Torres del Paine

I want to write more when I get home and I am on a laptop, so let me just post a photo or two in case anyone stumbles on this blog today.  Torres del Paine in the south of Chile is extraordinary.  Simple as that.  I would go back to Chile to see the mountains again happily - and bring Van with us and stay at the same lovely hotel.  More to write about that when it’s easier than on an iPad.  For now, enjoy.  I sure did.

51°40′12″S

Officially the farthest south I have now ever been.  Farther south than even the southern tip of the South Island of New Zealand.  PNT - Teniente Julio Gallarde Airport, which serves Puerto Natales, Chile.  Had we ventured into that town, it would have been the farthest south.  Instead, we ventured northward somewhat, and into an awesome part of the country.  But that, is a post yet to come.

My own hometown is farther north of the equator (54 degrees plus a bit) than I was south of it in Chile.  The farthest north I have been?  The Sweden-Norway border at about 63 degrees.  Not bad!

But back to Chile, and ah, how nice that a rainbow greeted us!

Santiago

We finally got a bit of time to see Santiago on the Sunday of our visit there.  For one thing, Conrad and I got up early to go for a walk.  Down the block to the riverside park and boulevard.  Over bridges and back.  On toward the Gran Torre Santiago, the tallest building in South America (just shy of 1000 feet).  

Past two Starbucks that were not yet open - South Americans, from our experience, are not morning people!  A nice little loop.  The boulevard turned out to be closed for a handful of hours at midday each Sunday so as to permit bicyclists and others to use it.  That was a nice thing to see.

Sunday was the first day that all of the group that Natasha had organized was together, the last few arriving in time for an afternoon tour of the city.  We set off in a shuttle with a driver and a guide, stopping at a few places, including the historic central city plaza,

popping into the Cathedral,

down central city streets

and then seeing the old presidential complex

where Allende was killed (or died - the cause is up for debate, apparently), then attempting to go up a funicular and get some views of the city from the top of a hill.  The lines for that last one killed it, and instead we wandered through a nearby shopping plaza in search of souvenirs.

It wasn’t much of Santiago.  The city is large, and I wish we had had time to see a museum or two, ride the subway, relax and enjoy it a little more.  After the tour finished, Conrad and I parked at a place across from our hotel, enjoying a drink each in the heat.  

Dinner that night took us only one block over to a Peruvian place that was perfectly fine.

And then at 2:30 in the morning we were in a shuttle to the airport,

leaving the city behind for the rest of the trip.  I would be interested in coming back.  We shall see if that ever comes to pass.

Comard

 Oh, did you not know?  I am now married to Comard.  He is a delight.

Valparaiso

No, not the town/university in northern Indiana.  No.  Instead, I’m talking about one of the largest cities in Chile, a seaport west of Santiago.  Our Saturday adventure was to head there and look around a little.

We headed directly to the waterfront on arrival in town.  The city spread up steep hills and along the coast for ages, or so it seemed.  

Down where we were, there were tankers or other large sea vessels,

a working harbour with tourists milling about.  We poked in a few small shops then headed to Restaurant Bote Salvavidas for lunch.

Let me say a few things:

• Yum to the pisco sour.  The Peruvian one that others enjoyed was richer and also tasty.
  
  
  
• The chupe de locos was not at all what I expected.  Described to me as something of a sandwich with fish but also cheese, it turned out to be a casserole of bread crumbs, cheese, broth (I think), and locos.  Locos is abalone, I later learned, and which explained why the seafood in the chupe was so very chewy.
  
  
  
• The pink clams served gratinéed were delightful.
  
  
  

Lunch in our bellies, we wandered into the nearby streets.  The hilly city has at least a couple of working funiculars,

and we rode one up into a neighbourhood that was busy with stores and restaurants, decorated with an abundance of murals and street art.  

That was welcome after seeing the older buildings below tagged so horribly.  Parts of Valparaiso and Santiago reminded me of Lisbon, what with the unfortunate profusion of graffiti.

We didn’t stay in Valparaiso long, really just an afternoon.  We were back in Santiago by dinner time.  Another place visited for me where I think, if we’d only had a little more time there….

Chilean quickie

By the time this posts, we’ll have left our lovely hotel in this glorious national park and be on our way to Argentina.  I am sure there will be Wi-Fi at our hotel in El Calafate.  We have little time there, though, so let me post a quickie and say that Patagonia, what we’ve seen of it, is amazing and awesome.  So here, a few shots.  More to come, with detail on it all!