Hiking the “W” in Torres del Paine (Chilean Patagonia)

From the moment we signed our contract to move to Chile, Torres del Paine National Park was on our minds. This park is at or near the top of many adventure travelers’ lists, and the iconic “W” hike is considered by many as one of the best all around multi-day hikes in the world.

Road Trip! Santiago to the Patagonian Lake District

After 9 months living in and exploring Chile, we finally ventured south. When we found out we were moving to Santiago, one of the places we were most excited to explore was Patagonia. This extremely remote area in the southern tip of South America is considered one of the most naturally beautiful places on earth.

3 days in San Pedro Atacama

Just over 1000 miles north of Santiago, you will find San Pedro de Atacama a small desert town surrounded by some of the most otherworldly landscapes I have ever seen. From town you can easily visit salt flats, volcanos, geysers, alpine lakes and desert valleys that will make you question whether you have somehow been transported to another planet.

6 Hours in Valparaiso + a Chilean Rodeo

Despite the fact that Valparaiso is one of the top day trip destinations for visitors to Santiago, after nearly 7 months of living here, we still hadn’t made the trip. If we had been visiting Santiago for a week, we no doubt would have made the excursion right away, but living here made it seem less urgent.  Instead, we opted to spend our weekends exploring the city, hiking in the Andes and taking various weekend trips to destinations further outside the city limits.

With spring on the horizon, though, we decided we needed it was time to move this trip up the priority list.

Easter Island (Isla de Pasqua) in 5 days

Easter Island is somewhere that has always intrigued me.  With it’s natural beauty and mysterious history, it was a place I dreamed of visiting, but in reality wasn’t sure I would ever get to see with my own eyes.  It’s one of the most remote islands in the world, and not easy to get to from most places. But, lucky for us, one of the few direct flights available to the island is from Santiago, so adding it to our list of travel destinations during our time here was a no brainer.  

Valle de Elqui – Drinking Pisco Under the Stars

This past Monday was a holiday here in Chile, so we decided to take advantage of the long weekend by taking a road trip to Chile’s Norte Chico region.  We set our sights on the sunny Valle de Elqui, a beautiful valley in the Andes that is blanketed with a patchwork of vineyards. The dry climate means days are bright and sunny, and nights offer some of the clearest skies on the planet.

Day Trip – Skiing El Colorado

It’s June and ski season in the Southern Hemisphere has officially begun.  From our balcony, we can gaze out and see the nearest ski resorts in the distance.  This weekend, we decided it was time to see them up close. Early on Saturday, we packed up the Jeep, picked up some friends and took the winding mountain road to the El Colorado ski center.

Beach Weekend – Pichilemu & Punta de Lobos

Some of my favorite trips have been inspired by photos.  Pinterest led us to explore the coast of Croatia, photos on a friends blog led us to an incredible hike  through the Calanques in southern France, and most recently a friends Instagram post led us to the small surfing town of Pichilemu, Chile.

Down Came the Rain and Washed the Smog Right Out

We moved to Santiago just shy of 2 months ago and, until this week, we hadn’t seen a single drop of rain. For a couple of mid-westerners, this kind of consistent weather isn’t something we are even remotely accustomed to, but I have to admit, I got used to it pretty quickly.

House Hunters Update – Our New Home!

Happy first day of Daylight Savings to our friends back in the States.  We are now officially one hour closer to you every day.  I have to say, despite the huge distance between Cincinnati and Santiago, being on nearly the same time zone makes communication so much easier.