Week 17
- Aug 5
- 16 min read
Hello! Hola! Iorana! I am now back in Talca after a very long hiatus and here with so many fun updates from travels I was able to go on during the University holidays throughout July. It has certainly been a minute here, so to refresh you on where we left off, Leslie and I had just recently arrived in the Atacama Desert at the end of June…
Day 121/ June 26, 2026
We started our Friday off with a breakfast in the hostel. There were a few more goodies remaining from our Jumbo haul so our breakfast included two new fruits, pepino dulce and a horned melon (also called kiwano). The kiwano was a brilliant green color on the inside and tasted almost like a banana and a cucumber at the same time. The texture was very soap-like in a way. On the other hand, the pepino dulce was a far more mild flavor, paralleling a honeydew melon. We washed down the new fruits with some granola and mango juice then loaded up the car for the day.
Having seen mixed reviews about El Tatio online, we instead opted to sleep in (many visitors recommend waking up as early as 4am to arrive at the geyser for sunrise) and drive just a short way up Ruta B 245 to the small town of Machuca. The view was stunning on the drive! As we climbed up B 245 you could look back and see the flat and colorful Salar de Atacama below.
Upon arrival, we stopped into the small village cafe where we purchased some coca tea to sip on while we walked around. We headed up the one main street to the old church, Iglesia Machuca, then visited the small museum, and returned again to the cafe for food.
The savory smells coming off the grill were so strong, so we ordered two llama brochetas (kebabs) without hesitation. Feeling a little hungry still, I had a goat cheese empanada too.
On the way back we stopped several times to marvel at the llama, Andean geese, and flamingos in the nearby salt flat.
Further along the drive back, we saw a host of people parked on the side of the road and opted to stop too. Here we did a walk down the Puritama Reserve. As we were starting our walk, someone in the group in front of us gasped and pointed at a fluffy thing napping on a rock in the sun. We soon realized that it was a vizcacha! A small rodent looking like a cross between a rabbit and a chinchilla.
We continued along the path lined with red rocks above a fertile riverbed below. Following the footsteps we scrambled down a funky rocky section to the base below. The contrast between the rocks and fluffy pampas grasses was unreal and so incredibly beautiful!
Once we made it to the running water, we both put our hands in and soon realized it was warm to the touch, and very likely the thermal spring supplying the Termas de Puritama tourist attraction further downstream. We spent around 30 minutes wandering around coming across hidden bridges and dead snake skin remains before heading back down to San Pedro.
With little time left in the day, we headed into town on a mission to find all things llama. I picked up a scoop of lemon basil and tiramisu brownie ice cream before we continued on to all the shops. Leslie was thrilled to find very soft navy scarf for herself along with some llama themed gifts for her family too. She then ordered a box of mixed empanadas from El Toconar and we hopped back in the car and headed towards the Flamingo Reserve on Laguna Chaxa.
We arrived at Laguna Chaxa just before sunset, and barely in time for last entry. The attendant at the gate guided us through the process of booking tickets online. We each paid the $15 USD admission (which is a bundled package with access to nearby Valle de Jere too), and parked the car. Another staff member gave us a warm welcome and quick overview of the reserve, then we were off! From the visitor center there is a path about .5 mile long taking you through four stations. The first showcases the natural brine shrimp pools, the next a labeled map of all the peaks on the horizon to the east, and finally two flamingo viewpoints. We learned that there are six species of Flamingo, four of which reside in the Americas.
The last viewpoint was by far our favorite. Flamingos were flying overhead moving between the pools as the sun was setting, lighting the mountains with a pink glow. With lot’s of “Shhh” signs in place, most visitors were very respectful and quiet, meaning you could hear the unique honking and squawking of the flamingos.
Though we both could’ve stayed longer, we opted to head out before the crowd and hit the windy dirt road before everything got completely dark. The radio was blasting techno hits going between FredAgain and KiKi and before we knew it, we were pulling back into the hostel.
After quickly bundling up with more layers, we braved the cold and walked into town for dinner. Allured by the live music and bustling atmosphere, we found ourselves a table for two at Adobe.
Leslie enjoyed Merken chicken while I had ceviche and a bowl of the tomato soup. We reflected on the trip and talked about what to do with our last day.
After some quick Googling Leslie said, “have you seen Volcan Cerro Toco?” I opened up my AllTrails app and sure enough I had saved the climbing route from previous Atacama brainstorming. We looked at the guidance online, with most places saying it was non-technical, though frequently guided as it was a high peak. With an easy out and back route of just 3 miles, the real challenge was dealing with the elevation moving from 5200m at the base, to 5600m at the summit. We discussed the timing, logistics, and demands of the route and both felt up for the task. After quickly paying for dinner, we headed further into town to get coca tea and snacks.
We packed bags, and headed to bed excited for the challenge to come tomorrow.
Day 122 / June 27, 2026
We woke up at 9:00am and had a big final breakfast using up the rest of our bananas, clementines, and granola. We steeped some strong coca tea as well before checking out of the hostel and hitting the road by 10am. On the drive to Cerro Toco we kept checking in with each other “does your head feel weird?”, “are you noticing any stomach changes?” Fortunately everything was still in check by the time we arrived at the dirt access road at 10:30am, ~4800m.
We continued up passing several vizcachas sunbathing on sunny rocks then pulled into the lower parking lot. As soon as we stepped out of the car you could feel the difference. The air felt thinner and colder, even though the sun felt a bit stronger. We packed our bags, put on extra sunscreen, and started to slowly slowly hobble along.
There was one other hiker who started when we did and she appeared to have a guide supporting her up the trail. The guide had a pep in his step that was evident of someone quite acclimatized or simply gifted. We used the pace the was holding her to as a reference, one foot slowly in front of the other. We took several breaks for coca tea and snacks along the way.
The walk felt long. After an hour or so, we had only covered a mile, and our legs felt like lead. There was a larger group descending as we were on our way up and their cheery well-wishes were the boost we needed.
We continued along for another 45 minutes or so until we realized the peak we had been referencing as the end point, or summit, was instead a false summit hiding the true point behind it. It was a brutal realization and had us questioning our plans.
We agreed to snack on a few gummy worms and strawberry oreos, walk for 15 more minutes and see how we felt. Sure enough, that extra little push brought us close enough to see the top and we knew we couldn’t turn around then.
We stumbled past the curious caracaras bouncing around the trail and rejoiced upon seeing the summit tag.
After a brief moment marveling at the view (looking into Bolivia!) we snapped some photos and started our descent.
Fueled now by a desperate urge to pee from all the coca tea, and a deep hunger for lunch, we practically raced down the hill to the car. We clocked a 2.5 hour slog up, and just 30 minutes down. All in all an epic quest which we both learned a lot from!
Conscious of the limited time we had before needing to leave for the airport, we headed for a late lunch in town at Aura Andina. I inhaled a pastel de choclo while Leslie enjoyed some shrimp situation. We left no crumbs.
It was just under a 90 minute drive to the airport in Calama. We returned the rental car, then got through security in a flash and were sat waiting by the gate in no time. I had a quick call to catch up with Val while Leslie charged her phone.
We boarded the plane and both of us fell asleep instantly. Once back on the ground in Santiago, we took a bus from the airport to providencia then ubered to our Airbnb near Santa Lucia. By midnight, we were all checked in and sipping tea on the couch. We each had a quick rinse in the shower and then hopped into a nice warm bed.
Day 123 / June 28, 2026
No rest for the wicked as they say!! Leslie was a trooper for agreeing to a double header outdoors day. We woke up at 9:30am, got dressed for the day and headed out to grab a coffee and some empanadas around the corner at Panaderia Numancia.
By 10:30am, we were anxiously waiting for our uber to catch the 11:00am bus from Santiago Terminal San Borja to Llay Llay with a stop at Cuesta Las Chilcas km 80 along Ruta 5. Fortunately, fellow Fulbrighter Katelyn was coming along with us and had already arrived at the station. With time slipping away, Katelyn kindly bought us all tickets and tried to stall the bus driver. Success!! Leslie and I arrived at the station with minutes to spare.
I made the necessary introductions, then we all boarded the bus and settled in for the journey. Katelyn kindly lent me a phone charger as my battery was running heinously low, it was a very out of character Type B kind of morning for me!
Just over an hour later we arrived to Las Chilcas and the bus driver let us out onto the random, unmarked side of a highway. We took a moment to orient ourselves before crossing the road and continuing north for a quarter mile based on directions I was receiving from Talca climbing friends to figure out exactly where to meet them.
We eventually wandered over to a white house with a gate marking the camp grounds for any climbers visiting for longer periods of time. As expected, the Talca crew was still waking up at the campsite. We got to chatting, applying sunscreen, and picking out routes in the guidebook.
Finally at 12:45pm we headed over to the walls. It was hot! The busiest zones, Zona del Cubo and Zona del Espino were baking in the sun.
While most of the crew were psyched on some projects in the crowded Cubo area, Katelyn, Leslie and I opted to find something with a smaller crowd and easier grade. Eso no mas a 5.7 looked like a great option, but as we went over to inspect we bumped into Pichelemu’s finest, another climbing friend and surfer Chechoo who informed us the first bolt was missing. We looked at our alternatives and headed over to Ruta Escuela another 5.7 which started with an relatively easy looking steep walk up what was maybe a 5.4 kind of pitch. Though the first bolt was incredibly run out roughly 20 feet above the ground.
We had a team meeting of sorts to weigh our options. It was Leslie’s first time climbing, and though Katelyn has years of experience and previously worked at a climbing gym, they had taken a break for a few months and were less psyched on leading the first problem of the day. I myself have little experience, but just enough that I felt comfortable giving Ruta Escuela a try. I put on my shoes and harness, triple checked the gri gri and gear with Katelyn, then started to scramble my way up. It’s clunky to carry a lot of rope drag up to a first bolt! To try and manage the pull, I held the rope in my teeth for a few moves (which also felt so wrong). Within a few minutes I puzzled my way up, clipped into the first bolt and continued on to the anchor.
Katelyn did a fabulous job on belay, and I was back on the ground in a jiffy. Katelyn gave it a go with so much more finesse. Then Leslie followed, in sneakers and long nails, and took a slight tumble when the rope swung her across the rock. She took it like a champ and came off the wall smiling! I went up once more the clean the route then we settled in the bushes for shade and a snack.
A couple walked by with a cooler and asked if we were interested in any peanut butter snacks, we of course said yes and got to chatting. They gave us insights into the local Santiago climbing culture, wished us well, and headed on to sell more goodies to other climbers. Follow @anandanaturalcl on Instagram to see their recipes and purchase options!
As the day went on, Las Chilcas seemed to get busier and busier. Unfortunately, traffic can get messy and a number of groups were leaving gear or ropes up on climbs they weren’t using. We tried to gauge what was what and who was who but after a few shut downs, “no, we’ll be getting on that in a minute,” we headed over to El Cubo to see what was happening. The grades in that zone range between 5.11 and 5.14 making it quite the spectacle; especially for drivers on the nearby highway. It was 3:00pm when we headed over, and by 4:00pm there were still no signs of open routes to try. Thinking of sunset looming and the faff of getting back to Santiago, Katelyn, Leslie and I opted to hit the road.
In our journey out here, we hadn’t exactly figured out how to get back. Some Reddit posts had mentioned you may be able to flag down a bus, to which the climbing friends concurred, but the consensus seemed to be that hitchhiking was the way to go. As southbound Ruta 5 goes directly into Santiago and we were in a group of three, we felt comfy giving it a go. It was my first time being on the receiving end of a hitch, and wow did it feel weird. We stared desperately at the passing cars and willed for someone to pull over. Not even five minutes later just as our arms were starting to get tired, we heard a beep from behind us and noticed a car had pulled over.
We ran over to the blue SUV waiting for us and celebrated internally when we saw a young, smiling, lady step out. She introduced herself as Fernanda and asked us where we were headed. We said Santiago, ideally near any metro stop convenient to her, and she welcomed us to hop in. The comfort of the car and tiredness from the sun made for a brutal sleepy combination. With Katelyn in the passenger seat, then Leslie and I in the back, we tried to keep each other awake for a conversation with our lovely driver. It turns out that Fernanda and her family run a transport service for a number of Santiago schools and businesses. She is from Santiago but now lives north in Quillota. Before long we arrived in the city.
Fernanda dropped us off at Pajaritos station, gave us a gentle reminder to hide jewelry in the city (which prompted Leslie to tuck in her necklace) and said goodbye. We boarded the eastbound red line train together. Katelyn got off at her stop while Leslie and I continued on to Santa Lucia.
When we got back to our Airbnb, tragedy struck. The pin code for our door wasn’t working. We contacted the owner who sent her friend, who resides in the building, up to try it herself. Meanwhile, Leslie was dying to pee. The friend arrived and tried the code herself to no avail. We then sat waiting in the hallway for the owner to come. It was a Sunday night and though we felt bad that the owner had to come the whole way into the city, Leslie really really needed to go. After 90 minutes in the hallway, the owner arrived and scanned us in. The tiredness and hunger really hit then. We ordered a lovely spread of Peruvian food via uber eats and called it a night.
Day 124 / June 29, 2026
Fortunately we had the chance to sleep in on Monday owing to the national holiday of Saint Peter and Paul Day (Día de San Pedro y San Pablo). Established in 1915, this religious holiday honors the two apostles and is widely celebrated across the country, especially in coastal areas and fishing communities. On this day, local fishermen and maritime workers pay tribute to Saint Peter, their patron saint, through traditional boat processions, decorated vessels, and waterfront festivities. Though we couldn’t see any obvious signs of this in the city, we did take advantage of the holiday time to walk around. Leslie and I did a big circle walking from Cerro Santa Lucia to MUT stopping for coffee at 3841 Roasters and lunch at Tommy Beans in Cenco Costanera Mall.
As to be expected during World Cup season, there were so so many Brazil fans out watching the match against Japan. We slowly walked back to Airbnb through Barrio Italia. On the way, we happened to pass by the Santiago campus for U Autónoma and then stopped for a slice of chocolate raspberry cake at Cafe Raiz.
Still hungry from all the walking, we opted to have an early scrumptious dinner at Ciudadano Restaurant.
The time flew by and it was suddenly time to get our bags and head to the bus station. With work starting in Talca again tomorrow, Leslie agreed to come along for the ride so we boarded the 7:30pm bus back to Talca.
We arrived home close to 11:00pm and went straight to bed.
Day 125 / June 30, 2026
Tuesday Tuesday and back to work for me! Upon arriving in the morning, there was a rush of excitement prompted by the spontaneous announcement of a visit from SEREMI. Macarana San Martin works as the Secretaria Regionale Ministeriale (SEREMI) of Science for the Maule and O’Higgins regions. An alumnus of Autonóma herself, she works to secure funding and share updates on scientific developments within the region. We immediately got to work cleaning the space and planning conversation topics.
Following a brief coffee in the Vice-rector’s suite and some photos, the SEREMI team came down for a tour of the labs. To read more about the visit, check out an article from U Autónoma here. The visit lasted until 3:45pm at which point, I still had to prepare for more antimicrobial testing with Catherine and Nicolas.
After a busy day, I made it home just before 7:00pm and caught up with Leslie about her day in Talca. She did some exploring, ate lunch at a cafeteria, and even visited the O’Higgins museum! Out of ingredients and too tired to cook, we ordered some Chilean food on uber eats. Taking advantage of a promo offer, we each had some chicken with fries and rice.
Day 126 / July 1, 2026
On Wednesday morning I said my goodbyes to Leslie who hopped on the early 9:30am bus to Santiago. It was a great great trip with her!
With one more day before her flight home to London, she needed to run a number of errands to prepare for her medical school graduation the following week. As well as doing some final bits of exploring, she was able to book a nail appointment and plan her transport to the airport for early the following day.
Back in the lab, I checked the results of the plates from the day prior and started on day 2 of the protocol.
Day 127 / July 2, 2026
On Thursday we had a lab meeting to plan for the semester to come. A lot of important information was covered including expectations and shared responsibilities in the lab. These moments to reflect, plan, and check in are essential for any team to learn and improve.
I was in the lab only for a short while until I had to head to the Talca bus station and board the 2:00pm bus to Santiago. In anticipation of the July 4th holiday to come, Fulbright Chile organized an event at the US Ambassador’s residence, the Barnes House, to celebrate 250 years of USA Independence and 80 years of Fulbright, with 70 years of the Chilean program. There was so much to celebrate!
When I arrived in Santiago I took the metro from Estacion Central to Los Condes and walked a short 15 minutes to Barnes house entrance arriving just before 6:00pm. I showed my invite QR code at the door and was ushered into a car. It was only at this point when I started to realize this was no modest shindig. Three others joined in the car with me and shared they were Chilean alumni of the Fulbright program and had studied in the US some 20 years prior. After just two minutes we arrived to the top of the steep hill to the main building. We were greeted at the door, our jackets and bags were stored, and then we were given name tags. I felt a wave of relief as soon as I saw some familiar faces including Angelica Anabalon, a program coordinator, and some other students from my cohort. I said my hellos then settled around a table with Molly and Gauri to talk all things life in Santiago and their plans for the coming months. Meanwhile, waiters floated around with drinks (ranging from moonshine, to pisco sour, wines, and juices) and colorful arrays of canapees. It was a ball!! Though also easy to feel like a fish out of water.
Though I hadn’t considered the likely attendees, it quickly became clear that the majority of guests were Fulbright alumni from Chile who had instead visited the USA. It was sweet to see old and new colleagues reconnect throughout the night. Eventually, the rest of my cohort gathered together and chatted. Though most of the crew live in Santiago and meet regularly, myself and Matt who is staying in Coquimbo, rarely get the chance to meet other Americans and the conversation offered a refreshing sense of familiarity.
The chatter came to a halt as various speakers took to a podium to commemorate the evening. Gonzalo Arenas, Executive Director of Fulbright Chile, gave everyone a warm welcome. He then passed the mic to Heidi Hattenbach, head of Public Diplomacy. Then came the booming voice of Chargé d’Affaires Richard “Rick” T Yoneoka, Deputy Chief of US Mission in Chile. He gave a brief recount of the ideals and timeline leading to USA independence 250 years ago and celebrated the longevity of Fulbright as well. After the warm welcome, it was time to get to business and announcements were made regarding two major MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding) being ceremoniously incorporated at the event. They included a Fulbright partnership with the Chilean INACH, the governmental branch dedicated to coordinating recreational and research efforts in Antarctica as well as another to prioritize lithium research in the north of Chile. Both agreements will introduce new Fulbright scholarship opportunities curated to address these two vital areas, strengthening ongoing scientific research focuses in Chile.
As the formal activities subsided, we went back to chatting and snacking. Heidi Hattenbach and Sujoya Roy, Public Diplomacy Attaché, came over to our group and asked for updates on how we were doing. We had first met Heidi and Sujoya at our orientation in March and it was sweet of them to remember us! Not long after, Rick and his partner Kathrin came over to say hello. Kathrin was especially attentive and considerate as we each shared about our project topics and offered personalized resources to further support our work. In addition, we were able to learn a bit about their lives as diplomats which was especially interesting.
Unfortunately, time flies when you’re having fun and it was already time for me to go. I picked up a goodie bag on my way out and munched on the Fulbright branded sugar cookie inside as I made my way towards Station Alameda to catch the 10:00pm bus back to Talca. Though I was hoping to study on the bus back for my final exam the next day, the tiredness hit and I slept for most of the journey home.
Chau for now! :)
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