After docking in Puerto Montt, we boarded a bus for a 90-minute drive with spectacular views of mountains and lakes.
Travel
Viña del Mar, Chile
After our walking tour of Valparaiso, we drove over to Viña del Mar, also known as la Ciudad Jardín. The lovely Reloj de Flores is one of its biggest tourist attractions, and there are a number of castles and palaces.
Valparaiso, Chile
Vicuña, Chile
Our next stop was Coquimbo, where from the dock we saw la Cruz del Tercer Milenio – a giant, oddly stylized cross built in 2000.
However, Continue reading
Around Arica
The town of Arica is dominated by El Morro, the giant hill where a crucial battle took place in 1880, during the War of the Pacific. The enormous Chilean flag on top, constantly exposed to intense sun and wind, has to be replaced every few months. And of course there are wonderful views of the city and sea.
Colors and Flavors of Arica
Northern Chile is a desert – more specifically, part of the Atacama Desert: the driest hot desert in the world. And yet, it is dotted with oases in which are grown a variety of fruits and vegetables of exceptional quality and size. The fruit and vegetable market Mercado Central Municipal was among the best I’ve ever seen, anywhere. It made me want to rent an apartment for a few weeks and do some serious cooking.
You could eat two different kinds of avocado every day for a week and still not try them all. Continue reading