Why Chile (and Panama)?
After the 2017 “Great American Eclipse”, I was addicted – a self-proclaimed Eclipse Chaser. I vowed that I would travel the world to see another eclipse. The next two (2019 and 2020) eclipses were passing through Chile. At the time, it seemed a little ridiculous to do back-to-back Chile trips (soo much of the world to see!), so after a lot of research, I decided December (Summer for the Southern Hemisphere) of 2020 would be my big Chile eclipse trip. As 2019 approached, I started having some FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), and thought how awful it would be if I missed 2019 and then 2020 was overcast.
2021 Edit: Well, none of us expected that a global pandemic would prevent me from returning in 2020. Thank goodness I went in 2019!
About that same time, I got an American Express Platinum card, which awarded me 100,000 sign-on points, and I started planning a smaller, Midwest trip for my other hobby, aviation. The 2019 Chilean eclipse also happened to be over Independence Day, so I knew it would be a light work week, without much time off. With all of these factors combined – free with credit card points, other vacation plans, and fear of clouds in 2020, I settled on a VERY short trip to Chile, with a day stopover in Panama. It equated to: 7 days, 2 days of travel on either end, and barely 3 days in Chile. Am I nuts? Probably.
Panama City, Panama
After a red-eye with NO sleep, I arrived in Panama City. My layover in Panama City, was 9am-4pm. Accounting for customs and travel, I had just a few hours to check out the city. My bags were checked all the way through to Chile, but I did have a small backpack and purse. I didn’t exchange money, counting on only credit cards for this stopover. I connected my phone to the local network ($10per day through Verizon) and got an uber into town!
First stop, the engineering marvel of the world – the Panama Canal! Unfortunately, they stop ships midday to switch canal directions, so I didn’t get to see any ships pass through. Still, seeing the locks was satisfying enough.
Then, I called an uber to the Casco Viejo region of the city, which is old town. It was very pretty to walk around the streets. I ate breakfast and window shopped before heading back to the airport. Overall, I thought the new skyscrapers were handsome, the old town had character, and Panama’s laid back, yet hard working feel.
Valparaíso, Chile
I arrived in Santiago close to midnight, and got a taxi to my hostel, only seeing a bit of the city from the dark taxi. I checked in and tried not to wake my hostel-mates as I climbed into bed.
The next morning, I woke up before my roommates and re-packed my bag in the bathroom. I walked 2 blocks to a car rental company and rented a little white toy car. It was a little difficult because the rental car agent didn’t speak a lick of English and I barely understood his accent, so I just nodded at most things he said during the walk around inspection, etc. The group that rented the car before me revved the engine trying to find the clutch release point, and I made the same mistake! Oh well, I was off and driving out of town! Roads were pretty good, however there were a lot of toll roads! Like every few minutes in Santiago, and every 30 minutes on the highway.
I had decided to drive a little out of the way to go to Valparaiso for lunch, and then drive along the coast to La Serena. I arrived in Valparaiso and found parking that I had extensively researched before my trip. Valpo was QUITE dirty and gritty for being a coastal town. But then I climbed the hill into the old town where all of the street art is concentrated. I ate breakfast at a hipster little cafe, again struggling through the Chilean Spanish. I walked around photographing the street art and shopping for an hour, but then it was time to hit the road.
The coastal route was pretty when I was near the ocean, however the land was much dryer than I expected. Low shrubs and rocks instead of lushness that I was expecting. And again, toll booths every so often. I was getting so mad spending the limited cash I had exchanged, but I think in the end, it came out to $3.50 total! My little car chugged along, barely making it up the hills. I arrived into La Serena at sunset with a lot of traffic.
La Serena, Chile
I found my hostel, which was more like a house with many shared rooms, and the host introduced me to the rest of the family. A Swede checked in, and I walked to dinner with him and an Australian and an Argentinian. It felt pretty weird to instantly make friends with strangers, but also nice. The last several trips I have felt rather alone in the hostels, so it was a pleasant change.
The next day, even more people checked into the hostel for the eclipse. Two Americans checked in and introduced themselves as pilots! I shared that I was, too! The Swede and I decided to head into La Serena. He needed to go get his lost luggage at the airport, and since I had a car, I agreed to drive him there after a little day trip in town. We parked and walked around town, up and down the streets, eating empanadas. And then, I dropped him at the airport on my way to the Elqui Valley.
Elqui Valley, Chile
The Elqui Valley is the gateway to the Andes, and also known for some of the best stargazing in the world. The giant telescopes were not accepting public on the one day I was there, but I did book a stargazing tour that evening. The photos of the valley looked like beautiful views and vineyards, but in reality, it was again very arid. After all, this is the Southern edge of the Atacama desert, so it make sense.
The town of Elqui is barely 1 mile and only has two main streets. For the eclipse, they made all of the streets one way in a big loop. I parked and walked around the town, which was teeming with eclipsers. I realized I would have way too much time in this tiny town before my 10pm stargazing tour, so I moved it up to the earlier time. I was so glad I did because then I still had an hour drive back to La Serena. The stargazing tour was awe-inspiring and I was very excited to see the Southern Cross again!
I brought a bottle of Pisco back to the hostel and everyone partied until late, knowing that our next day only had one agenda item – eclipse!
Eclipse Day
Everyone slept in, and then I drove the Australian and 3 Americans (the pilots and a New Yorker) to a restaurant for breakfast, which took an unbelievably long time. We headed back to the hostel, so one of the pilots and I could test out our camera equipment. Then, we walked to some food trucks for authentic empanadas and ice cream for a quick lunch. Then, it was time to start the eclipse. I picked this hostel, even though it was outside of town because of it was directly across the street from the beach. So, the pilot and I walked across and set up our tripods. He had a 300 mm lens and I had a 600 mm lens. He only had a filter that he was trying to rubber band on his lens, but I had made two filters (one for my 200 mm lens and one for the 600 mm one that I rented). So, I gave him the smaller one and it fit his lens! Just like having extra glasses to give to the guys in Oregon, it felt like this was just meant to be!
About 10 others from the hostel joined us and lined on the beach behind our cameras, waiting for the eclipse. About half of us had seen an eclipse before, and the other half hadn’t. Those of us who had seen one were giddy with excitement and told the ones who hadn’t that they had no idea what to expect. The beach filled up with crowds. For the first hour, the sun didn’t seem any different. Then, slowly, the sun got darker. The sun was also setting, so instead of having the cool blue hue that it did in Oregon, it had a warmer hue, yet it still wasn’t quite golden as a regular sunset.
The last 20 minutes, things happened quickly. Suddenly each minute was a LOT darker than the last. A Chinese guy from LA told me about shadow bands, an optical illusion that you see in the last minutes of before the eclipse, which look like black bands moving across the earth surface. Suddenly, we looked down and the sand was moving with dark lines at us!
My first eclipse experience was in a quiet Oregon field. This one was on a beach with thousands and thousands of people. So, in the final moments, instead of nature getting quieter, the crowds started cheering, like it was new years. And then, the sun blinked off. Just as I had, the first time, I forgot to take my filter off in the first few seconds (though I remembered quickly this time). I took a few photos and stared at it, laughing in the awe of it. As the sun reappeared, it was just as phenomenal. And yet, the experience is over. That’s it. Back to normal. We packed up, and headed back to hostel, sharing photos and experiences with each other.
We sat in awe for a few hours as the rest of us gathered back at the hostel. Then, a large group of us (about 12) walked to town to get dinner. We were all now best of friends. A Swede, an Australian, 6 Americans, 2 Chinese, an Argentinian and a Chilean. We were quite the International group. And it felt silly to talk about politics (which inevitably came up) just after we had all been so connected by the fact that we are simply Earthlings. I went to the bathroom and although I didn’t say a word to the Chilean woman in there, we gave a knowing smile to each other. We both shared something amazing. It was great to feel so connected to EVERY person around.
We went back to the hostel, not wanting to end our night together, but slowly each of us peeled off to sleep. I stayed up with the hostel owner getting into a philsophical discussion on life before crashing.
Santiago, Chile
The next day, the pilots left early and I departed mid morning, hugging my new best friends goodbye. I drove back to Santiago, directly and made it by mid afternoon. I went to the museum of memories and human rights in Santiago, which is about the human rights violations that happened when there was a militant government take over in Santiago. It was sad to see the atrocities that we humans can do to each other. 24 hours earlier, I had one of the most connected, positive experiences ever, and now I was reading and seeing photos and videos of how terrible people can be.
I drove across town to see the Templo Bahá’í de Sudamérica, a unitarian temple overlooking Santiago, which does not identify with any one religion or belief system. I went at sunset and walked around the gardens. Too bad the city views were hazy, but the sun warmed the temple, drowning it in golden light, that grew orange from the smog of the city. It was a beautiful, peaceful way to end the day.
I ate dinner at a hipster joint in the Bellavista part of town, then drove to the airport to catch a midnight flight back to the states. What an incredible 3 days in Chile.
Hi,
I enjoy reading about your adventures and seeing your photos.
I am inspired by your travel experiences. I too love adventure.
Take care