Tempo Rent Apart Hotel Santiago

... Shoot!!! So we went to Santa Rita vineyard that day instead. On Sunday we drove into the Andes to some hot springs...so nice!!!! Then on Monday we went to Valpariso and on the way stopped at Concha y Toro (finally) and two other wineries...Mmmmmmmmm...it was a great day!!!<br>

... the only annoyance being the ATM machines didn´t like any of our cards. The local currency is somewhat weak with about 900 pasos to one English pound. The shuttle to our hostel cost us 6000 each! Not bad, once you get your head around all the zero´s. The driver was friendly, as were the staff at the hostel and all this started to build a very good first impression of Chile.It tured out to be the best hostel so far. Such a homely and funky little place, with fun artwork, a big ...

Santiago is sweet due to the friends I have there.<br>Stayed with one of my friends grandparents.<br>The hill of the immaculate conception has a terrific view. (Mary got in the way of the Photos though)<br>Spent a lot of time with the three amigas and D'artaniogn. <br>Can I get Dr Phil's pay? Yes I have legendary friend status or at least people call me family. Little Bro to the rescue...<br><br>On to Guayaquil...

... let my brain relax. Yesterday was an explosion of people, places, and spanish. I spent the day at Pilar's house in the country. It was very quaint and cozy. I had a great time. We looked through old photo albums and I showed her pictures of my friends and family from my laptop. It was a good day. <br><br>I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog and I keep you updated on my Chilean Adventure. Until next time.<br><br>Chao<br>

Last night I headed out with Elianne and Simon for our last supper in Santiago. They are headed to Pucon. We grabbed some pre-dinner drinks at a cafe where I was served quite a quantity of pisco. I ordered "piscola" which is pisco with Coke, and got a tall glass with two ice cubes half filled with pisco accompanied by a tiny glass bottle of Coke. Glass bottles are so ...

... took the metro to Viña del Mar, one of the most popular beach resort of Chile, some 10km north of Valparaiso. I walked for some kilometres on the beach enjoying the fresh Pacific air before heading back to Santiago in time for a nice dinner in the suburb of Provindecia. Tomorrow, back over the Andes and into Mendoza in the heart of the wine country of Argentina.

Hola from Santiago! I arrived here at around 8am after a flight to Miami, a quick stopover with a mad dash through the airport, and a long but uneventful overnight flight from Miami to Santiago. I managed to get some sleep on the plane, and all was well. Except that apparently my checked luggage didn't make the mad dash as successfully as I did, since I arrived here in Santiago only to find out that my backpack is still stuck in Miami. Ack ...

... day (the fist since I`ve been here). That plus the cold temperature of the water were a deterrent to everyone else. The next day (Sunday) was the highlight of my trip so far.. we headed to the Andes, an area called Cajon del Majpo for a day hike.. we had heard there was a glacier to reach. The hike took 6 or 7 hours in all.. the vistas were breathtaking. When we finally got to the glacier, Stephie, a swiss guy called Brian and I went a little further ...

... therefore depart fairly promptly. Rather than having to wait an hour until he'd got his quota of passengers for the trip. So, this I did, then I spotted a woman who had what seemed like a whole fistful of tickets. My luck was in I thought so I went over to her asked the price and was quoted $1. Brilliant, I thought, cheap too! I was then led around a corner to an aging locals bus stuffed to the rafters with Chileans and Peruvians. Now, as ...

... and went our separate ways at Plaza de Armas - Ben was off to find the girls, Brent to do his own thing, and me to the Museum of Precolumbian Art. There was a somewhat interesting exhibit on the Changos, a fishing people that were considered to be primitive and savage by early explorers. The museum was ok, but nothing special. I think some of the historical facts that were presented were more interesting than any of the art. Such as ... shamans ...