Last Stop

So I am back to where all this travelling began almost 9 weeks ago. I have a mixed feeling about the end of my trip. Part of me want this to continue, another part is ready to return home. Returning to work will be a strange feeling after being away for so long.

San Francisco Church

Santiago has the potential to be a very beautiful city. It has the majestic snow capped mountain in the background. However those mountains are hardly visible due to the heavy smog the city frequently has. The central part of Santiago also seem to lack the number of colonial style buildings that Lima and Buenos Aires has. I guess it was probably because Santiago was a small town until the nitrate boom in the 1880s

Plaza Baquedano

I tried to book myself to a final cultural dinner and show but the tour company has a minimum of 2 reservation policy. With a bit of research on the internet I discovered the 3 resturants that the tour company use. I managed to walk in without a reservation for one of them. I went to Restaurante Los Adobe de Argomedo. Chilean music and dance is almost the same as Peruvian. The Andes culture is shared between Equador, Peru, Bolivia, northern Chile and northern Argentina. There was a part of the show which featured some Polynesian music and dance, this is because Easter Island is part of Chile.

I organised a tour to Viña del Mar and Valparaiso. They are adjacent cities located on the same bay 10 km apart. One is a modern city built on a flat area, the other is the historical port built on hills. Given the geological isolation of Chile with the Atacama desert on the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west, Andes to the east and glaciers tot he south; Valparasio has been the gateway to Santiago prior to aviation. Valparasio is also the cultural capital of Chile; it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It meant to be a picturesque place with colour houses on its hills. Unfortunately due to the weather most of the hills were covered by fog on the day I visited.

Palacio de la Moneda

Now it is time to say good bye to this amazing continent.

Old reflects on Modern

Metropolitan Cathedral

Hidden Mountain

Valparaiso

Moai

Quinta Vergara Amphitheater