Chile

Hola! And welcome to Chile! A country know as the backbone of South America running from it's high altitude border with Peru and Bolivia to 2,653 miles away in the frozen islands and fjords of Patagonia. A country rich in Inca and Colonial history, and all the more beautiful and unique because of it.

All major cities in Chile are known for their street art.

I'm not going to lie, we probably didn't get to enjoy Santiago as much as we would've liked as the jet-lag from New Zealand was the worst I have ever had! 16 hour time difference and you land an hour earlier than your departure time on the same day. Really messes with you. So we were pretty much zombies for 5 days.

But anyway, once we wrapped our Walking Dead imitations we were finally able to explore Santiago and what a city it is. Every back alley, every side street is littered with remnants of times past, and bursting with colour. The streets and squares are a hive of activity with daily food and flee markets bringing out the local communities.

For those of you interested in architecture and art then look no further than Cerro San Cristóbal in the centre of Santiago; a hill-top fortification containing stunning religious architecture, historical and religious statues, and beautifully painted and decorated fountains and promenades.

Dressed to match!

However if you do feel like a change in scenery for a day or two you can always hop on a coach and head to the city-port of Valparaíso, about 1.5 hours outside of Santiago. It is a bustling city built deep into the sides of it's surrounding mountains, leaving levels upon levels of streets, homes, shops and restaurants. And every street is covered from head to toe in street art, and each artist tells a different story. A walking tour around the favela's of Valparaíso is a very interesting way to spend a few hours.

The prettiest mess in the World.

All around the centre of these cities there are hidden gems waiting to be discovered, but the treasure is waiting for you 1,629km North of Santiago. And it's a journey you simply must make.

Once we had arrived in San Pedro de Atacama we quickly became aware of the intense sunlight, shortness of breath, and shockingly different temperatures between the shade and the sun. And we discovered that San Pedro is sitting pretty at 2,408m. This place is like nowhere I have ever been. The town and it's local residents look like they've been pulled from a Western cowboy film, stetson's and ponchos all round. This town is the gateway from Chile into the Bolivian Salt Flats and so plays hosts to thousands of travellers each year.

Something that we did not expect though was the Saturday night party. Once all the bars closed the kids and oldies went home, the young and spritely headed into the desert under what can only be described as the most spectacular sky I have ever seen and we met with 3m high speaker stacks, bonfires, and makeshift bars. We danced the night away, every now and then gazing upward to catch a glimpse of a shooting star.

The Milky Way in all it's splendour!

It was two days later that we were up at 4am to head to the border with Bolivia to meet our tour guides and groups for the next three days of adventure!

Love from Nick & Mia x

#arcane_travel