Took the Car to Zapallar


It was a quick flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago where we picked up a car and headed for Zapallar, on the coast about an hour and a half north of Valparaiso.  We were booked to stay at Casa Wilson, a strange name we thought for a B&B in Chile, but as we found out later, it was the maiden name of the owner's grandmother (Irish), married to a Chilean, and somehow it has stuck over the years.  The house was a throwback to another time, and again, not what you would expect to find here..........it had been brought to Chile in pieces from Sweden years ago, and then rebuilt on this site.  Very ornate, dark wooden trim, doors, and floors......creaky as hell, but we loved every minute of it.  Fantastic location on the waterfront, a 9 iron from the best restaurant in town, and a great hiking spot which you will see in the pictures below.  

Up and Over the Andes





Casa Wilson Then and Now

Memorial to Irene Wilson

Best spot in town
Restaurant has the umbrellas, Casa Wilson behind in the trees


Zapallar is to Santiago as Muskoka is to Toronto.  Gorgeous houses fill the hillside surrounding the bay, and all along the shore, but they are used only a few months a year as vacation homes.  Very few are open year round like Casa Wilson.  Our owner Samuel is an interesting fellow and a former international polo player...........he still plays locally in the neighbouring town Cachagua.  He is full of stories and a pleasure to chat with over breakfast.

The Bay
The Beach


With only a short time in Zapallar, Samuel suggested we should take on the hike just across the walkway from the house.  It was a fairly short hill, but steep all the way to the top, and then it dropped off the back side into great rock formations along the shore.  Great hiking/climbing as the rocks were gritty and not slippery at all.  Regardless, I still felt like I was going to end up in the ocean at any second.

View from Casa Wilson to the hike

That's Sam down there

That's Jutta up there

Looking down the coast

Where the plants end and the rocks begin

Beauty

Coastal walkway

Flying rats everywhere

Waiting for a handout

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Another Day, Out to Play, on Chiloe

Image
Our hotel is a very different place, and although it offers all the services you would expect, there are many other things going on here.........we overlook a large shallow bay which empties and fills with the tides each day......it is a popular wetland for many bird species, but we are most interested in the black necked swans........beautiful.  We also discovered there is a boat owned by the hotel......the "Williche"...... which we hope to take a cruise on in the next couple of days......sea kayaks are available for cruising the bay, but most of all this place has a very cool, zen like, vibe........a lot like me.  All the common/dining areas, and all the guest rooms have full view filled windows overlooking the bay. Jutta on the dock of the bay The Williche Mussel and clam farms in the distance Our excursion today was to one of the neighbouring islands and the first step was to catch the ferry in Dalcahue........the ferries run all day long and is...
Read more

The Falkland Islands

Image
Needless to say, Jutta and I have been back for a couple of weeks now, but felt I should finish the blog, for the sake of my own memory, as much as for the many of you who are just sitting on the edge of your seats waiting for these last few pages covering the Antarctic cruise portion of the trip, so here we go. Our route The embarkation process was very well organized except for one late bus.....ours......taking us from the hotel in Ushuaia down to the the port.  We were only a few minutes late however, and as a result, I had the honour of being the last person to board the ship before the gangway was lifted and we were underway.  Saved the best for last.  Our cabin was good sized on one of the two upper decks, had a nice little balcony which came in very handy as the trip progressed, and we were right next door to the bridge, just in case the captain needed to call on me for advice.  The washroom was as small as I thought it would be, and with one look at the ...
Read more

Santiago You Gotta Go

Image
We were sorry to leave the desert we enjoyed so much, but this morning we jumped in the van, and were dropped at Calama airport for our flight to Santiago.  This will be our fifth time passing through the city, but we intend to stay a couple of days this time and do some exploring.  Our flight was a piece of cake, and we now have the bag packing down to a fine art, keeping the main suitcase below 23kg and stuffing the carry-on with all the heavy shit........this of course has resulted in an oversized backpack which I hide until boarding starts.......what a fiasco, but we are making it work.  We are also losing Sam in Santiago......she heads back to Toronto later this evening.......we have had a great trip. Our hotel is centrally located, and we are having a blast in the surrounding neighbourhood.  Vendors/artisans/artists line the street around the corner from the hotel......there are street performers and musicians every afternoon that are quite entertaining...
Read more