Chile’s Elqui Domos, Astronomic Hotel

by Adrienne Wilson on



Cool? Extremely! One of the seven astronomic hotels and the only in the southern hemisphere, this lodging jewel found in Chile is called Elquis Domos. (I discovered this one via The Cool Hunter, who I must say is doing a great job living up to the name.)

Elquis Domos pretends to be a magical place according to the story found on the hotel’s main webpage. The 6 geodesic domes are two-stories: the first floor houses the living room and bathroom and the second story has the main bed and a detachable roof. Other amenities/features include terrace space, telescopes, and specialized astronomic literature. Dark nights and bright stars are the real experience when staying in the Elqui Valley so it really is only appropriate to have offer accommodation that is both unique and allows the visitor to stargaze from their very own bed.

Just when I thought the Elquis Domos was going to throw out some ridiculously inflated rates I opened my eyes to a big surprise. They’re actually mid-range and affordable. During low season you’re in starting at $72 and during the high season for $99. Not bad.
If you want additional services like an astronomic tour or nighttime horse ride it’ll cost you extra, but if you’re looking for a room I’d have to say it couldn’t get better than this.

I’m so there and it will be sooner rather than later!

Amnesty International Ceasefire Photo Gallery

by Adrienne Wilson on

Here’s something to spend just a few moments checking out. On August 7th, Amnesty International held a global vigil for ceasefire in the Lebanon/Israel conflict. The gallery showcases how members and supporters from over 30 countries came together to show their solidarity for victims and survivors of both sides. Quite moving in a way – it includes shots of people covered in banners, sprawled out in streets, and candles spelling out “ceasefire” in Arabic from Beirut. Take a look at how folks in Paris, Pakistan and Santiago demonstrated their cry for peace and ceasefire.

Chile by Road

by Erik Olsen on


I have got to go back for a moment to an older article that I just re-discovered from last year in theThe LA Times. This one takes us along the long, stretchy spine of chile, one of my favorite countires. The road trip mentioned, here is, IMHO, one of the best there is in the world, because it takes us along Chile’s entire length. That is saying a lot, by the way. Chile is one damn long country, some 4000 miles. I’ve seen Chile from top to bottom, but my trips were all broken up and often I went by bus or plane to places like Atacama or Punta Arenas. But the idea of doing the country’s string bean geography – from tip to tip – has immense appeal. And that is exactly what Dan Neil does in this fine article in the LA Times.

It is more that just the length of Chile that amazes. It is also the incredible change in topography, climate and culture from top to bottom. And the writer here, who pilots a Land Rover LR3 down Chile’s unfathomable expanse, doesn’t seem quite prepared for what Chile has to offer. Neil is driving the LR3 as part of the Land Rover’s G4 Challenge program, an extreme-sports competition I’ve never heard of, but which I would gladly sign up for in a heartbeat. Along the way, he sees many of Chile’s greatest sights: the Martian-like beauty of the high desert and the vast loveliness of the South. He also meets a somewhat unfriendly Carabinieri, and loses his driving partner who can’t hack the drive. A fun piece. Highly recommended.

Do It Yourself Chilean Wine Tours

by Neil Woodburn on

What’s better than a fine Chilean wine?  Drinking it in Chile.

Travel & Leisure has just printed an in-depth guide for oenophiles interested in touring Chile’s wine country.  The suggested 360 mile journey departs from Santiago, is spaced over four days and covers the region’s best wineries and accommodations.  Writer Connie McCabe offers great, detailed directions and mouth-watering wine suggestions to gulp and swill. 

All you have to do is buy a road map, draw straws for a designated driver, and you’re on your way. 

Saving Chile’s Natural Beauty

by Erik Olsen on

When I was living in Chile, there were frequently stories in the paper about a “deranged” and “dangerous” American who lived down South of the country. This American, suggested various op-eds in the paper, was determined to buy up the natural bounty of Chile – its forests, rivers, mountains – and to prevent Chileans from enjoying or using them. He was also considered a threat to national security since his land-holdings supposedly bisected this narrow country. Of course, these were the types of opinions caterwauled in conservative papers, and they came mostly from developers who were jealous or angry that the American was actually setting aside his property from them so they could not cut down its trees or build factories there. The American, who still lives down in the South of Chile, is named Douglas Tompkins, and he is as controversial as ever.

It’s interesting, though. I’ve seen enough pieces over the years even in US press, that I didn’t think Mr. Tompkins held much interest in American minds. That he was an OLD story. I guess I was wrong. This piece in the LA Times examines the Tompkins mythos.

Tompkins is a counterculture veteran who left his job running the clothing company Esprit with a reported $150 million in 1990. He bailed on his then-wife and longtime business partner and remade himself in South America as a “patron of preservation”. Regardless of your politics, you do have to admire Tomkins’ spunk and dedication. Apparently he has lots of friends who are eager to help him in his quest, including Harrison Ford and other Hollywood types. I say good for him. The part of Chile he seeks to preserve is one of the loveliest spots on earth, and even if he is seen by some as a demagogue, I think we need the occasional rich demagogue to take on these issues. Or not?