Cusco, Peru / Santiago, Valparaiso, and Vina Del Mar, Chile

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Alright, alright...I hate being called out. It´s not that I was shy, I just had other important jobs...photographer, hand written journal writer (it's about 35 pages, you are welcome to read it), loving and supporting wife!
This past week has been, well, not the most glamorous. Last time we wrote, we were headed to Macchu Picchu the next day. Unfortunately, it didn´t happen. We have been eating the continental breakfast (scrambled eggs and toast) at every hotel we have stayed at. Friday morning we decided to venture out, not eat the hotel breakfast and eat at a local cafe. Well...about two hours later, Josh was shivering under three blankets with his fleece and winter hat on. He was up all night, drinking water, taking Cipro and I, the loving and supporting wife, attempted to sleep in the bed next to him (didn't happen). Around 4 in the morning, we decided to cancel our trip to Macchu Picchu. For the next two days, Josh stayed in bed and I relied on Mc Donald's for my nutritional needs because there was no way I was putting up with what he was going through. It's pretty sad when Mc Donald's is your fall back food! By the way, Josh is feeling much better and about ten pounds lighter! Cusco was a great mountain village and we are glad we got to see some of the Inca ruins...who knows, maybe someday we'll make the trip back for Macchu Picchu!
Monday morning we took a flight to Santiago, Chile. We found a hotel in a quiet neighborhood in downtown Santiago. The hotel was good but really tacky/outdated (see picture). The downtown area was very busy with people leaving work, heading home either by bus or subway. Unfortunately, for two hungry tourists there were not too many options for a late dinner. We, once again, settled on Italian and it was awful...really disappointing. The next morning, we woke up, hungry, and headed back to the same area we searched the night before...hmmmm. As we were walking around looking for breakfast, we noticed people eating what looked like hot dogs at 10 in the morning. There was no way I was eating a hot dog, Josh on the other hand was way too excited. After Josh inhaled two hot dogs piled high with tomatoes, onions and avocadoes we were on our way to plan the rest of our days in Chile.
The next morning, we took a bus to the beach area of Valparaiso/ Vina Del Mar. A local tourist company set us up with a hotel in a residential area in downtown Valparaiso. Valparaiso was not what we thought it was going to be. It is a port city, with many run down buildings and a gives off an unsettling feeling. We dropped our bags off at our hotel and decided to check out the city of Vina Del Mar. This city is supposedly the Riviera of Chile. Although it is low season, we were not disappointed. Vina has nice beaches, plenty of restaurants, a casino and a wide range of hotels. We spent our time walking throught the town and checking out the Pacific Ocean. Upon returning to our hotel in Valparaiso, we decided to check out the next day and stay in Vina Del Mar for our last night in this area.
As soon as we woke up Thursday morning, we packed our things, checked out and took a taxi to Vina. Thank god!! We've been feeling a little down - we miss our family, friends, and Riley dog - so to cure our blues we decided to stay at the Miramar Sheraton. Again, thank god! After one night in the Sheraton, we are ready for our final 31 days. We ate burgers and fries, drank Budweiser and watched the NBA semis...nothng like a little America to cure the blues!!
Today we are headed back to Santiago and then off to the Tren Del Vina...wine tour!! This blog thing wasn't so bad...maybe I'll write next time too...until then....

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Comments

[Rikardo]

Girl Power
Hi traveling duo..... Julie great blog entry, I was entertained the whole time! Josh, I am glad you are feeling better - you do look like you dropped 10lbs....glad you watched the semi's of bball to cheer you up! Big hug and kiss from Greg and I!!! Enjoy the wineries! (Minus your dick incrusted necklace Jul!!)

[joshandjulie]

Took a while for me to get that last comment, Rik! But then it clicked...Bach party!