Valparaiso and Northern Chile

With a two day ride up the coast from Puerto Montt I arrived in the old port city of Valparaiso. It seemed to me like the only thing holding up many of the crumbling old buildings is the paint from the amazing street art that adorns countless walls

Monument in training

The city creeps up the hills from the port with iconic funiculars offering a respite from the thigh burning steps 

Funicular

Valapraiso had it’s glory days as a supply port for vessels making the passage round the Horn on their way to the gold fields of Californian in the 19th century. A massive earthquake in 1906 did major damage to the city and then the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 sealed its fate.

Chile navy training ship Esmeralda

My next stop was the seaside resort town of La Serena a 5 hour ride north up the very good Ruta 5 highway.

La Serena

La Serena beach

Just east into the desert from La Serena is found the beautiful valley of Elqui, famous for its vineyards that produce the fiery spirit, Pisco. 

Vineyards in Elqui Valley

Pisco

This area is known for its clear skies and is home to many observatories allowing for the un-interrupt sight of the heavens. I took a nighttime horse-back ride up winding mountain paths that seemed at times were leading directly into the black, star studded night.

This truly is an enchanted valley and welcome stop before taking the northern reaches of the Atacama desert.

The main road leading north in the Atacama is a very good paved road and it was easy to make good time although endless hours through the desert could be very tiring. They say that this is the driest desert on earth and there were long stretches where there was not a hint of vegetation.

Atacama Desert looking east

The National Parque Pan de Azucar on the edge of the cold Pacific Ocean was a good night stopover with the waves putting me to sleep and the seagulls waking me in the morning 

P. N Pan de Azucar

Early morning in the desert

Mano del Desierto near Antofagaste

Desert art

Ever northwards through the ugly industrial mining town of Antofagaste and then northwards and eastwards towards the Andes and the oasis town of San Pedro de Atacama. What a gem of a place in the middle of the desert with the high snow covered volcanoes towering over this town built out of adobe. The underground aquifers fed by the nearby snow covered peaks have transformed the dry desert into this green island in a sea of sand and rock.

Back street of San Pedro

Iglesia de San Pedro

Volcan Licancabur

Laguna Miscanti

Vicuña

I learned a little about the seemingly shy Vicuña. Two males fight for dominance of the herd, and all the benefits that that entails, by hitting each other with their necks (much like giraffes do) In this high mountain environment with very thin air this soon leads to exhaustion by one poor luckless fellow who drops to the ground. The winner then bites off the balls of the loser !!! -- a little harsh I thought.