Algarrobo: Penguins and the biggest swimming pool in the world

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When you live in Santiago, it is very easy to get to the coast and spend some time near the incredible ocean. Visiting Algarrobo on Chile’s coast was a great opportunity to enjoy the Pacific coast, see penguins and the biggest swimming pool in the world. This is a popular tourist place during the summer months but possible to enjoy it to the fullest all year long. It is very easy to get to Algarrobo by bus. The trip lasts 1h and 20minutes and return ticket costs only about 8000-10000clp, depending on the bus company you take. 

                Once you get there, just go out of the bus and walk down the street and after 8-10 minutes you will be on the beautiful coast seeing a little island where Humboldt penguins live. Even though the island is very close to the coast, you have to take a boat to get closer to see the penguins. Just go to the pier and at around noon a captain will come by his ship and invite people who want to take a 30-minute trip to the island and see penguins. It costs 3000clp per person. He takes the group around the island and stops by the penguins as close as possible, yet not very close to see them clearly. Overall it is a nice experience and even though you can’t take nice pictures of penguins, you will never forget the view, adventure and excitement you feel when seeing them living peacefully on the island. 

                The coast is very long and nice, the ocean makes big waves and you can just walk long down the beach on beautiful soft yellow sand. This place is also very popular for the biggest swimming pool in the world. It is on the beach in front of a very nice and big hotel. It’s not possible to swim there because it is used for some summer sport games, but there are many smaller swimming pools on the side of this big one where guests of the hotel can swim and enjoy the view of the ocean.

                There are also a variety of restaurants and cafes in the town and at the coast so one can choose where to have delicious meal or coffee. Prices are different from place to place, so check them out before you decide on the one. There are many beaches and sport activates (scuba diving, horse riding, windsurfing) which you can enjoy while spending your vacation in this magnificent town. If you like nature, adventures and still want to relax, Algarrobo is the perfect place for them. 

Pucón, nature and Mapuche

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Pucón is a great place which you shouldn’t miss when you visit Chile. It is located around 750km south from Santiago and is a very popular touristic town. In order to get there the best option is taking a night bus. Buses are very comfortable and you can choose semi-cama or cama bus. We took a cama bus and actually I didn’t feel a 10-hour trip at all. We started before midnight and got there in the morning. We overslept the whole trip so we were full of energy to enjoy our first day in Pucón. There is also a possibility to take a plane from Santiago to Temuco which is around 2-3 hours far from Pucón. Concerning bus tickets, the best option is to buy thickets online because you get a 10-20% discount. 

Pucón itself is a very small town lying between the lake Villarica on the north and still active Volcano Villarica on the south. As everywhere in Chile, the nature in Pucón is marvelous. You can experience those incredible sunny mornings sitting by the lake on the cold black lava (instead of sand or rocks) while behind you the volcano covered with snow is erupting hot vapor. This small place in Araucanía Region is full of restaurants, cafes, travel agencies, tourist offices, local shops, hostels and houses which resemble to the traditional German ones. It’s not surprising because this part of Chile was inhabited by German immigrants in XIX century resulting in a long-lasting influence on the society, economy, and geography of Southern Chile. As the town is pretty small you don’t have to worry about the location of a hostel you book. It will certainly be 50m from the centre. :)

There are many tourist activities which you can apply for in order to enjoy this gorgeous nature to the fullest – rafting, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, canopy, fishing, horseback riding, bird watching, skiing, water skiing, snowboarding, paragliding, visiting thermal baths. Pucón is surrounded by waterfalls, volcanoes, lakes, rivers, nature reserves and hot springs. There is something for everyone all year round. I went horseback riding through magnificent forests and valleys ending up relaxing by a beautiful mountain river. It was an amazing experience because I took a local bus to a hacienda where they offered 1, 2 or 3-hour riding. I met the whole family as it is a family business. They were very hospitable and kind to show me around and explain everything. I enjoyed very much and would rather do it again. 

What made this trip perfect in the end was that I had visited Mapuche family. They were the aboriginal inhabitants of south-central Chile and Argentina even as early as 500 BC. I was so lucky to meet a mum and her daughter Jenny who showed me antique dishes, jewelry, textile and clothes which Mapuche people use even today. She also showed me how they prepare bread – they put dough directly in the fire and once it is ready, they just clean it from the ash and it is ready and very tasty to eat. Everything was handmade from natural materials. Their houses – Rucas - were made of wood and/or materials they could find in the forest. The interesting fact is that Rucas were very warm inside during winters because they were small rounded houses where the fire was on all day long either for cooking or heating. In summers they were cool because the materials used for building Rucas were very good insulation. The name Mapuche means ‘people of Earth’ – ‘mapu’ means Earth and ‘che’ means people.  Mapuche were fighting against Spanish colonization and a great number of the population died in the war. Today, they still live in south-central Chile and some of them have accepted modern way of life living in modern houses and using water systems and electricity. 

If you are more for relaxation, visiting any of a vast number of thermal baths around Pucón is a big MUST. If you rent a car, you can easily visit them on your own. The other way is definitely with some travel agencies which give excellent offers. Thermal baths differ from each other in the number of pools, surrounding area, prices and water temperature. The most famous ones are Los Pozones, Termas Geometricas, Termas Huife, if we can even single them out. 

Pucón is all about beautiful nature, Mapuche and having a wonderful time with your friends or family. Don’t miss it!

Cuba: Why should you visit the biggest Caribbean island?

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While living in Chile, it was a great chance for me to spend my vacation in Cuba. It doesn’t seem so far, but, actually it took me around 9 hours from Santiago, Chile to Havana, Cuba with one stop in Lima, Peru. I arrived in Varadero on Wednesday evening 21 December 2016.  My boyfriend and I decided to spend our vacation in the Paradisus Varadero Resort and Spa which was an excellent decision because we could enjoy the beautiful Cuban nature for two weeks.

The whole resort is rich in palm trees, flowers, green lawns, and a beautiful long beach with very soft and white sand. Tasting fresh coconuts while lying on the beach is only one thing you can enjoy there. The whole Varadero peninsula is covered with different types of palm trees and amazing long beaches. Waves of the turquoise sea are like a ballad for the ears which one can enjoy the whole day and night long. We did a boat trip one day which showed us even a nicer picture of this marvellous island. We visited a dolphinarium located in the middle of the sea which I liked very much because dolphins are in excellent natural conditions there and we learnt that they actually live longer in those conditions as they are fed with the best food and vitamins and often checked by vets. Besides, they live in the sea and the area is quite big. We had a chance to hug them, kiss them and enjoy spending time with them. There were two 3-year-old baby dolphins. :) After this amazing experience, we were snorkelling and saw gorgeous sea life around Cuba. It was an unforgettable experience swimming among different types and very colourful fish as well as other sea creatures. The second part of the day was marked by lunch and paradise scenery on the deserted part of the island. Sand was here even whiter and softer and the sea was so calm and even more turquoise. The horizon view where two different blue shades were merging is something we will always remember. That is the nature in Cuba. That is why Cuba is so special. 

 On the other hand, a lifestyle of Cubans is another spectrum which makes this island so unique. We took a 2-hour ride in Cadillac from 1959 on the peninsula when we also visited the Varadero city. It was an interesting tour where we could also feel a bit of Cuban lifestyle. And it was also a great introduction to our visit to the capital Havana. We spent the whole day in Havana and it was an amazing experience which showed us how actually Cubans live. The old city is filled with narrow streets and very old and ruined buildings. It looks very grey and sad. However, pretty cheerful faces were all around us. People were sitting on the ground talking and observing the passers-by or hanging around without any specific goal. Socialism and a long history of Spanish colony can be seen everywhere. These people still get food stamps to ‘buy’ limited amount of groceries each month. However, they seem calm and happy. They spend time together. They are sociable and very kind. The new part of the city is being built. One can feel the difference between them, yet the new part is still far from the XXI century of even developing countries. First Cuban inhabitants who lived on the island many centuries before Spanish colonialism used to smoke famous tobacco. Even today it is one of the most popular Cuban products being sold worldwide. We tried smoking a cigar and drinking rum and coffee, all made in Cuba. It was another typical Cuban taste which can’t be experienced anywhere else in the world. 

What is also the thing which makes Cuba unusual is definitely their music. We had many chances to hear Cuban music while staying there and it sounds interesting. Someone would say it sounds like banging the dishes with forks and spoons. However, that ‘banging’ mixed with amazing Cuban dancers shows the real soul of Cuba. These people know how to entertain themselves and others, they know how to be happy and cheerful, they know how to be kind and helpful, they know all values of life, and that is the essence of this exquisite island named Cuba.

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Let's decorate the palm trees: Christmas in the middle of summer

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