Santiago

Monday 27/8 to Thursday 31/8 - SANTIAGO DE CHILE

Monday 27/8 - Arrival in Santiago

Once more an intensive narcotica inspection of the bus

(San Pedro to Santiago, a 24h ride).

My (run down) Hotel.

At the corner of the street already a (fake) Moai!

University students on strike...

Well protected by armed police men...

With nice peace-keeping tools.

And with a few bullet impacts on their bus.

Tuesday 28/8 - VALPARAISO

(seat of the Parliament & Unesco World Heritage)

Leaving Santiago, I found yesterday's Moai still in his pyama!

Valparaiso runs the oldest trolley busses of the world.

My kind trolley driver.

And here too, the peace is professionaly maintained...

With nice peacekeeping tools all around.

While some people remembers wilder times...

Colorful Cerro Conception (one of Valparaiso's many hills).

Found a local restaurant,

"Le Filou de Montpellier".

Road worker making his siesta in a comfortable seat.

Nice Cerro Alegre (another hill), colorful too.

Fine Arts Museum, unfortunately closed.

Back in downtown, surprisingly somebody still alive and living in this ruin.

Again stairs, now for Cerro Cordellera.

After nearly three months, finally a decent coffee!

Naval Headquarters.

Tourist and Fishermen port.

Cerro Bellavista.

Museum La Sebastiana, an absolute must-see

(house of the Chilean Poet and Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda).

The view from his office on the 5th floor.

Some of his neighbours.

And other neighbours.

Closing my visit with a Belgian beer.

  

I didn't like Santiago yesterday, but Valparaiso is an attractive place!

Returning to my hotel in Santiago, the metro station was full of tear gas, helpful gas-masked policemen showed us the exit. 

Wednesday 29/8 - SANTIAGO

Let's give a second chance to Santiago.

Plaza de la Ciuddania.

Palacio de la Moneda (Presidential Offices),

badly damaged by a missile during the 1973 military coup.

Monument now honoring Salvador Allende.

The Parliament.

The Cathedral on the Plaza de Armas.

The nice and clean and functional Post Office.

Our friends again, folowing a tourist bus.

Excellent fish restaurant, located in the Mercado Central,

a bustling seafood market.

I do recommend their seafood soup (3200CH$).

Here it is (or was).

Thrsday 30/8 - VIñA DEL MAR

("Vineyard by the Sea")

I went to this beach town because it houses America's most important Easter Island museum.

Museo de Arqueologia e Historia Francisco Fonck,

(the most important museum about the Easter Island), as a teaser for tomorrow.

First Moai statue before I will get saturated.

VIña del Mar's Plaza Vergara, finally a town center without peacekeeping-toys!

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San Pedro

Saturday 25/8 and Sunday 26/8 - SAN PEDRO DE ATACAMA

Moon Valey and Death Valey (25/8).

The Hostal "Puritama", my room built with adobe bricks.

In this "gringo town" all of the buildings are either hostal, travel agency,

pizzeria, souvenir shop, bar, restaurant, food shop...

and all costs twice as much here as anywhere else.

Another "typical" street of San Pedro.

The lunch restaurant, surprisingly not that expensive:

menu at 5000$ (~8€) for starter + main dish + desert + wine.

San Pedro's church on the main square.

Again with a lot of colorful saint statues.

And with a priest-businessman too.

Moon Valley and Death Valley

The Death Valley.

Coyote Point.

Entrance to the Moon Valley.

Where is Michel?

Back on earth.

The Moon Valley: desert until the volcanoes at the horizon.

Sunset observation point.

Sunset.

200km tour to the Geyser del Tatio (26/8).

Entering the National Parc (15000CH$, ~30US$)

A lot of steam everywhere.

And a salty hot hot spring.  Great!

But hard to get out... it was freezing -5degC.

A rare Zorro Culpeo (Desert Fox).

A talking Vigogna skull, rare as well.

Quite common Viscachas (a kind of Chinchilla).

Another cosy natural pool where we could spend 45 minutes.

Just a road sign underway.

Church od Machuca, village allong the return road.

A nice canyon along the return road.

Right place for some yoga exercises.

The dream team of that day (next to me, the guide)

Embracing a 400 years old cactus (grows 1cm/year).

 Youpi Youpi Yeah!  What a nice day!

Time for a (late) lunch,

followed by the famous 24 hours bus journey to Santiago.

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