Last turno, me and Guillaume, a colleague from Paranal, decided that we should stay in the north for a few days and visit part of its coastline, around Antofagasta. The reasons behind it are arguable, but we did it, rented a nice 4x2 pick-up (cheaper than a 4x4) and drove across the desert. Destination for the first two days: Pan de Azucar national park, 5 hours south from Antofagasta. We drove near 3 hours with just pure desert and mountains as a landscape, very Mad Maxean, until we arrived to the coast, near Paposo and Taltal.
There is something magical when sea and desert mix. Maybe it is in the paradox water/desert, but the beauty of the landscape is very special. It's all very simple but very very respectful at the same time, which defies you to take the most out of it. We did the rest of the way along the coast, as much as possible, until we reached Pan de Azucar, with its characteristic mist
camanchaca, gorgeous rocky beaches and geometric topography. There were little people around, standing out the wildness of the park. We arrived late so we headed almost directly to Chañaral to sleep. We had a peculiar episode with the police and it was not easy to find a place to sleep...
The next day we went back to the park, did a 4-hour trek into a gorge and saw a group of
guanacos, similar to the
llamas, but wild. During the trek we saw many different kinds of cacti lied around the dry landscape. The most amazing thing is that some flowers manage to grow in such harsh environment. In fact, the seed can wait for tens of years until it gets a few drops of rain, making it possible to flourish. If it rains all across the desert, a very rare phenomenon occurs, called flourishing desert. Flowers sprout all over, different colours, turning the dusty brown desert into a rainbow burst of colours. This year it's just a few flowers, but still life can exist even under the most difficult and unlikely conditions. That's when you stop, you stare and you think, you do think, about your life...
Around three hours south from Santiago, lies Talca, one of the most important cities of Chile, in the past. It was here where Chile's independency treat was signed, back in 1818. It was also home of several european aristocrats, who settled here and made Talca an important social and cultural point. Nowadays, it still holds a certain class, though its relevance has decreased significantly. In the region there are inumerous vineyards and some of the best chilean wine is made there.
I wanted to do some trekking on the andean mountains and, at this latitude, there are some excellent trails. In my chilean woodchuck book, I found this hotel, a bit outside Talca, called La Casa Chueca. Apart from being highly recommended, it was connected with a trekking agency. I went for it and I'm glad I did it, because I found another go-back-place in Chile. It is a place to relax, away from the city and by the shores of river Lircay, peaceful, cosy and with all commodities you wouldn't even think of, like a pool, jacuzzi or a gym.
There I met Nicole and Dorina, two german interns working at the hotel, the most helpful, friendly and smily hosts I've met in Chile. We went together to do a one-day trek in the park, up to the top of Cerro Peine, but we were told, at the entrance, that there was still snow near the top. We went until snow stopped us, and the view from up there was simply breathtaking. Looking up, we had this basaltic snow-covered peak, while looking down over the valley we could see this green carpet extending to infinite. In the end, we had time to drink something near the park entrance, while waiting for the bus. I met the friendly Tito, a trek guide, to whom I promised to send a decent portuguese flag (he already had a very tiny one decorating the place). It was my first trip south from Santiago...
