Crossing the border into Peru was a breeze, for three dollars you hop on a bus in Arica on the border in Chili and the bus driver shepherds you through Chilean and Peruvian customs. Getting into Chile, a man on my bus was interrogated and fined $200 for having an apple in his bag but they didnt seem to care about the forgotten orange I brought into Peru. Yesterday I spent the day in Arica, a fairly good sized city with the Atacama Desert on one side and the ocea...

I'm lying in a hammock, looking up at the stars, in San Pedro de Atacama. The stars here are always brilliant, because the sky is always clear, it hasn't rained in years. San Pedro is a tiny oasis in the middle of the Atacama desert, one of the driest deserts in the world. The population is 2000, of which still conserve the ancestral distribution of cultivated lands called "ayllus" that are irrigated by channeling the Rio Grande. These communities were divided...

We entered the Lake District of Chile yesterday, an region filled with volcanoes, crystal lakes, lush forests, and thermal springs. Into the town of Pucon, where adventure devils delight in the vast array of outdoor activities surrounding this tiny mountain town. Whitewater rafting, trekking, canoying, kayaking, volcano climbing, and more are offered here. The highlight, at least for me, was Villarica Volcano (2847 meters). The 200 meter wide crater of this a...

Pichilemu is known internationally by surfers, and the beach there called Punta de Lobos is said to be the best surfing in Chile. Feeling a bit under the weather today so opted out of the surfing, it´s fall here so pretty chilly, and went for a horseback ride on the gorgeous black sand beach. This is off season here for what would normally be a hopping beach town, so things were a bit quiet but perfect weather for riding. $12 for an hour and pretty informal, ...