Cajon del Maipo
ئېلان قىلىندى: 13.12.2018
گېزىتلەرگە مۇشتەرى بولۇڭ
At 6:30 a.m., the alarm clock is supposed to ring. I wake up a little earlier and get up. I sort my things, put everything I don't need today in the luggage room, and have another really bad coffee at the hostel. Slowly but surely, almost all of my bones hurt from the many activities of the last few days, but mostly because of this really crappy mattress... I could feel every single spring for the last 3 nights. Anyway, a real backpacker has to endure that ;-)
At 7:30 a.m., Felipe from 'Eco Chile' picks me up with driver Tomas and five other tourists. In the back seat is a young couple from Great Britain who sold their house and are now on a world trip for at least 6 months. In the middle, an older couple from Arizona, USA, who have been to almost everywhere, and on the left side of me, a young woman from China. Everyone is super nice, I'm looking forward to the day in Cajon del Maipo, about 100km outside of Santiago in the Andes.
We drive for about 1.5 hours to our first stop. There we drink a hot beverage and eat Christmas cookies. The place is incredibly German in terms of interior design, with many cakes on display. The Chileans actually call them cakes too. At every restaurant that we will encounter, there is CAKE! Now I quickly soak up the Christmas atmosphere, even though it's already over 20 degrees, and we continue higher into the Andes, lined with walnut trees and cypresses.
At some point, I also see the first glacier and the snow-covered peaks. A dream!
Because everyone needs to use the restroom, we stop at a small courtyard in the middle of nowhere. There lives a farmer family with some animals, who have built a wooden cabin with toilets on their property. 500 Pesos (0.65 €) for 1 bathroom break. It seems to be a profitable business. Mini-buses with tourists constantly stop by, and you can also buy fresh empanadas for the rest of the journey. Of course, I do it :-)
Quickly, everyone back on the bus - off we go. The road is no longer paved but more of a dirt road. Just before our next stop, this dirt road becomes incredibly narrow, with the "Embalse del Yeso" lake on our left side and a steep slope on the right. I'm almost dying from fear, but a real backpacker has to handle such situations with at least some composure. The panorama makes up for all the worries. At some point, we stop and can walk around the lake and take photos for 30 minutes. Here are a few pictures...
When we get back on the bus, Felipe and Tomas have prepared a picnic with Chilean delicacies, including Chilean red wine. Juchuuuu! Everything is super delicious, and all this in this magnificent landscape. I'm in bliss!
After the small snack, we drive back and eventually stop at a restaurant that offers traditional Chilean cuisine. We eat fresh empanadas before we head back towards Santiago.
After being dropped off at the hostel, I pick up my things, walk to the metro, travel a few stops, and search for my new hotel in the Barrio Paris-Londres. I didn't feel like staying at the noisy hostel anymore, and having a room to myself for two nights is awesome. The hotel is an incredibly old house in a beautiful neighborhood near the university. Cobblestone streets, extravagant houses from the days of grandeur, and jazz music playing in the alleys. Live. For the guests of the restaurants that have set up their tables and chairs outside.
And because the Wi-Fi didn't work in the single room I had originally booked, I was upgraded. Now I have a double room with a big bed. Juchuuuu! And the absolute highlight is the rooftop terrace. I feel incredibly grown-up being in this hotel and not on a sagging mattress in a low-budget hostel^^
Here I am now, sitting with a beer, which required some effort to get. The kiosks (minimarkets) don't have beer, nor does the hotel reception. So I kept walking and bought a can (forgive me, Mom) at a sandwich bar. Why is it like this? I suspect it's a relic from the military dictatorship! We Communists like to regulate things, but never the consumption of beer :-D
That's the only way I can explain it^^
Tomorrow, I want to visit a winery outside of Santiago. But everything in a very relaxed way :-)
Besos <3 st.
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