On my very last day in Santiago, Sebastián picked me up and took me on a ride out of town. We were heading into the Andes mountains, to the Cajón del Maipo, a canyon carved by the Maipo river.

The landscape is super dry, the higher you get. It’s clear it does not rain much in this region. The river below has the same muddy water as the Mapocho flowing through Santiago. It contains that much silt, it looks like hot chocolate. It’s true, not necessarily a beautiful sight.

The day had been cold and clouded in Santiago, but in the mountains the sun was out. We first made a stop in the little town of San José de Maipo, with its neat little town square and market, selling local stones, trinkets and herbs.

Along the river, we found this old bridge spanning the Maipo, to a ranch on the other side. We made a few steps onto it, but the wooden planks had many holes, the rail on the side was low and not looking to stable, and the whole thing swung up and down and sideways when you stepped on it.

Then we drove on to a special sight, an old railway tunnel, stripped of its rails, that is a local attraction. Walking into there, your eyes need to adjust to the total dark.

It’s an eerie, cold feeling inside, you cannot see the other end, as there’s a bent… only slowly you can make out that glow of light at the end of the tunnel, and get through it.

It was a beautiful way to spend the last day in Chile. We got my bags and Sebastian dropped me off at the airport.