CHILE
December 12th -18th 2020
Eclipse on December 14th 2020
This is a very special eclipse as when the whole world had stopped because of Covid-19 Chile reopened its borders a couple of weeks before the eclipse, we had originally planned to watch it in Argentina but its borders remained closed.
DAY 1
December 12th
After 2 flights and a 3 hour car journey, we arrived in Pucón in the beautiful lake district area of Chile. I was grateful beyond belief to be able to be there during the Covid-19 pandemic.
DAY 2
December 13th
One of the most exciting parts of being an eclipse chaser is discovering new cultures and meeting new people. Today was fascinating to visit the local Mapuche community, we learnt to roast organic wheat, ate some delicious home cooked biscuits and weaved with them in a traditional way. It was interesting to learn that they were very worried about the eclipse which they viewed as a bad omen.
DAY 3 (ECLIPSE DAY)
December 14th
This morning we woke up at 2am to drive west to find a hole in the clouds because of the terrible rainy conditions. We got in touch with the world-leading eclipse meteorologist Jay Anderson who helped us find the best eclipse location. We ended up watching the eclipse in the small town of Gorbea. It was great to see my little twin brothers enjoying the eclipse, they are becoming eclipse chasers too!
DAY 4
December 15th
After filling out many more Covid-19 forms, we made it to Santiago. On the plane, catching up with our friend, eclipse veteran John Beattie was great. It is always fun to swap eclipse stories.
DAY 5
December 16th
Today we spent the day sightseeing, we first took the cable cars in San Cristóbol Hill and then went to the Sky Costanera tower to admire the views, Santiago was so nice and warm!
DAY 6
December 17th
I love discovering new cuisine when I visit new places and today was no exception, we went to a "Chipeña" style restaurant and we tried ceviches, empanadas and of course "plateada". Everything was so amazing.
DAY 7
December 18th
It was sad to leave Chile who welcomed us so well during such a challenging time. I was very quickly missing the warmth of the weather and the people. It was such a successful, miraculous eclipse.