5th Nov - Valpariso and Vina Del Mar

We've organised a wee trip to the coast to Valpariso and Vina Del Mar the Costa Brava of Chile. Out of the City the cloud lift revealing the Andes snow covered peaks on one side and smaller mountains on the other, Santiago is nestled in between. We pass through a 3km tunnel to come out in Casablanca - paradise, wine growing country. As far as the eye can see there are chilean grapes ready for wine making. Unfortunately this isn't a wine tour so we don't stop but we will be back.
Valpariso is a really nice seaside town on the Pacific where rich chileans have holiday appartments which the guide tells us go from $250,000 US for a two bedroom. Chile is very much more affluent than it's South American neighbours. We go to Pablo Nerudas house, he was a nobel prize winning poet. His house is absolutely fab, full of nooks and crannies stuffed with art, great furniture and stuff (I love stuff). All the rooms have fantastic views over the sea, which is one of his aclaimed topics of poetry. Althought he loved the sea he was a bad sailor and wrote - he was a sailor of estuaries - I think I agree. Unfortunately all the books about him are in Spanish so theres no point in buying them.
We have lunch in a wee restaurant overlooking the beach and the pacific. It's really hot and sunny, making a lovely change from Santiago. At lunch we met a mad Israli women who gave us her number in Tel Aviv. If we ever go there, which she says isn't that dangerous or violent, we have to stay with her - we'll think about it.
Vina Del Mar is even more classy and affluent than Valpariso, some of the apartment blocks are amazing with moats around them.
After lunch on a wander down the beach we talk to two american guys who take the slaggin over Bush being re-elected and one even wows not to return to America until Americans come to there senses and get rid of him.
Back in Santiago