So we have now cruised down the Northern half of Chile, taking time to stop for some beachlife and are now awaiting the Senior Hiles' arrival in Santiago.

We have watched as the surroundings have got gradually greener the further south we have come but we are still not exactly in lush green valleys.

To date Chile hasnt shown us a rain cloud which led to some rather spectacular 90% body coverage sun burn for me. Rhian has some delightful pics which will NOT be appearing here (not appropriate for the Belle Mere's eyes!).....

We started in a town called Caldera (and neighbouring Bahia Inglesa - English Bay) which is very popular with Chilean holidaymakers and sampled some of the best seafood empanadas and ceviche we have come across. All accompanied by one of the largest, ugliest sealions nature could have created (see pics)!

We then moved on to La Serena and my chance to 'surf Chile' which i did to the best of my (rather poor) abilities. I tried to ignore the search and rescue helicopter flying overhead as whatever it was looking for (sharks, oil spill, surfers dragged out in dangerous currents) was unlikely to be the best sunbathing spot.

Since arriving in Chile it has been like taking a huge jump forward in time and the infrastructure and towns are increasingly European. This was helped by a trip into the Elqui Valley (one of the 4 valleys in Chile where they make Pisco). It turned out to be a cross between Tuscan vinyards and Greek Island mountains which made for a stunning combo. Our Pisco distillery tour confirmed our fears however - Pisco on its own is pretty foul!

We are now firmly in wine country and the next week and a half will be spent sampling some of the countries best offerings as 2 Hiles' become 4.