Toy Story
Spoiler alert: They used more than one Herbie The architecture of Vina del Mar is, how can I put it? Like being on a backlot. And not Universal Studios. Warner Brothers Steamboat Willie Disney Princess-y Disney…
A Few Rooms Ocean View
We returned to the coast after lunch, stopping at Pablo Neruda’s Valparaiso home. He wanted a place to escape from Santiago to study and to write in peace and quiet. He wanted a view, but privacy. Friends of his found…
Lunch in the Country
Dawn from our deck, Valparaiso in the distance Pelicans on a rocky outcrop about 30m from the hotel The Casablanca valley lies between Santiago and the coast. Most of the finest wines in Chile are grown in the dry,…
Funiculi, Funicula
It was overcast first thing. I thought we´d left the sunshine in Buenos Aires. We walked 10 minutes to Starbucks for coffee, then picked up the car and drove into Valparaiso, where the sun came out and we enjoyed a…
EZE to SCE LanPeru J Class
We were up very early for our morning flight to Santiago. Although akin to flying Vancouver to Calgary, it`s an international flight and they are apparently strict on check-in; not strict on fluids, of which it was easy to…
Street Circuit
Another spotless sky, hot and lovely. We headed into Recoleto, parts we`d not been to, Retiro, and the edges of the centre. On the walk up we heard a demonstration in the distance. Last week was the 30th anniversary of…
A Light Nosh
We have another day here but decided to have our last big dinner the night before at Hernan Gipponi`s restaurant in the Fierro Hotel. We were going to spend our last four nights there but it was much easier to…
The Long Hot Good Friday
Not much to report. We walked around. It was a great day but didn`t involve any culture or sport or shopping. The only crisis was that my laptop died, probably from the heat–I was on the roof, surfing–and ever since…
Searching for a Pith Helmet
So during our morning in San Telmo we spent a few hours antiquing. The best antique market ever. Ever! I’m not so much about the chandeliers and crystal and jewellery and furniture, of which there was plenty, including some egregious…
Government, Slums and the New Rich
The Casa Rosada, or red house, once Argentina`s White House View from the balcony where Madonna, er Evita Peron, made her famous speeches Interior Courtyard (one of many) We did a tour of the Casa Rosada. The…