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Audi Magazine_Four Corners_
Chapter One _Chile
Aud i T TS q uat t ro across t he At ac a ma Deser t
The Four Corner s of the Ear th _
The Audi TTS’s four-wheel quattro drive
masters harsh desert conditions
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Audi Magazine_Four Corners_
t u rn i n g up t h e h e a t
In t h e d iz z y in g , s w e lt e r in g h e i g h t s o f C h i l e , w e l e t t h e A u d i T T S 2 .0
T F SI q ua t t r o l o o s e o n e p i c m o u n t a in p a s s e s , t a c k l e u n s p o i lt d e s e r t
r o a d s , a n d f in d t im e t o t r a c k d o w n t h e e l u s i v e l l a m a
by Lu c ille Howe – Ph otog raphy by Ram a Knight
This page: our car is the Audi TTS, featuring
a 272PS engine and quattro all-wheel
drive; the luxury Tierra Atacama Hotel &
Spa is a welcome retreat from the hostile
Atacama Desert that surrounds it. Opposite:
volcanoes are visible from the hotel
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Audi Magazine_Four Corners_
g
Rama is my photographer and videographer for
place to land as it glides through this dramatic
this road trip, and as we cruise through a landscape
landscape. The most popular of all the varied local
that shifts form every few miles, we debate who
excursions, The Indigenous Association of The
should be Thelma and who should be Louise, and
Moon Valley is made up of six communities who
why he can’t have a more masculine name (we
co-manage and protect all the natural resources
compromise with Louis but only if I’m allowed to
that their ancestral territory boasts. From west to
listen to Latin American folk music – Nueva
east you can see the knee-tremblingly impressive
canción – on the radio).
Cordillera de Domeyko, a mountain range in
Jetlagged from 24 hours of travelling from my
the Andes, whose peak (called Kimal) is more
front door in London’s East Dulwich to the gates
than 4200 metres above sea level. Next,
of our hotel, the first thing I notice, before the killer
add to the vista the pushy intrusion of the odd
vista, is the altitude. Pulling my suitcase from the
boot of the car and wheeling it to reception, I am
After two glasses
of pisco sour you’ ll
be able to sing the
national anthem then
declare yourself an
Olympic g ymnast
of rock formations that point to the sky like
breathless in a way that no woman who can Power
ties, but Chile is definitely hot – dance
Plate for Britain, and who does 30 minutes on the
barefoot to your car, pull down the visor
cross trainer each day, should be. San Pedro de
and thank the tribal Gods for air-con.
Atacama, it turns out, is more than 2400 metres
Shaped just like that unassuming-
above sea level, which accounts for the sudden
looking spice, Chile is a sliver of a
lethargy and desire to do nothing but sit in a swing
country baring its left side to the Pacific,
seat and drink Chilean Pinot Noir. At least, that’s
through a six-speed manual transmission, and it’s
with the Andes as its easterly spine. At
my story and I’m sticking to it.
arthritic fingers composed of gravel, clay, salt,
so tempting to drive fast. Every fibre in my revhead
gems and quartz, which are approximately a
million years old. Snap that and you have one hell
of an image for your screensaver.
The Audi TTS quattro is powered by a powerful
272PS 2.0 TFSI engine, driving all four wheels
2700 miles long and just 110 miles wide,
Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa is just the kind of
with a smorgasbord of mad terrain
shimmering oasis you conjure at the end of a long
brandy, lemons, egg whites, syrup and
stuff and bolt away into the distance – the sports
from salt flats to vineyards, this slender strip of auto
journey. A luxury hotel built on a former cattle
bitters – not unlike a mojito. Both the
exhaust howling, leaving only a riotous dust cloud
heaven is why we filled up our Audi TTS, pulled on
corral, it sits seamlessly with its environment, still
Chileans and Peruvians lay claim to the
in my wake. But the maximum speed limit in Chile
our comedy cacti T-shirts and yelled ‘road trip!’.
retaining some of the original adobe walls, with
cocktail and will arm wrestle for it. The
is 75mph (120km/h), and as Moon Valley is part of
The base for our adventures is the northern
stone and timber, rustic banqueting tables painted
Peruvians have even gone as far as
a nature reserve it’s an even more deflating 25mph
town of San Pedro de Atacama – backpacking HQ
in totem-pole blue and an oversized light shade
staking a National Pisco Sour Day, but
(40km/h). Not wanting to get on the wrong side of
for excursions into Atacama Desert, the driest in
made of soft feathers.
I’m with Team Chile and agree it’s
the Chilean law, I reluctantly drive like Miss Daisy.
body wants to drop the clutch, let the quattro do its
the world. Getting in and out of the area, and to the
Our suite is a huge minimalist space with
theirs. Just a couple of glasses and you’ll
Sundown in Moon Valley is the kind of reflective
nearest airport, Calama, is a breeze thanks to the
traditional details – a colourful textile throw here,
be able to sing the national anthem
time when you vow to write that novel, tell your
smooth, wide, open roads that carve their way
an Alpaca fur window seat there. But the money
fluently
parents you love them and get outdoors more.
through the monolithic rock formations.
shot has to be our private window view of the
Olympic gymnast.
declare
yourself
an
With the sky still the dazzling blue you only see
As an innocent who thought Chile might still be
Licancabur volcano. If I were to build a boutique
Because one entire side of the
this close to the stratosphere, the moon proudly
developing like some of its neighbours, this
bolthole on Mars, in a microclimate idyll, this is
country is coastline, there is a bounty
takes its place while the mountain ranges turn
impressive infrastructure is news to me. But, of
what I would be aiming for.
of
all sorts of burnt amber and terracotta.
fish
and
seafood
spoils.
We
course, Chile is a relatively rich country. Mining
The first night is spent adjusting to our new,
enjoy scallops and meaty prawns
I join a gobsmacked, snaking line of tourists who
yields rewards that will bring flashing peso signs to
dizzying heights over dinner. As became routine
accompanied by a mini tortilla wrap
have made the breathless climb to the viewpoint,
your eyes. This country produces more than a third
during the trip, this starts with a pisco sour. For the
oozing guacamole. Seared tuna steak
and have my moment before the sun drops sharply
of the world’s copper (yes, I did my Wikipedia
uninitiated, this gun-slinging, 40 per cent proof,
and salmon that breaks with a gentle
along with – thankfully – the temperature.
homework), as well as silver, gold and zinc.
blow-your-head-off aperitif is made of pisco grape
nudge of the fork star on the menu too.
Now cool and requiring a cardigan and an alpaca
Like the Argentinians, the Chileans
wool scarf, the hotel has a night of entertainment
are card-carrying carnivores and a hunk
in store – not a troupe of poncho-wearing
of steak is the gaucho’s dish of choice.
percussionists but the touring Banff Mountain
Chile is one of the fastest growing exporters of beef, and eating it in situ
Film Festival, celebrating extreme adventure
under an explosion of stars is one delicious iron-athon. Stuffed like a
sports. San Pedro de Atacama is a mecca for hikers,
decorative llama but still missing the oxygen, we hit the sack.
climbers and mountain bikers, so the audience has
We see the mysterious Native American dream catchers everywhere
turned out in their droves for three nights of
– they’re meant to catch bad dreams so only the good ones make it into
outdoor screenings. Since one short film is about a
your sleepy head. I wake the next day after a delicious sleep and add
lunatic who flings himself off cliffs and walks a
‘dream catcher’ to my shopping list, under three pairs of llama socks.
tightrope across ravines for kicks, there is a ‘slack
The sun is already high in the sky by 10am and, fuelled by avocado on
toast, we hit the road in search of adventure. We stop to fill up with petrol,
then its pedal to the metal past the goat herd and towards Moon Valley,
or Valle de la Luna. Our dazzling white Audi TTS with its 18-inch alloy
wheels looks like some kind of futuristic alien spacecraft looking for a
Right and below: the
Tierra Atacama Hotel
combines ancient culture
with ultra-modern style
Opposite: the white TTS
dazzles in the desert heat
volcano, gorges and dunes. Finish with a smattering
reenland isn’t green, Thais don’t wear
then
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A desert oasis
Tier ra At ac a m a Hotel & Spa (r ig ht ,
a nd below) is one of t he most remote
bout iq ue hotels in t he wor ld .
Located in the oasis village of San Pedro
de Atacama, about 60 miles from Calama
in the Atacama Desert, the hotel sits at
an altitude of more than 2400 metres.
Designed by Chilean architects, the
hotel aims to combine 10,000-year-old
local culture with a striking, modern
design. And there’s more to Tierra
Atacama’s cultural heritage than meets
the eye. The land on which it sits is part of
the Ayllu de Yaye – an ayllus being a small
community made up of extended families.
In fact, the cattle may have gone (an no
llamas either) but you can still see the
old walls of the cattle corral, which were
integrated into the hotel’s design. Despite
its location, Tierra Atacama is simple to
get to, thanks to regular daily flights from
Santiago, Chile’s capital, to Calama, where
a hotel shuttle will pick you up. For more
details, visit www.tierraatacama.com
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Right: the dramatic landscape in
Moon Valley is one of the Atacama’s
major attractions. Below: clear glass
rear lights accentuate the TTS’s
sinuous lines as dusk falls in the
desert; catching up the llamas
In det a il_ Audi T TS
Sp e c i f ic at ion _
Recommended OTR price: £35,605
On sale: now
Engine: 2.0 TFSI 272PS
Transmission: six-speed manual, six-speed S tronic
Drivetrain: quattro all-wheel drive
0-62mph: 5.2 seconds (Coupé, S tronic)
Top speed: 155mph* (electronically limited)
Efficiency: 36.7mpg, 179g/km CO2 (Coupé, S tronic)
* where the law allows
Eq u i pment
The performance-oriented Audi TTS is available as either a
Coupé or Roadster, and can be specified with Black Edition
trim. Standard equipment includes: 18-inch ‘five-parallel-spoke’
design alloy wheels, ESP (electronic stability program) with
Sport mode, Xenon plus headlights, TTS-embossed Silk Nappa
leather upholstery, TTS enhanced braking system, three-spoke
flat-bottom multi-function steering wheel (with gear-shift
paddles on S tronic models), sports exhaust system and TTS body
styling. In addition to the above, Black Edition adds: 19-inch
seven-twin-spoke titanium-look design alloy wheels, Bose
premium sound system, Black styling package, privacy glass
(Coupé only) and acoustic parking system (Roadster only)
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As someone who failed their first driving test because she applied
lipgloss midway through a three-point turn, it’s some relief that any
journey in a 50-mile radius is a matter of driving in the same direction as
line’ rigged between a tree and a post for us
the road with a junction every blue moon. No roundabouts to enter the
to showcase our balancing skills. This is not easy
wrong way, no spaghetti junctions to induce a panic attack, no traffic
after half a bottle of wine.
lights to stall at – just wide, smooth roads, flanked by a carpet of jagged
I blame Arturo, who has been our dinner guest
salt crust. Laid back and relaxed in the TTS’s Silk Nappa leather sports
for the evening. The general manager of a local,
seats, cooled by that heaven-sent climate control and watching the desert
family owned winery, he has been giving us an
fly by outside, this is a party of awesome for any driver. Best of all, I’m
education in the Chilean good stuff. Because of the
reassured by our guide, Danila, that there are no deadly creatures in
geography, the area of San Pedro de Atacama
Chile – ‘except my mother-in-law’, he adds.
favours cold climate wines like Pinot Noir,
Flamingos, as it turns out, do a lot of showboating on one leg at some
Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. Nearer
distance from human contact. Danila is kind enough to share his
to Santiago, it’s all about the Carmenere grapes,
binoculars, at which point I feel like Bill Oddie, suck loudly on my juice
previously one of Bordeaux’s favourite vines, but
carton and make vapid observations about their pinkness. ‘It’s because
now produced almost exclusively in Chile.
they eat a lot of prawns,’ quips our guide, who is clearly moonlighting as
After Sauvignon and slack-lining, it’s time for
a stand-up comic. Although they do eat shrimp as well as insects,
sleep. As the dream catcher sings a feathery lullaby
crustaceans, molluscs, small fish and algae. Their colour is down to the
over my head, it’s llamas that come to me in my
reddish pigments found in their diet, and they justify the fiver entry fee
sleep. Fluffy, frolicking, loveable llamas with
when they take flight, hot pink meeting blue sky and white moon rather
eyelashes like palm fronds. As I sit bolt upright in a
like a 1980s album cover.
‘Right,’ I say, assuming boss mode. ‘There are
llamas in these here hills and I’m off to find them.’
ray of morning light, I know that I must meet one
Sadly, having been poised for this
We pause just once when I see the most beautiful
before the journey is over. Maybe it’s the ancestral
to happen, with finger on the record
roadside shrine – a simple white cross, hooded by a
voices calling, or the murmur of ancient magma
button for approximately 15 minutes,
straw arch threaded with sunflowers. Here, white
underfoot, but something tells me the llama is my
I choose this moment to check
maxi dress flapping in the breeze, I take my
Spirit Animal and one for the bucket list.
my settings and end up with some
Madonna moment, circa Like A Virgin. I feel epic,
Photographer Rama informs me sternly that a
shaky footage of my sandals while my
llama hunt is not on the itinerary and points to the
group gasp and applaud their good
salt flats and a flamingo reserve – part of Los
fortune. No, the flamingo is definitely
Flamencos National Reserve at Salar de Atacama
not my Spirit Animal. Now, where are
– on the map. Flamingos? Pff! Not speaking to me,
those llamas?
I take my Madonna
moment, circa Like A
Virg in. I feel epic, I feel
iconic, I feel llama
I feel iconic, I feel llama.
Not a mile down the road, we chance upon the
town of Tocanao. Aside from its modest bungalows
and TV aerials, it’s nothing to write a postcard
about, but we seek out a corner shop for some
spiritually. I tut over my shoulder, but load up the
Knowing that our trip is coming to an
Audi’s boot with water supplies nonetheless. And I
end, my mind turns to the subject of
At a local shop in Britain, you might expect to
have first dibs on driving duty for the day.
souvenirs – I have birthdays to buy for
find a Jack Russell or a slobbering Labrador, tied
Calippo ice lollies.
up outside and pining for its owner. In Chile, you
In lieu of this, Rama has now acquired full
and parents to treat. The indoor market
control of the Audi’s Bose Surround Sound stereo
is a festival of what I fondly call ‘Aztat’
some physical therapy and relaxation at the
can expect a llama. That’s right. We were looking in
system (an optional extra available on the TTS)
and, excitingly, llama patterns are what
Puritama hot springs.
the wrong places all along – in fields, up mountains,
and perks up when he discovers the iPod dock in
the fashion-forward of the Atacama
the glove compartment (nice touch). Then it’s The
Desert deem on trend.
Bees, Hendrix and Bon Iver all the way.
From top: Audi TTS sits on 18-inch ‘five parallel spoke’ alloys;
pretty San Pedro de Atacama; a powerful yet efficient 2.0 TFSI
engine can accelerate the TTS from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds,
and return up to 36.7mpg combined with S tronic transmission
There is just one piece left of this desert jigsaw,
and I must complete the picture.
Don’t get me wrong, the spa at Tierra Atacama is
in gorges. When all he’s doing is shopping for
to die for, all pummelling jet streams that massage
Calippos. I approach my Spirit Animal with
Cosy alpaca socks, cheerful gloves in
your back like a burly Balinese, and white towelling
tentative joy and lock lashes in a gaze of mutual
bright colours and funny hats with flaps
robes so fluffy they make you feel 50 per cent
friendliness. He nuzzles the nape of my neck and I
that keep your ears warm, tie jauntily
llama. But there’s nothing like gentle bathing in the
stroke his in return. It’s all going rather beautifully,
under your chin and leave a couple of
great outdoors to help get you back to nature.
until he turns around and holy smoke – get me a
pom-poms swinging. There are also
The Puritama springs are brilliantly hidden in a
coin purses, fluro dream catchers,
slender gorge and surrounded by foxtail bush and
High and happy from success, I trade llama
hand-crafted silver jewellery and bags
wild flowers. Though entirely natural, the springs
power for horsepower and prepare to return our
of ubiquitous corn kernels. I’m in my
have been manicured into about a dozen private
Audi TTS to its showroom. Between llama,
element here – this is so much better
pools with a ledge to perch on and decking to
volcanoes and pisco sours, it’s been one hell of
than Primark!
bathe on, all reached by a funky boardwalk.
a road trip. No need for my dream catcher now
Magic Tree air freshener to hang around his neck!
Three pairs of leg warmers and a
The water is warm and mineral-rich to help
comedy hat later, I’m just 10,000 pesos
combat the effects of the arid air, and one scoop of
– around £10 – lighter. Retail therapy in
the pool bottom gives you plenty of material for
the bag (literally), now I’m ready for
some pond-weed slinging. It’s perhaps the most
For more on the Audi TTS, including a
peaceful – weed-slinging aside – few hours I spend
video and downloadable brochure, please
on the trip, and while I lie still, the mountain breeze
visit www.audi.co.uk. The Audi TTS
whistles down the gorge and cools my face.
pictured is not to UK specification
– I’ve lived them, baby!
i
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