In Santiago two of the things we were excited to do was to visit a Chilean winery and to go skiing. When we arrived the gentlemen at our hostel said that the snow near Santiago was pretty bad that year and that if we really wanted to ski we should go 6 hours south to a place called Chillan. Having done no research or planning we decided to hop on a bus the next day and head south. We were hoping to get out in the morning in order to arrive during daylight but we slept in, had a leisurely breakfast and then had a hard time finding a ticket as it was the Thursday before the equivalent of the Chilean 4th of July. At the 4th bus company we managed to get on a bus at 2 pm that day.
We arrived in Chillan around 7:30 slightly earlier than anticipated and are grateful we did. The buses to Valle de Therme where the ski resort is located an hour away stop running at 7:30. As fate would have it that bus was late allowing us to continue on to the ski resort that night. As we continued our drive and buildings got further and further apart my trepidation grew. It was now dark, we were in a wooded area and we had not booked a hotel for that evening. I had thoughts of us wondering around in the dark, cold, trying to find a place open where we could spend the night.
About 9 pm the bus made its final stop, which in the dark (and in reality) was in the middle of nowhere. We were trying to ask the bus drivers, who spoke no English where the nearest hotel was. They showed us the sheriff’s station across the street and said we could go there. Can you imagine, two momentarily dumb tourists go to sheriff because they didn’t book a hotel.
Town in the daylight.
There happen to be what looked like a hotel/restaurant so we opted to try there first. A wonderful English speaking gentlemen answered the door and told us that the snow was really bad this year and the hotel had actually closed a few weeks ago when the mountain closed due to lack of snow. It was their worst year for snow in 22 years! After mentioning that the snow was actually better up in Santiago he told us that he did hear that the resort may be opening that weekend due to a snowfall earlier that week and the holiday. He also drove us down the road to a hotel that had a restaurant still open, we were famished. As we sat eating our pizza and drinking a cold beer I already knew I was going to love it here.
The next day the ski resort was closed so we went for a walk with a local guide into the eerie woods and saw a 6 foot 600-year-old bonsai tree growing out of lava rock. The area is stunning and we really enjoyed being able to see this part of it. We also spent time trying to find Jon a pair of snow boots that would fit his mammoth feet. An hour later and the 4th store we were successful and all geared up for skiing the next day.
Eerie forest and Jon with the 600-year-old bonsai tree.
Although only a fraction of the trails was open, we were insanely grateful that we were able to ski at all. The scenery was not as picture perfect as a New England forest covered in fresh snow but it was remarkable. We were basically skiing on a volcano of rock. Oh yeah, did I mention that we were also informed that the upper trails were closed due to one of the volcanoes erupting and spewing ash all over.
Skiing pictures.
The way out gave us as much trouble as getting in. I mistakenly booked our return bus ticket for 2 am and not 2 pm. Luckily once again we just made another bus leaving that had a few open seats. Even with all of the mishaps Chillan was on the top of the list for favorite places we have been and we both know that someday we will return.
Where we stayed, Chill’en, a quaint ski-type wood lodge on the main road. We had a private room with a shared bathroom for about $45 a night. I don’t think breakfast was supposed to be included but somehow we managed to get a nice breakfast for our entire stay. The hostel had a nice (but expensive for our budget) restaurant with lot of windows and a cozy fireplace. They did have pizza for a budget option. There was a pool out back for the summer season and plenty of outside tables where I was able to enjoy a bottle of Chilean wine.
Our hotel.
Journey with Christina 