As we near the end of our stay in South America, we decided we wanted to pay a visit to Chile while we had the opportunity. If you know me, then you know that I love wine - red wine - and cabernet, specifically. And if you know a little bit about wine, then you know that Chile is famous for its cabernet.
While researching what else Chile has to offer, besides the delicious wine, purported “European feel”, and the tail-end of the Andes, I also discovered that Chile mines a lot of copper and lapis lazuli. I’ve adored this deep blue stone that symbolizes truth and wisdom since I first saw it in Egypt (Afghanistan happens to be the other major miner of the stone).
So to recap, Chile: red wine and blue stones!
I really enjoyed our time in Chile and wished we could have stayed longer. In fact, it’s a place I would like to visit again. The city of Santiago is very modern, with tree-lined streets, a myriad of cafes, and is extremely pedestrian-friendly. The apartment we stayed at was in the Bellavista district. There were wide sidewalks, beautiful landscaping and shade, and each apartment building had it’s own little grassy courtyard and garden out front.
There is also a very convenient subway system, where for the fare of $1.25, we could ride to most places on our itinerary. We were thrilled to find the grocery stores stocked with loads of delicious smoked cheeses and cheap, good wine. Oh, so much wine! Cabernets for essentially $6 per bottle, including a new favorite of mine - the Cabernet Franc. Other modern comforts included two six-story shopping malls and Starbucks!
The language in Chile is Spanish, obviously, but it has a much different tone to what we hear in Ecuador. It’s a melodic rhythm, and the pitch of the voice tends to go up and then down at the end of the word, like the intonation is on a wave.. If I could compare it to something, I would say the intonation sounds similar to Italian. It is gorgeous to listen to, but all four of us, including our friend Delaney who is fluent in Spanish had a bit of difficulty understanding everything.
One of my favorite things we did in Chile was to discover the delight that is, what I have dubbed, “wine hiking”. It’s exactly what it sounds like. You take a bottle of wine and some plastic cups on your hike, find a nice spot to sit with a beautiful vista, and have a little wine and cheese picnic. I have also found that this makes the hike down a lot more enjoyable.
On one of our days in Chile, we rented a car and drove about 2 hours out of town to El Morado national park to do a glacier hike. At this time of the year, it is actually summer in Chile so the weather was incredibly warm and pleasant. Sadly, we arrived to El Morado and learned that the park was closed (and had been for 2 months) due to fires. I guess Ecuador isn’t the only place to not post these types of notices on websites where people might learn of them before making the drive! However, not to be deterred, we drove down an access road to another area of the park and were able to find a trail in. So I guess, in effect we “snuck into the park, but we didn’t see any rangers to stop us, nor did we spot any fires or smoke. This was a much more pleasant hike then what we usually get to do in Ecuador, where the elevation climbs steadily. Rather, we hiked on virtually flat terrain through a valley surrounded by mountains and glaciers. It was a neat sensation to see snow-capped mountains all around you, yet be warm enough under the sun to hike comfortably in short sleeves. There were some incredible rock formations along the trail and so I spent a lot of time looking down and around me.
After about an hour of mild hiking, we found a few rocks to serve as picnic tables and sat down to enjoy a snack of sliced turkey, bread, smoked cheese, and of course, wine!
On the hike back, I found the most perfect little souvenir rainbow rock that looks like it was made of six different types and colors of rocks that all melted together. We also spotted a few baby goats frolicking along some rocks but they were a little too skittish to allow us to get close enough for a pet. Driving back to Santiago we stopped on the side of the road so I could buy a tub of fresh honey a man was selling. And I would be lying if I said I didn’t immediately pop the top off and eat a few finger fulls of fresh honey right there in the backseat.
On one of our other days in Chile, we visited the vineyards of Cousiño Macul, one of the oldest vineyards in Chile, started back in 1856 by guess who - priests who said they had to grow wine for communion. Brilliant! The vineyard is the only one in Santiago that is still owned and operated by the founding family. On this particular tour, we got to ride cute green cruiser bicycles around the vineyard, looking at different vines, tasting grapes, and of course stopping under the shade of a willow tree to sample the Rosé. This was a fun thing to do. It was such a cool landscape to be pedaling through a 160 year old vineyard, with a wine glass in your basket, overlooking the modern city of Santiago all around you, and behind that the brown hazy peaks of the Andes. Following the bike ride, we returned to the main building where we all sat outside and continued a wine tasting. Justin and I picked our two favorite bottles - a Cabernet and a Syrah, and brought them home with us. We also bought a few smoked cheeses from the supermarket so that we can re-enact our own little Chilean picnic back in Quito.
As I mentioned, Chile is known for its copper crafts and lapis jewelry. I was on a mission to find some blue stone treasures for myself and my mom and sisters. We took a 10 minute subway ride to the Santa Lucia artesanal market where there was no shortage of lapis stalls. I found a beautiful strand of lapis pearls and matching earrings. I also picked up a charming little cross for my mom’s collection made of copper and brass and set with a lapis stone in the middle.
Also on our list was a famous fish market at the Mercado Central where you can buy fresh fish and seafood right off slabs of ice, or sit down at a table and have them cook one up for you right then and there. Once you get past the initial “ew” factor of smelling all that raw fish, you start to get a little hungry. After perusing the perimeter of the market, we found a little restaurant to sit down and sample the local fare. I picked out a pretty silver fish with huge black eyes called a reineta. It is a white fish with firm flesh that I had grilled and served with veggies and fresh baked rolls. It was delicious!
At a different restaurant, known for it’s extensive pisco menu, we all enjoyed some of the most delicious ceviche I’ve ever had - big chunks of almost rare fish, soaked in lime juice with onions, peppers, corn, and sweet potatoes.
Though we spent a little less than four full days in Santiago, I got the feeling that this is a place I could definitely see us living in someday, if we return to South America. I would love to learn to speak Spanish in that melodic way of theirs. I also loved the balance of modern conveniences with a real bohemian, pedestrian type of lifestyle. The people seemed sophisticated yet casual, and relaxed. There are no shortage of green spaces, parks, and areas for walking and picnicking. The shopping is good, the air is clean. And I think I’ve already made it pretty clear how I feel about the array of wine and cheeses available...and don’t forget, wine hiking!
