Santiago, Chile (Part Two)

Traveling to the coast of Chile took less than two hours. After passing through a three km tunnel under the coastal mountain range, we emerged into an open area.

From our tour guide, we learned that the second source of income is agriculture. One reason agriculture is so popular is due to the fact that both mountain ranges protect the plats from insects. Ranching is not popular to the terrain. Most meat is imported. Meat is chewy due to animals having to walk so far to find food.

A small pit stop in our trip to the coast took us to a small store on the side of the road where we were able to try Chicha and Milhojas.  Chicha comes in different versions. In Peru, it is made from fermented purple corn. In Chile made from table grapes and contains 3% alcohol.

Milhojas is a French inspired Chilean dessert.  It is  a dessert made with stacked layers of puff pastry filled with dulce de leche. It was incredible sweet, but the boys loved it!

Passing through the second tunnel we enter the fifth region of Chile. We entered the Valley of Casablanca which is not really a valley but most wineries are in valleys so they call it a valley.
This area is good for white grapes. Chile is the 4th exporter of wine in world. Due to the cold coastal fog, the fields have fans to provide hot air to protect the grapes.

We drove by the Lo Vásquez Sanctuary. December 8th is a Chilean holiday celebrating the feast of the Imaaculate Conception. Once a year, people will pilgrimage up to 15 hours walking to this sanctuary. The roads in and out of this area will be closed (meaning people will have to drive 2-5 hours more to get around through the mountains) due to the number of people walking!

As we approached the coastal cities we learned that Valparaiso is the main Port City. No definite division between Valparaiso and Vina del Mar except what they look like. Valparaiso is old versus the new Vina del Mar. Vina del Mar is resort city. Many Chileans own apartment here for weekends and holidays. The water is very cold, 13 degrees Celsius due to Humboldt Current from Antarctica. While there may not be a lot of ocean predators there are a lot of jellyfish.

The architecture in the city of  Vina del Mar includes Victorian style houses prefabricated from the US. When looking at the plants, we learned that there is only one native palm tree to Chile, it is one with smooth bark. All other palm tress were brought in as a gift from the government.

Through this city runs a river called the Marga Marga. During certain times of the year, parts of the river dry up completely and the river bed becomes a road and area for parking. The pictures above shoe one part of the river further into the city and another near the shore.


Castles turned into museums, restaurant, and even a casino. The casino was built to provide jobs to the locals. The casino has a dress code, absolutely no tennis shoes.

Our next stop took us to a museum that houses one of the statues from Easter Island (off the coast of Chile). Moai are the statues carved by the Rapa Nui people and have been on the island since the 1200s. While this is is a small one, it is an original and they are trying to recall all the originals back to the island.

In addition to the statue, we saw a 'talking rock'. The Rapa Nui tribe members would place fruit in these holes as a token to the gods. Later, the would gather at the rock to discuss important information and drink the fermented liquid.










In 1962 the city was given a gift from Sweden. A flower clock made from natural plants. A few years ago, a big branch fell and broke the hands and mechanisms. Every day the clock starts going backwards and had to be reset.

Valparaiso, a city separated into 42 hills. It holds the National Congress and Navy Headquarters of the country. This city has a huge European influence and took a disastrous hit due to creation of the Panama Canal. Before the Panama Canal was built, this city was a huge port for ships traveling from one side of the world to the other!

Our first stop was the Fish market. Some of our other tourist friends were very put off and not able to leave the van, but the boys were eager to see what all the fuss was about. Sorry if this picture offends anyone, but the boys were interested in the types of fish and marine animals.

Heading down to the beach, we were able to get really close to the sea lions. These sea lions move back and forth between piers taking the leftovers from the fish market. While we kept our distance, Greg got really close to these GIANTS!!

BRRRRR this water is cold!!!

After visiting this area we headed to one of the most famous hills. In this area there is a lot of different architecture. Italian, German, and French immigrants came over in the early 1900s. Castles and houses are influenced by these countries.

In the pictures above you can see The Plaza Victoria, built after the Pacific war. You can also see the Arch of triumph a gift from British government and it is a replica of one in Paris.

We drove to the top of one of the hills and exited our van for a walk around. The first thing that we notice is that the streets are very steep and narrow.

We learned many things about this area. The first thing that we learned is that graffiti is legal. All you have to do it get permission from the owner of the building. Many artists come to the area to participate. Here are a few of our favorites!

Another way that artists express themselves in this area is using the stairs. There is a rule, "After going down the stairs, you must turn around and look at where you came from."

In addition to the artwork, there were some amazing buildings and houses. The city sure does use each and every inch of it's space. There are VERY specific rules for the remodeling of buildings. Owners have to go through extensive paperwork and approval processes in hopes of preserving the history of the area. 

On a walk, we stopped by a local house in which a mother makes homemade Alfajores. These traditional Chilean (though made in many South American countries) desserts are made with two lightly sweet and super soft cookies separated by dulce de leche and dipped in chocolate. They were delicious and the boys wanted more!

We took time to enjoy the view!

We rode a funicular down the hill to jump back in the van and head to lunch. 

Lunch was at Oda Pacifica and had an amazing view.

 We enjoyed some delicious paella, king crab ravioli and fresh fish. 

After lunch, we headed began to head home with one last stop. The Winery in the Casablanca Valley. 

The Vina Indomita Winery is a large winery in this 'valley' that sits upon a hill over looking acres and acres of grape vines.

The drive home resulted in three sleepy boys. 

When arriving back in Santiago, we decided to visit The Costanera Center Torre 2, also known  as Gran Torre Santiago. It is a 64-story tall skyscraper in Santiago, Chile, and the tallest in Latin America!

The view was remarkable. City and mountains!

The viewing deck actually encompasses two floors. When you go to the top floor (open air) you are able to experience the view and the weather!

The boys had fun looking for our hotel!

After, we walked to the mall connected to the tower and found a Hard Rock Cafe! Since I have been craving some traditional 'bar food' we walked right in!

Greg and I were able to try the traditional Chilean drink - Pisco Sour. The Chilean pisco sour cocktail is made by mixing Chilean Pisco with Pica lime juice, powdered sugar, and ice cubes. Pisco is a brandy made from grapes. For us, it was very sweet, but interesting to try. 

It was a wonderful end to our day of exploring!

Part Three - our adventure in the Andes!

Santiago, Chile (Part Three)

The Andes

Our trip into the Andes Mountains was memorable. Our guide was extremely animated and the boys enjoyed learning about the country.

Facts that the boys, Zane especially, found most interesting is that Chile has the driest dessert in the world, the Atacama Dessert in northern Chile. This dessert receives an average of 15 mm of rain per year. In the south, they receive 7000 mm or rain per year!

Another fact found interesting is the traditional eating habits of the Chilean people. Breakfast includes fruits, bread, meats, and cheese. Lunch is a variety of salads rice meats and tons of bread. Dinner is not something usually eaten, but late in the evening they have 'Tomar onze' which is tea and bread. Our guide explained that this was called Tomar Onze due to tea and bread being 11 letters. True or not, we are not sure!

During our two hour drive 2500 m above sea level we passed many small towns. One town included a large area of wood burning stove bread baking stores. If there is a white flag outside, this indicates the store sells bread. The white flag used to be a flour sack long ago when people did not know how to read or write. If there is a person standing outside waving the flag, it means they have a restaurant and it is open! In this same town, we passed the 'Chocolate House', a true Hansel and Gretel looking house! The boys were so excited until the guide informed them they could not actually eat the house.

As we continued our drive, we drove over and beside many small rivers. These artificial channels were created from rivers to direct water to areas that need it, including into the city of Santiago.

The two rivers pictured here are the Yeso River and the Maipo River. The Colorado River, Yeso River and El Volcan river, coming from the glacier region of the Andes, combine to form the Maipo River which is the main river in Santiago and feeds into the ocean.

Beside this rivers and channels live farmers. These farmers have owned land for many years and have a lot of it. To supplement income, they grow specific grapes for specific vineyards.

One of the most famous vineyards in the area is 'Castelo de Diablo' or Devil's Castle. The story of how the vineyard came to this name is interesting one. The owner of the vineyard, many years ago, found out that some of his best wines were being stolen. He assumed it was by some of his employees and created a story to scare people. His story was that one of the cellars was haunted by the devil. The owner spent many nights dressing up, staying up all night and tricking people until everyone believed. After this happened, he decided to rename the winery.







As we approached our destination, the sky became clearer, the air became colder and the snow became more prominent. 
















We approached the lake, Cajon Del Maipo, and our breath was taken away. Depending on which way the sun was hitting the  lake, it would look a vibrant blue or an emerald green. The pictures do not do the area justice. It is one of those places that makes you rethink your purpose on Earth.

As you can tell, the temperature was much cooler and our jackets went on. The wind was whipping through the area so our hoods went up as well!

 We took time to enjoy the area, explore the unique gypsum rocks, watching the local birds and even seeing the national bird flying high above the mountains, the Condor!

Both boys expressed their wonder and awe at the area, the size of the mountains, the beauty of the lake. They said, besides the Iguazu Falls, this is the most beautiful place we have been!

On the way back down, we stopped at a local restaurant for fresh empanadas and a picnic. The tour company did a great job of setting everything up for a wine tasting and picnic. The boys enjoyed some fresh juice instead of wine. 

The restaurant, like most in South America, was located on a farm. The boys enjoyed playing with the dogs and cats, seeing the donkeys and horses, and looking at the mountains.

Our last night ended with a BEAUTIFUL sunset over the mountains and a happy little boy watching it happen!