Chilhotel Santiago

... to Santiago.<br><br>On our arrival, Santiago was veiled in a hazy mist that fell from the surrounding snow-capped mountains (either that or a fog from the fumes of traffic that clogged every artery into the city...) The Andes tower dramatically above the beige high-rises of Santiago, providing an intriguing juxtaposition of natural beauty and the purported aesthetics of seventies architecture. Not that we had time to consider this juxtaposition &#8211; our lives were too busy ...

... on the arm followed by "Mio mio" (I tried correcting her and telling her it was Neil not Mio but after the 5th time I gave up). She'd be asking telling me something so I'd stop watching the film and take out the earphone nearest her to listen thinking it would be something quick, but then she'd prattle on for a good ten minutes. When she ran out of breath I'd smile, nod and quickly pop back in the earphone. Ten minutes later, another tap and "Mio ...

... dogs with mayo and guacamole), Pisco (liquor made in Chile), wines (especially Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Syrah), futball (soccer to us) THIS IS HOW CHEAP WE ARE: We return our beer bottles for the $1 deposit. We stayed in segregated dorms instead of the more expensive double. We shared a towel because they are cost $1 each to rent. The first three hostels that we tried upon arriving in Santiago were full, so we ended up ...

... from the hillsides. We rode through Valparaiso and out into the countryside about an hour to the Casablanca Valley where we toured the VinaMar winery. We were both pretty tired from staying up late last night. After another hour on the bus, we arrived at a horse breeding ranch and rodeo location. We saw native dancing and watching a ...

... Hare have been just sent off. The weather was calm and even sunny, but my long layover dwindled to nothing after taxying for an hour in the airport and riding a subway to downtown. Still I had some time to get chilled on the, indeed, windy streets, to wet my sneakers in slush trying to get to Lincoln (see photo) and to had my face hacked by icy air blowing from Lake Michigan. But at least I knew what lay ahead, three more flights and fifteen hours away...

... achteraf trouwens the place to be in kader van uitgaan.. Heerlijk genoten van de salade en shusi.. met mooie vollemaan weer terug naar Hotel om de volgende dag weer terug naar Nederland te gaan.. Plannen voor een volgende vakantie zijn trouwens al in de maak.. word waarschijnlijk, als werk het toelaat, 3mnd Australie en dan begin 2010. Dus weer een jaar zuinig doen en goed sparen :) Kus Annemarth en Lester