Ritoque

Ahhhh, Ritoque. Thank goodness we already had a ticket booked to Argentina, or we might still be there. Ritoque is a small town on a beach 1 hour north of Valparaiso, and life immediately slows down once you arrive. We found a hostel, Ritoque Raices that was just a few steps away from the beach, and it is easy to see why all of the people working there were initially travellers just like us, who ended up staying much, much longer than initially planned. The place has a laid back vibe with airy wooden cabanas and sunny decks overlooking the beach. Fantastic place to rest, chill and relax - all in that order.

We started our first day off with a delicious meal of fresh fish at a restaurant on the beach, where we got to do some salamandering in the sun while drinking the local beer. As it was the weekend, there were plenty of Chileans escaping the city and this provided endless entertainment in the people watching department.



Surfing is the popular local sport, and we were excited to catch some waves. Unfortunately the "olas" did not cooperate, staying at their lowest during our visit. Ben still braved the cold pacific water with wetsuit and board and managed to get a good session in, catching a few waves and enjoying that peaceful feeling of looking out over the ocean as the sun sets on the water.

Patricia found a local who offered sunset yoga lessons in the sand dunes and was rewarded with fantastic views and a memorable experience.

Otherwise we spent the days cooking and drinking wine at night in the cabana´s kitchen, catching some zzz´s in the hammocks in the afternoon, and strolling the beach or playing beach paddle board to blend in with the Chilean vacationers.





At the end of our stay we had to tear ourselves away to return to Valparaiso and catch our bus to Argentina. We left feeling refreshed and ready for the next adventures to come!

Valparaiso

We landed on the coast of Chile after a harrowing 24 hour bus ride from San Pedro de Atacama. It actually isn´t too bad in terms of time, as the enforced rest can be welcome after being on the go. However, we were only able to get seats in the very back row, which is beside the bathroom and above the engine, and this made for an interesting combination. Thankfully as all good things must some to an end, so must all bad things, and we finally arrived in the hip town of Valparaiso.

Valparaiso is famous for it´s street art, mostly in the form of stunning graffiti. In the artsy neighbourhood of Cerro Concepcion, almost all of the walls on the streets are covered in the work of talented graffiti artists. Some are commissioned by local businesses or the government, but all of them are incredibly rendered and provide images that make you laugh, stare and contemplate in wonder.

On our first night we treated ourselves to a dinner with local live music at Cinzano, where the regular performers entertained with lounge-style spanish and chilean songs.






The next two days we spent wandering the city, up and down the hills, by foot or using the local ascensores. These are large outdoor elevators built by the city starting in the late 1800s, to help the inhabitants climb the steep hills to the different levels of the city. There are about 7 "steps" in the city, the first being at the level of the ocean with the local armada and beaches, and the last at the very top of the high hills surrounding the city. These afforded beautidul views of the multicoloured houses perched above the ocean.

One of the best parts of our stay was the hostel Casa Aventura. They served the best (included!) breakfast we have had so far, with unlimited platters of fresh fruit and bread, coffee and eggs. Yum!!! The people working there were very helpful, and thanks to their advice we decided to take a "mini-vacation" from our vacation and visit the nearby beachtown of Ritoque for some surfing and relaxation. Before leaving, we treated ourselves to some fresh seafood at the local market.

San Pedro de Atacama

It was love at first sight with San Pedro de Atacama. After the bitter cold from the high planes of Bolivia, the heat of the desert was a welcome change. The small oasis town had a laid back vibe, with cool small shops on sandy streets and funky open air restaurants. Lots of Chilean hippies come to work the largely tourist town which adds to the atmosphere. We found a great hostel with hammocks and a fully equipped kitchen to get back to some "home cooking" and save some money. The only downside of Chile so far is the cost, which is a bit shocking after Bolivia - still less than Canada, but not by much. No big deal as we enjoyed making our own meals accompanied by 1L of wine (only $3!) and eating on the sunny patio. It was also fun to meet other travellers from Portugal, Holland and Brasil in the kitchen!

We spent the hot, sunny days wandering the streets eating homemade ice cream and chowing down on delicious empanadas. The two local (and thankfully inactive) volcanoes rise above the town and provide an interesting back drop. We also beat the heat one day at the local pool. Day trips are plentiful, and we elected to bike into the Valle de la Luna, named after the moon-like geological formations including caverns and canyons. The day ended with a climb up to a view point to watch the sun set over the desert.

On our last night in town we took advantage of the world renowned visibility to indulge in a tour of the night sky lead by a local French astronomer. Our guide turned out to be a real character as he rhymed off star facts and fiction with ease, all while adjusting the array of giant telescopes at our disposal. We saw everything from a red giant sun (500 times the size of our sun), to a double sun (apparently most suns come in pairs or more...ours is in the minority being single), nebulas with amazing gas clouds and also a clear look at Jupiter where you could see the two distinct horizontal lines running across the surface of the planet. It was an incredible experience that pictures from our basic camera cannot do justice. Ben had fun experimenting with nighttime photography!

After four nights in lovely San Pedro we said our sad goodbyes and boarded a 24 hour (yikes) bus to artistic Valparaiso, a coastal town, to enjoy more of Chile.