Don't believe the lack of hype

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Most people finish or start their South America trip in Santiago and the general consesus wasn't great, but yet again we were nicely suprised with Santiago. I really enjoyed our stay there & it proved yet again that you have to take what fellow travellers tell you with a pinch of salt. Maybe Santiago was such a huge change from Northern Brasil, Peru and Bolivia because it appears to be the wealthiest country in South America by a long shot and it could sit high and proud amounst most European cities. So it was kind of nice to have some of the comforts the poorer countries lack. Too many people think you have to be slumming it otherwise there is no point, but I think that is absolute rubbish. I suppose if we had started in Santiago we may have had the same negative opinion the people we had met along the way had, but Santiago has bags of character and some beautiful surrounding areas. I'd say it's biggest faults were that the smog there is unbelievable and most of the men are perverts (just ask Louise!)
A short trip on the underground then a bus is the Concha y Torro vineyard which is fantastic. It's set in a beautiful valley with stunning surroundings and buildings and the tour really is interesting. The weather was perfect when we were there. Hot, but not unbearable like the Amazon and definately tan topping temperature! Our tour guide was a cracker with the most perfect arse I have ever seen and she is definately near the top of the list for the 'Future South American Wife' competition! She was actually half Chilean and half English and had a very well spoken English accent, but she still qualifies. The fact she didn't give me a second glance does not help my chances though. The wine cellars were particularly interesting, but the wine tasting was the best! Although I preferred the wine bike trip we did in Mendoza, Argentina and I still prefer the Argentinian Malbec this was a longer and more in depth tour. Oh my god, I'm actually turning into a wine snob!
We went up Cerro San Cristobal which is a small hill in the middle of the city with some great views which would have been better without the thick smog covering the city. Compared with Christ the Redeemer in Rio (ahhh, Rio. I really need to get over this infactuation with Brasil!) this is lame, but it's still worth it. We actually tried to get up twice, but Muzz & I decided to walk back to our hostel after we were turned back the first time because it was closed. Muzz however, decided to take us down a motorway without a hard shoulder and i was probably more scared than when I entered a Brasilian favela alone or went down the death road in Bolivia or round San Pedro prison in La Paz! I really thought we were goners. Cheers Muzz!
Santiago was by no means my favourite city in South America, but it definately does not deserve all the bad press. For gods sake, just because it's modern and wealthy, gringos slag it off, but can you blame the Chileans for wanting to live a bit better than most of South America? And who can blame them when they had to put up with that man who was truely the lowest scum of society: General Pinochet for however many decades?! There is plenty to do and see, some good nightlife, great cheap wine and some of the most beautiful women in the world! Maybe it's the best city to finish in rather than start in though.
Our next and final city in South America was Valparasio - a city that definately doesn't deserve the hype although it is the home of the winner of the 'Future South American Wife' competition!

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Comments

[Muzz]

WHAT?!?!
"Muzz however, decided to take us down a motorway without a hard shoulder" I seem to remember it was you that took us down that motorway!!!

[Louise and Daves tour du monde]

hard shoulder
It was you Muzz!!! I wanted to go down over the safe bridge!