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One month in Chile: Itinerary, balance sheet, budget, guide, advice
We didn’t expect to stay in Chile for so long. Apart from Easter Island, we had no other must-see planned for Chile. The beginnings were not simple: Chilean Spanish sounded like a slap in the face: incomprehensible. But we didn’t give up: after Argentina, we went back there to travel the whole country, from South to North. Itinerary Easter Island (4 days): Round-the-world ticket from Papeete. Visit of the island with a 4×4 Santiago (3 days) : Round the world ticket. Linguistic shock. We tried to understand Chilean Spanish, but without success. Hence our rather precipitous departure for Argentina Punta Arenas (1 day): Flight from Santiago. Visit of Magallanes Island…
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What to eat/drink in Chile and Argentina?
After having suffered from junk food in the Philippines (too fat), in New Zealand (too fat), we are saved in Argentina and Chile (very fat too). Basically, we are anything but vegetarian and we already love juicy Argentinean meat (but expensive) in Paris. We enjoyed ourselves here! Beware, the lack of vegetables will be felt at one time or another, even for carnivores like us. In restaurants, salads are more expensive than meat and vegetarian restaurants are quite rare. Remember to eat a balanced diet. In any case, after a meal in a steakhouse, it’s hard to come back the same day because the portions are so huge. Usually we…
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How to go from San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) to Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia) by bus
There are 4 ways to get to the Salar de Uyuni from San Pedro de Atacama. It’s up to you to choose according to your desire, your ability to withstand the high altitude and the thickness of your wallet 🙂 All prices are for one person. Exchange rates in January 2017 1 USD = 0,93€ 1$B = 0,137€ 1000$CH =1,42€ 1$AR = 0,06€ Option 1: Jeep from San Pedro de Atacama to Uyuni. Duration: 3-4 days. Cost: US$200 It is the simplest option and sold by all the agencies in San Pedro de Atacama and also detailed in the Lonely Planet. The plusses This is the shortest way to connect…
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San Pedro de Atacama (Chile): lunar landscapes
This article is online a week late, but better late than never, right? Más vale tarde que nunca! Anh preferring to stay at rest, I organize myself to go on an excursion by myself. In the main street, I am attracted by the sign “we speak French” of the agency “Flamingo Travel Agency”. I check the reviews on Tripadvisor and here we go! Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary The employee actually speaks French very well, I explain to him that I have a 1/2 day to do some tours. I am attracted by the “Astronomico” tour but he explains to me that the…
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Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia): when the salt desert turns into a giant mirror
The visit of the salt desert of Uyuni upsets our whole ranking of the “best experiences of our world tour”. From now on, the Salar de Uyuni is in 1st place, in front of the Perito Moreno glacier (Argentina) and swimming with sharks in Moorea. Moreover, we visit it at the best time of the year, when the flooded salt desert turns into a giant mirror (mid-January) Part 1: Travel Diaries Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diaries Following my problems of mountain sickness, we decide to do only the one day tour to visit the salt desert, instead of taking the 3 day tour which also includes the…
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Uyuni (Bolivia): a city nicer than expected
Being out of shape after my mountain sickness in San Pedro de Atacama, I have to establish a new route to avoid any too fast ascent. We decide to give up the idea of doing 3 days by jeep to Uyuni. Instead, we will visit the salt desert for only one day from Uyuni. The trip from San Pedro to Uyuni will be done by classic bus. It is also the good plan found by other young Chileans that we will cross in the bus taking us to Bolivia. Some of them have never heard about the 3 days jeep tour from San Pedro de Atacama. Part 1: Travel Diary…
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Mountain sickness in San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) at 2500m altitude
Santiago – San Pedro de Atacama: 24 hours by bus. After having suffered from the 26 hours of bus between El Calafate and Bariloche, this time we divide the path in two: Santiago – Copiapo (12h) then Copiapo – San Pedro de Atacama (12h). Copiaco is where 33 miners were trapped in the mines for 3 months. We arrived there at 8pm. The next day, at 8 am, we already leave for San Pedro de Atacama (2500m of altitude), one of the oasis of the Atacama desert, the most arid in the world. What I didn’t know was that even with all the chances on my side, these 12 hours…
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Contents of our first aid kit/pharmacy for the world tour
Around the world, we are sick less often, but when we are sick, it lasts longer (one week minimum) and our favorite doctor isn’t available. Also, cuts/injuries happen more often than usual. Each time, we are reassured to have a complete first aid kit that is light enough not to overwhelm us This is just a first aid kit. That is, the goal isn’t to heal yourself every time, but to stay alive until you find a pharmacy/doctor/hospital. When we travel to the lost corners, we inquire beforehand and buy suitable medicines (e.g. medicines for mountain sickness on the approach to Bolivia) Caution: We aren’t doctors, nurses or pharmacists. The…
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Santiago (Chile): nice but nothing more
This is the 2nd time we visit Santiago. The first time was just after Easter Island. The Chilean Spanish (too fast, too difficult) discovered in Santiago made us flee to Argentina. This time, we come back here to wait for the arrival of my new credit card. To judge our progress in Spanish, we booked exactly the same hostel as the 1st time Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary I had to make a new credit card due to a suspicion of fraud from the bank. In reality, there was no fraud, it was me. I tried unsuccessfully to withdraw money several times from…
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ValparaÃso (Chile): una ciudad muy linda
For the last few days, the word lindo(a) has been coming up often, as we only visit the cities that are too cute . We are in ValparaÃso, only 8.5km from Viña del Mar, the city of 42 hills, with its famous graffiti and small streets Part 1: Travel Diary Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diary Day 1 : After saying goodbye to our neighbors (to whom we got a bit attached especially after the New Year’s Eve party) in Viña del Mar, we take a bus to ValparaÃso. Because of a misunderstanding with the bus driver, he drops us at the bus terminal and not the cathedral…
