Reimposta ricerca
The South American Odyssey
  • The Craze for Travelling
  • The Craze for Travelling

The South American Odyssey

Un’avventura di 147 giorni di The Craze for Travelling Leggi altro
+1
SeguiPanoramicaPanoramicaCalendarioCalendarioFotografieFotografieCondividiCondividiLista dei desideri
PanoramicaCalendarioFotografie
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    Beach near Fuerte San Antonio fort

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Just next to the fortress along the Northern side, there is a secluded beach. We walked down from the fort, but it was quite dirty and smelly due to the seaweeds and other organic waste from the sea. There was no other way out from the beach so we had to climb back up to the fort amd then we continued our exploration of the town further.Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    Mirador Arena Gruesa

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    From the fort, we walked to the Mirador Arena Gruesa. This is a viewpoint overlooking the Gruesa beach. There is an amphitheater like arena next to the beach where concerts seem to be held. Opposite the viewpoint, there is a small hill where it was possible to climb and have a view of the beach from the other end. All the while, we had our eyes peeled to the ocean as well since one can spot dolphins, sea lions and sometimes whales from the land only. Unfortunately, we didn't have any such luck.Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    Off to Puñihuil

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Around 1:30 pm we walked back to the cabaña, picked up our car and drove towards Puñihuil. This is a small village outpost where Megallen and Humboldt penguins have small colonies on the rocks. It was nice sunny day and the island was lush with green vegetation on both sides of the road. There were a number of intense yellow flowers of the gorse shrub which was brought by the German, English and other European settlers to the mainland for their fencing needs.Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2

    Puñihuil

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    Puñihuil is one of places of major tourist attraction of the island of Chiloé. It stands for the protection of Magellan and Humboldt penguins. We reached there around 2 pm and had to cross a stream (possible to do in a 2 wheel drive) and then drive onto the beach
    The parking is free and is at the various kiosks of the companies offering a boat ride to the penguin islands. We were guided to the office of the company offering the next tour that day. The place is extremely scenic and we could see the rocks that form the nesting places of the penguins in the ocean.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2Platform to get us to the boat
    2Platform to get us to the boatOur boatExcited before the trip

    Boat ride to the penguin islands

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    The boat ride costed us 7000 CLP per person and was for 30-40 minutes. We were loaded on to a rolling contraption where we could stand above the sea water level while one guy pushed it towards the rubber boat. We jumped into the boat and were off for the ride.Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2
    2

    Penguins!!

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    On the very 1st island on the tour, we saw penguins. There were about 10-15 of them on the rock. How I missed my camera with a good zoom that I had lost a few day ago. We could see and enjoy the view with our eyes but it was hard to capture good pictures using the camera on the phone. Besides the penguins, there were 2 species of cormorants and many other different sea birds.Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2

    More penguins and sea lion

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    On the 2nd island, we saw more penguins and many other birds. We also spotted a sea lion basking in the sun. The sea was much rougher here and after stopping for a few minutes our captain guided the boat to the 3rd island that forms the Puñihuil Natural Monument Park.Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    Portal formation in the lava rock
    Portal formation in the lava rock2

    Fun on the beach

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C

    After we came back from the boat trip, I went to the office to pay for the ride. Marcus, the guy at the counter was very helpful when I enquired about what else we could do on Chiloé island. He was a treasure trove of local information and while we walked to the restaurant nearby to make the payment by card, he had given a full list of amazing things and places we could visit. On his recommendation, we had our lunch at the restaurant on the beach and tried some of the dishes he recommended. The food was awesome and the views of the beach from the balcony where we sat, were fabulous.
    Melinda was highly impressed with the guy so Maria tried to set her up with him 😄😄 After a few minutes of friendly banter, we started walking along the beach. At the starting end, there is a portal kind of lava rock formation. We walked around there for a while and then started walking towards the other end of the beach. There were many small streams crossing the beach. At one of the places, we stopped and drew our New Year wishes to the rest of the group. It was 5 pm in Chile and many in the gang in Europe were already heading out for the celebrations.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    Seaweeds and algae

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C

    We reached the other end of the beach. It was very rocky here. The formations were from the lava flows from before. We didn't see any penguins here but saw a few locals collecting seaweeds and algae. We stopped and enjoyed the view for a while before heading back to the beach. By this time, the beach was almost empty. All the kiosks selling the boat trips were also closed. Earlier, we had planned to go to Castro (the capital of the Chiloé island) about 75 kms away, but on Marcus' recommendation, we decided to go back to Ancud since they seem to have some organized fireworks in the stadium for the New Year celebration.Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    Playa Mar BravaPlaya Chauman

    Playa Chauman

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We didn't really drive back straight to Ancud. We stopped over at a few viewpoints and then drove to Playa Chauman. The beach was secluded with no one around. This place is also a good place to sight dolphins and sea lions. We didn't see either of them though. Hristo wanted to end the year with a dip in the sea so he jumped into the freezing waters and swam for a while. Melinda too wanted to go in but decided not to since she didn't have hear beachwear.
    After spending a few minutes, we drove off towards the lighthouse Faro Corona.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    Faro Corona

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We reached Faro Corona at around 7:30 pm. The sun was going low in the sky by now. It was quite windy at this extreme end of the península. This place too is know for sightings of dolphins and sometimes even whales.
    When we reached there, we realized that the places was marked as a military zone on Maps.me so we didn't want to enter unauthorized. We could hear loud music all the way outside the perimeter of the lighthouse area where we were parked. Someone in there was getting ready for a good new year party. Hristo checked on google maps and saw the place marked as a museum. We decided to go in then.
    There was no one anywhere. The music was coming from 2 huges speakers near the entrance of the lighthouse tower and was blaring peppy tunes from the 60s. The views of the ocean were really stunning. We didn't see any whales or dolphins. Inside, the lighthouse tower has been converted to a museum with old pictures and information. Unfortunately, everything was in Spanish. We even managed to climb the narrow, steep stairs up to the illumination system. From here, we had a 360 degrees view of the peninsula. After coming down, we stopped near the speakers and danced for a while, then decided to leave, in case we were not allowed in, in the first place 😉
    We danced our way to the rhythm of the music back to our car. Its only then we noticed 2 women looking at us from inside one of the huts and smiling at us dancing 😄    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    New Year celebrations

    31 dicembre 2017, Cile ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We drove back to Ancud and decided to stay at Hotel Isla Magica again. We reached back around 10:30 pm and got the same cabaña. We didn't have any food items with us to cook and the landlady informed that all the restaurants would be closed by now. She tried calling the restaurants she thought might be open but they were all closed. For the new year celebrations, she too recommended going to the stadium for the fireworks.
    We decided to drive around the town and see if anything was open. The whole town felt like a ghost town. Nothing was open and there was no one around. One smallest shop selling alcoholic drinks was open. We bought some cookies, chips and drinks from there. Then we drove towards the stadium. On the way, Hristo bought a pack of sausages. That all basically constituted our last dinner of the year 2107. 😁😁
    At the stadium, we managed to park our car quite near the entrance. We couldn't see any ticket counter near the gates but there were people giving away neon bands and some police inspecting all the bags etc. We decided to walk in and see if we needed any tickets or reservations. We found out that the event was organised by the local municipality and was free for everyone. There was a concert stage in the middle where some local bands played peppy Spanish music to keep the crowds occupied. We settled down in the middle of stadium seating and had our food stuff while enjoying the music. Everyone around was dressed up in costumes and wearing props. It was a total festive atmosphere.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    Happy New Year!!

    1 gennaio 2018, Cile ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    At exactly 30 sec to 12 am, the countdown started on the big screen. The whole stadium roared after each count. Then at exactly 12, the fireworks started at the hill behind the stadium. It was an awesome sight. The weather had played along at the right time. After 3 days of rain, it was a clear starry night and the fireworks looked beautiful. The show lasted for about 10 min, after which, the live music started again.Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2

    Sea Lions at Quemchi

    1 gennaio 2018, Cile ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    We woke up late and freshened up. After that we went to the town. It was raining again. The weather had held at just the right time for just the right amount of time.
    We weren't sure if anything would be open on the 1st day of the year. Only the place where we had our breakfast the previous morning was open. We went to have our breakfast. It was totally packed. The whole town seemed to have come there for their breakfast.
    By the time, we finished with our meal, it was already past 2 pm. We started our drive towards Castro and as had been suggested by Marcus, we decided to go via Quemchi town.
    We reached there at around 4:30 pm. It was quite rainy and windy. We stopped at the Humedal de Quemchi viewpoint. This is a small bay near Quemchi. Here we saw a group of sea lions swimming in circles trying to trap the fish. The birds took the opportunity and were crowding in, in the middle and snatching the fish. The whole group continued to move around in the bay repeating this maneuver. Unfortunately it was hard to capture this with the mobile camera. How I wished my stolen camera back at this moment 😏    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    2

    Quemchi cemetery

    1 gennaio 2018, Cile ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    We drove on up to the hill behind the town. The cemetery was up there and was also marked as a viewpoint on Maps.me. The views over the town and the bay were beautiful. The rain to had stopped by now so we parked our car nearby and walked in to the cemetery. The graves were more like vaults made from granite and tiles. Some of them were decorated beautifully with fresh and artificial flowers and candles. The dead had the best views of the town and the sea.Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling
    Bridge to Isla Aucar
    Bridge to Isla AucarMuscles below the bridgeBotanical gardenWooden church

    Isla Aucar

    1 gennaio 2018, Cile ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Isla Aucar is just about 3 kms from Quemchi. We paeked our car near the entrance. It was about 6 pm and a constant drizzle was going on. There is no entry fee to the island. The access is via a wooden bridge connecting the island to the mainland. Below the bridge, we could see thousands of muscles most probably brought here by the tide. On the island there is a botanical garden with boards marking the names of the trees. There was also a wooden church in the middle.Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione
  • The Craze for TravellingThe South American OdysseyThe Craze for Travelling

    Cascada Tocoihue and Dalcahue

    1 gennaio 2018, Cile ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    On the way to Castro, we stopped at the Cascada Tocoihue. It was another place recommended by Marcus. We reached just about 7:30 pm. They were closing when we parked. The guy at the counter told us they are waiting for the last of the tourists to come out. But he allowed us to walk inside the gate to see the waterfall. It was clearly visible from just 2 mts inside. We took some pictures and then drove off again.
    The next stop was Dalcahue. Another small fishing town along the shore. Marcus had recommended some real good sea food restaurants inside a boat like building. We parked just outside. There was no one around and the building was closed due to the new year. We walked along the promenade next to the sea. It had been newly built a few months ago. It even had a cycling track and wooden sitting places.    Leggi altro

    Guarda la traduzione