Chile, Bolivia and Peru – October 2018

Very excited for this trip to some of South America, it has been my dream to travel around this continent for as long as I can remember. My expectation is to visit all the usual tourist spots but with Explore, you get to see other places that aren’t on the usual tourist route. I like the cultural elements of travelling more so than wildlife, as I like watching the world moving around me – I could sit for hours in a coffee shop watching the hustle and bustle of everyday life, I find people watching fascinating, meant in a non-creepy/stalker like way LOL! Not sure what to expect but was raring to get this adventure started…

Flew from Heathrow to Bogota; Colombia isn’t on this trip’s itinerary but still excited to be there albeit just in the airport. Spent a little time walking around and bought some snacks. I was a little perplexed as when trying to pay, I handed over pesos and they kept asking for dollars. It was brought to my attention that I was trying to pay with Chilean pesos and not Colombian… and there was me thinking I was being efficient – not so much!

Chile, Santiago – I had decided to fly out a day earlier than when the tour began to combat any jet lag and to be honest, with these types of holidays, the city tour starts as soon as you get to the hotel. The flight to Santiago was uneventful but the scenery flying in was pretty spectacular. The hotel was nice, it felt new(ish), was clean and in a fairly central location, so easy to find. Had a quick look around the immediate vicinity and found myself a McDonald’s – Yes, I know but I was hungry and frankly being lazy. I took a photo of the ‘meal deal’ I wanted from the poster outside and coupled it with a translation on my phone for a plain cheeseburger – bun, meat, cheese and nothing else. They asked for my name and I said, Maria (which is very Spanish so wasn’t expecting it to be an issue). I had to say it about 3 times before an English-speaking Chilean lady repeated my name but rolled her R’s – Bingo, that they got!

I had the morning to myself to take a walk around again, this time grabbing a Starbucks and cake – my plan was to start eating locally once we got the tour started but… This was a Sunday morning and I was taking a long leisurely walk down to the park (parque Metropolitano de Santiago), I noticed that the side streets were devoid of motorists but had an abundance of joggers, cyclists, skaters and walkers. There were water stations and an area to stretch. I initially thought that it was a charity event but apparently, the Mayor closes some of the side streets off to motorists on a Sunday morning to encourage exercising, he thinks the people of Santiago are getting too fat – good idea? I’ll leave that up to you to decide…

Reached the park and queued up for the cable car, as it was a holiday weekend, the queue was pretty long but moved at a steady pace. The cable car provided a great aerial view of the city and of the snow-capped Andes, phenomenal vista. I decided rather than get the return cable car, I’d walk back past the shops and down by the canal/waterway (which was almost dry), nice walk though. By the time I got back to the hotel, we were ready to start the city orientation tour with the group.

First stop was the Plaza de la Constitucion (government building) but we took in plenty of the sights – statues, gardens, the Presidential Palace (which doesn’t look like a palace more like an office block) and the monastery of San Francisco. Took a walk around the Plaza de Armas which was very lively and touristy, you could get your photo taken with these pretend ponies, random. We then walked down to the college ‘district’ which was extremely busy with students – surprise! We ventured down this side alley only to discover this whole new entertaining area, with lots of bars, restaurants and music, Patio Bellavista, unexpected but welcomed.

Revisited the Parque Metropolitano de Santiago for a repeat of my earlier cable car ride, the view wasn’t any less impressive. Santiago isn’t what I expected, not sure what I thought it would be like, more rural I guess but modern wasn’t it. This place is very artistic, loads of exhibitions being advertised everywhere and was very pleasantly surprised by the promotion of inclusion and diversity throughout the city, they even had rainbow coloured pavements… Went up to San Cristobal hill for the views over the city, spectacular and a great way to end the day.

In a nutshell, Santiago is a modern and interesting capital city in South America. Yes, there is poverty (I did witness a couple of young homeless men sleeping outside in a corner of the square, which is always sad) but not as obvious as you may think. I’ve experienced more homelessness in London than here. It is quite Americanised only in so much as the fast food stores, but I thoroughly enjoyed this place – really cosmopolitan with its great nightlife, restaurants and is a draw for students both nationally and internationally. Fun place to be and I would definitely visit again.

Valparaiso, Chile’s cultural capital – it is quite elevated and steep which shouldn’t be a surprise as Chile is high up… This is where we saw the colourful houses built on the side of the hill. In the historic quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaiso, you’ll see some amazing street art, it’s everywhere you look. It was a bit chilly this high up, but the local wall art was quite something to behold. We went down to the port which had a street market on, a bit quirky, artsy, hippy and ‘zen’ like vibes, selling dream catchers and crystals etc… We moved on from here and went on to Vina del Mar which I understand is known for their sea lions, hence the statue. Low and behold, there they were, a vast number of them sitting on the rocks looking out to sea. We stopped off at a view point, again, it was a bit nippy but standing up high watching the waves crash against the rocks was mesmerising. Discovered a new form of graffiti up there, carving your name into the huge aloe vera plant leaves.

Atacama Desert – Flew to Calama and stayed in the town of San Pedro de Atacama which is set 2400m high in the volcanoes of Los Andes. This town is full of backpackers and visually looks something straight out of a Western, I was ready to don a Stetson and Chaps LOL! There really isn’t much to do here and although I took a little walk around, I didn’t want to stray too far from the centre as didn’t want to get disorientated and be unable to find my way back. Later we drove out to the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) for a walk among the sand dunes. When walking through the valley, you need to watch your footing carefully as there were narrow crevices, jagged rock and uneven flooring. Once we exited the valley and headed back to our transport, my head was thumping and I felt really unwell but at that time, I blew it off.

The next morning was a visit to the El Tatio Geysers, it was -10c and I was feeling pretty sick, so much so that I had to go back onto our minibus and wait out the rest of the tour there. Altitude sickness! I arrogantly thought that because I’d been up mountains and volcanoes that I wouldn’t suffer from it, how wrong. It is horrible and difficult to describe – the only thing I can liken it to is, when you’ve had way too much to drink and you lie down, the room starts to spin so you have to put a foot on the floor to stop the spinning – that’s the feeling. Luckily our local guide had some cocoa tea, which was a bit grim, but I was assured this would help. It did – so I learned to have two cups of tea with breakfast every morning. Alert! Do not try and bring any Cocoa Tea back with you as it is illegal in most other countries.

We drove out to the extensive salt flats (Salar de Atacama), third largest salt flats on Earth, which has a lake that is home to hundreds of flamingos during the winter. Stunning!

Bolivia – At the Bolivian border of Hito Cajon we changed our transport to 4WD to cross the altiplano landscape. It was apparent that the air was thinner, and the temperature was slightly cooler (particularly in the morning). The highest part of the journey was at 4,650m, down towards the waters of Laguna Verde which was situated at the slopes of Lincanabar Volcano, great views. Whilst making our way across the high-altitude plains of the Siloli Desert (approximately 4,280 metres above sea level slightly lower than earlier), we stopped to take photos of the turquoise lagoons and the red waters of Laguna Colorada, the llamas and flamingos, wow tons of flamingos. This place has a gorgeous backdrop of the desert, lakes and mountains.

During all this driving, we had a restroom break at an almost abandoned town (used to mine lead or zinc, I forgot which). This place had approximately a dozen inhabitants (one of which ‘manned’ the public toilets) but two drinking holes (pubs) one on each side of the railway tracks LOL!

We headed out to Salar de Uyuni (Salt Flats). Oh My God – the landscape was surreal, what an amazing sight. These salt flats go on for ages and then bang, right in the middle is Incahuasi Island (apparently it used to lay beneath the lake). This island is covered in HUGE cacti but to be honest, once you’ve climbed to the top of the island, looked at the spectacular view and taken some photos, that’s it, there really isn’t much else to do. This day was particularly hot, and our tour leader wanted us to take some typical touristy ‘illusion’ photos, groan but of course we all did, it took a while, but I do admit, the end result was pretty cool. Salar de Uyuni is a must, what an experience but do check that you are able to visit because depending on the climate, trips across here are closed at certain time during the year. We drove to a small canyon at the base Tunupa to visit the petrified pre-Columbian mummies at the sacred site of Pucara de Aique. Mummies and offerings there were. Grim!

We set off early the next day and started by visiting a train ‘graveyard’, honestly, these desert towns really do look like something out of an old Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western film. There were people setting up to sell souvenirs and stuff, I purchased myself a very old looking map of South America, its imperfections made it perfect. It was very inexpensive, but I knew it’d look good framed up.

Potosi – Our local experience today consisted of travelling to Potosi via a public bus, we had our tickets with our seat numbers on, so we didn’t have to jostle for space. It was a long drive but interesting travelling through remote villages and seeing all the varying landscapes. Loved the fact that passengers got off wherever they needed to, the only bus stops I saw seemed to be the initial boarding stop and the bus station at the end of the journey. Potosi itself was the largest town in the region around the 17^th century and was abundant in silver and zinc deposits. It hosts a pink topped mountain which is the site for old mines, conditions here are still very basic with work being carried out by hand, no fancy tools or modern machinery… This place is littered with ornate mansions and Baroque churches, great architecture laid out in front of a fabulous landscape. You must visit the original royal mint, Casa de Moneda which was built in the mid-1700s, it houses various displays of wooden minting machines, religious art, Tiahuanaco artefacts, Bolivian war relics and the country’s first locomotive.

Sucre – this is an UNESCO Heritage site and the Bolivian capital. This city has a number of wonderfully preserved churches that reflect the mix of local and European influences. The 17^th century cathedral in the centre of town contains the stunning jewel encrusted ‘Virgen do Guadalupe’ by Bernardo Bitti an artist who studied under Raphael, apparently. We also visited the Museo de la Recoleta which served as a Franciscan convent, barracks and a prison, it houses a vast collection of paintings. We spent time wandering through the plazas and streets. Great place – mad hills, would put San Francisco to shame…

La Paz – standing 3,636m above sea level it is set between two mountains and surrounded by the high Altiplano. It’s strategic location on the La Paz river was great for the trade routes between the Bolivian silver mines and the ocean. La Paz is my kind of city to visit for people watching, architecture and landscape with the grandeur of the church of San Francisco to the street markets, it is a hive of activity. I loved the ethnicity of this place with the various indigenous groups that can be often identified by their dialect and their magnificent attire, especially the ladies hats. Marvellous! It was really great to see these traditional cultures married with today’s technology. A perfect example is my photo of the lady in traditional wear using a mobile phone. I rarely witnessed a pushchair (stroller) as the babies were carried in a blanket tied around the shoulders – even the Bolivian women dressed in modern clothing opted for this form of transporting their children. Fabulous… This place is a fantastic contradiction from its colonial architecture, indigenous people in traditional clothing, fast food restaurants to lush gardens in the middle of this concrete city and their most amazing cable car system.

The cable car system is a well-oiled machine for commuters coming into the city from the outlying areas, thus avoiding very slow-moving traffic. OK, let me try to explain how it works. I have likened it to the London Underground system (without the delays), in the sense that the cable routes are different colours. For example, you take the orange line from the centre of La Paz heading to the West then change for the blue line to take you to your town… These are so frequent that when say, a group of eight climb aboard, the ‘instructor’ closes the door and it sets off with another one directly behind ready for the next group and so on. It is extremely cheap and such a clever idea to combat the traffic situation. Other countries with high traffic problems and pollution should take heed. Oh, and by the way, great way to see the place.

I felt pretty safe leaving my hotel during the day to go exploring around the markets and side street shops, quit a few selling Alpaca wool clothing. At one point I felt like I had ventured too far from the main road and had to stop myself from panicking and getting lost. I didn’t exactly feel like I was in imminent danger, but I did feel the need to get back up to the main road. La Paz is a pretty modern city in parts with a lot of people both old and young – it is all hustle and bustle.

Now I know this wouldn’t be appealing to everyone, but I do like to ask the ‘real’ questions – so when I see a pair of trainers thrown across a telephone/electricity cable I know that this is a drug area (N.B. this isn’t exclusive to South America), but I like to get confirmation. Most guides don’t like to talk about the ‘dark side’ of their countries but I think it’s important to know all sides, it’s interesting to me. When we first drove through La Paz, I noticed (as only I seem to do) an effigy hanging from a lamppost with a sign attached which read “Ladron Pillado-Sera Quema Do Y” – rough translation “Thief caught – You will burn”. I asked our guide what it said, and he responded that it was a joke! Ah huh…

Throughout the trip, I would periodically see similar ‘hangings’ but couldn’t get any other clear photos. I know this is may appear a bit strange and macabre, but had I realised how close I was to the notorious San Pedro prison or El penal de San Pedro, I most definitely would have gone for look (at a distance mind). I have watched many documentaries about this prison so was gutted I had overlooked this place.

I opted for an additional trip to the Tiahuanako archaeological site. This was a long journey by car from La Paz and took hours to get to. Although driving though villages, seeing the everyday markets with their throng of shoppers and sellers made for interesting viewing, I’m not going to lie, I was a bit disappointed by the ruins because that is exactly what they were, ruins – these pre-Inca temples that date back to approximately 1500 BC were demolished. There is ongoing restoration work, but it is such as shame that someplace that has so much history and was completely ahead of its time in relation to the build and stone work, was torn down. I’m glad I went to see it however, for me, cutting the time spent there in half would have been suffice.

Isla del Sol – We headed for the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca which at 3,810m is the highest navigable lake in the world. From the town of Copacabana we got our boat out to the Isla del Sol, with our first stop once on the island was to see the ruins of Pilkokaina. After lunch we then spent the next 1.5hrs walking at high altitude up to the lodge. Now I know this will not sit well with some, but we did have donkeys who went ahead of us carrying our luggage (Ecolodge La Estancia ensure that the pack animals used on the island are treated fair, respectful and with adequate care to ensure their well-being).

If you get the chance, I would recommend coming over to this island, we stayed at the Ecolodge La Estancia which was a really good experience. The accommodation was clean and comfortable with en-suites and views of the Andes and Lake Titicaca. This place is eco-friendly as the name suggests, it was created using locally sourced materials such as mud bricks, straw and stone, they also have a rainwater recycling filter system and a re-use system for sewage. It is a really cool place to visit with a lot to see on the island and around it.

Peru – After leaving Isle del Sol, we crossed the border into Peru to the town of Puno. As I quickly came to realise, Peru has a lot of colourful parades, not sure what they are all for, but it did seem almost like a daily occurrence. This town was very busy with narrow streets leading into the main square. The first parade of the trip happened when we arrived which was a pleasant surprise, the procession went on for what seemed like hours with such a variety of colours and costumes – very entertaining and a great photo opportunity.

We were only in Puno for one night before heading off very early to the Sacred Valley in Cusco. Now if you travel by bus you will go via the ancient Sillustani site, stopping off at number places to visit ruins and churches. However, when I booked this trip I was asked if I wanted to take the classic Titicaca train from Puno to Cusco, can’t express just how glad I was to have booked this. Wow!

Titicaca Train – Don’t be put off by the 10.5hr journey, believe me the bus would have been longer but with the train, you are in pure luxury. It looks like the Orient Express (1920’s style Pullman carriages) but without the sleeper cars. The experience starts at the station where you are greeted by local musicians as you board the train (note: you have to get there an hour or so beforehand to ‘check-in’). You’re shown to your comfortable seat in the dining carriage, where you can store your hand-luggage and go explore the rest of the train (your main luggage is labelled and placed in a designated carriage). Aside from the dining car and extremely plush rest rooms, there is a bar carriage and a spectacular observation deck located at the rear of the train. Panoramic views for days…

Service is second to none with a three-course gourmet lunch with a complimentary glass of wine (additional beverages are chargeable) and later on, afternoon tea. You are treated to musicians and dancers, along with a fashion show where you can purchase fine quality garments made from Alpaca wool – All very entertaining. As great as all that was, the views oh wow – the landscape, the Andes, the entire experience was unexpected but fabulous even if the journey was long. 100% recommended, but be aware, it can become a bit costly when buying cocktails (other beverages are available) but as you are already being decadent by choosing the train in the first place, you may as well go all out 😊

Machu Picchu – before heading off to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu), we went to the remote ruins of Moray, famous for their Inca terraces. Great site which sets you up nicely for one of the greatest archaeological finds in the world, the mountain complex of Machu Picchu but first a train journey to get you there. As I had opted to climb Huayna Picchu mountain beforehand, I had to leave really early to get the bus up to the ‘Lost City’. The queues were horrific as you can imagine and the wait was long, when you do eventually get in the first gate, a guide will take you to where you join another queue for the entrance to Huayna Picchu Mountain (permit to climb the mountain was purchased at the time of booking this holiday). This was another horrifically long queue. When going through, your name and time is logged, and the number of visitors were limited per session (approx. 300 over a 2-3-hour period). Luckily, I got through that first session otherwise there would be a 3-4 hour wait…

The climb was long and steep which was to be expected but it was also slow as you can get stuck behind someone and mostly unable to go past as the path is narrow, also, the nearer to the top you got, the climbers before you were on their way back down. The trail in places had sheer drops so was a little treacherous. Anyway, made it to the top, then had the arduous trek of getting back down and meet up with the rest of the group.

Machu Picchu aka the Lost City is undoubted fabulous, an insane amount of history, ingenuity and an architectural marvel the site is vast with a lot to see. There were thousands of people all wanting to see the same thing you do and at the same time whilst striving to take enviable photos. Loved the llamas roaming around, that was a great touch and as much as it was amazing (I will probably be hated for saying this), I didn’t really enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I am totally grateful for the experience, I really am but I have to say I enjoyed my climb of Huayna Picchu more – yep I said it, Eek! On reflection, I believe I was underwhelmed because it was such a long day with an early start and long queues for everything. Note: the queue for the return buses to town are beyond anything you can imagine – the upside is that the buses are constant carousel, dropping off and picking up.

Not sure when or if this is going to happen but apparently there is talk of installing cable cars across Machu Picchu which would be the only way for tourists to visit in order to preserve the site…

Cusco – the old capital of the Inca Empire. Really liked this place, all the churches, statues, plazas, drinking and eating establishments. Modern shops housed inside impressive old historic buildings. There is a lot to see here with one plaza leading to the next and to the next. There was an indoor market, mainly for locals that sells just about anything that’s worth a wander around. I had a chuckle to myself when I saw the number of massage and nail parlours there were, almost in competition with Thailand LOL!

The museum dedicated to Inca heritage was a great little place to spend some time, located up a quaint cobbled-stoned side street. It was worth a visit as it contained unexpected artefacts and a lot of history. Cusco is one of those places where you could find yourself a coffee shop or restaurant with a terrace/ balcony, sit back and while away the time people watching. It was a hive of activity. There are also a number of places to visit in and around Cusco, for example the fortress-citadel of Saqsayhuaman built high above the town or Pisac to the market or explore ruins of its citadel, plenty to do and see here.

Puerto Maldonado – excited to fly here for my Peruvian Amazon 3-day extension. Upon arrival it is immediately apparent that this place going to be hot, sweat dripping hot. We travelled by boat along the Tambopata River to my eco-friendly Amazon lodge (Inkaterra Field Station), which by the way wasn’t at all what I expected – I had images of dormitories and bunkbeds. Not at all, these are individual wooden lodges with thatched roofs and the pathway ‘pebbles’ are Brazil nut shells. There is a main sitting area with books and boardgames, this was where everyone goes for meals and it also had a small bar for the evening. Electricity here was limited to certain times of the day which obviously meant so was the WiFi.

For our first excursion, I donned my lodge supplied rubber boots and hotfooted it to explore the jungle trails of the surrounding field station. We made our way through an abundance of thick vegetation with our guide pointing out along the way, the various insects and other wild life. We later went on a night trip along the Madre De Dios River looking for white caiman, capybaras and other such creatures. It got dark really quick and even though the guide was shining a torch along the banks, it was still pretty hard to make out anything although you could hear a lot of movement. Even still it was a great experience.

The next day started with a hike in the forest following the trails to Lake Apu Victor which is surrounded by marshes, we then climbed the observation deck of the Inkaterra canopy walkway which was 100ft off the ground with 8 platforms and 7 hanging bridges. Very dense but you do get to see and hear the various wildlife all around you. We went to the Tambopata National Reserve which gave you a lot of information about the area and ecosystems. We had a bit of a hike through the jungle to a local waterhole where we saw an abundance of creatures from turtles to bats to otters and loads of birds (couldn’t name them…). After the boat ride we were walking back through the jungle (there was a raised walk way for the most part so mostly avoided the mud), when we all stopped dead in our tracks as a giant anteater with a baby attached to it, walked straight across our path. We were so shocked that we were barely able to take a photo (blurred unfortunately) but our guide was so excited, he said that in the all the years he’s being doing this tour he had never come across an anteater before – really was cool. What wasn’t so cool, well actually it was, was a massive tarantula. It was really hairy and big – Ewww!

My final full day on Amazon consisted of a hike through the rainforest to Lost Cocho which is a refuge and feeding ecosystem for a large variety of animals. We also visited the Inkaterra Association’s Bio Orchard where organic vegetables and fruit were cultivated. We took a canoe ride around the lake before heading by boat to Monkey Island and if I recall correctly, we saw both Howler and Spider monkeys. This island was a tad busy as it seemed all us visitors decided to descend on the island at the same time…

Flew back to Cusco and was able to witness yet another parade in the square, the costumes were not as elaborate as the other parades I had seen, these were more uniforms of various types. This holiday did not disappoint, I had a fabulous time and it awakened a thirst in me to visit more of South America. I loved Chile and definitely need to revisit to see more, Peru was so much more than Machu Picchu, but Bolivia, hands down was my favourite. I think it may be because I didn’t know too much about the country, the landscapes, towns and people were just fascinating – 100% would recommend.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW – Vaccinations: Hepatitis A and B, Diphtheria, Tetanus, Typhoid and Yellow Fever. You will need to carry your yellow fever certificate with you. Typhoid and Yellow Fever not necessary for Chile and Peru. If in doubt, check with your doctor or travel clinic.

Sunburn – Be warned when stopping to take photos at the Salt Plains, I hadn’t cover or topped up my sunscreen and burnt, this is all due to the reflection of the sun on the salt. Lesson learned, again!

Additional costs – At the time of booking, the single supplement was around £850. There are a lot of optional excursions on this trip and as usual, I included this cost in my budgeting (approx. £700). The other costs that needed to be paid at the time of booking was for the Titicaca train (£190) which is like Peru’s version of the Orient Express and permit(s) to climb Huayna Picchu (£25) or Machu Picchu mountain (£25). Please note that there is only time to climb one.

*Disclaimer – all prices quoted were correct at the time of my trip.