Day Trip With The Friend That Could Have Been
Santiago has so much to offer, but ever since I saw Southern Chile's beauty at the beginning of the year, I have been in the market to experience more of this beautiful country. I found Santiago Tours after a simple Google search and some intense Instagram stalking. When I reached out, the timing was perfect for one more person to join a group headed to Cajón del Maipo and the Valle Colina Hotsprings in two days. I ran to the mall to snag a backpack and a SIM card. In 48 hours, I was ready to go.
Isn’t it funny how you wait till the last second when you need to wake up early for work but, when you are waking up for a trip, you get up early and have your clothes already laid out? That was me. I met up with my group at the metro station at 7 AM. When we took off, I knew it was going to be a day. The driver must have thought he was in NASCAR in a former life. We were weaving in and out of the early morning Santiago traffic, beating every traffic light in the city. Once we made it out of the city, we were on long stretches of road with nothing around. The rocking of the van slowly rocked me to sleep.
After a brief stop to grab a breakfast of empanadas and coffee we made our first stop of the day at a waterfall in Cajon del Maipo. The road up to the waterfall was too rocky for the van so we stopped at the turnoff and piled out of the van, starting our trek to the waterfall. You could hear it long before you could see it. When I finally got close enough to feel the water on my face I was in awe.
From my vantage point on the ground, I could see the water as it threw itself over the cliffs. No matter how many photos I took, none did it justice. There was a family there having a BBQ and the smell of grilled chicken filled the air. Thankfully I had saved the reset of my empanada and enjoyed it looking at the beautiful sight in front of me. There is no concept of time out of the city so I could have been there for minutes or an hour but after I felt my heart was full I headed on the gravel path back to the van.
The next part of the journey took us on the Road to the Volcano. This is a gravel road that we traveled for about 14 kilometers. The road was so bumpy that I ended up taking off my seatbelt and simply holding on to it like I would on the subway. Our group laughed as we bumped into each other on the road to the hot springs. We passed huge trucks headed to mining facilities that peppered the area. It was incredible to see those monsters dwarf our van.
Finally, we reach the thermal baths in the hills of the Andes. An absolutely hidden place, we couldn't see them until we climbed roughly a kilometer into the hills. The view was breathtaking. The baths were mildly busy and we were eager to put on our bathing suits and jump in. The baths start off at about 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) and cool off the farther down the hill you go. I started off near the top. While I was taking in the view and rubbing mud on myself - it is supposed to have properties to stop aging - one of the women in my group called my name.
Her name was Silvie and she was originally from the southern part of Chile. She was a special needs teacher that was laid off due to schools closing because of the Coronavirus and is now working towards becoming a professor at a local college. Not to mention, she moonlights as a standup comic in the Santiago comedy scene. The rest of the day we were inseparable. After an hour in the warmer baths, we moved down to the cooler baths laughing as we waded in. The temperature difference was a shock to our bodies! While we took in the views of the Andes, Silvie and I talked about how we both couldn’t believe we live in Santiago and what our favorite museums are. She gave me some great recommendations.
We also talked about Spanish and English accents. Silvie was surprised to hear that I can distinguish accents between some Latin American countries. She said that no matter how much she tried anything that isn’t a generic American accent she can’t understand. I gave her my best Russian-English impression. She cracked up, saying maybe she can use that accent in her next standup performance. Our time in the thermal baths flew by. Before we knew it we were being summoned back to the van for our final stop.
As we made our way back down the Road to the Volcano, my mind wandered to the Lord of the Rings. The huge cliffs and the large boulders that were whizzing past the window made the think about Middle Earth. My thoughts of hobbits and dwarves lulled me to sleep and I woke up in a fairytale.
Our last stop was at Casa de Chocolate (the Chocolate House), a unique chocolate store that seems to have mirrored their design on the house in Hansel and Gretel. There was a short line to get in and once inside my stomach immediately started growling. The smell of Austrian chocolates hung heavy in the air and I had the intense desire to eat all of it. I settled on a box of their most popular pieces, some chocolate cigars (because we are all kids at heart), and a cafe helado (coffee with ice cream).
As I set on the benches outside talking to Silvie about our mutual love of chocolate I was truly thankful that I had decided to venture out of my comfort zone three hours away with a group of strangers.
The van dropped me back off at the same metro station it had picked me up from several hours earlier. It felt strange to be back as though the day had truly come full circle. Armed with nothing but a wet bathing suit the photos on my phone as reminders that the day wasn’t a dream, I hopped out. After several elbow bumps to my group -aka Coronavirus hugs - I waved at Silvie and the door slammed shut. As soon as the van took off I realized, I never asked Silvie for her information to stay in touch! For a brief moment, I contemplated running after the van however as I mentioned earlier the driver pulled off on the straightaway to the checkered flag and was long gone. As I began walking home I couldn’t help but realize that there was something oddly beautiful about meeting a like-minded spirit so randomly. Even if we won’t get to hang out again. Sometimes the best thing someone can give you is the simple reminder for a day that you are never alone.
