Chile highlights - part 5 Parque Nacional Bosque Fray Jorge

Another day out from La Serena.

This time we headed south along Route 5 to the Fray Jorge Forest park.
This is famous for having the northernmost temperate rain forests. Coastal fog hangs on the mountain-slopes and vegetation, allows the hydrophilic forests to survive despite being surrounded by semiarid scrub.

We were struck by the scent of flowers and the birdsong. 

For further photos and info check Harry's blog

Chile highlights - part 4

Punto de Choros - not much walking done here!
We arrived fairly late in the day, and didn't fancy driving another 25 kilometres to join a possible trip to see the penguins. You can't do everything!

Fishing for shellfish

Scavengers - gulls and turkey vultures

Spot the guanaco

Chile walking highlights part 3 - near San Pedro de Atacama

The main purpose of our stay at Coyo near San Pedro was the night sky, almost always clear here, and with no light pollution. Harry timed our visit for the new moon and at a time of year when the brightest part of the Milky Way was visible in the constellation of Sagittarius. The Milky Way, the constant presence of the Scorpion in all its glory  and the stars dripping to the horizon were the highlights for me, though Harry ,well wrapped against the cold, spent some hours outside with his binoculars. 


Walk 1 - an abortive attempt to walk the three miles or so to San Pedro.

Licancabur - the volcano we could see from our bedroom window.

On our second day in Coyo the blue sky clouded over - we thought it might make walking more pleasant . . .                  

but the wind rose, and sand was blowing everywhere . . .

so we gave it up as a bad job, and returned to base - only to discover that the volcano was completely invisible. A power cut added to the fun!

Walk 2 - El Valle de la Luna.

Part walk and part drive. 

The Valley of the Moon is a few kilometres west of San Pedro de Atacama. It is part of the Los flamencos National Reserve.  It has strangely shaped rock formations and dry salt lakes, along with impressive sand dunes.

The Tres Marias and the groups of tourists

Snap taken by a lad from Leeds!

At sunset the colours are vivid and changing - a sight which repays the effort of climbing the Big Dune 

Licancabur from a viewpoint along the valley.

Chile walking highlights - part 2 :Valparaiso

This city rises up steeply from the main port area, and is a jumble of wealthy districts and ones which look as though they have been thrown together any old how. 
Some places feel safe and welcoming, others, not exactly threatening, but  in need of a little attention . . . we inadvertently ended up walking several miles along a "belt road" through some of these areas. Not a busy road, but winding along a bus route avoiding the steep ravines where the houses are distinctly ramshackle on the outside.  The photographs are mostly from perfectly pleasant areas - there are lots of them!

Lots of painted walls

La Sebastiana, Pablo Neruda's pad in Valparaíso.

This was very close to the modern Cultural Centre.

Chile walking highlights - Part 1 Santiago

1. Santiago - Cerro Santa Lucia

This was a five mintue walk from the apartment.

A small, steep, popular park with fine views across to the Andes.

Buildings reflect the views

There are geraniums on abundance and some fine scucculents

2. Santiago - Cerro San Cristóbal

A bigger hill than Santa Lucia, and a little further away. There's a road up - mainly for cyclists, and walking paths too.

A popular place on a hot spring Sunday

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The loudspeaker was saying about a thousand hail marys while we were there.

Scuplture by Luciano Kulczewski

An outpost of the Lick Observatory

Pollution haze over Santiago

Swimming pool not in use yet

We finished the walk with a visit to La Chascona, one of Pablo Neruda's houses.

Of course we explored the town further, visiting the big central market, the Parque Forestal which runs parallel to the river Mapocho, dropping in to the Gabriela Mistral Centre,site of a decent cafe, and the local Museo de Bellas Artes, where there was another pleasant cafe. Later we called into the Centro Cultural Palacio de la Moneda to see an exhibition on Beijing's Forbidden City.