We have spent a few days now exploring Mendoza. I like this town although the differences between it and Chile are interesting. Lots of Americans here whereas we hardly ever met any in Chile. We drove off to visit a couple of wineries and our hotel recommended a resaurant that they said was one of the best in the country. Finding your way around is difficult as the maps available are somewhat sparse of details and street names tend to be buried deep in hedges and trees. However this restuarant took the cake for being hard to find. I suspect it [View Full Entry]

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We have arrived in Argentina, in Mendoza in fact. This cocmopolitan town is very unlike Chilian towns. We knew we were in Argentina as soon as we saw the first shop sold chocolate and were overtaken by a small underpowered car on a blind bend with double lines and a truck on the other side. Since our last visit the driving skills of the Argentina people have not improved and neither has their view of traffic signs as being nothing to do with them. It does make life interesting. The pass over the Andes was spectacular and Aconcagua, which is the [View Full Entry]

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Boxing day, another bright hot day in the desert. Given that there is only so much lazy about the pool a person can do we headed off to Vina De Mal on the coast. A long drive and a fairly seedy place at the end of the trip. The coast in Chile is challenged by a very cold current so even though the temperature at the spa was 30 degrees it had dropped to 18 by the time we got to the beach. Good sand but no one in their right mind would want to swim. People from both Chile and [View Full Entry]

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We are spending a quiet few days in a spa at a hot springs known as Termas Jahuel north of Santiago. It is a beautiful spot in the middle of a dry arid area with huge cactus and not much else. Apart from that it is a very luxuriant place and there are hardly anyone here. It has 2 swimming pools, a gym, sauna, horse riding, tenis, bikes and treking. It is hot here so relaxing with a cold drink at the side of a pool seems a reasonable thing to do. So as I am doing much else but think [View Full Entry]

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We reluctantly left Santa Rita this morning after a fantastic evening. We were treated like royalty and had a wonderful meal and great breakfast. It was truly a special place. On the way there we had seen what looked like a new freeway, but there were no cars on it so we guessed it was closed. This morning we were directed to take it to go to Santiago. It was very strange as we were the only car on it and it was a 4 lane highway with a toll in the middle. Everythign was finished but no one was ussing [View Full Entry]

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Back on the Panamerican we headed north to Santiago stopping off at the Maipo Valley. Yes it is another wine growing area. This tiem a very old one where the oldest wineries are . We are staying at Santa Rita. This magnificant house set in a park like grounds is breathtaking. It is a hotel on the grand scale. As we are the only guests we are getting teh whole treatment, dinner on the terrace, the chef asking us to approve the menu and a beautiful suite of rooms. All this and a hot summer day of 30 degrees. It doesn't [View Full Entry]

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Talca and the Maule Valley So onwards south we arrived at the Maule Valley which is yet another famous wine growing area. Much drier so a different wine from the Cologhua valley we had been in. The roads in Chile are mainly very good. AS it is a long thin country the main route is Ruta 5 which runs down the spine of the country with roads off on one side to the coast and on the other to the high Andes. This is a great roadm fast and relatively free of traffic. It is a toll road and everytime you [View Full Entry]

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Another wonderful day in paradise. Been reading the Times Colonist about the weather in Victoria. Boy am I glad we are not there. My thoughts are with everyone there and particularly my staff who I know must be having a terrible time. Here we have spent the day visiting wineries and sampling their wine. Pretty good all in all. Another wonderul hacienda for lunch and back for a awim and catching up on emails. Brian has bought a new hat!!! [View Full Entry]

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So we have arrived in Chile at last. We left Toronto in a heavy snow storm that delayed us by three hours. The temperature plummetted to minus 9 degrees and a strong wind. We managed to get off the bground thnaks to a couple of deicing efforts and 10 hours later we arrived in Santiago to a beautiful 30 degrees day. C not F!! The sky was blue and the flower in bloom, it was liking going through the back of the wardrobe into Narnia, but in reverse. Canada has seemed like perpetual winter. We collected our car and drove to [View Full Entry]

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So having struggled to leave Victoria due to the snow, which of course, never usually happens there and when it does shuts down the whole town, we arrived in Toronto to a mild 9 degrees, sun and no snow. Staying downtown and I am shopping while Brian has business meetings. Oh well, its tough but someone has to do it. Thinking of you all in snowy Victoria particualrly the guys from Richmond Property out on the streets shovelling the stuff. Ou timing was almost perfect, just one day off. So tomorrow is a shopping day again and then the flight south. [View Full Entry]

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