Pingüino de Humboldt National Reserve (Humboldt Penguin National Reserve)

From Vicuna, our plan was to bypass La Serena and go north up the coast to the Humboldt penguin reserve. Leaving the Pan-American at Trapiche, we followed a dirt road past Choros Bajos to Caleta Punta Choros. We had heard varying reports on the condition of the road but it was in fairly good shape with hard compacted dirt and only a few “washboard” areas. We were disappointed when we arrived that the few camping possibilities that were advertised were all closed for the winter. As we drove from one to another, we were getting closer to the wharf and CONAF office where boats left for the islands. After checking out the pier, at least now we know where to come in the morning, we drove to the north end of town to a secluded cliff overlooking the beach and with relatively easy access for Winston to run. The next morning, the first thing I did was check the weather outside. We are lucky, it looks fairly calm. When we had visited Mamalluca Observatory, Richard (the California gentleman) had said he had come from here but the weather had been too rough and the boats were cancelled, so he missed out on the penguins. We do have the luxury of waiting a few days but would rather get further north. However, when we got to the pier we were told that the islands are currently closed on Monday and Tuesday. Today is Tuesday! They said for us to return in the morning. This is a tiny fishing village and it is winter so there is very little to do or see. We return to our place on cliff and park for another night. Winston has a great time, running on the beach with a couple of other dogs and Tom decides to do a couple of maintenance projects around the motorhome. I clean, sweep and do some writing as I am woefully behind. We actually enjoyed the laziness of the day after being so busy sight-seeing in the Elqui Valley. The following morning we showed up as directed at 9:30am. Besides the fisherman and the man at the ticket office, there is no-one around. We are now told that there needs to be a minimum of 10 people for the boat to leave. Shoot. However we were told just to wait as usually other tourist arrives and often a tour from La Serena gets to the dock around 10:30. Sure enough, within the space of an hour or so, three other couples arrived and then a small bus with about 8 older ladies on board. Yeah! I walk over to the CONAF office to get the required tickets to walk on Isla Damas and was surprised to learn that today it is free. A savings of about $10.00 but I could not discover why today there is no charge. We were then taken to the dock, provided with life jackets that we were told to wear at all times on the boat and then we were off. The Pingüino de Humboldt National Reserve (Humboldt Penguin National Reserve) is a protected nature reserve located about 6 Km (4 miles) off the coast of mainland Chile. Consisting of three islands: Islas Chañaral, Damas and Choros, it has a total area of 859.3 hectares (2,123 acres). The reserve takes its name from the Humboldt Penguin that nests on the rocky island of Isla Choros. These penguins breed along the Chilean and Peruvian coasts and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources lists them as a “vulnerable species” with only an estimated population of 12,000 breeding pairs. They say that if conservation measures are not put in place, the species could become extinct in the next few decades. The possibility of seeing penguins in this area, near the Atacama Desert is something extremely exceptional and it’s because of the Humboldt Current, a cold, low-salinity ocean current that flows north-westward along the west coast of South America from the southern tip of Chile to northern Peru. Our boat will take us first to Isla Choros and then to Isla Damas for a total trip of about 4 hours. It is June and winter so many of the penguins and other species have left but we are told there are still some penguins to see. Landing is not permitted on Isla Choros and so we begin to circle the island. The first thing we saw was a solitary Humboldt penguin on a small cliff but it did not take long to see several groups of them on the shore. They are similar to a Magellan penguin but a little smaller and with extra bands of black around the face and head. Besides the penguins, we see several large sea lion colonies, groups of otters playing in the water and slithering over rocks and massive rookeries of cormorants, gulls, boobies and a myriad of other species that we could not identify. As we continued to circle the island, with the boat captain pointing out various rock formations, fauna and of course penguins, pods of bottle-nosed dolphins come very close to the boat. As they cavorted in the water beside us, seemingly showing off for the tourists, the cameras were clicking. We wound our way through natural arches made from the erosion of rock over the millenniums where the water was quite choppy and around several coves and inlets before turning to head to Isla Damas. This island is the closest of the all three to the mainland and the only one where boats can land. There is usually a mandatory fee, payable to CONAF (today is free) and a maximum of 60 visitors per day who can only stay1 hour, due to conservation efforts to keep tourism at a minimum and reduce impact on the island’s bird population. A ranger greets us, takes our names and where we are from. She then showed a map of the island and the various trails and we were cautioned to be back at the dock within one hour. The small island is capped by a granite summit and has two snowy white sandy beaches. Playa La Poza where we landed is gorgeous and we take some photos before starting on the trail that will take us to Playa Tijeras, a 1km. walk away. From there we will circle back to the dock. The trail is well maintained and easy to follow. The fine white sandy beach of Playa Tijeras comes into view as we round a cliff and it is also beautiful with calm, turquoise blue water. Darn, if it were summer and warmer we could go for a swim but right now the ocean is pretty chilly so we content ourselves with taking some photos. From there it is another easy half mile (1Km) walk back to the wharf. There are quite a few different species of birds which call this place home and we try to identify as many as we could on the return trip. The last spectacle of the trip came on the return journey back to Caleta Punta Choros. Off to the left the captain spied a plume of water and the driver immediately slowed the boat and gently steered it towards… a whale. A hump-backed whale to be more exact and according to the captain, a young one. We watched as he swam in slow circles around the boat, flipping his fluke and spouting water from time to time. It was quite a show and a great finale to a fabulous boat trip. By the time we arrived back it was four o’clock and Winston greeted us exuberantly. Since it is late, we will camp out on “our” cliff for one more night before leaving. That evening we grilled some chicken and had a glass of wine as we watched the sun set. What a great day. We are glad we made the detour to come.

Star gazing at Mamalluca and Del Pangue Observatories.

Another reason we wanted to explore this area of Chile is because of the plethora of observatories. Of all the astronomical telescopes in the world, 30% of them are in Chile. Over the last few decades, the country has become acknowledged as a world leader in the field of astronomy. Many international astronomical organizations have invested and settled here and Chile is now host to the biggest and most powerful astronomical ground-based observatories on Earth. Why Chile and why this area. Well, the Atacama Desert and surrounding areas has some of the driest and moisture-free air on the planet. One of the most noticeable features of the region is the quality of the night sky resulting from a rare combination of geology and geography. The effects of the atmospheric conditions from the Pacific Ocean, the winds across desert floor and the altitude of the Andes come together to form sunny days and crystal-clear, cloudless nights, more than 300 days per year. This combined with a total absence of light pollution thanks in part to the Chilean government investing millions into changing the lights in the towns of the region to sodium vapor, make for ideal star gazing activities. Another reason why Chile was chosen is because of the curvature of the earth, there are many important and unique objects in the southern sky, including the center of the galaxy and the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds that are not visible within the Northern Hemisphere. While many of the observatories are for scientific studies only, a few are set up for tourist viewing and still others allow visitors to tour their facilities. One of the most popular for tourists is Mamalluca Observatory and our first encounter with the observatories of Chile. Located nine kilometers (6 miles) northeast of Vicuña, on top of Cerro Mamalluca at 1,200 meters (4,600 feet) elevation, the observatory was built specifically for public use and is run by the Municipality de Vicuña. We made our reservations in town and were told to be ready to leave from their office at 6:30 pm. The ride up to the observatory took about 30 minutes and by the time we got to the top, it was already quite dark. From there we were divided into groups and each group was given a guide. Ours was naturally an English speaking group, and besides us there was Richard, a gentleman from Chico, California and a young couple from Latvia. The two and a half hour tour started with us viewing the night sky through the large main telescope, a 30cm (12 inch) Schimdt-Cassegrain donated by the nearby scientific-only Cerro Tololo InterAmerican Observatory. With the guide operating a GPS remote control, we were able to see a dazzling display of stars, planets, galaxies, nebulas and clusters, including Jupiter, Saturn’s rings, the Orion nebula, the Andromeda galaxy and Sirius. From there we moved to a smaller telescope, where we viewed a couple of binary stars, the Southern Cross and an elliptical galaxy. The tour ended in an auditorium where we watched a short 10 minute film on the history of the universe and how to access certain web-sites via the internet in which you can plug in the date and city where you are to learn what is visible in the night sky at that time. We had read some derogatory comments regarding this tour stating amongst other things that it is overcrowded, over-rated, and cheesy and aimed at complete beginners. We could not disagree more. With only five people in our group, we were never rushed and had plenty of time to look through the telescopes. Luis, our guide was knowledgeable and informative. He answered all our questions in a way we would understand without being too simplistic and he adapted the tour to our interests and not some set format. All in all, we had a great time and looked forward to delving into the mysteries of the universe further. And further means the other show in town, Observatorio Del Pangue (Pangue Observatory). This is a private observatory run by a French astronomer Eric Escalera, who holds a Ph.D. in Astrophysics. Eric, who runs all the tours and is one of the guides, advertises his observatory trips as being more personalized, more exclusive and more advanced than Mamalluca. We are looking forward to checking out the differences. The first difference is that there is only one group and the maximum number of people he takes per night is 10. We understand that during the summer months you have to book Pangue Observatory well in advance however being winter there are only tours Thursday through Saturday and there were only 4 people to our group. After meeting at the downtown office, we were taken via car to the observatory. Located 17 km (about 10 miles) from Vicuna, the observatory sits on a mountain at 1500 meters (4,800 feet) elevation and is close to the scientific observatories of SOAR, Gemini, and Tololo. The night sky from the top of the mountain is stunning and much more remote than Mamalluca. From our vantage point, there is a wonderful 180 degree panoramic view of the sky with virtually no light-pollution from the surrounding area. Assisted by two other guides, Eric leads us through some astronomy basics before letting us loose. With the option of 4 telescopes, their equipment is high quality and we are allowed to operate the GPS remotes and assist in programming the telescopes to view whatever pleases us in the night sky. The entire staff is very competent and friendly and switch back and forth between Tom and I, speaking in English and the other couple, who speak only Spanish. With their help we located stars and planets, viewed elliptical and spiral galaxies and checked out a “dying” star. We viewed our own galaxy, the Milky Way sweeping across the night sky so visible with its opaque “milkiness” and studied and learned about the different star clusters. The few hours that we were on top of the mountain flew by and we loved every minute of it. It seems whenever I look at the sky, stars, planets and universe in its entire splendor, I am forced to think about the big question in life, Is there a God? It is written that Darwin spent nearly a third of his 5-year voyage around the world in Chile studying evolution. But for me, I am a believer. Why? After admitting that my beliefs are undoubtedly influenced by my Catholic upbringing, I am also struck by the remarkable beauty and magnificent grandeur of not only our own planet but of the cosmos. Reason and intuition tell me that this magnificence could not have come about through natural forces alone. Of course there is the multiversal argument, the likelihood of life evolving elsewhere in the universe and what this might mean for religion and theology. Many astronomers are convinced that with the upcoming space-based and ground-based telescopes virtually every star we will be studying will have planets and that surely there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe. Ah, the mystery of life, death and our place in the grand scheme of things. We gave a big thumbs up to both of these touristic observatories and if ever you are in Vicuna, check them both out.

The word on Pisco

We returned to Restaurant Halley in Vicuna the following afternoon. The spacious colonial style restaurant is lovely with beautiful interior dining areas supported by substantial indigenous wood columns and a patio with a thatched ceiling. More important they have free Wi-Fi so over pisco sours and appetizers, we were able to chat with the kids via Skype. Pisco sours are the tangy cocktail made from Pisco, a grape brandy and are served in a champagne flute with a coating of sugar around the rim of the glass to offset the sourness. They are delicious and are considered to be Chile’s national alcoholic beverage. Unfortunately, the Peruvians make the same claim and a rivalry between the two countries over the liquors’ origin has raged for decades with Peru winning a slight victory in 2005 when they obtained an endorsement from WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization) for the Pisco title. The Peruvians have strong historical evidence on their side as it was in Peru that the Spaniards first introduced vineyards and records indicate that Pisco was made and consumed in that country since around the early 1600’s. However undaunted, the Chileans point out that pisco has also been produced in Chile for centuries, that its pisco is superior to that of Peru and that they produce, drink and export more Pisco than Peru. To that final point, there can be no argument and it is in the Elqui Valley that more of the Pisco grapes are grown than in any other region and that Vicuña is the major center for pisco production. Pisco brandy is actually an extract from pure grape juice and around 15lbs (6 kilos) of grapes are needed to get one liter of pisco. It contains no other ingredient but the fermented “must” from some of the eight types of grapes known as pisco grapes. These grape types include Quebranta, black, Mollar, Uvina and the aromatic Muscatel among others but it is the fermented must that gives pisco its own unique flavor and the distilling process that gives the liquor it’s transparent, colorless, crystalline quality. Known as pisquerias, Ruta Norte, Capel, Mistral, Tres Erres and Artesanos de Cochiguaz are all local distilleries with plenty of awards and accreditations for their product. Capel is the closest one to town and is without doubt the largest pisco distillery in the area with a plant that turns out 36 million bottles of the stuff every year for both the domestic and international market. Besides visiting the Capel distillery and watching how pisco is made, there was also a museum and a tasting room on-site. Interesting and fun. Cheers and Salud.

Vicuna and Villa Seco.

After settling in at Las Pataguas, we spent the first couple of days in the Elqui Valley exploring the town of Vicuna. This is really the only town of any size and is only a 15 minute bus ride from the campsite. Our first stop was at the tourist information office located in the Torre Bauer (Bauer Tower). Built in 1905 by a German mayor and brought over from Germany, the rust colored clock tower looks like a castle. The two men at the tourist center were very helpful and spoke not only English but also German. They gave us maps of the area and pointed out some activities not to be missed. Next to the tourist office on the northern side of the plaza is the Church of the Immaculate Conception, a pretty white church with a simple bell tower. After checking out the church, we ambled through the Plaza de Armas. This is a beautiful square with aged indigenous trees lining the paths. At its center the square has a huge copper and brass portrait of Gabriela Mistral’s face looking up at the sky. One of Chile’s most famous literary figures, the poet was born in Vicuna in 1889 and later went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The motif is in honor of the award winning poet but it is quite a strange looking. A short walk from the plaza down Avenida Gabriela Mistral is a museum dedicated to her life and achievements. Next door to the museum, we found an internet café and took the time to check our emails and write home. Walking back to the bus station we passed a restaurant with a Wi-Fi zone, so now we know where to go with our own computers. The following day, we decide to go to Villa Seco. This tiny village is famous in the Elqui valley for its solar restaurants where all the food is cooked by the sun. In 2000, firewood was becoming increasingly hard to find and that gave birth to the solar “kitchens” at these restaurants. As there is no bus service to the village and we don’t particularly want to move the motorhome, we opt for a taxi. There are several restaurants to choose from and we decide to let the cab driver pick one for us. Perched at the top of the hill, Restaurant Delicias del Sol is rustic and charming. We found a table outside and on this gorgeous clear day we were able to see endless vineyards and in the nearby mountains the observatories of Mamalluca and Tololo. However the restaurant’s outdoor “kitchen” absorbed most of our attention for now. Scattered around the patio and deck area were a number of metal boxes, some with glass fronts and aluminum doors set wide to reflect the sun’s rays against the glass. Inside these we could see cast iron casserole pots, hopefully cooking lunch. On the boxes without a glass front, the aluminum doors reflected against pots and pans set on glass plates. There is no menu and our waiter simply explained the food to us. A set lunch comprising of either a salad or beef empanadas, followed by an entrée of pork chops, braised goat or chicken with rice and vegetables and dessert, all cooked by the sun. Both Tom and I chose the empanada but while Tom went with the pork chop, I chose the goat which our waiter had said was a house specialty. He brought us our drinks, beet for Tom and sparkling water for me and explained the food would follow shortly. We had already been told by both the tourist office and the owner of the campground that because it is winter, there are less hours of sun and so the food takes longer to cook. So we assured him we were in no hurry and wandered around the kitchen area, watching the ladies take pots from some ovens replacing them with yet more pots and adjusting some of the others so they cooked more evenly. I can only say that the food was delicious. Tom’s pork was very good but we both agreed that the cabrito (goat) was amazing, tender with not a hint of greasiness or fat. For dessert we had baked flan and then while we waited for a taxi to take us home and sipping on our coffee, we took more photographs of the solar kitchen and the incredible views. Oh, and the price, less than $20.00 for the two of us. On the way back to Las Pataguas, we both agreed that this was a unique experience and a must-do for anyone visiting the area.

The Valle de Elqui (The Elqui Valley).

The drive through La Serena was easy with not as much traffic that we have found in some large cities and soon we were in a verdant green valley with the arid mountains above us. The Elqui Valley is considered to be one of the most unique regions on earth for a number of reasons. Reason #1. This valley, which benefits from a unique microclimate, is famous for its production of fruits and grapes including the Pisco grape needed for the Chilean national alcoholic drink. Irrigated by two rivers which feed the numerous vineyards and fruit fields of the surrounding area they create a thin strip of fertile land where vegetables, papayas, and vines grow on hillsides covered with cacti. Reason #2. The Elqui Valley is famous for sunny, clear days, it is said that the sun shines here for 300 days of the year and cloudless nights. The region has what is considered to be the clearest atmosphere in the world. The valley is located far enough away from the city lights of La Serena, and has a climate that is so calm and stable, there is very little wind and precipitation to disturb the air. Scientists and astronomers come here to study the stars in many professional observatories, because of this natural atmospheric phenomenom. Except on nights with a full moon, and even then the difference too amateurs is barely noticible, the starry sky is absolutely magnificent. The Milky Way is very “milky” in the deep blackness of the sky and the stars and planets are simply spectacular. Reason #3. For a smaller number of people, the Elqui Valley is known for its cosmic location and its magnetic energy. They believe that with the new millennium and the cosmic era change from Pisces to Aquarius, that the magnetic and spiritual energies of the earth have been shifted from 30 degrees north to 30 degrees south. Before this change, the Earth’s magnetic center was located in Tibet in the Himalayas, now it is in this area of the Andes. Since 1960 many esoteric groups linked to astrology, yoga, shamanic teachings and meditation, have settled their communities in the Elqui Valley due to this source of magnetic energy. To give some credence to this belief, in 1982, the magnetic forces on the ground were measured professionally by satellite for the first time. The map of Magstat showed a large positive energy point between 27 º and 33 º south right where the Valle de Elqui is located. So the sciences of Agriculture, Astronomy and Astrology exist side by side in this beautiful valley, now is that cosmic harmony or what! We plan on staying in the area for about a week and have a great camping place at Las Pataguas which is located a short distance from the town of Vicuna. With a great place to stay and a perfect place for Winston to run since Las Pataguas has a few dogs of their own for him to play with, we are looking forward to exploring this unique valley.

Tongoy

By the time we left Valle del Encanto it was two o’clock in the afternoon and after checking our maps and guides, we decided to get back on Route 5 but then take a loop road around the coast to Tongoy. Located on the coast, we hoped we would find parking for the night and a nice stretch of beach for Winston. When we arrived at around 5pm, we encountered this amazing red beach. Yes, red, with so many different sea birds most of which we couldn’t identify either on the shore or floating in the water. We stopped off at the naval guard station, which serves as a tsunami evacuation center and chatted with a very kind officer (he had all kinds of medals on his uniform) who told us he was in charge of the station. He pointed out some places close by on the beach where we could park overnight and also offered the kitchen, bathroom and shower facilities for us to use in the station. He also told us that the beach is red because certain currents in the ocean which trap a type of algae which then gets swept by the tides into the bay. This also explained the wide variety of sea birds who feed and I have to say some of the most enormous pelicans we have ever found. After parking, we walked Winston along the beach to the fish market on the pier. This is where the numerous fishing boats come to sell their daily catches either to restaurants, buyers from the nearby large city of La Serena or to individuals – like us. We purchased some crab, a kilo of cracked and a kilo of claws (4lb total) for a mere $17.00. With dinner taken care of, we wandered back to the motorhome, photographing some of the incredibly large pelicans which were perched on rocks and rooftops. Unfortunately these were the highlights of Tongoy. The town is very poor and very dirty. The beach is completely littered with trash, old fish netting and whatever else the tides swept in. Too bad really because with a little money this could be a beautiful bay. We parked by the beach, close to the naval station and it was ok except for drunks passing by hassling us for money until we closed the door for the night. After that it stayed quiet. The next morning, I got up early to walk Winston. Watching the ocean changing colors in the reflecting sun is splendid and I never tire of watching. In addition, Winston gets to run and play before too many people are around. But again, the walk along the beach appalled me; there is just so much garbage, what a shame. Instead I watched the ocean and the thousands of birds milling overhead waiting for the fishing boats to return. Feed time in paradise for them. Before leaving we went back to the wharf and purchased some freshly caught Chilean Sea Bass that they obligingly filleted for us. We have dinner for tonight. Tonight we hope to be in Vicuna, the main city in the Elqui Valley but to get there we need to pass the large city of La Serena and shop for groceries. It is a long drive but with luck we should make it.

A visit to Valle Del Encanto (The Enchanted Valley)

Located in the Limari Valley about 20 km west of the town of Ovalle, The Enchanted Valley (Valle del Encanto) is home to the largest collection of pre-Colombian rock art in Chile and is noted for having various archaeological petroglyphs and pictographs from the Molle culture dated from 100 to 600 AD, as well as traces of hunter groups from around 2000 BC. Discovered in 1946 and declared a Historic Monument Archaeological Monument in 1973, it is accessed by a 3 mile (5 kms) dirt track. The valley is a boulder strewn ravine in a rocky tributary canyon of the Limari River that allows low scrub and cacti to grow. At the entrance to the area, there is a small guard house manned by a very enthusiastic character. He not only expounded on the history of the area, he also donned an indigenous feathered headdress to help illustrate the Molle people, played a small flute type instrument with hauntingly beautiful melodies and cheerfully posed for photograph with us. The valley floor is divided into three sectors and as we drove to the access point for the first sector, I said to Tom that we would need to stop on the way out and purchase something from his small collection of memorabilia. We took a wrong turn and wound up in Sector 2 first. It seems if we stayed left on the main track we would arrive at Sectors 1 & 3, which makes no sense, but that’s the layout. After parking in the designated area and putting Winston on a leash, we walked the narrow trail following the small river, which at this time of year is simply a stream. The petroglyphs are distributed over many rocks and boulders, in a random fashion, along a mile stretch of the valley but in this sector, we had a hard time making out any of the art. We had read that the best time to visit the valley is around noon when it seems the sun doesn’t cast as many shadows so you can see the rock art more easily and depending on the time of day, some drawings may be lighter than others. Also, those that were carved in low relief are still clearly visible while others have been faded by erosion over nearly 2000 years. Well, in this sector we could only make out a little of the petroglyphs despite it being noon. Easier to find and more easily visible are the “tacitas”, stone cups similar to a mortar. These are found in large boulders with holes hollowed out, some quite large. It is believed they were used for storing and grinding food and in some of the rocks there were over 10 holes. However, because of the water that runs close by and erosion by wind and rain these holes are growing in depth and diameter and over time will catch more water and erode to large pools. Sectors 1 and 3 were much more interesting as far as petroglyphs were concerned. Here we saw many examples of carvings and drawings. The etchings are of geometric shapes, stylized human figures and faces, often with headdresses and eyes and some with antennas. Of course no one knows the why, what for, or meaning of the petroglyphs, although many locals point to the square heads, unusual accessories and antenna of some of the figures, as evidence of extraterrestrial contact. I remain skeptical of this theory. We spent a couple of hours climbing up and over boulders, crossing the stream and walking up hills exploring the different drawings and enjoying the silence and solitude of the place. Winston was excited that although kept on leash, he was allowed to be with us instead of having to stay in the motorhome. In addition, the entire time we spent there, only one other vehicle came in. As we left we stopped off to visit with the guard again, take a couple more photographs of the valley and we purchased one the small flute instruments from him, which he obligingly played one more time for us. This was an interesting detour inland and we are glad we made the time to check out the site.