Vina Del Mar had been a great place to transition back in to Chilean life. Beautiful warm days, excellent shopping, and – I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it – incredibly hospitable hotel staff. They simply could not do enough for us and all commented on how thrilled they were that tourism here was “coming back”. Enjoyed a special dinner on our last night as it was Lois’s birthday the next day – as soon as the waiters became aware of that some cupcakes and cookies were promptly delivered to us and the two of them serenaded Lois with a rousing “Happy Birthday to You !”
Our “man in Chile”, Juan Pablo, arrived Sunday morning and it was truly wonderful to connect with him again after last seeing him in late March, 2020. He had become a father, started a new business, and, as it turned out, did a fantastic job of taking care of our vehicle ( and almost 30 others ! ). Quillota was only an hour or so away so we took a slightly more scenic route up the coast. He had kindly washed the vehicle and it truly did look just as we’d left it. Some cleaning to do inside, lots of re-packing and ultimately a new battery ( we would replace it a day later – after 18 months a dead battery was to be expected ) but within a few hours we were ready to at least get moving. Juan Pablo would have none of it and insisted we stay for a full Chilean family lunch ( which starts late and runs almost into a North American dinner )…..course, after course, after course !!! Delicious, filling, and supplemented with interesting conversations with the whole extended family. Star of the show was of course their new baby boy, Andes ( yes, like the mountains ) who captivated us all. It was one of those get togethers you just did not want to leave. A global pandemic had brought us together as strangers and here we were about to leave but certainly now as good friends – COVID did give us some silver linings.
The general direction now was simply…….south ! Santiago lay immediately ahead and having explored it fairly extensively on a previous visit the plan was simply to navigate around it. Chilean elections were just 2 weeks away and the city had seen protests and threats of road blocks so not something we wanted to get tangled up in. Our trusty iOverlander app ( absolutely THE most essential travel aid in the repertoire) helped us locate a small private campground near the coast on a route that would later take us through Chile’s Colchagua valley, one its most famous wine growing regions. Unsurprisingly we were the ONLY campground guests, a pattern that would repeat for the rest of the week.
From the rustic town of El Tabo, our route took us through the grimy port city of San Antonio ( only for the sake of procuring a new vehicle battery ) before getting dramatically more scenic on the approach to Santa Cruz. What did strike us was both the relative absence of campgrounds in this area, or, where they did exist, the fact that they were closed. COVID impact ? Too early in the season ? Either way, finding a spot to camp would be be a tad more challenging for the next couple of nights. In any event as most often seems to happen, a solution was found and we found ourselves ( again ) the only guests, this time in a private’ gated, “Tiny Cabins” development with total run of the place…!
It only made sense to make full use of the facilities ( space, security and privacy ) to do a total re-clean, and re-pack of the vehicle merging all the things we’d left behind with an even bigger pile of the things we’d brought back, only to realize that some serious, shall we say, er, “consolidating” was in order.
While Santa Cruz does not offer easy camping accommodation it does deliver great wineries, restaurants and a real “Napa Valley-like” ambience. Hugely popular with Chileans, it’s an easy place to just linger……so, linger we did for a couple of days, one touring the wineries of Laura Hartwig, then the amazing Clos Apalta, followed by a second day just unpacking , cleaning, the re-packing the camper – it had been so long since we left Chile that we had forgotten how much stuff we left in the camper. One little gem we ( well, “I”), did uncover in the process was an almost full jar of pure Australian gold……..Vegemite ! Absolute heaven, and enough to last me a good few months used sparingly ! Lois suggested it was the aroma of Vegemite ( she hates it ) that kept the mice out of the camper !
More than a couple of Chileans had recommended we visit Siete Tasas ( 7 Cups ) National Park and being that it was not a big detour on the way south we made our way there. Great place to stop for a couple of days, enjoyed a long-needed 8km hike and realized a second thing that also became immediately obvious – how absolutely out of shape we were ! Once again we were pretty much alone albeit in a beautiful setting right on the Rio Claro.
While the next stop on our route was Chile’s Lake District ( centred on Villarica and Pucon ), it was a bit of a stretch in one day so we broke the journey at a great Eco Camp ( El Rincon ) just north of Los Angeles ( Chile’s Los Angeles ! ) hosted by Don and Carla, two expat Americans who have created a little slice of heaven in the Chilean countryside. Great spot, great hosts and we finally met our first other foreign travellers ( a Dutch couple ), ironically however on their way home to Holland. Enjoyed a night together sharing drinks, and tales from the road. Bliss……….
Hi Lois and Jeff,
It is always fun and interesting to read your stories and about the experiences. I have had a question about your Truck+Camper for a very long time because we might also want to buy one in the US or Canada. To do a very long trip to USA and Canada first and then ship to the Netherlands. The question I have is: what is the total height (measured very precisely) of your Truck + Camper, when it is folded, so when you drive it. Looking at the pictures I think no more than 2 meters and 10 centimeters. Hope to hear from you, Regards
Marco
Hallo Lois en Jeff,
Het is altijd fun en interessant om jullie verhalen en over de belevenissen te lezen. Sinds een erg lange tijd heb ik een vraag over jullie Truck+Camper omdat wij er misschien ook eentje in de VS of Canada willen kopen. Om eerst een erg lange trip USA en Canada te doen en daarna verschepen naar Nederland. De vraag die ik heb is: wat is de totale hoogte (heel precies gemeten) van jullie Truck + Camper, als hij ingevouwen is, dus als jullie er mee rijden. Kijkend naar de foto’s denk ik niet meer dan 2 meter en 10 centimeter. Hoop van jullie te vernemen, Groet
Marco
Hi Marco,
Glad you enjoy the blog. The roof is up right now so I will measure it tomorrow when it’s down and advise you.
Hey Jeff and Lois, it’s FANTASTIC to see you back on the road, and doing your bit to help the Chilean vineyard industry too. Hope to meet you on the road some day, some where… all the best Philippa
Philippa so very nice to hear from you! It was only a few weeks back I saw you on TV. We would love it if our paths should cross some day, fingers crossed !
We are enjoying reading about your travels! Happy belated birthday Lois!
Safe travels. Look forward to your next update!
Thanks guys !
Thanks guys…..catch up in
May when we are back !
Happy belated birthday Lois. Thanks for the update. Glad you are back touring. Safe travels. Living vicariously through your travels-Ed and Mae.
Loving your adventures!
Thanks, and some days it is easy and some days it is, well, an adventure for sure lol !!!
Thanks Susan !
Great recounting of your journeys, glad you have started your great adventure again, will enjoy following your journey and seeing the great places you travel through your eyes.
Thanks Joanne, COVID slowed us down but hopefully we can keep plowing ahead now !
Looks like you are right back in the groove!
Hi Chris,
Well, getting there anyway !
Awesome pictures and camper. We just got the same camper from Outfitters in Longmont Colorado. Did you happen to get yours there as well and are you enjoying it ?
Hi Anita,
Yes and yes. We had ours customized a bit and it has generally worked out well. Minor issues only. Hope you are happy with yours – put it on a ship and bring it down this way !
Loving it, and yes !
good to see you back into the swing of things kids. Look forward to more episodes of “The Travelling Longhairs”!
Hey Jeff, remember that certain auto service fellow you dislike, that Terri works for?
Well, heres another reason for your loathing. He apparently decided that the shop would work on Remembrance Day so the staff could take Friday off and have a long weekend instead! Any other holiday thats fine, but Remembrance Day is just wrong.
Oh well, I believe he is German so not much for them to Remember anyway! Ha!
Cheers kids
Thanks Andy ! Hope all is well at Lakestone ! You must be done I guess ?
So glad that your vehicle was in good order & more to the point still where you left it! Nice to be back ‘on the road’ again too I’m sure. We loved the Pucon & Villarica. I’ll think of you when having my Vegemite toast this morning.
Great picture of you – ‘Jeff the Traveller’, perfect! Not quite suitable while in the banking profession though! Cheers…and have fun.
Thanks Garth, and yes good to be rid of the corporate strictures – one can finally “let ones hair down” so to speak !
I can only imagine the joy and excitement you both must have felt upon reuniting with your trusty vehicle and home… and, for Jeff especially, when discovering the Vegimite 😄! Thanks for the tip about Vegimite keeping rodents away 🤣.
Lots of excitement here today. I cleaned the leaves and pine needles off the roof and chopped some firewood! Oh, and shined my ski boots.
Again, Happy Trails to You,
Charlie
P.S. When I saw the stairway photo I guessed it was a painting or a mural. Neat picture!
Yes, the Vegemite was a treat for sure ! Hopefully a good ski season ahead Charlie, and you’ll need those shiny boots !
And HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lois!
Thanks Charlie, from Lois !
Hello from the Rock. Glad to see you are rolling once again. Thank you for the detailed email answering my many questions (I have more). We are on the road also visiting family in Newfoundland for the month of November. Looking forward to your posts and future adventures. Cheers.
Karen and Earle
No problem at all, as I said, paying it forward ! Send the rest anytime 😊. Signing off from Pucon, Chile !