Our Chilean Adventure

by George and Nancy Saunders

January, 2007

Saturday, January 13

Figure 1 - View from our hotel room in Concepcion

Manuel picked us up at Hotel Araucana at 6:30 AM. By 6:45, we were at the Concepcion airport. We had an easy check in, except George had a pocket knife in his carry-on. They were gracious and allowed us to put it in the checked luggage.

Figure 2 George waiting at the Concepcion Airport

LAN is a great airline! It reminds me of US carriers before deregulation. They served us a great breakfast, had doilies on our head-rests, blessed us with smiling relaxed stewardesses - the works.

At Santiago airport we waited for Jerry’s Dad but did not connect with him. Phillip, the taxi organizer, helped us find a cab to Vina del Mar for $40,000 pesos – a great deal! (About $80 for a 90 minute ride).

Figure 3 Taxi ride from Santiago to Vina del Mar

The taxi dropped us off in Vina del Mar at Hotel O’Higgins about 11 AM. We couldn’t check in until 2 PM, so they left our luggage at the reception desk and went off, exploring the city. For lunch, we had empanadas from the local bakery, while sitting in the main square by the hotel – Plaza Vergara.

Figure 4 Nancy eating empanadas in the Plaza in Vina del Mar

We strolled down Avenida Valparaiso to the beach. At the Chinese shop on Valparaiso we bought three lamp shades for the bare bulbs hanging from our apartment ceiling. On the beach, we bought miniature dancing figurines, walked out onto the pier, then back to the hotel to check in.

Nancy at Vina del Mar

Buying figurines on the beach at Vina

At 2 PM we arrived back at the hotel to find it filled with rugby players from all over South America. Peruvians were scattered over the reception area, waiting to check into their rooms. We anticipated a noisy night, as this rugby convention was holding a big banquet that evening at the hotel.

Easter Island Statue – guess which is the statue!

We looked for a dinner spot for a 6 pm dinner. What a joke! Do Chileans eat earlier than 9 PM??? On the way to our dinner, we were greeted by an

Easter Island statute as we stopped by a local natural history museum for a visit. It was closed. Our first choice for a restaurant for dinner was closed, so we walked back to the beach. Our second choice for a restaurant for dinner was closed, too. Both recommended by Lonely Planet … which promised us they would both be open. NOT!

But, as luck would have it, we found a wonderful restaurant open on Avenida Valparaiso. We sat at a table on the sidewalk, listened to an organ grinder, watched the holiday crowds pass by, and had a great meal of appetizers – a vegetable plate and shell fish sampler. Excellent! For dessert, we walked to an indoor mall and had Café Cordova and tiramisu. Delicious!