Chile - The begining

---

Santiago was my first port of call. As those of you who know me know, I am a country girl at heart and cities are not my cup of tea, however Santiago was a pleasant surprise. The plazas in Santiago have a routine life. Sleepy mornings only see tourist up early to see the sights. After the day begins and lunch passes the plazas come to life. Every corner and space has a theme. There are the comedians, painters, shoe polishes, photographers, puppet masters, story tellers, religious peddlers, activists and performers. Each attracts a crowd of sorts, and I spent hours here in my three afternoons inspecting each different attraction. The city is full of attractions and museums, some of which I will have to return to see. The free English tour provides an insight to the city for incoming tourists. I learnt so much of the history and current state of Santiago. I will not bore you with all the details, however I did discover on interesting part of Santiago life that I found hilarious. Coffee with legs, because the coffee in Santiago is so bad some genius came up with a way to sell. Get rid of the chairs; put in bars and get girls in short dresses to serve it! Well this has now grown into black out windowed, bikini serving girls. You have to give them points for ideas!



Valparaiso was next. Valparaiso is an incredible place, the town is a bit dirty because it is a port city, however managed to charm me into staying for a week. The city starts at the ocean and sprawls into the hill sides. There is so much to see there it has something for everyone. I spent the beginning of my days immersed in the bustling markets in the city plazas. Truly a place for the artesian market there were crafts of many kinds from pottery to jewelry and incredible wire statues. I got lost in an antique market, and although I did not buy anything, I wondered at many things and their origins. The beach was lined with sea lions and I also spent a lot of time watching them fight and play. This was a place to truly relax, read and explore!

---