South America - Day 1
Tuesday-Wednesday
Thirty-three hours from one bed to the next, of which 16 in two aeroplanes is no longer our idea of fun, but that and a couple of delays aside, the trip was uneventful. I can’t say it was smooth because there was moderate turbulence for much of it. During breakfast we were flying between the Andes and the Pacific and on the left side we had a great view of those mountains – notably of Mt. Aconcagua – highest in all the Americas at 22,841 ft. Arrival in Santiago (modern airport – not busy at that time) was easy, especially as travelling on our British passports we did not have to pay the $132 reciprocity fee levied against Canadians and Americans. Jose was there to meet us with our transport to Valparaiso about 90 minutes away, and he gave us quite a good lesson on Chile. It’s 5,000 km long, has 17 million people of which 7 are in Santiago, 1 in Valparaiso, 1 in some other big city and the rest scattered over the other 4,900 km – with the south heavily populated by Germans from the 19th century. The country is wealthy thanks to copper and agriculture – and as Thea added, wine (much to Jose’s amusement). Unemployment is an enviable 6%. The countryside reminded us at first of Kamloops, then the South Okanagan, as we saw olive groves, avocado ‘orchards’, corn fields, and several vineyards. This being the dry season – no rain from October to April – water is drawn from artesian wells. First impressions of Valparaiso – an old city, built up and down hillsides around a large harbour which includes the Chilean navy; seems to be pretty safe, and reasonably clean especially in the tourist/heritage areas. Good dinner in a garden restaurant overlooking the bay, then much-needed sleep at our very pleasant hotel in heritage building – 7 rooms. Here endeth the transition day.
|
[Next] |