Costa Cochagua

The British Embassy in Chile has a seaside "cottage" in Costa Cochagua, a wealthy compound near the coastal town of Maitencillo. We were invited to spend the weekend there with our friends.


We enjoyed long walks along the beach, huge amounts of food and several rounds of pisco sours, after which we planned our retirement home based on the beach houses of Chile's millionaires.

Cerro Santa Lucia

Nestled in the heart of Santiago is a small fort on a small hill, the very spot on which conquistador Pedro de Valdivia founded Santiago in 1541. We spent a lovely morning winding our way up the stone walkways and crumbling narrow staircases to the viewpoints at the top, followed by a well-earned late lunch in Barrio Lastarria, a fashionable, bohemian neighbourhood.

Viña del Mar

Viña del Mar is known as Chile's Ciudad de Jardines. It is located an hour and a half north-west of Santiago and boasts long stretches of white beaches. We caught the bus up Viña for a weekend getaway, where we were spoilt by warm temperatures, sunny skies and blue seas.

We had a picnic lunch in the Plaza José Francisca Vergara, the central square honouring the city's founder, and we also had a look at José's family's Palacio and impressive gardens.

We strolled along the beach front from the Reloj de Flores (Flower Clock), past boutique hotels, amazing seafood restaurants and castles to a sunny spot for sundowners.

Valle Nevado

On Sunday we drove 46km out of the city and climbed to 3000m above sea level to one of Chile's most popular ski resorts. We had a couple of mishaps involving a fall from a surface lift and one lost ski, but we spent a lovely day enjoying the fresh powdery snow and sunny blue skies of the Andes.

Cerro Carbón

From our apartment we have a partial view of Cerro Manquehue, the highest mountain in the valley of Santiago and an extinct volcano. Daniel has summited it a few times on training runs and on Saturday I joined him for a hike. We didn't make it all the way to the top, but we got as far as Cumbre de Cerro Carbón, the summit of the smaller Coal Hill down the ridge.

We saw several new bird species and evidence of hare and small rodent life. Daniel has seen a chilla (grey fox) on one of his runs. The vegetation is surprisingly lush and we chuckled when we saw specks of snow on the cacti on the higher slopes! At the top, we enjoyed playing in the snow (a bit of nostalgia) and seeing the views across the city. After a day of rain the smog had cleared away and we could see the Andes across the valley.

Valparaiso

I went on a day trip with some friends to the port of Valparaiso. Here's a sneak peak of the colourful coastal city. I can't wait to return with Daniel...

Pueblito de Los Dominicos

Daniel and I visited the picturesque market of Los Dominicos, nestled at the base of the mountains on the outskirts of Las Condes. The market is home to all kinds of hand-crafted products, including leather, clay, food and jewellery. The stalls are cobbled together in charming Spanish-style casas, with water features and ornaments lining the alleys between.

La Vista de Chillán

The view from our cabin was a tantalizing hill, which Daniel couldn't resist running up. I joined him on his second ascent, when we went for an early morning hike.

We walked past pretty little streams and cabins, followed some steep trails, and enjoyed great views over the valley and the little town in winter.

Termas de Chillán

To celebrate the long weekend of San Pedro and San Pablo, we drove down to Termas de Chillán, about 500km southeast of Santiago. In the local Indian language Chillán means 'where the Sun is sitting', and we certainly enjoyed a beautiful, sunny weekend. We rented a cabin at Bordenieve with three friends and enjoyed cosy evenings around a wood fire.

On Saturday and Sunday we went skiing on the snowy slopes of Nevados de Chillán, a ski resort located 1,650m above sea level. While I conquered the lower slopes of the mountain, Daniel skied the longest ski run in South America, a 13km ungroomed trail known as Las Tres Marias. It was quite an achievement!

The biggest novelty for us was getting so warm during the day that we had to take layers off. We even lunched outside in the sun and drank beers to cool down! It was about 25 degrees different from our previous skiing experiences... All in all, it was a great weekend!

Cerro San Cristobal

On Sunday afternoon we headed to the northeastern suburbs of El Centro to do a bit of sight-seeing in the Parque Metropolitano de Santiago. This park is home to several trails, Jardín Mapulemu (botanical garden), the Zoológico Nacional, Jardín Japonés, cable cars, a wine museum, and more. We didn’t manage to fit everything into this visit, but we’ll definitely be back with a picnic to explore further.

At the park entrance, we joined the queue at the medieval-style castle, which serves as a station for the 1925 funicular to take visitors to the top of Cerro San Cristobal.

The 45-foot high Statue of the Virgin, donated by France in 1904, dominates the top of the hill. It can be seen from most of El Centro.

The views of Santiago and the Andes are superb at the top of the hill and we could almost make out the snow-sprinkled mountains through the smog!