Andes Mountains & Cajon del Maipo

Andes Mountains & Cajon del Maipo

January 23, 2020

Rio Maipo

Up early for our first full day of exploration.  We had a private tour booked with ILoveChile Tours - www.ilovechiletours.com - called Andes Panoramic Route, duration 10 hours.  CasaSur agreed to serve our breakfast a bit earlier then they normally do which was very accommodating.  We woke to temperatures in the upper 50's with a high of upper 80's predicted even in the mountains.  Our guide and one of the owners, Francisca Soto, was right on time with her driver Gonzolo.  She had a roomy mini bus for traveling comfort.  The plan was to drive SE out of the city through Cajon del Maipo (Maipo Canyon) to the high Andes Mountains where we would have scenic stops, a bit of walking, a wine tasting picnic and a local Chilean lunch.

During our hour and a half drive to the Canyon, Fran talked about the social/political situation in Chile and, as we approached the countryside, about the geography of the area we were to visit - the glaciers, volcanos, mountains, rivers, waterfalls, flora and fauna, and industry.  Chilean music played in the background.

Our first stop was at a funky Eco Lodge called "El Domo" after its geodesic dome lodging structures.  It was right along the Rio Maipo where we would have a coffee or coke break as well as most welcome banos.  ILoveChile likes to patronize small local businesses a philosophy with which we agree.  Their aim is to protect the  environment, provide a local Chilean experience as guides, and to feed and care for stray dogs.

El Domo
Andes lodging experience close to hiking trails.

Rio Maipo

Fran Soto
Our guide, Fran, was always very animated and talking with her hands.  She was very knowledgeable.

As we continued to drive further up and into the mountains, the scenery became very rugged.  There were many trekking trails and visiting vehicles were required to register their entrance.  Due to time constraints, length and difficulty of the trails we did not hike much.  We reached about 7,000 feet of altitude at the farthest point of our scenic drive.  From there we walked up a rocky trail to get a better view of the San Jose Volcano and the Marmolejo peak.  I walk the dogs up a hill every day at home so I was surprised when I felt a bit short of breath.  The views were majestic but it was difficult to get a sense of just how high were the mountains.  San Jose Volcano towered over the landscape at 18,850 feet and Marmolejo at over 19,800 feet.  The highest peak in the Andes is in Argentina - Aconcagua at over 22,000 feet of altitude.  Indeed we were among the giants of the Western Hemisphere.

The High Andes Mountains

Walking up for the views

Where's Lorna?

Chile is experiencing the 10th year of their worst drought ever.  Santiago remains green as it has many parks thick with trees and in some areas they continue to sprinkle.  However outside the city the dry condition is very visible.  Still flowers can be found and above the tree line the mountainsides display various shades of browns, blues and rusts.

Yerba Blanca Clumps of Yellow Flowers

Cordilleran Cyprus Trees

Besides the recreational pursuits, the Andes has horse ranchers and mining - gypsum mainly in this area.  We were surprised at how many trucks traveled the road trailing great plumes of dust.

Friends in Adventure with Chilean Flag

Gypsum Mine Operation

Dusty Truck Traffic

Mining operation to separate different size rocks

We pulled off the road at a scenic area overlooking a horse meadow for an early afternoon Happy Hour of wine, cheese, snacks and games.  We played a game called Emboque where the objective was to get the wooden "ball" dangling on the string to become seated on the stick.  This is a popular Chilean game that is played at their Independence Day gatherings in September.  After a bit of practice, we each had 3 tries to seat the wooden "ball" on the stick and those with success moved on to increasingly smaller game pieces.  Even Sandi our self-proclaimed klutz tried it.  The competition was reduced to Tom and Ray who tied and were both awarded 20,000 CLP each.  It was not actual currency but a money holder with a 20,000 CLP note displayed on the cover.  It actually came in very handy to keep our cash flat since old, dog eared, folded US cash was not accepted in the countries we were visiting.

As we played our games and enjoyed the red wine and snacks, we noticed the volcano had developed a cloud above it.  It was making its own weather by creating a cloud from the venting heat.  While the horses peacefully grazed, a flock of Southern Caracara wheeled above us and over the meadows, and we spotted an Andean Condor high above the peaks.

Horse Meadow with Wetlands in Foreground

We loved that line of Cyprus trees

Southern Caracara

San Jose Volcano in the Background

Note the slightly arched cloud above the San Jose Volcano.  It's created by the heat venting from the volcano.

Bill got it on his first try during practice but not during competition.

I was floored when I got it on my third try.

Ray & Tom The Winners

On the road again to our next stop in town of Romeral at a restaurant called El Tarro for a typical Chilean lunch.  It was a very local place with no tourists but us and definitely no busloads.  Although there were many dishes on the plastic placard, only 2 or 3 dishes are served per day.  Fran suggested the Cazuela de Vacuno saying it was a very typical dish Chileans enjoy for lunch.  We all ordered it.  We were served hunks of bread with a kind of pico de gallo sauce instead of butter.  Salad was included and it consisted of shredded cabbage and carrots with the most ripe, incredibly delicious tomatoes and hard boiled eggs.  The entree was a casserole with a hunk of beef (vacuno), a piece of corn, carrots, celery, potatoes, pumpkin, green beans and spices in a mouth watering broth.  It was a very hearty dish.  To end the meal, we all tried the popular Chilean dessert called Mote con Huesillos.  This consisted of peaches stewed with a light syrup of carmelized sugar poured over tender wheat berries.  Very different.  The wheat berries are Mote and peaches are Huesillos in Chilean Spanish.   The peach was yummy but I didn't finish the wheat berry sauce.  Ray and I do not typically photograph dishes we are served, we just dig in.  However I wish we had shot some pics of meals we had in Chile.

We talked about the dining habits of Chileans.  Fran said lunch was the big meal of the day and, when dinner was taken, it was late and could be a large meal also.  Dinner typically began at 9 PM very much like in Spain.  However we learned that Chileans don't necessarily like to have a big late meal preferring "Tea" or "Onces" (Elevenses) in the early evening.  It is called Onces but not taken at 11 am nor at 11 pm.  Confusing? Read on.

I was at a loss as to why its called Onces  (pronounced "own say") since "once" is 11 in Spanish.   So thanks to a Google search, I learned that Onces is a peculiar tradition inherited from the British who settled in Chile in the 1800's.  Although the origin of the word is disputed, it seems to have its roots in the eleven-letter word, aguardiente, meaning fire water.  At the end of the 19th century, the workers in the salt peter mines, run by the English, would have their tea time accompanied by shots of fire water.  There were strict rules against alcohol consumption so to disguise the word, they simply called it once, now referred to in the plural as "Onces".

Onces in Chile today is as popular as it was a century ago.  Initially it would take place at home with family and friends having tea and cakes but also included little sandwiches, sausages, cheese, pate, avocado and jams. Onces is now popular outside the home, and cafes in every village, town and city magically fill up at 6 pm with friends gathering to discuss politics, soccer and the days events.

Lunch complete we began the long drive back to Santiago.  Fran announced that we could all take a nap and she would put on some Chilean music for our listening pleasure.  It was very different music to our ears - a combination of the traditional wind, bell and percussion instruments with the modern guitar - much of it translating the rhythm, sounds and stories of the Chilean indigenous Mapuche indians.

Throughout the day Fran dug into her bag of goodies and passed around hard candies, bottles of chilled water, bagged salty snacks and chips, all typical Chilean treats.  We did not go hungry or thirsty.  It was sunny all day and became quite warm in the afternoon especially when we were out of the breeze.  We were glad we wore shorts and had sunscreen.  When we arrived back to CasaSur, she produced yet another treat for each of us - a little bottle of Rapa Nui - a Sauvignon Blanc wine from Chile's Central Valley.

Back in Santiago we gathered our stuff from the Van, scheduled our pick up times for the next day and said our good-byes.  Before heading to our rooms for showers and some rest, we popped our bottles into the hotel fridge and made plans to meet at a later time in the Lobby to drink them.

That evening we walked to Barrio Italia in search of a little something to eat and a drink.  We eyed the street-side cafes and open air restaurants checking out menus posted.  We passed up the busiest places at first but soon learned that, true to late night dining, the quiet ones were not serving yet.  We chose a charming little garden cafe in one of the alleys that had some inside seating open.  It was called Cafe Survenir and advertised 2/1 con tapitas.  We thought it was two drinks for the price of one and indeed it was.  Tapitas sounded like Tapas but we weren't sure.  We ordered 2 Mojitos, a glass of red wine, a bottle of water and two Tapita platters all for the whopping price of $12.00 US.  What a find!  The tapitas consisted of different breads, pita and crackers with hummus, guacamole, eggplant spread and other tasty toppings.  It was just what we wanted.  It's fun trying something not knowing what you will get.  Apparently this light meal was Tea or Onces in Chile, the light meal that Fran told us about earlier in the day.   For we North Americans it translated to happy or cocktail hour with appetizers.

Onces at Cafe Survenir

It was a cute little place

Being Summer in the Southern Hemisphere, it was still light out when we finished.  It was a nice walk back to our temporary home on a balmy evening.

As for our other friends, instead of joining us in Barrio Italia, Jack & Tom made plans to drop their things off at Casa Bueras Boutique Hotel in Lastarria where they were staying and then walk/take the tram up to nearby Cerro San Cristobal, a hill overlooking Santiago.  Their hotel was a half kilometer from the protest plaza and on that evening people were beginning to gather early in the evening.  As they rounded a corner they came across protesters and police using water canons and quickly decided their hotel was a safer place.   Unrest continues in Chile.