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Lady in Patagonia
Blog: A Lady in London - 3 March 2011
There’s something different about Patagonia. Way down at the end of the Earth, the region at first seems similar to other places in the world. But upon closer inspection, it reveals its own unique character that distinguishes it from anywhere else. After a week of exploring warm cities, hot deserts, and balmy islands in the [...]
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Velvet moments: travel photo of the week – the moon
Blog: velvet escape's blog - 2 March 2011
Going for a star-gazing tour is a highlight of a visit to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. I was about to take a photo of the moon through the telescope when someone bumped my elbow. I like the accidental effect. The Sea of Tranquility, where the Apollo11 landed, can clearly be seen (the middle of [...]
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Food and Drink Nostalgia, Chilean Style: Sorbete Letelier
Blog: Bearshapedsphere - 2 March 2011
In an apparently Chilean tradition of basing hypersweet drinks on the flavor of dried fruit (see: Mote con Huesillo), there's a soda in Chile based on the flavor of dried cherries. And not just any dried cherries, but guindas. Guindas are sour cherries, and when dried, they wrinkle around the pit and become leathery. When reconstituted, they get that "fat raisin" texture I associate with my mother's noodle kugel or Ecuadorean quimbolitos (cakes cooked in corn husks).
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Recommended: Travel solo to Santiago, Chile
Blog: Solo Traveler - 1 March 2011
I haven't written "Recommended" destination post for a while but Santiago, Chile has inspired me. Here you go...
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Lady on Easter Island
Blog: A Lady in London - 1 March 2011
Easter Island has always intrigued me. The tiny triangle of land is isolated in the deep blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, but its mysterious history and unique moai statues make it famous throughout the world. I couldn’t take a trip to Chile without visiting. But first I had to find a way to get [...]
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On the anniversary of the 2010 Chilean Earthquake
Blog: Bearshapedsphere - 27 February 2011
On the anniversary of a terrible date in recent Chilean history, the 27th of February, nearly a year is completed from the 3:34 AM earthquake in Chile that would generate a tsunami that would wash away towns, and would knock one apartment building flat on its back (photo 13 in this photo essay), and leave many, many homes in uninhabitable conditions and many people more without homes to return to, I have to tell you a story.
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Pic of the Week: Morning Sky in Patagonia
Blog: Solo Traveler - 24 February 2011
This week's pic of the gorgeous morning sky in Patagonia was taken from the interesting perspective of the inside of our solo traveler's tent.
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Lady in Valparaiso
Blog: A Lady in London - 24 February 2011
Valparaiso is a city of contrasts. Every time I told a Chilean that I was planning to spend an afternoon there, they raved about the historic port city as if it was the soul of the country. But every time I told a visitor the same thing, they groaned and told me that it was [...]
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How to Travel Solo to Patagonia: Top 10 Tips
Blog: Solo Traveler - 22 February 2011
Patagonia is a wonderful destination but it's hard to find information on how to do it. Here are 10 tips covering how to get there, how much money to carry, accommodation, hiking paths and more.
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Torres Del Paine Pt. 2
Blog: The Road Chose Me - 50,000kms of ebb and flow - 21 February 2011
Over the course of day four I hike with John and Bernie past Refugio Grey, take a refreshingly chilly swim in Laguna Los Patos, continue to Lago Pehoé and Campamento Paine Grande for lunch then push a few more hours to the free Campamento Italiano. The long 22.6km day sees us arrive footsore and tired [...]
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Lady in the Atacama Desert
Blog: A Lady in London - 21 February 2011
I love the desert. There’s something awe-inspiring about an environment so harsh that only the most impossibly adaptable species of flora and fauna can survive. There’s something beautiful about dry, hot landscapes, cracked earth, and mountainous sand dunes. And there’s something powerful in a night sky so full of stars that it makes you remember [...]
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Lady Goes Wine Tasting in the Maipo Valley
Blog: A Lady in London - 18 February 2011
A lot of people have asked me why I chose to visit Chile. The answer is twofold. One, by February I find myself so tired of the winter in London that I always take a trip to a warm destination at the end of the month. Two, I made Executive Platinum status on American Airlines [...]
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Torres Del Paine Pt. 1
Blog: The Road Chose Me - 50,000kms of ebb and flow - 16 February 2011
I’ve been looking forward to hiking in world-famous Torres Del Paine National Park since the beginning of this adventure, and I’m excited to arrive in the little town of Puerto Natales where I attend a backpackers’ information session and stock up on hiking food & supplies. Early the next morning I drive into the park [...]
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When your holiday hits the rocks – Or, the crash of the Navimag
Blog: Solo Traveler - 15 February 2011
I stuffed my passport into my clothes so that my body could be identified. Truly, At that moment we thought we were manning lifeboats in the ocean. We were fortunate.
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Patagonia By Kayak – A Photo Essay
Blog: Hecktic Travels - 11 February 2011
The Serrano river winds it way through Bernard O'Higgins National Park, just south of the famous Torres Del Paine Park. It provided us with breathtaking views of mountain peaks and numerous glaciers.
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The Plan, For Now
Blog: The Road Chose Me - 50,000kms of ebb and flow - 10 February 2011
The next month or two are shaping up to be pretty amazing, and I’m now very aware they will also be the last of this adventure. I plan to drive “up” through the mountains of Southern Chile and Argentina, visiting the extremely famous National Parks along the way. I’ve been told time and time again [...]
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Pic of the Week: El Tatio
Blog: Solo Traveler - 10 February 2011
As the sun rises over the Andes, steam billows from the geysers of El Tatio in northern Chile.
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Cheap Holidays = More Holidays
Blog: Solo Traveler - 9 February 2011
Sometimes, a deal is about more than saving money. It's about rich experiences - and the prospect of more travel.
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Travel Alone but Not Lonely – the pictures
Blog: Solo Traveler - 8 February 2011
This was one of the most social, lively, solo trips I've ever taken. Here are just a few of the amazing people who made this trip so great!
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Travel Solo to Santiago: in Pictures
Blog: Solo Traveler - 1 February 2011
A few select photos of beautiful Santiago. Please enjoy. You can expect travel stories on Santiago and all of Chile over the next number of weeks.
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Photo of the Day: Church at Parinacota Chile
Blog: Two Backpackers - 31 January 2011
This photo was taken during our 3-day 4×4 road trip through Northern Chile’s Altiplano. “The church was built in the 17th century in the form of a central nave with two side chapels. The walls are made of stone and clay and are supported by exterior arches of stones without mortar. The floor is made [...]
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To The End Of The World
Blog: The Road Chose Me - 50,000kms of ebb and flow - 29 January 2011
The Chileans are pretty upset their government is raising the price of natural gas by a few cents a liter and have decided to complain about it by rioting in the streets. They’ve blockaded all the ferries to Tierra Del Fuego, closed roads, are burning tires in the street and are generally causing trouble and [...]
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Can You Score A Country on Ethics? The Top Ten Ethical Destinations For Travellers
Blog: Inside the Travel Lab - 25 January 2011
When it comes to "Top Ten" lists, I find them fun but I never take them seriously. So when an email landed in my ludicrously overpopulated inbox with the subject "The Top Ten Ethical Destinations," my cynical old heart sank a little. Why?
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The Colorful Valparaiso, Chile
Blog: Solo Traveler - 25 January 2011
This is my first photo missive from Chile. Please enjoy the photos of the colorful Valparaiso.
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Media, El Mercurio and Elephants
Blog: Bearshapedsphere - 18 January 2011
And now for the new media portion, followed by a nursery rhyme that's so cute, you'll want to learn it, even if you don't speak Spanish.Media; my cryptic talk about the media was about a couple of intereviews with El Mercurio about being a "famous" (?) travel blogger.1. Little magazine article in the Sunday El Mercurio travel magazine here.
