Adois S.A.!

Is it time to go already? As they say, time flies when yer havin’ fun. And so it is, we are into our final days on this continent they call Sur America. After arriving back in Santiago from Rapa Nui (Easter Island; see last post) we took a few days to venture into the Andes for some camping and hiking. One last look at Los Andes, and one last time to freeze our butts off in our little air-conditioned tent before heading to warmer climes.


Santiago, population 6 million, elevation 520 m, is remarkably close to the Andes. In fact, when the smog clears (seems to be rarely unfortunately), the Andes put on a pretty good show as a dramatic backdrop of rock and ice immediately behind the shiny glass buildings of downtown Santiago. Having a bit of time before we fly north, we decided to head towards the Cajon del Maipo, a beautiful steep valley relatively near town – in fact, we were able to take public transport right to the gate of our campsite! Santiago’s metro (subway) system is surely one of the best in the world. The camping was good, the hiking even better. The only serious drawback is that “camping season” is over. Night time temps are near zero in this part of the world these days. Oh...so that’s why we were the only ones camping – actually one other couple from New Zealand as well, who were equally naive. Silly gringos.


So a bit of time here in Santiago. Not a bad place all in all. Clean, modern, great metro system as mentioned. Our hostel, Castillo Surfista, is wonderfully cozy, like sharing a nice house with 10 other people. The two Dutch girls running the place have it dialed, so everything runs like a clock. The down duvets are an especially nice touch. Last night was barbeque night. Fun times with the 2 Dutch girls, 3 English girls, and 2 Aussie bros on a surf trip, and us, auntie Amy and grandpa Rob. Amy’s daily routine includes a pulpit-rock-like hike up to the 22-metre Virgin Mary statue – she wants to be buff for the beach phase of our trip J A recent highlight was a Sunday bike ride through the city. One of the best South American traditions we come across is the closing off of streets and boulevards in big cities on Sunday, and turning the entire city into one big bike lane. What an amazing concept. We went for a 32-km ride entirely within downtown Santiago. Rob Ford...are you paying attention?


As is customary for this blog when leaving a country, we have, wait for it, the Chile summary and Amy/Rob’s top-3 lists. As alluded to previously, Chile wasn’t our fav. If we could have changed our flight to leave sooner, we would have. Not that there is any one specific thing to despise, it’s simply a combination of the lack of “wow factor” combined with travel costs that exceed most countries in the developed world, including Canada. Still haven’t figured out why. Sitting here in Santiago, we could be in Toronto, but paying twice as much for the morning Starbucks (except for the freezing house thing). Although, to be fair, we are here in the off season, and did not extend our travels beyond middle Chile. Patagonia, for example, would surely be a different experience. Next trip! Gotta leave something on the table, as they say.


Ok, the Chile top-3 lists:


Amy’s top pros/cons on Chile:

         +                                             —

Easter Island                     low value for money

Good bedding                   freezing houses

avocadoes                         their obsession with hot dogs (completos)

Rob’s top pros/cons on Chile:

         +                                                                —

They have Easter Island              WAY too expensive

Good beds                                 street dog problem is out of control

You can drink the water             too normal


So, we’re outta here. More on the next mission further down. First, a little overall trip summary for S.A. -- the land of instant coffee, car alarms, and no bathmats (what's with that anyway?).  In a word, a Spanish word, FANTASTICO! No translation necessary I would assume. Overall, the trip from the Columbian Caribbean, through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and now Chile (with side mission to Rapa Nui), has met and exceeded our expectations. We really didn’t have any, so hey, mission accomplished! From the sweaty nights of Cartagena Columbia, to the indigenous markets of Ecuador, to the ancient Inka city of Machu Picchu Peru, to the austerity of the Bolivian altiplano, to the wine and steak of Argentina, to the towering heights of the Andes, to the Pacific sunsets of Chile, it’s been a grand ride – all 7302 km of it. Wouldn’t trade it for anything. My only regret is that I didn’t pack more socks (man I went through a lot of socks!). Amy might have set a record for the most books ever read by a traveller in SA (at least 50).


What were our primo top-10 experiences in America del Sur you ask? That’s a hard list to make. But, in a tribute to David Letterman’s recent retirement (hey, we read the news out here too), we give you Rob-Amy’s top-10 things to see and do in SA:

10. Sipping cold beer on top of the city wall on a hot sweaty night in Cartegena, Columbia
9. Cycling the shores of Lake Titicaca from Copacabana to La Paz, Bolivia
8. Cycling through the coffee zone of Columbia

7. A week of Spanish lessons in Sucre, Boliva

6. Cycling over the Andes from Mendoza, Argentina to Valpariso, Chile

5. Quilotoa traverse in the highlands of Ecuador

4. Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu, Peru

3. Steak and wine every night in Mendoza, Argentina

2. Mountaineering trip in Cordon del Plata, Argentina

And Rob-Amy’s number-1 thing to see and do in South America:

1. Watching the sun set behind the Moai of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)


Hmm, sounds kind of exciting when you list it like that. Oh ya, IT WAS EXCITING! J


So now what? Time to switch gears. As mentioned, we are now setting our sights northwards towards the Caribbean. First, it’s directly in line with our path back to the motherland, so hey, might as well stop in. Second, it’s hot and sunny. And third, it’s hot and sunny. Based on a tip from an American expat we meet in Ecuador, our target is the town of Las Terranes in the Dominican Republic. According to Marshall, the expat, Las Terranes is THE place in the Caribbean (from an expat perspective). So that’s where we’re going, for a month. The plan is to reassemble the bikes at some point and continue the cycle journey and tour the entire island, with the possibility of boat travel to other islands/countries in the region. Not entirely sure. We may just never come back J As usual, more on all of that soonish. Adios S.A....you’ll be missed.

Check out Duke, the skateboarding dog at Castillo Surfista hostel, Santiago Chile: