Author Archives: winifredcreamer

We set out for Embalse El Yeso (Gypsum Dam), east of Santiago heading into the Andes. Since the last 22 km of the route are unpaved, I wasn’t sure how far we would get. Along the way is the Cascada de las Animas, an area that sounded like it would be good for bird watching,Continue reading “Condor watching in the Maipo Alto, Chile, March 2, 2015”

We made the rounds of street markets today. The La Vega market was by far the largest and operates every day. This is Jonathan’s favorite kind of market, food…. The passageways were very narrow and almost everyone pulls a half-filled shopping trolley behind them, or pushes a stroller, or a bicycle. My favorite was theContinue reading “Sunday markets in Santiago, Mar. 1, 2015”

Setting out cross country to get to Melipilla by the “back route” we discovered that Google Earth has some alignment issues and occasionally requires careful interpretation. We only backtracked a bit, and saw a great roadside shrine in a huge eucalyptus tree. That was before we got hopelessly lost. Finally regained our route and madeContinue reading “Great Circle Route around the Maipo Valley, Feb. 28, 2015”

Less than an hour west of Santiago is the Casablanca Valley wine region, best known for the white wines Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, and red Pinot Noir. We headed out that way because the representative of the Ruta de Vinos Casablanca responded to Jonathan’s email with a list of wineries that have tastings and doContinue reading “Cruising vineyards in the Casablanca Valley, Chile Feb. 27, 2015”

I’ve seen this advertised throughout Chile and wondered what it was. In Peru, mote is hominy, so I was thinking that it was mote, “with little bones” (hueso = bone, so huesillo = little bone), a dish with meat and hominy. Not even close. In Chile, mote is wheat berries. Huesillos are dried peaches. TheContinue reading “Mote con Huesillos, Feb. 26, 2015”

Our rental house is in Buin, a suburb of Santiago. We are in a housing development of small cookie-cutter houses, but it is very secure and with a car, accessible to the city. We headed into the wonderful Central Market, where we found that fish is sold in pieces too large for two people. OurContinue reading “Buin to Santiago, Feb. 26, 2015”

For a lover of arts & crafts, the drive from Talca to Santiago is difficult to make without a number of stops. My favorite were the wicker stands along the highway, where there were some wonderful lampshades, We also passed the furniture makers. And who wouldn’t want a stone fountain or a black-necked swan?

We decided to go with natural wonders over wine and we were well rewarded at las Siete Tazas national park, near the town of Radal. We drove north from Talca to Molina, and east into the mountains for 30 km. About 20 km of that was unpaved but relatively level. Part way along I sawContinue reading “Las Siete Tazas, Feb. 24, 2015”

One of our reasons for coming to Chile was to visit wineries, so we set off to visit the two that do not require advance reservations. Our first stop, Balduzzi vineyards, was easy. The visitor center and tasting room is not far off the main north south highway (Ruta 5). We had a tour withContinue reading “Winery Hunting, Feb. 23, 2015”