Foresta Santiago

... br><br>We left Mendoza on Friday 13th, an ominous day for some, bound for Santiago, Chile. We were particularly keen to avoid an overnight bus as the journey discects the Andes and promised views that are not to be missed. And that is exactly what the journey delivered - towering snow capped giants that seemed impossibly vast and belittling. My resolve to refrain from becoming a trigger-happy photographer was quickly overpowered by too many stunning vistas ...

... point where we could view the amazingly beautiful Atacama Desert and gave us a glimpse of the Chilean salt flats. We then stopped to wander through a series of salt caves before arriving at the main attraction of the tour, the Moon Valley for sunset. At the salt caves, our guide explicitly explained that the caves may be difficult for the elderly and less limber, and was far from subtle as he stared at one particular gentleman, easily ...

... decided to tag along. It seemed easier to use someone else's enthusiasm rather than struggle to find our own. The city turned out to be a little disappointing, but we still got a good walk and a ride on a funicular railway. That night we planned to go out with the hostel owner to a local club, Blondies, apparently a chain of properties all over Chile. The club only started at 1am, so until then we drank and chatted, eventually reaching the club ...

... Spanish has failed us! Our first day was spent mastering the subway. At first this was an intimidating prospect involving copious use of the phrase book, and requiring team huddles to sort out what we wanted before one unlucky person was pushed forward to deal with the person behind the counter! But by the end of the day we felt like pros and were very glad we didn´t fork out 18 000 pesos for the Tourist hop-on, hop-off bus which works ...

... see why it gets mediocre reviews. Valparaiso, on the other hand, is an old historic Port city closeby (2 hours by bus) which does have its own unique vibe. Its a pretty cool, chilled out place with beautiful port views out on to the ocean. Place is built on the sides of hills with all these ascensors or elevators to take you up the sides of these hills to your destination. They are certainly unique and give the place something you ...

... thinking "How pathetic ... I bet this guy is going to use the bathroom 4 more times so that he can get better looks at the receptionist ..." It was a long, drawn out meal, but didn't seem to drag on, because of all the elements that were available to enjoy (see pics for the full commentary). Plus, I ended up making about four trips to the bathroom, so that I could stroll by the reception area, helping pass the time ... we ...