Our guide and driver fetched us this morning for a drive around Santiago and dropping off downtown to wander the streets and look at the buildings and such. Santiago is another capital city and we enjoyed being there but one day was enough for us. Our guide pointed out various parks and restaurants to us, as if we could remember them or how to get to them later. We walked through the main parts of the city, saw the Cathedral, map of the early city in bronze, some statues (both of heroes and modern art), the President's Palace, the museums, the juice sellers, the shoe shine men, bicycle rental, and shopping streets, and a protest. Towards the end of our tour, we were close to our hotel and she showed us how to get to the night life area. We'll go over there for dinner, we think. Then finally up the hill that overlooks the city and she turned us "loose" in the park to look at the plants. hmmm. a bit odd and off as we had 15 minutes to wander a whole park and look at it's botanical wonders. ah well. it was hot so not a problem.

Back to our hotel and goodbye to the guide and we set off immediately for some lunch. To get lunch, we walked back to the downtown area which wasn't far from us and then just wandered around for a bit. Touts were trying to entice people into small arcades and malls to get people to eat at their restaurants and it was lunchtime so some places had lines out the doors. We wandered into one small arcade and saw a small hole in the wall restaurant selling chicken and rice. They didn't speak a lick of English but just started serving us as it was a set meal. Might well have been one of the best meals we had on the entire trip and it was certainly one of the cheapest. If you don't die at "holes in the walls", then you will have excellent food.

Then we went to the cultural museum which was quite good. Spent quite a bit of time in there wandering the floors and displays. I actually read most of the signs which most of the time, I'm sitting on the bench close to the exit of a room while my hubby reads all of the signs. Then back out on the street, past the Presidential Palace again, past the protest area but the protesters are gone, past the shoe shine men and to our hotel. We had used this place for a laundry stop and it had already been returned so packing up again for a short trip to Valparaiso tomorrow for a couple of days. Yep, too much travelling, not enough time in some places, too much time in others.

NOTE: for the photos. The dog photo is a street dogs of which they have many. Some group or several people go around the give the dogs coats to wear. not sure the dogs like them because it can get really hot there but there you have it. Street dogs with yellow and camo coats.

Out for dinner and we tried to find the restaurant that she had recommended but we could not so ended up going into a mall of restaurants and tourist shops but also many locals were there and found a pizza place. We always try pizza in every country we visit. We weren't impressed with the pizza in Buenos Aires but the pizza in Santiago was good. Yum. Thought we'd get a dessert but the ice cream place was closed so we went around the corner to get a McDonald's ice cream cone but it was packed with a longer line than anywhere else. Walked back to the hotel and spied an ice cream place just down the street so we got some that was probably much, much better than McDonald's.

In the morning, we are retrieved around 10 for the drive to Valparaiso. We only have a driver and our route will take us back past the airport, through the Casablanca area which is rich in vineyards and wineries. Poor hubby sleeps through most of it. Something about moving cars just lulls him to sleep. Valparaiso is a port city and over a few hills but not far from Santiago and is often where Santiagans go for a weekend retreat. Valparaiso is all hills, quite steep hills, many steep hills, and then the bay and port.

Most of Valparaiso is also one way streets because they are narrow and steep. So our driver winds his way up the hills and out of the port section and down various one way streets until he comes to a small dead end street and our boutique hotel is at the end of this street. This was one of the nicest places we stayed. Casa Higuruas was an old mansion that has been turned into a beautiful hotel with incredible views of the city and the hills and the bay. I think where were 4 or 5 floors. The reception is on the floor where you drive up then one or two floors above that for the guest rooms and then two floors below it for the living room, dining room, and spa and further down for the small swimming pool. Just lovely.

Since we were there a bit early, we didn't have a room ready yet so we sat in the living room and looked around and caught up with emails. It occurred to me at this point that on our return from Easter Island next week, we have one night stay in Santiago before we leave early the next morning for home. It also occurred to me that it was going to be incredibly stupid and tiring to fly into Santiago - drive into the city for one night at the same hotel that we just left and didn't like - then get picked up about 5 a.m. for the drive back to the airport for our flight home. I started contacting our SouthAmerica.travel agent for a change of venue. Surely Santiago has an airport hotel and it would make so much more sense to stay there for the overnight and plane change.

Our room is ready quickly and we discover there is an elevator/lift but it will only fit luggage or 2 people, not both. We walk up the stairs and the porter hauls our luggage up the stairs. I would have sent it in the elevator. Our room is lovely with a view of the city which is very, very colorful. Part of what makes people visit Valparaiso is the murals/graffiti. At some point, people started doing graffiti on building walls and then it became the "thing" to do. A lot of it is gang signs and taggers but there is some incredible artwork on the walls of buildings too. Valparaiso is a very conflicted city with amazing buildings and such next to dumps and deserted and derelict areas.

Lunch in the hotel and then our guide comes for our tour. Another facet of Valparaiso are the funiculars. At one point there were over 30 I think she said. Some are quite short but steep and they are all rather cheap, just a few hundred pesos to ride - the equivalent of less than $1 U.S., sometimes less than 50 cents. But like many things, a lot of funiculars have fallen into disrepair and been deserted and boarded over. The city leaders have realised now that these funiculars are also popular with the tourists so there are plans to re-open many of them and fix them up to use again. I am sure that the citizens of the city will appreciate this because those hills are sooooo steep.

Our guide takes us round to many of the murals that are by famous artists, she points out the different neighbourhoods, and takes us by some of the famous buildings - unfortunately now many in disrepair - and we ride up one funicular to an beautiful overlook of the city where the Esmeralda has come into port, a large sailing vessel on which each Chilean Naval Officer must take a training cruise. off in the distance is an aircraft carrier too. We have a lively discussion on whether it is or not but there's no ship with that kind of silhouette so i'm right. Then we drive to the neighbouring city which is where the rich people moved after it got too crowded in Valparaiso, Vina del Mar. Yep, many lovely homes and neighborhoods but also a sea lion "rock" with dozens of sea lions just right off the main drive.

Finally back in time to walk around our neighborhood and find a good place to eat dinner, besides the hotel although our hotel here had quite good food without being as froo-froo as some of the other places we have stayed.