Mendoza Region – the Good, the Bad and the Stunning

After flying back from Easter Island, we visited the Mendoza region of Argentina, just across the Andes from Santiago. Our initial reason for going there was because of its reputation as the premier wine region of Argentina, and then we discovered there were some national parks which sounded worth visiting. In the end our time in the region was a mixture of good, bad and fairly indifferent, but with some really stunning scenery thrown in.

Crossing the Andes between Santiago and Mendoza is itself an amazing experience, with towering multicoloured mountains and a road which winds up to a high pass. The downside is the border control to go from Chile to Argentina and vice versa; it can take over an hour to process a busload of people. All of the luggage has to be offloaded and put through scanners.  They also have trained sniffer dogs to ensure you are not crossing the border with fruit, vegetables or other banned goods.

Crossing the Andes to Mendoza

Mendoza the city is really pleasant, with a series of squares arranged round the central Plaza Independencia. All have fountains and statues; there are open-air cafes which are good to sit at and people-watch, and the climate is much sunnier than on the other side of the Andes.

Plaza de Chile in Mendoza

Mendoza cathedral

Plaza de Espagna

Plaza Independencia at night

The wines from the surrounding region are really excellent (especially the Malbec), but sadly not exported to the UK.  We decided to do a tour of local wineries to sample the produce. As it happened, the tour was an hour late picking us up; we visited an olive oil farm as well as two wineries, where we had lengthy and almost identical explanations of how to make wine. Fortunately, we did get a chance to taste some of the wine as well. Just as we were heading back to our hotels (we thought), we suddenly stopped at an organic farm, where an enthusiastic woman explained at great length (in Spanish) how she ran the place. As it was getting dark and rather cold we retreated to the bus and sat there until she finally released the others. This was not our top experience of the region!

Quite a lot of wine in one of these!

The finished product

Our worst moment came, however, when we were exploring the large Parque San Martin to the west of Mendoza. This has an attractive lake, with joggers and statues, and a hill which reportedly offers great views of the city.  We did not get a chance to find out for ourselves!  The road up to the hill passed through a rather desolate area, and as we were walking along, a guy leapt out at us, with his hand wrapped in a shirt pretending to be a gun. He shouted at us, and when Ian signed for him to go away he hit him in the face. Then he grabbed Sandie’s camera bag and ran off. We began shouting for help, and then police cars suddenly appeared and police officers chased after this guy. To cut a long story short, they caught him and retrieved the camera bag; Ian was not badly hurt, so no harm was done. We had to spend about three hours in the police station making statements, but were extremely grateful for the prompt action of the Argentinian police.

The lake in Parque San Martin

Statue of a nude bungee-jumper

After three days in Mendoza, we travelled further north to San Juan, and did a two-day tour from there to visit two national parks. The first park was Ischigualasto (try saying that after a few glasses of Malbec!), which is renowned for the dinosaur fossils found there and the complete sequence of Triassic strata it contains. For us, however, the main attraction was the magnificent scenery and amazing rock formations, seen in the late afternoon sun.

Zorro (desert fox) at Ischigualasto

The Sphinx

The Submarine

The Mushroom

The second day we visited Talampaya National Park, which was even more impressive. We drove through a canyon with towering red cliffs in a 4WD open-top bus and got some amazing views. At one of the stops, the driver set out a table of snacks and poured us glasses of wine to enjoy while admiring the scenery, which added to the enjoyment of the trip. In addition to the red cliffs, Talampaya has petroglyphs and some weird rock formations, many of which have been given names.

Our tour bus in Talampaya

Red cliffs at the Botanical Garden

Time for refreshments

The Cathedral

The Camel

The Tower and the Totem

When we returned from Mendoza to Santiago, we said farewell to Argentina, after crossing back into it five times since our arrival in Buenos Aires in February. There are lots of things about the country we’ll miss, perhaps slightly to our surprise. The people are friendly, the wine is wonderful, and we like medialunas for breakfast.  And after our recent unfortunate experience, we have become fans of the Argentinian police!

Easter Island – Moai and More

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is a small triangular island (just 163 square kilometres; population 6,000) in the middle of the Pacific, 4000 kilometres from anywhere. It is the most isolated inhabited spot on earth, and home to giant statues that have puzzled archaeologists for years. Since reading Thor Heyerdahl’s book “Aku-aku” as a boy, Ian has been fascinated by the place, and finally had the chance to visit it.

We flew for five hours from Santiago over empty ocean and finally touched down at the small airport which normally sees just that one flight a day.  We landed on time, and one of our cases came up quickly, but there was no sign of the other luggage.  Then the carousel stopped! There were no official explanations, but we discovered that the door to a section of the hold was frozen shut.  Ian had to wait two hours for our second case, but we were among the lucky ones. The island people were unable to get one container out of the hold, and the plane had to return with it to Santiago, and bring it back next day.

Welcome to Rapa Nui with a wreath of flowers and a drink of guava juice

We were expecting somewhere quite barren, and were surprised at how lush and green the island is. The weather was warm and sunny (a nice change from Santiago!), and we stayed in a cabin with a verandah which overlooked the sea, on which we had breakfast every morning.

On the verandah of our cabin

The island is very Polynesian in feel, with most of the inhabitants and the local culture having clear Polynesian roots. We went to a local dance show, and it was very similar to ones we’d seen in New Zealand, Tahiti and the Cook Islands.

Rapa Nui dancer

But the main feature of the island, and what makes it unique, is the dozens of colossal statues, or moai, which dot the island, created by earlier inhabitants and moved (no-one knows how) on to massive stone platforms (or ahu). During later tribal conflict all the moai were toppled off their platforms, but a number have been re-erected by archaeologists more recently. We were delighted to discover that a group of these re-erected moai could be seen just a few minutes’ walk along the coast from our accommodation. We were regular visitors, photographing them during the day, at sunset and even in the early morning at moonset.

Moai near our cabin

Moai at sunset (1)

Moai at sunset (2)

Moai at moonset

The moai near us consisted of a group of five smaller ones together on an ahu, then a larger single one, and then one with a ‘topknot’ of red rock and eyes made of coral. It seems that the red topknots were placed on moai representing royal or other eminent individuals, as not all the statues have them.

Moai with topknot and eyes

We had three full days on Rapa Nui, and arranged tours to make sure we saw everything we could in that time. One day was a group coach trip, where we saw a number of sites, some with the moai still toppled and others where they had been re-erected. Probably the most impressive of the latter had 15 moai in a line, staring inland.

15 Moai at Ahu Tongariki

There was also a surprisingly nice sandy beach, where we could swim in the Pacific, but this also had two sets of re-erected moai right on the beach – probably the most unusual beach decorations we’ve seen.

Anakena Beach

Moai at Anakena Beach

The biggest collection of moai we saw, however, was at the quarry where they were carved – the equivalent of ‘Moai ‘R Us’. There were dozens in different stages of completion, including many buried in the ground up to their necks – apparently so that the finishing touches could be added to the face. The biggest of all – 22 metres long – was still attached to the rock and was evidently never completed before the bottom dropped out of the moai market.

"Moai R Us" at Rano Raraku quarry

Take your pick...

We also did a couple of trekking tours with an individual guide. One day we went up Rano Kau volcano, near the main village, and hiked round its impressive mile-wide crater. This is filled with water and floating rafts of reeds like the one at Lake Titicaca, in Peru.

Rano Kau crater

From there we visited the ceremonial village at Orongo, centre of the birdman cult. Young men had to swim out to the little offshore islands and collect the eggs of seabirds. The one who found the first egg was the winner, and became king for a year, according to legend. The village has a long row of stone houses where the eminent spectators lived, as well as a number of petroglyphs carved in the rocks, showing a half-man, half-bird figure.

Housing at Orongo cermeonial village - not suitable for the overweight

The 3 sacred islands near Orongo village

Birdman petroglyph at Orongo village

We found Rapa Nui a fascinating place, if different in many ways from what we expected. The people are very friendly, and the whole island has a ‘small village’ feel. One thing we noticed was how expensive everything was – not surprising when everything has to come by sea from Valparaiso, an 8-day trip, and then be unloaded into small boats to enter the harbour.

Supplies for Rapa Nui coming ashore

On Wednesday 20 April we said farewell to Easter Island, and flew back to Santiago.  We transferred to the bus station and stayed overnight at the Ibis there, to be ready for the next stage in our travels.

A Tale of Two Cities

After returning our hire car in Temuco, we took an overnight bus north.  We wanted to visit Santiago, the capital of Chile, and also Valparaiso, the nearby port city.  As it was possible to get a direct bus to Valparaiso, it seemed simpler to go there first.

Valparaiso is built on very steep hills surrounding the narrow downtown area and port.   According to our guidebook, it has three main attractions:

• murals and other artwork on display everywhere, reflecting the city’s bohemian culture
• the ‘ascensores’ (meaning lifts, but actually small funiculars) that transport people up and down the hills
• the views from the top of the hills.

Having travelled 500 miles north, we had hoped the weather would be even better than in the Lake District, but in fact it was worse: cool, grey and decidedly murky.  So the views were disappointing, to put it mildly.  Some of the ascensores were not working, although others were a fun experience – like travelling in a large packing case.

Cerro Concepcion, one of many hills in Valparaiso

Going up the hill in an ascensor

The brightly-decorated Artilleria Ascensor

The artwork was certainly interesting, and much of it was extremely good.  It was a pity that some murals were spoilt by graffiti; indeed the whole city had a rather run-down, uncared-for appearance.

An example of street art

More street art - views of the city

Even the doors are painted

Sadly, we can’t include many pictures of murals, because Sandie’s camera was stolen towards the end of our stay in Valparaiso.  A man ran up and grabbed it as she finished taking a photo.  There was no hope of catching him or retrieving it.  We had to get a police report (for insurance purposes) which meant taking a taxi to a station up a hill some way distant.  But the police were very helpful, even arranging for a lift back to our hotel in a police van!  Luckily Ian had downloaded photos from Sandie’s camera the previous night, so only one day’s photos were lost.

We were not sad to leave Valparaiso on 10^th April.   We had arranged to spend six nights in a flat in Santiago, which turned out to be as good as we had hoped: ideally located in the centre of the city, and with all the facilities we required, including wifi.  It was lovely to have more than just one room, and the flat quickly began to feel like a real home.  Much as we enjoy eating out, after travelling so long it made a pleasant change to be able to eat in!

We were aware that tourist attractions are relatively few in Santiago, but decided that staying put for a few days would give us time to catch up with things and plan the next stage of our travels.  (You’ve no idea how complicated and time-consuming this can be, especially trying to get information about bus journeys!)  We had an additional task – to buy a replacement camera – which fortunately was achieved without too much difficulty.  It was also a good opportunity to make contact with family back in the UK.  We have belatedly discovered the joys of Skype, and it’s been great to see as well as talk to all of our grandchildren.

We’ve had a couple of mostly warm and sunny days, but much of the time the weather in Santiago has been no better than in Valparaiso, so we have been happy to spend time in the flat.  However, we have of course ventured out to explore the city.  We visited the Plaza de Armas, with its impressive cathedral, and the Santa Julia hill with its baroque Neptune Terrace. One grey day we went to the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art, with striking sculptures from across the Americas. Another day – when there were hopeful hints of sun – we took the funicular up the San Cristobal hill to the statue of Mary, with extensive views over the (still very misty) city.

Santiago cathedral at night

The Neptune Terrace at Cerro Santa Julia

Mapuche carvings in the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art

Santiago from Cerro San Cristobal

One morning we watched the Changing of the Guard at the Moneda palace: a real performance which lasted some 40 minutes and involved two bands as well as hundreds of soldiers and a stray dog which was determined to get in on the act.

Changing the guard at La Moneda

"Come on, you lot, best foot forward!"

Last night we celebrated Sandie’s birthday in a vegetarian restaurant (recommended by our guidebook) located in an upmarket suburb of Santiago.  We were slightly disappointed with the food, partly because the soup arrived with the main course, which was therefore less than hot when we came to it.  However, the waitresses were very friendly, and even produced a birthday ‘cake’ (brownie plus ice cream) with a candle on top!

Happy birthday, Sandie

Tomorrow we are off to Easter Island, and the travelling and sightseeing begin again in earnest. We’ve seen a lot already, and had many interesting experiences, but we are not yet half way through our South America trip!

The Other Lake District

Forget Wordsworth, daffodils and wandering lonely as a cloud – we’ve been exploring the Lake District of Chile, half a world away but with some similarities as well as striking differences. It’s got a lot of lakes and green hills, and stunning views; but there are also volcanoes and hot springs that dot the landscape.

For a change on this trip we hired a car to explore the area. It was the first time that Ian had driven since breaking his arm in December, but luckily it functioned fine and changing gear did not pose a problem!  His experience of driving on unsealed roads in New Zealand also proved very useful.  We’d decided on car hire for this particular part of our travels, thinking it would give us more flexibility and the option to explore out-of-the-way places.  However, our early attempts to escape from the beaten track were disappointing.  The roads were often in a bad state of repair, there was a lack of facilities, and the lakeside viewpoints identified on our maps did not always seem to exist.

One thing that surprised us was how quiet the Lake District was.  Even the most popular tourist towns had few visitors; many hotels and restaurants had closed for the season, while others were almost empty.  The summer was over, it is true, but the weather was still good (ideal for walking) and the autumn colours were beautiful.

There were not many people, but there were plenty of dogs!  It seems that in Chile they are allowed to roam free, and there are always plenty running around in the streets.  Often in the mornings we were awoken by a ‘dawn chorus’ of dogs barking.

It is a short distance from Puerto Montt, where we collected the car on April 1, to Puerto Varas, on the shores of Lago Llanquihue, where we had great views of Orsono Volcano from our hotel room. We explored along the south shore of the lake as far as Petrohue and Lago Todos Los Santos, with the Petrohue Falls being the highlight of that day.

Petrohue Falls and Orsono Volcano

Orsono Volcano from Puerto Varas

Next day we visited the little town of Frutillar, which has a pleasant lakefront position and a lot of German influences.

Sandie playing the piano by the lake at Frutillar

From there we headed north-west to the city of Valdivia, close to the Pacific coast. There was a city-wide power cut the evening we were there, but we luckily found a restaurant with its own generator where we were able to get something to eat. The following morning we explored the riverfront and saw lots of sea lions slobbed out on the jetty waiting for a hand-out from the fish market.

Sea lions on the riverside at Valdivia

We also drove down to Niebla, on the coast, to see the remains of the Spanish forts there. We took a little boat across the picturesque rivermouth to Corral, to visit the well-preserved fort there, and then visited the fort at Niebla itself, which has the most splendid views along the coast.

Our ferry from Niebla to Corral (not P&O)

Corral fort

View from Niebla fort

From Valdivia we drove back to the main lakes area, centred around Lago Villarica and the Villarica Volcano which dominates it.

Villarica Volcano

We did an excursion from Villarica town, including 17 kilometres of gravel road, to reach the Termas Geometricas, a hot springs complex. This was truly amazing, as the pools are set within a narrow valley with a waterfall at the head and a (cold) stream running through it. There are 17 different hot pools, with boardwalks between them, and changing rooms and other facilities at regular intervals. It is all extremely well designed, and the steam rising and floating around adds a surreal effect.  We had a very relaxing time there, and as there were only six other people, we never had to share a pool.

Hot pool at Termas Geometricas

Boardwalk and stream winding through the gorge

Sandie gets into hot water

At the other end of the lake is the town of Pucón, where we spent two nights.  In between we did an excursion (up another gravel road) to the Huerquehue National Park, where we did a strenuous 17 kilometre hike round a series of lakes. This involved a great deal of uphill climbing, but provided stunning views of the lakes themselves as well as back towards the Villarica Volcano. It also involved walking through some interesting woods, which included lots of bamboo, and the native araucana (monkey puzzle) trees. We were blessed with extremely good weather that day, so that the views we got were worth the effort expended in reaching the viewpoints.

View back to Villarica Volcano

Lago Chico

Monkey puzzles and autumn leaves

North of the main Lake District is the Tolhuaca National Park, which is rarely visited because of the 46 kilometres of gravel road to get there, and the lack of public transport. When we arrived, the ranger on duty greeted us most warmly because (at 2pm) we were only the second couple to reach the park that day. The main attraction is Lago Malleco, which you can walk round on an easy path and get amazing views across the lake to the hills around. At the end of the path is a spectacular waterfall, where the waters of the lake chuck themselves over a 49-metre drop into a deep pool surrounded by tall cliffs. Again, the weather was excellent and the whole experience was well worth the difficult drive to get there.

Lago Malleco

A friendly lizard

Lago Malleco Falls

We returned the car in the town of Temuco, just north of the Lake District, on April 7.  As the southern hemisphere moves towards winter, we are heading north to warmer climes. We have come a long way already since leaving Ushuaia, but we have much further still to go!

Our trusty hire car