Rob McFarland – Travel Writer

Casa Marin vineyard near Santiago - photo by Rob McFarland

Escape travel section, Australia – Sep 11, 2011

Everyone told Maria Luz she was mad to try growing grapes in Chile’s San Antonio Valley.

The valley is just 4km from the coast and every morning gets smothered in a cold sea fog. They said the grapes would never ripen. Or they’d be killed off by the frosts. And what about the humidity?

She ignored all the advice and planted her first grapes in 2000. They did ripen, eventually, taking two months longer than everywhere else, and they had to use heaters and fans to combat the frost and humidity.

But in 2003, Casa Marin winery had its first vintage and Luz became Chile’s first female vineyard owner and winemaker.

Read the rest of this story here.

Top of Toco Volcano in Atacama desert - photo by Rob McFarland

Escape travel section, Australia – July 31, 2011

“Go up like an old man, come down like a teenager,” advises Pablo. I’ll second that. I’m 200 metres from the summit of 5600-metre-high Toco Volcano in the Chilean Andes and I feel 108.

At this altitude, every step is a breath-sapping test of physical and mental endurance. I’d never understood why climbers sometimes turn back within a few hundred metres of the top. Now I do.

Read the rest of this story here: Breathtaking Chile (PDF)

The Aubrey Hotel in Santiago - photo by Rob McFarland

Escape travel section, Australia – July 17, 2011

Chile’s capital tends to get a bad rap when compared with other South American cities.

It might not have Rio’s party atmosphere or the style of Buenos Aires but it certainly has enough sights and attractions to justify hanging around for a few days.

It’s also the main gateway to the country, so if you’re coming to Chile, the chances are you’ll be passing through Santiago. So before you go dashing off south to trek in Patagonia or north to explore the Atacama Desert, take a few days to live life like a Santiaguino.

Read the rest of this story here.