We're getting a few drops of rain out on Anna Maria Island as I am starting this blog. By a few, I mean not even enough to completely wet the driveway. Our next adventure is going to take us to a place where this much rain would actually be considered a torrential downpour. Where we are going there are weather stations that have never recorded a drop of rain for as long as records have been kept. Our destination is Chile. One of the places we will be visiting is the Atacama Desert. This 41,000 square mile desert in northern Chile is considered by many to be the driest place on earth (*some folks claim that the polar regions are "drier", but I'm not really sure how you can be drier than zero precipitation). In addition to the Atacama Desert, we'll be visiting Easter Island and the nations' capital and largest city, Santiago, on our seventeen day South American adventure.
Probably the first question that will pop into most people's mind is simply, why?
I'll start with why Chile and then get more specific on the three destinations we have selected.
We've spent a little time in Chile previously and really enjoyed it. We wanted to go back for a more in depth look around this long, narrow country that is home to just over eighteen million people. It seems as if South America is frequently forgotten about by North Americans when booking overseas travel. Just like any other continent, there are places you will want to avoid. But there are also amazing places to see in South America, and Chile is the home to many of these places. It is a very modern country with a high literacy rate (96%), and crime rates that we only wish we could have here in the US. Travel to, and within the country is fairly affordable, especially at this time of year because it is winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The food, which typically comes from a Spanish background is outstanding, with empanada's, stew's, bar b q and of course the most authentic Chilean Sea Bass on the planet. Finally, we've crossed a lot of time zones the past few months and although it's a long flight, Chile is in the same time zone as Florida. This makes the transition to and from the country much easier.
Chile has quite a unique shape, very long and very narrow. From north to south it covers 2,653 miles but from east to west it averages only 110 miles in width. It is diverse as it is long, with outstanding beaches, a significant wine region, snow capped mountains and fjords, lush forests and of course the desert. We chose the Atacama Desert for several reasons. Although it is a desert, it is supposed to be incredibly beautiful in it's own unique way. Surprisingly, we've learned that in spite of the lack of rain there are a number of animals and plants that thrive here. Much of the landscape is studied by scientists hoping to gain an insight on what the surface of Mars might be like. There are also geysers and hot springs to enjoy. The temperatures at this time of year will be moderate, ranging from highs in the mid-70's during the day to low's in the upper 30's at night. These temperatures along with humidity levels of less than 10 percent will be a welcome relief. In Florida the high's have been in the 90's already with humidity levels in the 80% range. The Atacama is also known for it's night sky. There are over 300 cloudless nights per year, which combined with minimal light pollution makes for great star gazing. One last thing, being light packers, we won't need to overly concern ourselves with rain gear for this part of the adventure.
Atacama Desert
The Night Sky in the Atacama Desert
Once we leave the Atacama we'll be heading to a place listed as one of the ten most remote places to live on earth, Easter Island. Easter Island is a part of Chile, however it's a few miles away from the mainland. 2,330 miles to be exact! It is a Polynesian Island, that along with the Hawaiian Islands and New Zealand make up what is known as the Polynesian Triangle. There are about 5,000 people who call Easter Island home. They have approximately 100,000 visitors per year. The main attraction of the 63 square mile island are the more than 900 carved human figure statues that were built between the 13th and 16th century. Although the exact reason they were built is not known, it is widely believed that they were built by the inhabitants of the island as protection from explorers. Which makes it ironic that they are now the reason people want to visit the island.
Easter Island
We'll finish up our time in Chile with a couple of days in the capital city of Santiago. This city has a metropolitan area population of over five million and is surrounded by the Andes Mountains. It's a very modern city with a deep, rich history. It is known for it's numerous museums, historical landmarks, markets and lively neighborhoods, such as, Bellavista, San Cristobal and Lastarria.
Santiago, and the surrounding area, is also known to be rather shaky at times. On May 22, 1960 the area recorded the highest magnitude earthquake ever recorded. It measured 9.5 on the Richter Scale and prompted significant changes in building practices. These changes have resulted in Santiago having some of the highest earthquake resistant building code standards in the world. Hopefully these standards don't get put to the test anytime in the future!
Santiago
We'll be heading out Tuesday evening with an overnight flight from Miami to Santiago, and then on to the Atacama Desert. One thing we're not certain of is our internet access while in the Atacama or on Easter Island. I look forward to sharing our experience as often as possible.
