Mendoza

We treated ourselves to a weekend trip across the border to Mendoza, Argentina. Mendoza lies in the foothills on the eastern side of the Andes, and is frequently visited by Chileans looking for some great steak!

The city coat of arms lit up at night

Plaza Independencia, a vibrant park which attracts tourists and Mendocinos alike

All the fountains in the plaza had blue water - very patriotic!

Mendoza is most famous for its olive oil production and its wine making. It is the largest wine-producing area in South America and is home to 1,400 wineries! We went on a fantastic tour of the region, stopping at two vineyards (Vistandes and Viña del Cerno), an olive oil farm (PasRai) and a home-industries shop (A la Antigua).

Wine tasting for two!
At each vineyard we received a private tour in English.

Oak barrels at Vistandes wine estate

Flavoured olive oils drizzled on sundried tomato and olive pestos

Sampling some delicious homemade olive pastes at A la Antigua

It's always nice to travel to new places, but Mendoza did not make our list of 'best places visited'. While the wine tour was excellent, we found the city itself to be lacking in the charm and appeal which we had heard so much about.

La Sebastiana

We finally made it to Pablo Neruda's third house in Valparaiso. Chile's most famous poet spent a lot of time in his 5-storey house overlooking the colourful tin city and the Pacific Ocean.

A statue of Pablo Neruda in Plaza de los Poetas, outside his house

La Sebastiana: Neruda's study is the single room on the top floor

View from Neruda's house over the hills of Valparaiso and the sea

The house is situated on Cerro Florida, just behind Cerro Bellavista and Cerro Mariposa. On our steep trek up the hills, we passed through the Museo de Ceilo Abierto - Open Air Museum - and saw some new and unusual murals.

Mural of an "ascensor"

One of the famous hummingbirds of Valparaiso

Mini murals of the city

Glacier El Morado

Which way?

We went with a friend to the quaint town of Baños Morales, at the east end of Cajon del Maipo, 92km southeast of Santiago. The town itself is a picturesque village of colourful houses amidst tall trees, barns, a winding river, a windmill, a waterwheel; basically everything prerequisite in a cute little village without being kitsch!

From here we entered a National Park and followed an 8km trail which took us to a small lake and glacier at the end. We had a picnic at the lake and walked up quite close to the bottom of the glacier, Glaciar El Morado.

The trail we followed

The laguna with the glacial backdrop - a perfect place for a picnic

A glimpse of the bright blue glacial ice running through the snow-covered rocks

It was great to see yet another new part of Chile and, of course, to see a little glacier!

Us in front of the glacier

Santuario de la Naturaleza

We enjoyed a lovely, mid-week public holiday at a nature reserve on the outskirts of Santiago. Santuario de la Naturaleza is a popular spot for walks and picnics, so we drove up and spent the morning exploring new trails, enjoying the changing leaves, and admiring the picturesque river.

View down through the valley, complete with a ghost house!

Near the top of the trail

A perfect site to enjoy a picnic

Overall Winner - Atacama Crossing 2013

Daniel won the Atacama Crossing 2013! It was a nail-biting race through the Atacama Desert with a new course record on Stage 1 and a sprint finish on Stage 2. Daniel won the first five stages in a row, securing his victory before the final day. He ran the 250km in a time of 26:17:51.

Leading the way through the desert

Leading the way on Stage 6

Crossing the finish line as the overall winner

I was at the finish line to welcome him home with his medal and a big hug and kiss!

A hug for the champion

Happy Team 505 at the finish line

Daniel with his winner's shield, leader's number and finisher's medal

Valle de la Luna

Our last tour in the desert was to the Valley of the Moon, 13km west of San Pedro. The valley is so-named because its stark landscape resembles the surface of the moon. It is famous for its sweeping sand dunes, salt caves, natural amphithetres and various stone and sand formations which have been carved by wind and water. Our first stop was at the Tres Marias, a natural rock structure which apparently looks like three praying women...

Las Tres Marias (right to left): Maria praying on her knees, Maria holding baby Jesus, Maria destroyed by a tourist

Us in front of the Three Marias

A salty T-Rex!

 

The amphitheatre

The salt road leading out of the Valley of the Moon

We climbed up the Duna Mayor, the highest dune in the valley, for great views over the valley and the Andean peaks and volcanoes.

Tourists climbing the sand dunes

View of the amphitheatre from the top of the dune

The lunar landscape

The Valley of the Moon is considered one of the driest places on earth. On our way out, we stopped at a bright white section of salt. It used to be covered in dirt and sand, but thanks to the freak rain two weeks ago the ground has been cleaned and the salt crystals are gleaming.

Our last stop was to watch the sunset in the Cordillera de la Sal (salt mountain range). As ever, it was a spectacular blend of colours and a beautiful way to finish off our sightseeing in the desert.

Salt-covered canyons in the desert

Another beautiful desert sunset

Pukará de Quitor

We walked 3km north of San Pedro to the 12th-century ruins of a fortress. Pukará de Quitor is a red-stone, pre-Incan settlement of the Atacameños (natives of this region) and was built during a period of war. It was taken over by the Incans and then the Spanish settlers. The ruins include defensive walls, terraces, living quarters and pens all connected by passageways.

The old settlement of Pukará de Quitor

The stone walls of the ruins

We also walked up a neighbouring hill in the Cordillera de la Sal (salt mountain range) to a mirador overlooking the ruins, the village of San Pedro, the Valley of the Dead and the Plaza de Quitor.

Rio San Pedro winding its way through Quitor

Salt deposits in the Valley of the Dead

View over the Atacama Desert

Us at the top of the hill

Running in the Desert

Whew! I joined Daniel for a run in the Valley of the Dead on part of the Atacama Crossing race course. The heat, sand and altitude make for a killer combination, even though we were about 245km short of the race distance!

The road to the sand dunes on Stage 2

Me trying to look good...

The sand dunes in sight

Daniel actually looking good!

On the way home with Volcán Licancabur in the background