Category: Chile

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Wine Weekend in Chile’s Colchagua Valley

After nearly a year of enjoying the spoils of living within hours of many of the world’s best wine valleys, it was time for a Chilean wine weekend. Though we had previously spent a long weekend exploring Argentinian wine country in Mendoza, we were excited to tour some of Chile’s iconic vineyards. We set our sights on Santa Cruz, located about 2.5 hours south of Santiago in the heart of the Colchagua wine valley. Continue reading “Wine Weekend in Chile’s Colchagua Valley”

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Fresh Eyes: Sharing Chile with Friends and Family

After over a year of living in Santiago, much of the newness and novelty has worn off. Sure, there are still the intermittent reminders that we’re “not in Kansas anymore”, but overall, Santiago has really started to feel like home.  So, during two recent visits from my parents and my friend Jenn, it was refreshing to get to experience so many of the places and things that have become routine to us through fresh eyes. Continue reading “Fresh Eyes: Sharing Chile with Friends and Family”

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5-Day Packing List for the W Trek in Torres del Paine (Chilean Patagonia)

The W hike in Torres del Paine National Park is truly indescribable.  You have to experience it for yourself to understand the true beauty of this pristine, remote slice of earth. While some may find stories of extreme winds and volatile weather to be intimidating, others will likely be equally overwhelmed by the task of packing all the necessities for a 4-5 night trip in a single backpack.  This packing list is here to help.

Continue reading “5-Day Packing List for the W Trek in Torres del Paine (Chilean Patagonia)”

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6 Hours in Valparaiso + a Chilean Rodeo

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Despite the fact that Valparaiso is one of the top day trip destinations for visitors to Santiago, after nearly 7 months of living here, we still hadn’t made the trip. If we had been visiting Santiago for a week, we no doubt would have made the excursion right away, but living here made it seem less urgent.  Instead, we opted to spend our weekends exploring the city, hiking in the Andes and taking various weekend trips to destinations further outside the city limits.

With spring on the horizon, though, we decided we needed it was time to move this trip up the priority list. Continue reading “6 Hours in Valparaiso + a Chilean Rodeo”

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Easter Island (Isla de Pasqua) in 5 days

Being Moai

Easter Island is somewhere that has always intrigued me.  With it’s natural beauty and mysterious history, it was a place I dreamed of visiting, but in reality wasn’t sure I would ever get to see with my own eyes.  It’s one of the most remote islands in the world, and not easy to get to from most places. But, lucky for us, one of the few direct flights available to the island is from Santiago, so adding it to our list of travel destinations during our time here was a no brainer.   Continue reading “Easter Island (Isla de Pasqua) in 5 days”

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Valle de Elqui – Drinking Pisco Under the Stars

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This past Monday was a holiday here in Chile, so we decided to take advantage of the long weekend by taking a road trip to Chile’s Norte Chico region.  We set our sights on the sunny Valle de Elqui, a beautiful valley in the Andes that is blanketed with a patchwork of vineyards. The dry climate means days are bright and sunny, and nights offer some of the clearest skies on the planet. Continue reading “Valle de Elqui – Drinking Pisco Under the Stars”