I had it all figured out: I’d walk to the closest metro station from our wonderful free camping spot in Santiago, ride the line to the bus station, take a two-hour bus trip west to Valparaiso, explore the town during the day, and return home the same way.
Valparaiso in Chile
Valparaiso and Santiago de Chile
Then, our friends Abigail, Richie, and Zoe from Meat Around The World were interested in joining me. Great! Last minute, we realized that if we rented a car for the day, Mark and Maya would be able to come as well, plus this would give everyone more freedom and comfort than a return journey by public transportation.
Part of our group in Valparaiso (Photo courtesy of Richie Gubler)
The reason we didn’t want to take our own campers was the bad reputation Valparaiso has regarding petty crime, car beak-ins, and tire slashings of foreign-plated vehicles. All of us had just installed new tires in Santiago, so now was definitely not a good time to take extra risks. There certainly is a grimy side to this port city.
Screenshot of Valparaiso in iOverlander – all the red and white warning signs mark robberies, break-ins, or tire slashings!
After a late start, a two-hour drive on fantastic toll roads, and finding a safe and covered parking spot for the rental car, the six of us set off on foot to discover the colors, murals, and old ascensores (elevators) of Valparaiso during the afternoon. Here is a photo gallery of our day as full-blown tourists.
(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
Pastel-colored row houses
View from Cerro Concepcion
Look over the harbor of Valparaiso
A stately hotel on top of the hill
Colorful alley on Cerro Concepcion
Murals abound in alleys and streets
Girls will be girls – Zoe easily makes friends everywhere she goes.
As overlanders, Mark and I are not city people. Being camped in nature without any human presence or noises is our happy place. Yet, the three of us spent a full two weeks in Santiago de Chile, a capital city of 7 million! This was our all-time “stationary” boondocking record after a year and a half in South America. Jardin, Colombia, is now the runner-up at nine nights. What happened?
Country of Chile with its capital, Santiago
Location of Santiago de Chile
Well, this lifestyle is full of surprises. Bad ones and good ones. It had been a while since fate smiled down upon us, but Santiago – which is expensive and not even an interesting tourist destination – ticked some of our required boxes. With ease. We were quite happy there. Read on to learn why…
Group shot in the park (Photo courtesy of Richie Gubler)
Why back to Chile?
If you’ve been following our blog, you might have noticed that some hardships were encountered in Northern Argentina. Nothing disastrous, really, but after getting tired of similar issues in Peru and Bolivia, mostly regarding loose, aggressive dogs, dusty and dirty surroundings, and third-world living conditions, we had hoped for a reprieve of those in Argentina, especially after finding cleanliness and modernity in Northern Chile. When not finding that quite yet, we opted to return to Chile for a bit.
Another consideration was Maya’s international health certificate we obtained in Chile, the end of February. It was valid for sixty days, allowing free entries and exits for our dog between Argentina and Chile until the end of April. We figured we’d take advantage of that permit again, three weeks before it expired.
But the most important reason for our little sojourn back into Chile was truck maintenance. Imported parts are much cheaper there than in Argentina, as we realized when buying our first set of two new tires in Iquique a couple of months ago. Unfortunately, we didn’t purchase four at the time.
That being said, we chose Santiago to replace the other two tires, install a new battery, and do another oil change. Yeah, our expense report for April won’t be pretty again…
Our Providencia neighborhood in Santiago by night (Photo courtesy of Richie Gubler)
Our fantastic camping spot
The biggest surprise that greeted us in Santiago was the place we opted to wild camp at, based on reviews in iOverlander. It was easy to see why every overlander seemed to flock here!
Our camping spot for two weeks!
Lots of company for Thirsty Bella!
Gathering more water in the park (Thank you, John, for the bags!)
Adding four more gallons at a time
(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
After two weeks in Cusco, doing camper projects, running errands, being sick, and exploring the historic center, our plans turned a bit tricky. My cousin and her husband, perfect guests who visited us frequently when we sailed in the tropics, had booked plane tickets to join us in the Cusco area for two weeks, towards the end of November, following a two-week bus tour through Southern Peru. Nothing tricky about that, except for the fact that our immigration stamps expired the end of October…
Based on accounts from other overlanders, we believed we had a good chance to obtain another sixty days in Peru, at the border with Bolivia; an ordeal we’d have to figure out later and something I worried about for over a month. It was mid-October now and we had two weeks left in the country.
We expected to visit the Sacred Valley with my family, but what if we wouldn’t be allowed back into Peru? Were we willing to miss out on this country’s highlights, like Machu Picchu, Arequipa, and the villages and archeological sites in the Valle Segrado?
Mark and I opted for an in-between solution: we skipped famous Machu Picchu (expensive and a hassle to get to) – for now – and bought a two-day tourist ticket for 70 soles/$20 each to visit the highlights of the Sacred Valley. This would be a different way of traveling for us, who usually take it slowly, camping wherever it looks attractive. We had two days to explore five sites and two historic villages!
Location Sacred Valley in Peru
Highlights of the Sacred Valley
Pisac archeological site
From the Cusco campground, we headed uphill, past the trio of ruins we’d checked out previously, via a viewpoint that offered potable water from a spigot, to a pull-out along a quiet road for the night. The following morning, we descended into the valley and spotted the famous terraced hills of Pisac.
Getting potable water at a viewpoint
The terraces of Pisac, seen from the viewpoint
Incredible stonework and paths!
Traveling with a camper makes it easy to leave our dog behind, in a cool and shady environment with plenty of water. Mark and I braved the long climb to the citadel, breathing heavily in the thin air and taking many breaks.
The Pisac archeological site is a large Incan complex of agricultural terraces, residences, guard posts, watchtowers, and a ceremonial center along a mountain ridge above the town of the same name. It was built around 1440.
Fort-like structure when entering Pisac
Buildings at a lower level
View into the valley and over the switchback road to the ruins
Structures higher on the hill, a serious climb away
Meandering through the old fort
Little is known about the site’s actual purpose. Researchers believe that old Pisac defended the southern entrance to the Sacred Valley and was an observatory and religious site.
Famous terraces of Pisac
Walking over the top terrace to get to another side of the grounds
Well-maintained Inca wall
The terraces and valley seen from the other side
Climbing up and among the buildings of the upper part of the site
Remnants of the old Inca village of Pisac
The best way to explore this destination is by taking a taxi or minibus to the entrance, climbing the hill, and then following a path down to Pisac town. Since we had our vehicle with us, we only visited the top part of this impressive site.
A llama and an alpaca grazing in the old walls
Trying to leave this touristy site that had gotten much busier by the time we finished exploring
Quechua mother and child on our way down the mountain
From the sleepy fishing village of Tortugas, Mark, Maya, and I headed inland again, back to the Andes Mountains. After traveling around Northern Peru for three weeks in our truck camperThirsty Bella, our first impressions of the country had not been positive. Fellow overlanders kept telling us “It would get better further south.” We were both looking forward to “better,” “prettier,” and, above all, “quieter.”
Location Cordillera Blanca in Peru
Close-up Cordillera Blanca in Peru
Map of our sights in the Cordillera Blanca
Huaraz
We drove from sea level to 14,000ft (4,200m) in one day, so, as you can imagine, the scenery changed drastically as we climbed from littered roads and uninspiring plots of dirt to green fields, pine trees, and, above the tree line, views of the impressive snowy peaks of the Cordillera Blanca.
(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
Driving into the Andes
View of the Cordillera Blanca
Snowy tops in the distance
Happy for the blue skies at this altitude!
Quechua woman along the road
On our first night in the hectic town of Huaraz, we decided to camp at its viewpoint (11,000ft or 3,350m) for a more peaceful experience. We failed to learn that the road up was narrow, rocky, and stressful. I can’t say the view was that special, but we did, at least and at last and despite a vague headache, have a quiet night – after trying to level up a bit, getting dressed for and dealing with a police visit at 11pm, and meeting expat and missionary Larry, who thought it was a good idea to scream “Good morning, Liesbet and Mark” on his 5am run the following day.
When the middle of July arrived, Mark and I found ourselves with only two weeks left in Ecuador, before our allotted three-month entry stamp expired (August 2nd). By then, we had long decided to skip the jungle region and, more recently, the coast as well. For months, we had looked forward to visiting the beaches of Montanita, watching the sunset, having happy hour with our toes in the sand, and letting Maya frolic in the sea. But it would be a major detour and – as we were about to head that way – police officers, knocking on our door at 6am near Cotopaxi Volcano, talked us out of it. Drug-related crime and petty theft seem to fester along the Ecuadorian coast.
View towards the Temple of the Sun at Ingapirca
Ingapirca – Our First Inca Ruins
The three of us kept heading south after spotting the snowy peak of Volcano Chimborazo (I added a cool photo to my last Ecuador post of my friend Marie on top of the world – and closest to the sun – after scaling Chimborazo) and aimed for the Inca Ruins of Ingapirca.
Marie on the top of Chimborazo at sunrise Photo credit Marie Fraisse
It was a long drive, involving a massive detour over bumpy roads around and through the town of Alousi, due to a massive landslide and subsequent road works. The scenery was stunning!
(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
Stunning scenery along the way in Alousi
Long and bumpy detour
This bus had a hard time making the turn!
We arrived at our destination late afternoon, so the parking lot was pretty full and we took a temporary, unlevel spot, while checking out the neighborhood with Maya. Once a level space became available, we moved and settled in for the night. We’d visit the ruins in the morning, thinking we would stay for two nights. But, since the parking lot was actually straddling a busy road and residents love to ride their loud motorcycles with 2-stroke engines, we decided to not face a second sleepless night.
Parking lot of the Ingapirca ruins, early morning
This relatively small site packed a punch for us, because it was our introduction to the Inca empire and culture. Tickets only cost US$2 per person and include a guide. Maya stayed home for this one. We booked the first tour of the day at 9:15am and enjoyed the different areas and English explanations of our excellent and passionate guide, Segundo.
Information sign three languages
Overview of the site
View towards the Temple of the Sun
Storage areas
Burial site of an important person and where the sun hits during the equinox
Part of the old Inca Trail in Ecuador
We learned a lot about the Incas and their predecessors, the Cañaris, whose building practices the Incas only integrated here at Ingapirca, Southern Ecuador. Both groups used different kinds of stones, visible at this site. The Cañaris utilized round river rocks and the Incas cut, rectangular blocks. This is the only Inca site in the world with a temple (Temple of the Sun – Templo del Sol) that has round walls, because of the influence of the Cañaris.
Grazing llamas on the site
Temple of the Sun
These blocks were removed from the site by farmers and then – during a local campaign – returned for their historical value. The wider curved stone acted as a beam support for a building. The narrower, deeper curved stone was to sacrifice llamas.
Temple of the Sun
This significant building was a gathering place and had important relics on display – nobody lived here
The Temple of the Sun seen from its back side in the fields
After the hour-long tour, Mark and I finished exploring the region with a self-guided walk past smaller sites and through nature. It was super quiet and we had to work around sprinklers in the fields to avoid getting soaked.
After Mark, Maya, and I finished our car projects and left the comfortable and safe haven of friend Graham’s driveway in Ibarra, we only had four weeks left to explore the central and southern part of Ecuador, before our three-month visas expired. We hadn’t gotten very far yet, after two months!
Our visited sites in Central Ecuador
Cotopaxi Volcano
We drove a bunch to pick up our trail from a month prior, south of Quito, the country’s capital. Our first stop was the impressive Cotopaxi volcano, which is often hiding in the frequent clouds at this altitude.
Cloudy arrival at our camp spot
Thanks to our free iOverlander app, we found a peaceful wild camping spot near the national park. We failed to see the mountain, but we persevered, spending two nights at 12,000ft (3,650m) without internet, walking Maya in the paramo, meeting wild horses, running our heater at night, and waiting for a glimpse.
Pretty horse
More wild horses
Morning walk with Maya
Small waterfall during our explorations
On our second evening, after the sun set, we spotted Cotopaxi’s snowy top. The light was not ideal for optimal viewing or photography. We crossed our fingers for a clear morning the following day as, unfortunately, we couldn’t stay longer due to the lack of cell service.
Waiting for a glimpse of Cotopaxi’s top
The volcano appeared in the last light of the day.
And, look what we woke up to on day three! Time for photo shoots – and to drive into the national park for an up-close view and feel of Cotopaxi!
Early morning glimpse of Cotopaxi
A joyful walk
The moment to take selfies
The same small waterfall, now with the volcano in the background
Another family portrait attempt
Since dogs are technically not allowed in Ecuadorian national parks (which are free), Maya stayed in the car and camper during our visit. We first drove to a small lake with decent views.
National Park entrance
Hand-drawn map of the park
Driving into the National Park
Getting closer to the active volcano
Not too much snow left
A detour to the lake
A mellow day
Then, our heavy vehicle managed to climb the volcano itself, to the parking lot at 15,000ft (4,570m), from where visitors can ascend the mountain to a glacier and refugio (shelter/restaurant). It is possible to climb further to the top with a guide. As you can imagine, the air was thin here and putting one foot in front of the other laborious. Mark made it “up there,” but I had to turn around when dizziness and a serious headache threatened.
Slowly climbing to 15,000ft with Thirsty Bella
Approaching the road up Cotopaxi
Ready to ascend the mountain on foot to the “refugio” (building up ahead)
View from the climb up, before I turned around
When we drove back down the volcano around 11am, it was already shrouded in clouds again.
Quilotoa Lagoon
Quilotoa has been a highlight for many visitors to Ecuador, so we had to check it out. The road to the small town with the same name was paved and pretty, but realizing that hundreds of homeless, starving dogs are being dumped and now linger along this “highway” was heart-breaking.
Stray dog in the gutter
Waiting for food
I really hope someone picks a dog up once in a while
The drive from the Cocora Valley to the nation’s capital was long. We had an early start but due to road, traffic, and weather conditions, we didn’t arrive in Cota until 6:30pm. We hate driving in the dark, especially when rain is present, but sometimes there is no choice. We needed to reach a decent stop for the night. Mark finished our trip slowly and carefully and I kept my teeth clenched.
Approaching Bogota and Cota after dusk
The day started out okay, with toll roads that actually were worth paying for and tons of amazing tunnels through the mountains. They depicted animal names with pictures, so we learned a thing or two. La Linea is the longest tunnel in the Americas. And there were donkeys!
(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
La Linea (The Line) is the longest tunnel in the Americas!
A straight road through the mountains
Donkeys on the toll highway in one of the tunnels!
At least we know now what these signs mean…
As the hours and the scenery passed by, we reached the congested suburbs with deteriorating roads. We had to top up our propane tank, so that was a rush against the clock as the place closed at 5pm. We made it but were surprised to find this business in an industrial area with crowded, potholed, dirt roads. When we left with a full tank, the attendant asked if we wanted to take a puppy. They had one on their property and didn’t know what to do with it. We declined, heart-broken, as we listened to the yelps of the pup.
Church in Cota
Cota
The reason we decided to base ourselves in Cota, a “suburb” northwest of Bogota, was because we knew a helpful Colombian there, Juan from Overland Sally, who’d be able to assist with whatever we required. We had some projects to take care of, one of which was building a wooden platform to raise our camper a bit (after Bella’s overhang in the front banged onto the truck’s cab roof when driving down a bumpy hill one day).
In the middle of March, our trio decided to head south and then east from Jerico, high into the mountains, to visit natural hot springs… The road was long, windy, and not without obstacles, but our biggest disappointment was arriving at our camping spot in the rain, with no visibility.
(Hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
A windy road climbing up, up, up
As often, mountain roads in Colombia aren’t great…
Lots of construction areas
Delays and cleared-up landslides
And, where there are mountains, there is rain!
But we woke up with this: blue skies and a view of our surroundings.
Imagine our surprise when we spotted this snow-covered volcano on our early morning walk with Maya.
We had to do a double-take!
At 7am and at an elevation of over 13,000 ft (4,000m), it was cold!
The flora was interesting as well.
I was enamored by all the flowers that bloomed at this altitude.
Flowering plant
These little flowers had frost on them
We couldn’t get enough of this view – Can you see Thirsty Bella?
The other side of the valley. Clouds started to roll in again.
Maya had to pose with the volcano and our camper in the background.
My favorite shot of Maya running on the path – she didn’t seem out of breath!
After our morning walk and breakfast, we drove to El Sifon hot springs. It wasn’t even 9am yet and the volcano was already covered by clouds, with fog starting to roll in. But the first few miles were still photogenic, with lots of waterfalls along the road.
We saw many waterfalls on our drive to the hot springs, even further up the mountain.
The weather was still nice this early, but the volcano was already shrouded by clouds.
Well above the tree line…
And then the clouds, mist, and rain arrived – for the rest of the day!
Parking area for the walk down to the hot springs
Where is the trail?
We managed to find a dirt road at some point and descended about 1,000ft towards the river and the natural hot springs.
We had the area to ourselves!
Hot river
It was a pity that the sun didn’t reach down here.
We scanned the steaming river for the best place to take a dip.
We found our spot: under the two waterfalls was a small pool.
This was a very scenic area, despite the steam.
Maya was not allowed in the hot water (our rules).
Maya behaved well and patiently waited on dry ground.
After our soak – the contrast between the water and air temperature was huge!
One last shot of El Sifon hot springs!
Then, the walk back up was inevitable. It took forever, since the air was thin and we needed to stop often to catch our breath, especially me.
Back at the parking lot, life went on as always.
On our second morning, I encouraged Mark to take a photo of me and my book, Plunge, in front of the volcano…
That’s when we noticed a slight change in the appearance of Nevado del Ruiz…
Most of the snow had melted and it was spewing steam!
The photos underneath were taken around the same time, early in the morning, two days in a row. Do you notice the difference in the volcano’s appearance?
Our camper looks tiny in this immense landscape.
Can you see the difference between the two moods of the volcano!
Mark took this fabulous shot.
Mark, Maya, and I came here in our truck camper Thirsty Bella to check out the hot springs and we received these spectacular views as a bonus! It was one of the quietest places we camped in Colombia. We did have to leave after two nights, though, because it was difficult to sleep and breathe at 13,000ft (4,000m) altitude and the condensation inside the camper was so bad that water kept dripping down from the ceiling!
(A week later, people from the surrounding villages had to be evacuated because of the heightened risk of a volcanic eruption and access to this area became restricted. Until now, nothing dangerous has happened. Read a CNN article here.)
360-degree view on our morning walks with Maya
Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics with dogs, check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir:
Plunge – One Woman’s Pursuit of a Life Less Ordinary
All three towns have been declared pueblos patrimonios in Colombia (because they stand out for their cultural heritage) and are worth a visit. Medellin is centrally located for attractive day or weekend trips to these destinations in the Department of Antioquia. Or, in our case, for continued travels to explore Colombia. A fourth highlight, Guatapé, sits two hours east and was part of my Medellin post. Santa Fe de Antioquia can be found an hour and a half to the northwest. You reach Jericó after a three-hour southward drive and Jardin is a tad further away, about 3.5 hours to the south.
Historic towns around Medellin
Santa Fe de Antioquia
As a former capital of Colombia and a national monument, Santa Fe de Antioquia is a popular place. It is a beautiful, eye-catching, and photogenic city of 23,000 inhabitants. But there is one problem. For us anyway. Its climate is tropical and humid, due to its low elevation in the Cauca River valley and proximity to the equator. It was in the mid-nineties when we arrived (35°C)!
Driving to Jardin
Scenery on the way to Jardin
Hot parking spot in Santa Fe de Antioquia
(As always hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)
Our first “meeting” with the town didn’t go well. Checking the map for the best route to a free overnight parking spot we had found in our free app iOverlander, we’d picked a one-way road towards our site, thinking it would be wide enough and less littered with haphazardly parked cars. We were right, but… the road went steep uphill and, without any indication, was blocked by road work! We couldn’t go around it. We couldn’t turn around. We couldn’t back up, down this steep and bumpy road without visibility. All the while, motorcycles kept passing us (they could go through) and lined-up cars behind us kept honking.
I enabled a neighbor’s help to open the locked gate of his driveway and guided Mark to safely turn around. We headed back the way we came and my husband was ready to abandon our planned visit. I persisted. We were all sweating (and panting), there was no shade anywhere, and options to camp were limited. On foot, I checked out a parqueadero (parking lot) that abutted the historic center. Big buses and trucks were parked there, so we would fit. We just needed to navigate one more narrow road. Mark obliged and we hid inside our camper, fans on full speed, for the rest of the afternoon.
Night scene
Lit-up historic buildings
Cute courtyard
Door at night
Well taken care of buildings in town
Church on the main plaza
When the temperature dropped slightly and darkness set in, the three of us quickly walked through the center of town. Unfortunately, the moods didn’t improve. Being kept awake all night by arriving and departing buses, garbage trucks, and dump trucks didn’t help the situation by morning. Mark had had it with this place, so I ventured back into the historic part early and for just one hour. Then, we moved on. Did I mention it was Mark’s birthday?
Nun walking the streets – my artist friend Laurie made a painting of this photogenic scene
I hinted at it before: Mark and I have had some challenges the last few months, in general, and a few difficulties and issues regarding our current Lance 830 truck camper. Without going into detail just yet, we decided that our best plan of action in early July (a week before my departure to Belgium) was to head into the woods. We could use a change of scenery, needed to escape the 90+ temperatures of Portland, Oregon, wanted to test our camper on rough roads and terrain, and looked forward to camping in nature again.
(As always, click on or hover over the photos in galleries to read their captions.)
The National Monument sports tons of hikes for every level.
Gifford Pinchot National Forest
Mount St. Helens viewpoint
The area has a wealth of attractions and hikes – we only scratched the surface.
Close to our first campsite, we found a trail heading into the woods.
We have been perpetual nomads since 2003 – sailing, camping, RVing, house and pet sitting – and are currently roaming about South America in a truck camper with our rescue dog, Maya. As lifetime adventurers, we are self-employed and maintain a tight budget. This blog is about all that – and more – to inspire a life less ordinary. Don’t dream but do! 🙂
