The Protests in Chile

We have not written much since the total solar eclipse, however, we have been doing a fair bit of travelling and activities. It is overdue to do a post on how the social protests have developed and what is our experiences in Chile about the political situation recently.

Total Solar Eclipse, 2nd July 2019

In all these years since we started writing this blog we have had the privilege to enjoy countless incredible moments amidst breath-taking landscapes and natural beauty, travelling around Chile and beyond. And still we find ourselves knocked off our feet every now and then by yet another new remarkable experience: this year’s total solar eclipse definitely falls into this category.

Autumn in Malalcahuello - hot springs & snow

Autumn has arrived in Malalcahuello, the temperatures have dropped and a fresh layer snow has descended on the nearby volcano cones. During the month of May we woke up many mornings to frost and even a little snow on the ground near our dome shaped cabin. Lucky that for Chilean standards it is well insulated and relatively easy to keep at a comfortable temperature, at least compared to the house we used to rent in Santiago.

Volcán Lonquimay

One of our first proper outings, about a week after we arrived in Malalcahuello, was dedicated to climbing Volcán Lonquimay, whose majestic cone we can see from our cabin on a clear day.

Our Malalcahuello retreat

In case you have recently been following our blog a little bit you may have noticed a flurry of activity, which is for a reason. Towards the end of 2018 we have come to realize that we needed a proper break from corporate life (Patricia) and life in the big city (Christian), and our road trip to Peninsula Valdes in March with our friend Sandra was the first stage of that. On the very last leg of that trip, back on the Chilean side of the border, a day's drive south of Santiago, we spent the final couple of nights in a little village called Malalcahuello. We liked it so much that after our return to Santiago we emptied our house, boxed up or sold our belongings and decided to come back to Malalacahuello to make it our new base for the next couple of months.

Peninsula Valdes (Chubut, AR)

We finally made our way to Peninsula Valdés (for travelers, worth reminding "do not underestimate how far this place is from Buenos Aires, Bariloche or Punta Arenas"). Most travelers visit the Peninsula for its biodiversity.

Los Alerces National Park (Chubut, AR)

From Bariloche (see our previous blog post), we were heading to Peninsula Valdés on the Atlantic coast of Argentina, a road trip of around 1000km. Not being very fond of spending that much time in one go in our little Polo we decided to stopover in Esquel, a small town located 4 hours' drive south of Bariloche, in order to spend an extra day visiting the nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site and National Park called "Los Alerces".

Refugio Frey Loop in Nahuel Huapi National Park (Barlioche, AR)

It feels like we have always neglected Bariloche a bit, or at least never have quite gotten around to properly sample some of its fine outdoor activity potential. After all, it’s one of Argentina’s top hiking and skiing destinations. We’ve been passing through several times over the years, and last year we even managed to squeeze in a very pleasant half-day walk to the Cerro Llao Llao viewpoint on our way back to Santiago from Central Patagonia. Back then we decided we needed to return for a more decent hike one day and in early March finally we managed to do exactly that.

Melimoyu

Patagonia continues to be a fascinating travel destination for us where we would definitely like to spend much more time than we have had the opportunity to do so thus far. At the end of February, we managed to get to know a new part of it, and that trip turned into a bit of an epic because… well, it’s Patagonia and things don’t always work out as planned.

Parque Pumalín

The end of the year is usually travelling-to-the-South time for us and this year we went to Parque Pumalín in northern Patagonia for a few days of hiking, camping and relaxing. To get there you have to make your way to Puerto Montt (we went by overnight bus), and then follow the  Carretera Austral (again by bus) to the village Hornopirén, from where a 4h ferry connects to the continuation of the Carretera Austral on the other side of the Comao and Reñihué Fjords. In other words, a bit of an epic to get there in the first place, i.e. right up our alley q-;