I also went to Chile 17 years ago when I first visited Argentina and Patagonia. I remember not being a fan of it. It did not make nearly the impression on me that Argentina did and the only place I really liked was Valpraiso. However, while traveling in Argentina this year I have met people that had good things to say about it and surprisingly, it is now less expensive than Argentina. So I figured why not, it was time to give Chile a second chance.
My first stop was Pucon. Someone described it to me as an outdoorsy town surrounded by volcanoes. Outdoorsy town surrounded by volcanoes? That’s music to my ears, or so I thought. Unfortunately I had just come from Patagonia and this was when I realized I obviously had become a nature snob. The nature around Pucun was nice, but the options were limited and logistics even more difficult. I did one of the two hikes up a mountain that you can access by bus from Pucon and got views of the volcanoes that ring the area. Overall being the snob that I am, the hike was OK but I must say, a little underwhelming.
My initial reaction to the town itself was not that great but that did change and I felt very comfortable in the place by the time I left. Partly due to the encounter I had with a local. One day while walking back to my hostel I saw a husband and wife outside their house. The woman was putting their dog in a new stroller and the man was laughing. In that moment there were no language barriers. Everything needed was communicated through a look, a nod, an acknowledgment, and a laugh. A mutual realization of what this man’s life had just become, he’s the guy who’s gonna be pushing a stroller with his dog in it. His life, for all intents and purposes, was over.
He said something to me in Spanish and I responded saying ”no hablo Espanol”. He replied in English asking me where I was from. Turns out Raul worked for 30 years in the United States as a horse trainer and spoke English well. As I walked by periodically I’d see him and I’d stop to chat. After a couple days he invited me in for a beer (and that continued for a few days) and what beer did he offer me? His beer of choice in Chile is of course…Coors (I definitely did a double take when I saw it).
From Pucon I took an overnight bus to Santiago and spent a few days wandering the city. During a free tour the guide described Santiago, Chilean people, and their food as plain and simple. I felt the same which is also how I felt the first time I visited many years ago. Eh! It was OK but I must say, a little underwhelming.
After a couple days I left Santiago and headed up to the town of San Pedro de Atacama. It is aptly named since it is located in the north of Chile in the Atacama desert. During my time there I toured the varied desert landscape and saw some lagoons with Flamingos (very undesert like), and star gazed in one of the best places in the world to see stars. Usually pictures don’t do justice to the scenery I see but unfortunately in this case I feel the pictures I took make the place look better than it was. After hearing about the Atacama desert for so long, I must say, it was OK but a little underwhelming.
In my hostel in San Pedro I met a Chilean girl, Cristina, who lives in the mountains outside of Santiago. In the evenings I had my personal tour guide taking me to some local places and ordering the traditional foods and drinks. This by far was the highlight of my time in San Pedro (and Chile).
Overall Chile, now for the second time was…a little underwhelming. It seems like Chile has a lot to offer but everything is just OK, nothing outstanding and nothing as good as other places I have visited. However, I really enjoyed the time I spent with the Chileans I met. Those will be my memories of Chile and those are good memories.