Santiago, Chile

Diary:

Santiago was a welcome blessing after almost 6 months in Latin America. A bustling and modern city, Santiago made us feel as though we were in Europe rather than South America. Fine restaurants and outdoor cafes line the streets, wineries abound on the outskirts of town - it seems like Chileans sure appreciate the more refined pleasures in life. We breathed a collective sigh of relief and looked forward to blending into the café society for a few days.

Our time in Santiago was spent in a very low key manner, the emphasis being on relaxing: eating well, taking in a movie or two, and recovering our health that had been steadily deteriorating since Peru. The only "organized activity" we undertook was a visit to Chile's largest and oldest winery, Concha Y Toro, for a tour and wine tasting. While that, and other, wineries in Chile were not as visitor-friendly as those in the Napa Valley have become, it was nonetheless a fascinating visit and the wines we tasted were all excellent.

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