Chile 2005: 1

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Today was an easy day, as our flight was not until the afternoon. Marilynn was not keen on the waiting, but I caught up on some work on the computer and was back and forth with the office going over last minute details. At 2 PM Carlos, our caretaker, drove us to the airport. Check in and security was quick and easy, and we both received upgrades to business class.

The flight was on time, and in Panama the connection was good - Marilynn barely had time to clean out the perfume shop in the transit area shopping mall. In spite of a snotty agent at check in, we were both upgraded again on the 5 ½ hour flight to Santiago. The boarding process was very straightforward, as the shopping mall and boarding lounges are in a transit area, so there is no need for customs, immigration or security checks - a system that could well be copied in North America to the advantage of North American airlines.

There is a three hour time change between Costa Rica and Chile, so we arrived a bit ahead of schedule - just before 4 AM Chile time. We were one of the first off the plane and found no line up at immigration, but we had missed the booth where entry fees are paid. These are $55 per head for Canadians and $100 per head for US citizens. By the time we got back the lines were very long, but we were permitted to jump the line, being our second time around.

After collecting our suitcase, we exited the baggage area to be met by a guide and driver from the travel wholesaler TravelArt, who put a lot of this trip together for us. Soon we were at the Galaria Hotel, where we dozed away most of the rest of the morning.

This three star hotel is quite good. There are king sized beds, large rooms, a free internet area, a nice swimming pool and pool bar area and all of the other amenities one could want. Marilynn was delighted, as it is in the center of an area of blocks and blocks of pedestrian only shopping streets.

Our first venture was to change money. A kindly guard at a bank across from the hotel told us the best exchange rate was at a money change place less than a block away. He was right, the rate was good and there was no commission. The money change just happened to be on the corner of one of those long shopping streets, so away we went, stopping along the way for a mediocre but cheap lunch. The beer was great, however!

After a lot of really boring shoe shopping we came to a street which eventually passed an interesting, rustic wine bar that specialized in wine, chocolate, crepes and snacks. Now that is my kind of shopping! We went in, and after a decadent desert and a couple of glasses of excellent wine felt rejuvenated. We had a long talk with the owner, an Argentinean with an extensive knowledge of the grape. He was helpful in planning our coming wine tour, and told us where to acquire a particularly delicious carmeniere red wine. This was only his third day of business, but the small 5 table restaurant definitely has the potential to be successful.

We walked back to the hotel in time for the two for one happy hour at the pool bar, and then dinner in the hotel restaurant. Being somewhat short on sleep still, it was early to bed.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

After the extensive buffet breakfast we hailed a cab and headed for the offices of TravelArt to sort out the last details of the trip. They were very accommodating, and after a good talk with the general manager, operations manager and the person who put our trip together we headed off to look at the next hotel we are to stay in - it was only a couple of blocks away. From there we returned by taxi to the neighbourhood of the Hotel Galeria, where we climbed up the Cerro Santa Lucia, a quite large hill in town capped by churches and a castle. Marilynn climbed to the top, but I sat the last leg out. My knees are still punishing me severely for the abuse I gave them mountain biking on Lord Howe Island.

After descending back to city level we found were only a couple of blocks from "our" wine bar, coincidentally at lunch time, so in we went. After being greeted like old friends, we were soon digging in to a plate of cheeses, pate and a basket of breads while making good use of a full bottle of the wine we were introduced to yesterday. I also sampled some of their Chardonnay, so by the time we left our attitude had been adequately adjusted.

I headed back to the hotel for a siesta, and Marilynn hit the shopping streets again. After a snooze, I did some emails and by then Marilynn was back with shoes galore - Immelda Marcos, eat your heart out! With all the money she saved us by buying shoes on sale we'll be living high this trip!

After going through restaurant guides, with the help of the concierge we pick the Buenos Muchachos restaurant for dinner. Although we had wanted somewhere close, the taxi ride turned out to be about a half hour. The restaurant was huge, with a massive floor show area and stage. I thought the rows of tables were set up for bus tours, but most of the clients who eventually showed up were locals with a smattering of tourists. It had the ambience of a train station, but there was a cozy bar so we fortified ourselves there first.

It would be excessively flattering to call the meal mediocre, and my shrimp dish was inedible, but gallons of wine a beer eased the situation considerably. The show was not bad, featuring typical Chilean dancers and singers in traditional costumes. The taxi ride back to the hotel was much less expensive, and took less than half the time - and the first driver was a hotel taxi! I suppose the concierge did well on two good commissions - taxi and restaurant.

In the morning, after a quick breakfast we checked out of the hotel and were picked up by a driver to take us to the airport to meet our friends from England. Roger Nelson we originally met when he was in Costa Rica with his brother, when they were hopelessly lost in the back country. We subsequently met his wife Sally on a trip to England, and they have visited us a couple of times in Costa Rica - once with the other couple, Simon & Brenda Gray. We also travelled through Machu Pichu and down the Amazon River to the sea with Roger and Sally. It would be difficult to find a better, more fun loving group to travel with!

They had flown from Newcastle to London, and then on to Madrid to connect with their flight to Santiago. The flight was on time, the baggage arrived with them, so all was well as we piled into our van for the trip to the hotel. They had a half hour break to clean up, and off we went on a city tour. Apparently the on board the flight food had been in short supply, so a large lunch was in order at a La Mar Nuestra, which was recommended by our driver, Rodolfo.

Huge seafood platters, one combining all the cold appetizers on the menu, and another combining all the hot appetizers were devoured first, and then the guys made short work of steaks. This was all washed down with local beer and wines. We were all restored somewhat once we hit the road again.

The tour of Santiago, a city of six million, was quite extensive and included driving up a mountain to look down over the whole are. It is a very progressive city, with signs of affluence in it's well kept parks, masses of freeway construction, well paved streets and modern buildings.

We didn't get back to the hotel until 6 PM, Rodolfo having stretched the 3 hours city tour into a full day. It was decided that a rest would finish us all off, so the Brits showed their fortitude by joining us first at the hotel bar for drinks, then up the road to a nearby sidewalk café for more drinks and snack platters for dinner. We finally called it a night, and they managed to get to bed after a lot of hours without sleep.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

I worked a little on the internet in the early hours, and then we all met for breakfast in the restaurant. Rodolfo showed up to pick us up right on time at 9 AM, and off we went to the coast. It is about a three hour drive to the area of Valparaiso, and on the way we passed a vineyard, so decided a libation might not be a bad thing. Our luck was good, and we were able to join a tour that was just starting.

During the tour, we were told that Primus, their premium wine consisting of a blend of Merlot, Cabernet and Charmeniere grapes would not be available to sample due to its high cost. A large group of Brazilians insisted, so a deal was struck that we would not sample any of their other wines, only the Primus. It turned out to be delicious, although expensive, but Roger decided a couple of bottles for lunch would be just the thing.

After driving for an hour or so more we arrived in Vina del Mar, a city joined to Valparaiso. This is more touristic and residential, where Valparaiso is more industrial. Being a Saturday everyone was headed for its beaches, and the bumper to bumper traffic stretched for miles. We finally arrived at a seafood restaurant in front of the beach, and due to Rodolfo's influence we were permitted to have our wine for lunch in spite of the fact that there was an extensive wine menu. Lunch was great in spite of the outrageous cost, and the wine even better.

Leaving the restaurant feeling quite satiated, we headed off to explore Valparaiso. I was amazed at how steep the cliff was from the ocean area to the residential districts. A couple of dozen funiculars run up the cliff, connecting people to the commercial and residential area below. The narrow, winding, cobblestone streets up the hill were fascinating. We eventually stopped for a beer at the top of one of the funiculars at a pub with a spectacular view of the harbour and container port below.

After a bit of searching we found a massive statue of Admiral Cocheran. He is an ancestor in Sally's family, an Englishman who was on loan to the Chileans to form their first navy. By the size of his monument he was very well regarded!

The drive back to our hotel was smooth, although we were a little more subdued and sleepier lot. After getting to the hotel Rodolfo went over the maps with me, explaining the routes I would have to drive when we returned from the north, both to get into the city from the wine country, and back out again to the airport the next morning.

After saying good night to Rodolfo, we walked up the street for snack platters at another sidewalk café, again accompanied by a decent quantity of wine and beer. We were back at the hotel shortly after 10, even though things were warming up in the entertainment area. We were all pretty tired, and tomorrow morning will be an early departure for the north of Chile.