and lodging. Though, especially in terms of bus transportation, the quality in Chile was higher than Bolivia.

2. Achao - Okay, it’s not that this little fishing town on the island of Chiloe is a bad place. It just takes a bus and a ferry and a bus to get there… and when you do… you realise that there’s really nothing going on.

Culture Shock

Shock: Sir, can you please remove the marbles from your mouth – By the time we had arrived in Chile, Sarah and I had started to become a little more comfortable with Spanish. We had about 8 weeks of lessons under our belts along with self study and a lot of practice in the language lab that is South America. But none of this prepared us for communicating in Chile. The guidebooks will tell you that they speak Spanish in Chile, but don’t be fooled.  Chilean “Spanish” is something more akin to rapid fire quips and grunts and words that sort of resemble Castellano but never quite match it.

Solution: Sometimes it just takes one - Once I was on a bus in Chile when the attendant came back to tell us that we’d have to get off the bus for 45 minutes. How did I know that’s what he said? Well, somewhere in the long explanation I caught the Spanish words for exit and 45 minutes. I’m sure there was more information in the attendants delivery, so I asked him to clarify why we needed to leave the bus. He launched into another lengthy explanation, during which I caught exactly one word… combustible. This is a Spanish word for gasoline. Ah…

Quick Tips

1. Welcome to Chile… here you can book plane flights online, the buses run generally on time, and there’s even Walmart. If you’re coming from Bolivia, it’ll feel like you just traveled a few hundred years in time. But, as I lamented above, all of this comes with a price. So pack half as much stuff, and bring twice as much money.

2. Heading to Patagonia? Check out our tips here.

For the fourth time on our trip in South America, we swapped the usual long bus ride for a short hop on a plane. We had flirted with the idea of going further south, to places like Punta Arenas and even down to Ushuaia, Argentina. Exploring Tierra del Fuego and the ends of the earth sounded adventurous. But, realistically, time was getting short and the cost of heading north from the pointy tip of South America was rather disheartening.

As it turns out, the quickest and least cost way for us to leave Patagonia and continue traveling in Argentina was to stay on the Chile side for now and fly from Puerto Natales up to Santiago. From there, a 7 hour bus ride would take us back across the Andes and on to Mendoza, Argentina.

The tiny airport of Puerto Natales felt more like a bus station, but unlike our experience in Bolivia, the plane felt… well… air worthy. Though It may as well been a bus, the plane originally left Punta Arenas, stopped to pick us up, and then stopped again in Puerto Montt before finally landing in the capitol city.

So after days of wandering through the beautiful landscape of Patagonia, drinking water from flowing creeks and stuffing our faces with dried fruit and salami, we were on our way back to Argentina… this time, with much more Epicurean endeavors in mind.

We really hadn’t done much planning ahead of time when we rolled into Puerto Natales, Chile early in the afternoon. We wanted to make arrangements to start hiking the W Trail in the nearby Torres del Paine National Park the following day. Some friends had recently done the trek, with little forward planning on their part as well, but with the summer high season starting to go into full swing, we were worried about arranging accommodation in the park and picking up some trekking supplies.

Shortly after arriving, we headed down to our hostel, Tin House. In a town that’s teeming with hostels and budget accommodation, this little hostel turned out to be a great place to stay. The woman running the hostel, who was actually from Texas, was immediately friendly and helpful to us. She mentioned that a daily briefing about the park was held just down the block at Erratic Rock. As it was starting in just a few minutes, we headed on over.

The pub/camping gear rental shop of Erratic Rock was packed to the gills with people from around the world, most looking like they just stepped out of an REI (Anaconda for you Australians) print ad. Moments later, one of the guides began a briefing about the park, the logistics of getting in and out, current conditions, and some details about the two most popular treks there… the W and the Circuit.

The W trail is named such because of its shape. If you look at the map below, it’s most of the green line (which loosely looks like a W). At roughly 75 kilometers (46 miles), most people spend 3 to 6 days hiking the trail. Accommodation options range from free, non-powered tent camping all the way up to some pretty swanky refugios (lodges). As for food, you can bring and cook your own or you can buy meals at the refugios as well. The main attractions on the W include the Torres del Paine, Los Cuernos, the French Glacier, and Glacier Grey. The trail can be done from right to left or left to right, and there are advocates for both ways. Our plan was to go right to left.

For the hardcore hikers, the Circuit (roughly 150 kilometers or 93 miles long) takes in the W as well as a loop around the mountains. Besides the W or the Circuit, the park actually has a bunch of other trails and points of interest… enough to keep anyone in trekking heaven for quite some time.

(Map Credit: 52weeksand1day Blog)

After the briefing over at Erratic Rock, Sarah and I started pounding the pavement in Puerto Natales. Essentially, we didn’t want to carry camping gear… which meant trying to book accommodation. For the most part, two companies operate refugios in the park, Fantastico Sur and Vertice Patagonia. What we soon found out was that no refugio beds were available for two of the three nights we’d be in the park. So instead, we booked tents for these nights and for our last night, we’d be in a lodge. As for food, we planned on bringing enough for lunches and buying breakfast and dinner at the refugios. This was going to be a far cry from our heady days of hiking the Inca Trail!

If there was one recommendation that our friends gave us about hiking in the park, it was that the weather could change on a dime. For them, they were met with unrelenting wind for most of the trail. So Sarah and I gathered up all the foul weather gear we had… two light jackets and an umbrella and hoped for the best. We did get her some gloves and rented her some rain pants. But unlike the Gortex crew back at Erratic Rock, we were winging this one. The grey clouds and rain droplets in Puerto Natales didn’t reassure us much.

But somehow the Patagonia gods smiled on us the morning we arrived in the park… and over the next four days the weather was nothing short of perfect…warm, windless, and save for a few clouds up at the Torres, beautifully clear. The picture above show’s Sarah starting out on the first day of trekking.

But there’s something sort of strange about hiking a W trail. That is, for a lot of the trail, you’re actually back-tracking. That, and if you’re like me… you may have misread the map a bit and actually ended up hiking a lot more than the 75 kilometers of the standard trail. Hey… just more time to take in the beauty of Patagonia (Sarah didn’t see it that way )

Our four days of trekking actually turned out to be a great experience. The camping was comfortable and the food (both what we brought and what we bought) was tasty. Our final night in the lodge at Pehoe felt magical after spending the previous two nights in a tent. Vertice’s refugio there is actually quite nice.

Everyone on the trail was friendly and we even ran into a woman whom we had briefly met in Bolivia some time before. We’d later see her again in Buenos Aires as well. Running into people months apart was quite normal in South America.

It was surprising how quick the 4 day trek went, and before you knew it we were back in Puerto Natales (well, after our bus caught fire on the way out of the park… thought my few possessions were going to go up in flames). After a relaxing day in town to recover, we were ready to leave Patagonia for the north again.

Here’s our tips for your next trip to the Torres del Paine National Park:

1. Patagonia is expensive. Expect to pay considerably more for accommodation, food, transport, etc. compared to other places in Chile and Argentina. Typical refugio bunk beds are $35 – $45 each and meals (from refugios) are $15 – $25 each. Just renting a tent can be $15 and up.
2. Book ahead… especially in the summer. You can do this online nowadays.
3. Do some planning about what trek(s) you’d like to do in the Park and decide how you want to handle gear, accommodation, food, etc. For us, we were looking for a trek but not a full on Bear Grills experience. Tenting it a few nights and eating meals in the refugios was a good mix. But we were incredibly lucky with the weather. This factor really contributed to making it enjoyable for us… especially since we really didn’t have the right gear for doing the trek. No one wants to carry around a tent or goretex undies for 9 months in South America. Anyway, you may not be so lucky with the weather so take some good gear and check locally for the weather outlook. But, I must say, the people camping in the tent only sites (not where the refugios were) did look like they were having an amazing time.
4. The W trek can actually be challenging… especially because I think there’s a bit of psychology going on when you hike 4 hours somewhere, see something amazing and then turn around to head back the same way you came. That, and we probably had pretty soft, backpacker bodies (still do). Anyway, you can hike it in just about any order, fashion, and time length. And that fact alone lead to a little confusion when we were trying to figure out what the heck we were doing the day before we left for the park. Hike it how ever you want.
5. Take cash to pay the park entrance fee. If you’re paying with something other than Chilean money, the bills need to be absolutely perfect. I had a few Argentinian ones knocked back that had tiny imperfections.
6. You can drink the water straight out of the streams (100 meters or more away from camps) in the park. It’ll be the tastiest water you’ve had ever! We did it the whole trek… and Sarah never ceased to get excited about it.

Got questions about the park or the trek? Contact us!

It was with a little sadness that we said goodbye to our friends in Bariloche. Our time there had felt so relaxed… so much like being on holiday, rather than backpacking. Alas, the road came calling early in the morning, and we headed to the bus station once again. What we now faced would be the longest bus ride of our trip. Heading south along sections of the famous Ruta 40, we would spend the next 28 hours getting from Bariloche to El Calafate in the Patagonia region of Argentina.

All in all, the bus ride went just fine. The scenery was quite interesting. In my head, I had this image of Patagonia as sort of New Zealand/Lord of the Rings territory. But as it turns out, a lot of it is quite flat, almost fjord-like, with distant mountains and big sky. We slept, watched movies, ate little airplane meals… Bus service in Argentina is actually quite nice (but also quite expensive). I’d have to say that the best service for cost for buses in South America (where we’ve traveled) would still be Peru. Alas, 28 hours flew by and we arrived in the small town of El Calafate.

The main reason we went to El Calafate was to visit the nearby Perito Moreno Glacier. At 5 kilometers wide (3 miles) and averaging 74 metres (240 feet) in height from the water line, the glacier is an imposing natural wonder. Getting to the glacier is pretty easy as well (as it’s the most popular spot to visit near the town), with a number of buses leaving each morning from the local bus station.

We stayed at a pretty good little hostel, i keu ken, just up the hill from the bus station and not too far from town. We were able to book our bus tickets to the glacier through the hostel and the staff was really helpful. As with anything nowadays, there’s a whole slew of options for visiting the glacier, including boat trips and hiking tripa on the glacier itself. We decided to do the most basic, and visit the park only. There, a long system of cat walks allows visitors to get relatively close to the glacier (not exactly spitting distance) while minimising the impact to the natural environment.

We spent most of the day combing through the cat walks, stopping to observe the glacier, take pictures, and enjoy being outdoors. One of the best things about this glacier is that it is actually moving. Every so often, chunks of ice break apart from the glacier to thunderous noise and crash into the water. At some points, the ice is dense enough to have a deep blue hue, caused by the absorption of orange (long wavelength) part of the light spectrum and the transmission of the blue (short wavelength) part. (Now don’t believe I knew that off the top of my head… I knew it had to do wavelengths of visible light. Mr. Google helped me with the details.)

We would jump on another bus the following day, heading further south in Patagonia. We were headed back to Chile, to visit the Torres del Paine National Park.

Thanksgiving is a confusing holiday for Australians. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked about Turkey Day’s significance. The usual inquiry goes something like… “So… you just eat?” At best, I try to explain it as a lot like Easter… but with less going to church.

So with Turkey Day fast approaching, Sarah and I found ourselves on a bus from Puerto Montt, Chile to Bariloche, Argentina. The 7 hour bus trip would take us north to Osorno and then east, through a mountain pass and across the border. Unlike border crossings in other countries, this one was smooth and efficient.

The trip through the mountains was quite scenic, with tall pines and twisty turns… but it didn’t take us long to notice something a bit strange about the scene. Along the road, piled high like snow drift, was grey ash, blanketing the landscape. And then vague memories started to come back – about a volcano erupting in Chile some months back. Sure enough, we found ourselves in the Termas de Puyehue national park, home to the Puyehue volcano.

On June 6, 2011, Puyehue erupted, throwing ash more than 6 miles into the sky and forcing thousands of people to evacuate. Flights as far away as Australia were delayed for more than a week. And here, months later, the remains of the eruption… the earth and rock and ash… still choked the landscape.

Much of the ash had been cleared in Bariloche since the eruption. Famous for outdoor recreation (especially skiing) and chocolate, the lakeside  town had begun to recover from the affects of Mother Nature. Its alpine lodge charm was on  full display as we arrived at the edge of town. But despite it being nearly summer, Sarah and I were greeted to a cold wind and light rain as we got off the bus.

Other than the chance to explore this popular area of Argentina, Sarah and I had also come to Bariloche to meet up with some friends we made during our time at PSF. We had said goodbye to them in Peru a few months prior, but by chance our paths were crossing now here in Argentina. They had arranged a week’s lodging at a hotel on the outskirts of town, near the beginning of the Circuito Chico (Small Circuit) and had invited us to join them.

Over the next week we filled our days with all things epicurean and well… lazy (or perhaps relaxing is a better word for it). Sure, there was talk of going biking or zip-lining, but the cool and wet weather that met us at the bus stop continued for most of the week… inspiring us to such travel endeavors as visiting most of the chocolate shops in town, playing a lot of cards, cooking, eating like kings at a nearby parilla (steakhouse), drinking a lot of beer and wine… and of course, lounging about. And when we found out another friend of ours was in town, we did the only sensible thing and had him over for dinner and cards. This wasn’t traveling… this was holidaying… and it felt great.

But in our defense, we did occasionally get adventurous. We hired a car and explored the Circuito Chico for a day and near the end of the week, staring down the barrel of a warm but windy day, we decided to go kayaking. I think this was more out of guilt for our holiday indulgences than an actual desire to get out and be “travelly.” But alas, this proved to be a little more adventure than we bargained for. A short time after setting out onto the lake, one of our fearless couples got quite the scare (and wet shorts) when they capsized their kayak. I’m not going to name names but let’s just say they rhyme with Mark and Meghan. I guess it pays sometimes to sit back, relax and enjoy the holiday.

But during our time in Bariloche, the clear highlight would have to have been celebrating Thanksgiving. There was no turkey to be found in the town, but we did manage to grill a Thanksgiving chicken, complete with stuffing, salad, and all the trimmings. For a group of  travelers, the time to relax among friends and enjoy a great meal in a beautiful setting was the perfect little slice of home. It gave us a chance to reflect on our trips thus far… to be thankful for the privilege to be able to travel and for the blessings of good health (sans a parasite or two) and happiness.

I couldn’t think of a better way to spend Thanksgiving.

If you look at a map of Chile, the first thing you’ll notice is its odd shape. The country’s length (north to south) is over 4,300 kilometres  (2,700 miles), which is greater than both the width (east to west) and length (north to south) of Australia. Chile’s length is also more than 3/4 of the width (east to west) of the United States. But despite its length, Chile’s width averages a mere 175 kilometres (109 miles). And at its narrowest point, the country is only 64 kilometres (40 miles) wide.

The tremendous north to south length of the country along the South American continent leaves it with numerous, distinctly different geographic and climatic regions. From the Atacama desert to the fjords and rising mountains of Patagonia, the country is a snapshot of much of what our planet has to offer.

Chile is broken up into 15 separate regions along its length, and as Sarah and I boarded a late afternoon bus in Valparaiso, we were leaving the fifth and heading to the tenth. Puerto Montt, in the lake district, was where we would arrive the next day. But our stop there would be brief, as we’d continue via bus and ferry to the Island of Chiloe.

Between the arid deserts of the north and the glaciers of the south, the island of Chiloe offers another distinct region of Chile.  More New England fishing community in appearance than colonial South American outpost, the island is rich in rugged coastlines, misty harbors, and  wooden cathedrals. When we arrived in the small town of Ancud, it was hard not to imagine that we’d left South America all together… arriving, rather, in some bygone seaside village as the fishing boats were put to sea.

For Chileans, the island is a magical place, full of myth and legend… where an ancient dwarf stalks and seduces young beauties and a foul breathed old woman hunts single men. There’s even a story of a creature, a mix between a rooster and a serpent, that lives in the caves of the island, entering the homes of Chiloe to kill its sleeping victims.

Unfortunately, Sarah and I didn’t run into any dwarfs or scary old ladies or even crazy rooster snakes… but what we did find was… penguins. Not far from Ancud lies the Punihuil penguin sanctuary – one of the only places in Chile that is home to both the Humboldt and Magellan species. So, after a lazy day in Ancud, soaking up the maritime village feel and attacking some fresh seafood, we headed out to see the little tuxedo wearing birds.

After a beautiful walk along the islands edge, we arrived in a long flat beach to find the small beach huts of the local fishermen who took visitors on boat excursions to see the penguins. Before long we were out on the sea, doing laps around some small islands nearby. Not only did we see penguins, but also sea lions and lots of different birds.

Over the next few days, we would explore a number of towns on Chiloe including Ancud, Castro, and Achao… each place reminding us just how different the island felt to the rest of South America we’d seen.

Shortly before arriving on Chiloe, we’d made plans to meet some friends from PSF in the nearby town of Bariloche, Argentina. So as we left the island,  we made our way towards Argentina. Our journey through Chile would be over… at least for now.

With the idea of going somewhere special to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary, Sarah and I jumped on the bus and headed to Valparaiso. Known for its rolling hills, colorful homes, and artistic haunts, this seaside city seemed like the perfect place to spoil ourselves silly in celebration. With a recommendation from our friend, Felipe, we booked a night at the Hotel Cirilo Armstrong in Cerro Alegre (Happy Hill) and made plans to enjoy a great dinner and night out on the town.

We did a little bit of spoiling ourselves on my birthday in Bolivia, which not only proved to be fun… but also not very expensive. But now that we were in Chile, we would have to loosen up the purse strings a little to give the evening that special air of decadence that we were looking for.

The hotel proved to be quite lovely, even though there were a few hiccups when we went to check-in. It took a little Americano demand for adequate customer service (perhaps embarrassing poor Sarah a bit), but we got everything sorted out. Though, I must say  it’s a strange feeling coming into such nice accommodation while looking (and probably smelling) like dirty backpackers. But when we got settled into our room, Sarah did what any upstanding traveler would do… superman leaps onto the comfy bed.

After Sarah found the bed up to her leaping standards, we settled into our place and enjoyed a bit of Chilean wine while gazing out on the hills Valparaiso. It was a beautiful, warm day and the late afternoon sunlight bathed the higgly piggly hillside houses in gold. It was these hills, with their randomness and mystery, that made Valparaiso a preferred home for countless Chilean painters and poets and writers.

After a few glasses of wine we headed off to watch the sunset at a nearby bar. Sipping Pisco Sours, perched high above the port city, it was hard not to reminisce a bit about our trip and the last two years we’d spent as husband and wife. Things move so fast, but that afternoon was the perfect time to stop and enjoy the moment.

For dinner, we’d decided on Altzaga, a quaint little restaurant tucked away in the hill side.  The food was delicious and the staff were lovely. Hardly anyone was at the restaurant that night, making the place feel like ours.

After dinner, we went for a walk in the hills and enjoyed the night air… a lovely way to end a lovely day…

Here’s to the last two years… and the many years to come…

I guess it seems fitting that tonight, January 11, 2012, is the last night of our trip. We’re in San Francisco, getting ready to head out for our last day of exploring. Tomorrow we drive back down to Los Angeles to jump on a plane that will carry us back down to Australia. Indeed, after 8.5 months, the Bumblebee and the Yank are headed home.

But you’ve been cheated, dear reader. Last we spoke, we were somewhere in central Chile. Alas, a lot has happened between then and now. So, it looks like I’ve got some writing to do.

Over the next few weeks, I will be filling in the gaps. But until then, wish us luck. See you down under.

In Europe, Sarah and I did a lot of Couchsurfing. And by a lot, I mean a lot. But on this trip, we’ve actually done very little. We have gone to a few Couchsufing meet-ups, language exchanges, and city tours… but other than a few times in the United States, we haven’t surfed at all on this trip.

And It’s hard to pin down exactly why we haven’t. Perhaps it’s because South America is much more affordable than Europe. Or perhaps it’s because we’re married and getting older. Or even, perhaps it’s because most people in Latin American live with their parents until they get married. All told, any of these reasons could be refuted. And the truth is that we just haven’t done it.

Then, an opportunity to Couchsurf in Santiago came available. But this surf was probably a bit more old-fashioned (though facilitated by modern communication tools like Facebook) in that we knew our host… and met him months before in Melbourne.

And so it was that we arrived at the doorstep of our friend, Felipe, on a Saturday in the eastern suburbs of Santiago. Though it had been a while since we surfed, the benefits of doing so quickly came to light, as we arrived just in time for a barbeque with Felipe and a number of his friends and relatives.

Now, Chilean Spanish is not the easiest thing to understand. At times, it can come across as if the speaker is trying hard to only say half of each word at twice the normal speed. But after some amazing asado (steak) and a few Piscolas, we settled into speaking Spanish and getting to know everyone (of course we turned to English when the Chileno was too thick). And who better to learn about Santiago from then people that lived there. Early afternoon turned to night, and we relaxed, chatted, and stuffed ourselves until we had to roll off to bed.

And what a bed it was! No hostel bed could compare to the bed in someone’s own home.

The next morning we explored the city, visiting many of the landmarks, plazas and museums. But later we met up with Felipe again, this time to visit something that was probably not on the itinerary of most backpackers in Santiago.

To the sound of laughter and a fair amount of screaming, we pushed through the gates of Fantasilandia, Santiago’s own amusement park… complete with roller coasters, water rides, cotton candy and giggling teenagers. We spent the next few hours riding rides and scarfing down snacks with Felipe and a few of his friends.

We had never thought that our trip to South America would include a trip to the amusement park. Something like that seemed like something you did more often at home. And that’s probably the best thing about Couchsurfing… visiting a new place and experiencing it more like home.

Our weekend with Felipe was such great fun, and it was a little hard to say goodbye to such a great bed. But our second wedding anniversary was fast approaching and it was time to head to Valparaiso to celebrate.

Having recently crossed the border between Bolivia and Chile, we found ourselves in the the small town of San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. Famous for being the driest place on the earth, San Pedro lies within the Atacama Desert. Here, some weather stations have never actually recorded rainfall.

We considered making a trip out to the desert to visit a few of the natural wonders while in San Pedro, but having just spent the past few days exploring deserts on the Bolivian side, we decided to take a few days to chill out instead. So after a spell soaking up the desert sun and lounging in the central square, we decided to head south.

We had heard good things about the beach side town of La Serena, so we hopped on an overnight bus and said goodbye to the desert. Months of relatively inexpensive transportation came to an end the the purchase of that first bus ticket. Next to Argentina, getting around in Chile would be the most expensive during our time in the South America.

La Serena proved to be a great town to relax and get to know Chile a little. Famous as a vacation destination for Chileans, the 300,000 person population more than doubled during the months of December and January. Thankfully, we arrived well before the vacation season kicked off.

We stayed in a great little hostel, Hostel El Punto, not far from the main Bus terminal and within walking distance of the town centre. After a day of wandering though the town and along the beachfront, we headed off on a tour of the Elqui Valley, famous for its fertile lands and rolling vineyards of Pisco grapes.

As it turns out, there’s a long time grudge between Chile and Peru as to the origins of Pisco. The rather strong grape brandy, is largely believed to have originated from Peru, but Chileans are quite proud of the varieties produced in Elqui Valley, and are quick to diferentiate their own as Chilean Pisco.

During our tour of the Elqui Valley, we visited the 40 Fuegos Pisco Factory and walked the grounds to learn more about the manufacture of Chilean Pisco. Like wine, grapes are collected and fermented in large tanks. However, after fermentation, this liquid (essentially wine) is then distilled in large copper vessels, like the ones below, to concentrate it.

After distillation, the liquid is stored in wood barrels for some time (depending on Pisco type) and finally water is added to lower the alcohol content (again based on Pisco type).

After the tour, we got a chance to try a number of the Piscos produced at 40 Fuegos. The flavour varied from strong wine to something closer to gasoline. Which is probably why, as we later learned, most Chileans drank Pisco in mixed drinks. Pisco Sour is probably the most famous, but probably more popular was the good ol’ Piscola… or Pisco and Coke.

The Elqui Valley turned out to be a beautiful day trip, with a number of interesting things to see (and taste). Not bad way to get to know Chile a little more.