Coat of Arms of Chile

Chile January 30 to February 15

Day 1 Night flight... Our international flight left Atlanta at 9:30 pm and arrived in Santiago at 8:30 am. Santiago is three hours ahead our central time zone. We flew over Cuba and the Panama Canal and could see the lights of both.

Panama Canal at night

Day 2 Santiago... The capital of Chile is named for Saint James, in Spanish, and is located in the country's central valley below the Andes Mountains, at an elevation of 1,706 ft above sea level.

Nearly 20 years of economic growth have transformed Santiago into one of Latin America's most modern metropolitan areas, with extensive suburban development, dozens of shopping malls, impressive high-rise architecture, a growing underground train system (Santiago Metro)and a toll-based highway system (Costanera Norte) that passes below downtown.

We arrived in Santiago and met our tour guide, Terry Reagan. One couple's luggage did not arrive with the others. We made it through customs without difficulty and had to pay $131 for our visa. We were taken to our hotel by a bus, but on the way toured some of Santiago.

The Presidential Palace

El Libertador de Chile

Palace Guard

We stopped at the Presidential Palace and were able to walk around and take pictures. We saw the guards change at the Palace and saw the artwork in the plaza, and an orange tree with fruit on it. We also stopped at the San Francisco church, which is the oldest in Chile.

Changing of the Guard Ceremony

San Francisco Church

Dogs, dogs, dogs. There were dogs all over the place in Santiago. They were able to run loose and no one seemed to pay them any attention. They were docile and seemed to exist peacefully with the people. Occasionally we saw a dog on a leash being walked, but mostly if the dogs were with a person they ran freely along with the person. Hotel Neruda Santiago We arrived at our hotel, Hotel Neruda in the Providencia section of Santiago. The hotel was nice, but the shower was hard to keep the showerhead situated so that it did not spray all over everything. Room was clean and neat. After we cleaned up we took a walk around the area and found a little restaurant with tables and umbrellas, and we ate sandwiches: hamburger with guacamole, fresh tomatoes and cheese. Yummy. We ate outside under an umbrella and were serenaded by a guitar player. There were lots of people and traffic was heavy. We went back to the hotel to rest until going out with our group for dinner. We went to small restaurant and we had our first Pisco Sour drink. It's made from a wine byproduct with lemon juice and sugar, topped with egg white; the rim is dipped in sugar. It tastes a bit like a margarita. We had salad, steak, and dessert. While at the restaurant a thief tried to steal one of our lady's purses, but he did not get away with it. We were all a little more careful after that. Day 3 Alto Jahuel... Located about 35 km south of Santiago, Alto Jahuel is in the Maipo Valley wine region. After breakfast, we left the hotel at 10:00 am and headed out of the city to Vina Santa Rita, Chile's oldest wine cellar. It was declared a national monument, because Dona Paula hid 120 soldiers in her cellar during the revolution. The winery's prime wine is called 120 and is very good. We toured the museum, and then toured the winery. Inside Vina Santa Rita Owner's Mansion at Santa Rita The lunch we had at the vineyard was exceptional. We had the traditional Pisco Sour and lots of wine with the raw salmon marinated in citrus, turkey breast with veggies and fruit for dessert. Mary and the Bouganvilla View from Above Santiago We left to go back to Santiago and dropped some people off at the hotel. Then the rest of us went shopping at an artists' center by a church. I bought a hanging rooster there. That night, Terry took us to a restaurant called El Buno, "Good old Boys". It used to be a butcher shop, but the owner turned it into a restaurant and entertainment center. There was a stage and large dance floor. We started dinner with Pisco Sours and had an incredible meal. They brought us a live coal grill with steak, pork, sausage and potatoes on it. About four of us were to share and there was more than enough food. We had wine but most of us wanted water. The show started with a story and dance about Chile. After the show the dance floor was opened and people started to dance. We stayed until 11:00, but the evening was just starting for the rest of the customers. People in our group were tired and needed some rest. Back to Trip Index On to Days 4 - 6 To the coast, Temuco, Vladivia