When we first planned our trip to Chile it was with the sole purpose to see the solar eclipse. When we investigated it further we decided to add Rapa Nui (Easter Island) and Patagonia. Then I got input from friends and situations changed due to Covid and other issues. We had been to Patagonia (Argentinian side) previously and heard lots about Atacama so we added it to our itinerary. I have heard so much about this area from a variety of people until today it has left me very unimpressed.
We got off to a rocky start today we when took a tour of the geysers. In order to travel there we were in a van for about 1 hour and 40 minutes on a very bumpy road. The geysers are at over 14,000 feet and I was mildly short of breath limiting my walking speed. The guides were great. They were very attentive and made sure I was not in any danger. Unfortunately, the major danger was boredom. People impressed by these geysers have obviously never been to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming or a multitude of locations in Iceland. Check out this video and pictures and let me know if you agree.
After lunch, we headed to the Rainbow Valley tour and again had a wonderful guide. Before we got to the valley we stopped to see some petroglyphs. This is not our idea of fun. The guide quickly got our drift and we moved on to see Rainbow Valley. This was a lovely tour and on the way back to the hotel saw lots of wildlife. The guide and driver were happy to stop so we could take pictures.
Just outside Rainbow Valley, we were able to get a video of Guanacos (llama variant). Check it out. Don’t worry, it is short.
We then got the opportunity to get some great shots of llamas.
Tonight we are going star gazing if the skies clear up. We will be getting back to the room late and I am not sure if I will get a chance to post again before we leave so I did want to let you know one important bit of information. Although I loved Rapa Nui and was a little disappointed by Atacama (the sights not the hotel or staff) the one thing that has made me very happy is our travel agent. Malena Feijoo arranged this trip and we have been very pleased with her work. In addition to arranging our itinerary, she has followed the blog and helped with some minor hiccups. She also set up a “What’s App” group for Patrice and me. In that, we have been able to obtain some needed information. She has also texted us our boarding passes for all our internal flights which has been a huge help. So if you are interested in a trip to Chile I would recommend you contact her. She is based in Argentina so I assume she does trips there as well. Her email address is malena.feijoo@mai10.com.ar.
One other note the staff at the Explora Hotels in Atacama and Rapa Nui (Damn, I keep calling it ratatouille) have been great. Yesterday while walking across the courtyard the sole of my sandal almost fell completely off. I asked a member of the staff if they had some Krazy Glue so I could patch it. She said they didn’t but I should leave it with the front desk and maintenance would fix it in the morning. When we came back from our morning activity today, the repaired shoe was on the floor in our room, next to its mate. Very impressive!
We are off to look at stars. See you tommorrow for my collection of interesting photos I have collected this past week.
Hasta Luego
Robert Reiss Travel Blog and Other Ramblings 