When I came to Chile last February, my original plan had been to stay abroad for a year. However, that idea got busted before I even left, because my sister got pregnant with her first baby, and there was never any doubt in my mind that I would come home to meet my niece once she was born. Thus, I rescheduled my
La Paz was my first stop in Bolivia, and man was it a change. Up until then, I had only been to Chile, which has the reputation of being one of the most European countries in South America. I’m not saying there are no cultural differences between Chile and Germany, of course, there are. But compared to Bolivia, Chile truly is very
Northern Chile is more than the only Atacama. It’s also a lot of cute little coastal towns with amazing beaches, stunning backdrops and loads of fun activities to keep you occupied. Let me give you an overview of the places I visited between Santiago and the Peruvian border and all the stuff you can do there. Valparaiso and Viña del Mar I’m
The most common travel style to cover long distances in South America is by bus. I’ve heard lots of complaints about those buses before I got there. Often people ask me whether that’s not incredibly uncomfortable. I always say no to this. Not only because South American buses are surprisingly comfy, but because I’ve always kind of enjoyed long-distance travel. That goes
For many years now I’ve been a member of the theatre group The Hamburg Players, and for even more years, the Hamburg Players have participated regularly in the annual theatre festival FEATS. No different this year. I was home from South America just in time to go to Antwerp, where the festival took place this year. How could I have said no
If you’re looking to spend some time in a cute little student’s town with a beautiful beach, look no further than La Serena. About six hours on the bus from Santiago, this coastal town in Northern Chile has it all: a beautiful beach, a lot of nice restaurants and cafes, and impressive day-trip destinations all around. I spent a great four days
Do you want a top tip for a landscape highlight in Northern Chile that is not yet completely overrun by tourists? Of course you do. Here we go: The Laguna Roja near Iquique! Well, I say near. It’s actually like a five-hour drive away, and about 4000 metres difference in altitude… but we’ll get to that. The Laguna Roja is one of
Don’t you just love exploring the local food scene when you travel? I mean, Chile really has some amazing food to offer, and I love trying all the different local dishes. However, if you travel on a budget (and who isn’t?), there comes the point when eating out every day is just not going to cut it. Not even if you go
San Pedro de Atacama itself really hasn’t all that much to offer. The reason why everyone is going there regardless is that it’s the gateway to Chile’s Atacama desert, one of the country’s most popular destinations. No question that I took the first chance to go there myself! From hitting all the outstanding nature spots to more active stuff like sand boarding,
When I had a few days off between my stay in Santiago and flying to the Atacama, I knew immediately I wanted to spend it on the coast. From Santiago, there are basically two options: Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. The majority of people I talked to agreed that Valparaiso is a lot more interesting, so I decided to stay there during