TRVL Journal: Exploring the Magic of South America with Morgan Maassen
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"I will never be able to use words or pictures to accurately portray such a breathtaking landscape, one where the mirages and clouds and any person was mirrored into infinity, bending my mind and compounding my wonder and gratitude forever."
Morgan Maassen
South America is a peculiar continent in that the more I visit it, the more mysterious and alluring it becomes. Consisting of fantastical places I’ve always dreamt of visiting like Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, the sprawling Amazon and majestic Andes… to be able to slowly cross them off my list has not scratched any itches, but rather only made me hungrier to explore their vastness.
Chile
First landing in Chile in 2016, I had no clue what to expect, being told to pack for a cold and dry winter and to be prepared to traverse massive amounts of land to get from point to point. My excitement for any latin country is always held to the benchmark of Brazil, so I packed accordingly for foul weather and walked out of Santiago’s airport with limited expectations, only to be immediately humbled. I was taken aback by the city, glistening skyscrapers and ancient statues competing for your attention against the backdrop of the snow-covered Andes. I was floored! The city is vibrant and alive, a bustling metropolis exploding with amazing restaurants, museums overflowing with old-world art and history, with every road leading out of the city depositing you straight into world-class nature.
Using Santiago as a springboard to explore the country in the early winter month of May, each direction on the map brings about the outdoors, unpopulated and pristine, with a frigid twist. Driving to the northwest deposits you into the kaleidoscopic Atacama desert, with its surrealist landscapes and rock formations. The northeast places you into the Andes mountains, scraggily and sprawling snowscapes with icy rivers flowing through the valleys. To the west is the southern Pacific ocean, icy cold and roaring with winter waves. And in the south, the volcanic Chillan mountain range heralds champagne powder, hot springs, and picturesque lodges to score snow in.
This visit, I scratched every itch as snow began to blanket the country and the south pacific delivered relentless waves, surfing my heart out. I enjoyed the fruits of Chile’s culture and cuisine, explored the mountains and coast, hiking and trail running on warm days, watching snow fall as storms buffeted the Andes. As a Californian, Chile’s landscapes feel familiar, but there is a magnificence that lies in its emptiness, with so many days spent nary seeing another soul. Time seems to stand still, nature is louder, the elements more raw.
Bolivia
And when what felt like the perfect trip was concluding, I took a chance to attempt to capture my photographic dream, the Bolivian salt flats. It is nothing short of awkward to visit Bolivia, with travel having to be orchestrated via complicated flights and busses via Peru… but to time it with rain water accrued on the salt flats makes logistics even more meddlesome. Several tedious days of transit later, I was in a clunky old Land Cruiser, flying past herds of llamas and cactus-covered mountains.
At 12,000ft altitude, the air was bone-dry and so crispy, only working to make this landscape that much stranger. With no rainy season this year, water was scarce, but the lunar landscape made more some of the most unbelievable photography of my life. Motivated by an incredible several days and with a twist of relentless energy, we found a section of the flats covered in water, only inches deep, but stretching out in the direction of the horizon, seemingly forever. And alas, in such a moment of euphoria, I will never be able to use words or pictures to accurately portray such a breathtaking landscape, one where the mirages and clouds and any person was mirrored into infinity, bending my mind and compounding my wonder and gratitude forever.
As darkness took over the landscape, the sky populated with stars, shining so brightly in the crisp sky. While it was enough to look up and take in the stunning night sky, looking down delivered the most magnificent detail: the stars reflecting on the salt flat’s water. It was a dream come true.
Favorite Hikes/Mountains/Snow
Hiking/trailrunning in the Farrelones in Santiago
Snowboarding/skiing in Chillan
Atacama desert camping
Favorite Surfing/Beaches
Puntas Lobos surf, wild horses, endless blacksand beaches
Valpariso
Hotel Alaia – beach front hotel with wood burning hot tubs and incredible surf
Favorite urban destinations
Museum of Memory & Human Sight
Chilean Museum of Pre-Columbian Art
La Moneda cultural center
Amaia – traditional Mapuche food, not for the faint of heart
Naoki – best japanese
Ana Maria – traditional Chilean food