Cerro La Cruz

Doing Cerro Ramon, a few weeks ago, reignited our thirst to try Cerro La Cruz which limits to the west with the Sierra Ramon.

The traverse of Sierra de Ramón

On most days (though somewhat smog dependent) one can see the Andes mountains from Santiago. Many people even use them as a point of reference when giving directions, such is their dominance above the cityscape. Much of what is visible from the city, of course, is no more than a - in the context of the Andes - modestly sized ridge that runs for approximately 25km along the eastern edge of Santiago and which covers direct views of the bigger mountains beyond. It is called Sierra de Ramón, rises to about 3250m above sea level, and a traverse of it has been on our to-do list pretty much since we first arrived in Santiago.

Ilhabela - Brazil

At the end of August we went to a conference in São Paulo, and having traveled all that way we thought we may as well stay around for the weekend and take a little mini holiday. Last year, with a similar "excuse", we managed to spend some time in Paraty and we loved it. This time we picked Ilhabela, which was a new place to discover for us, and also a bit closer to São Paulo.

Desierto Florido 2017

Only 2 years ago, we visited the Atacama Desert to see it was covered in flowers in what is known as Desierto Florido, This typically occurs in El Niño years when it is more likely to rain in the area between La Serena and Copiapo (you can click here for a map).