Jan. 4

We were up bright and early to prepare for our full day tour to Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso. The van picked us up at 7:45 for the 10 hour tour. Our hotel was the last pick up point so we immediately headed northwest towards the ocean. 
The land is quite arid looking until you get into the valleys. There are 2 valleys between Santiago and Valparaiso, one called Casablanca. It is a major wine producing area as well as providing other fruits and vegetables. 
Our first stop was Vina del Mar, a resort town adjoining Valparaiso. The floral clock, similar to the one at Niagara Falls, is a must see on all tours. We then went through the Fonck Museum to see the only legal Moai outside of the Easter Islands. Britain has one in a museum but it was moved illegally. Dr Fonck helped set up the first hospital in the Easter Islands and he was gifted a Moai as an expression of gratitude.  
We headed down to the waterfront in Valparaiso to the fish market where we were sure to see sea lions. These monstrous creatures sit on the rocks high above the water waiting to be feed the fish scraps. If the food doesn’t arrive quickly enough to them, they will roll their way right into the market!


Valparaiso is the most colourful city I have ever seen. Street art is encouraged in the form of murals along the streets. Some of them tell a story of the history of the area while others are purely whimsical. 



There are 44 hills in the city and at one time there were 44 funiculars to navigate them. Only 15 are still functional and for 100 pesos (10 cents) you can avoid the many staircases and give your legs a break. 
After wandering up and down and through three neighbourhoods, it was time for lunch. Valparaiso is a laid back town with stores not opening until after 11 and restaurants opening around 12:30. We had lunch on the rooftop terrace at El Terrat with expansive views over the city and harbour. It had been a very overcast morning, but right on cue at 1:00 the sun came out as promised. We had a most enjoyable lunch of clams in a Parmesan sauce and a mixed salad. 
We ate lunch with a couple from Germany who are staying at our hotel and also going on the cruise. We were a very international group on the tour. One couple were Iranian Canadians who went to U of Waterloo and are now working in California. There was a couple from New Zealand who are also going on our cruise, three university friends from Sweden and a couple from Japan now living in São Paulo Brazil. They spoke very little English and used an audio translator app to try to understand the guide. It didn’t work terribly well for them as the guide spoke very quickly and with a strong accent. 
After lunch, we started the journey back to Santiago. Our last stop was Emiliana , an organic winery. We had a tasting of a Chardonnay and a Carmenere which was quite good. 

Our guide gave us some suggestions of restaurants, so when we got back to Santiago we walked about 20 minutes to the Lasteria area of Santiago. We got an outside table as it was a lovely evening, still around 30C. The sight and smell of my creamy rice with seafood in a pisco sauce was so enticing I forgot to take a photo. It was absolutely delicious but also rich and filling. The walk back to the hotel was needed to wear off the meal, but somehow Lawrie twisted my arm into getting a small ice cream on the way back!
It’s interesting how we keep meeting people who are going on our cruise. Yesterday, while waiting for our walking tour to start, we met 2 couples from Calgary who are on the cruise. Tonight while eating, the fellow at the table next to us asked how the food was. Chatting with them, we found out they too are on the cruise. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising as 2000 passengers arriving into Santiago would most likely be found in the popular tourist spots. 

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