Oct 4, 2018 - Our last day in Santiago

Today is our last full day in Santiago. Phil is feeling better so we have booked a market tour of Santiago. We drop off the washing and then meet our guide Mauricio at 10.30 outside of Mercardo Central. Mauricio is lovely and is very knowledgeable. We cross the river and go down quite a few streets to get to the largest of the 3 markets this side of the river. This market is enormous and sells all sorts of fruits and vegetables and their specialy is dried seaweed which the Chileans love, as it contains a lot of iron, like spinach. Mauricio...

Oct 3, 2018 - Phils sick day

Today we were planning to go to Vina Del Mar, a beachside town near Valparaiso but Phil woke up with a cold and struggled to get up early this morning so he stayed in bed till late morning. We went to Migalitos for a coffee and then for a walk as its a lovely day 24C and sunny. We ended up sharing a sandwich in town and wandered home. At 5pm we went to a bar in Lastarria a very small neighbourhood adjoining Bellas Artes and I had a G & T and Phil, a Krossbar beer, and we shared some croquettes. We sat outside as it was still warm. Then we...

Oct 2, 2018 - Sculpture Park, Teleferico and Pablo Neruda

Its a warm sunny day so we decide to walk down to Scultpure Park alonside the Maupucho River. It's a really plesant walk. Part of the park is undergoing some restoration of exhibts but there is still a lot to see and I love the statue of someone clinging onto the handlebars of a bike and the rest of their body flying along behind. As we are so near to the Teleferico, and we missed the cable car last time, as they were doing maintenance, so we decide to walk up to the park and have a ride and see the views of the city. At the top near the...

Oct 1, 2018 - City Tour

Today we start a bit more research into the next part of our trip, Buenos Aires and Uruguay. We have been looking at things to do in both places and we need to make sure that we don't double up in Buenos Aires with what is on the Explore Itinerary. We finally tear ourselves away from the computer and go to Migalitos Cafe who make the best coffee in Santiago. Fortuantely for us they are just around the corner. We then go for a walk through Parque Forestal. The sun is out but it is still a bit cool, 19C here today. One the way back through...

Sep 30, 2018 - Santiago

Today we hoped to hire bikes and ride on the closed roads. Santiago does this most Sundays if the weather is good and guess what, there is rain forecast and it's a bit bleak, so no raod closures and no cycling. It was our last Sunday here too, so disappointing that we won't get to do it. We decide to catch an Uber out to Costenera Shopping Mall. We have been there before and there is great shopping. I buy a casual dress, a skirt and a top. Phil looks around but doesn't buy anything. We have lunch there. Its warm and dry inside. We even get...

Sep 29, 2018 - Hairdressers and Grand Final

Today I have an appointmnet for a colour at the hairdressers where I had my pedicure done. My appointment is at 10.30. I explain my Aussie haidresser uses no 6 with ash and a toner and I dont like my hair 'yellow'. He wants to put in some foils which is I agree to. He is very fussy with the foils and actually puts bleach on the alfoil first and then lays the hair on that, adds more bleach and seals it all up. One they are all in I sit there for quite a while, must be at least 20-30 minutes. Then I go to the basin and "the apprentice" a...

Sep 28, 2018 - Santiago housekeeping

A catch up day today. Unpacking from Easter Island and washing to go downstarirs to the laundry. We had time to ring Tessa and Shane and Justin and Sarah, so caught up on their news. Justin Sarah and Madi are off to Phuket for a few days as Sarah is on school holidays. Also this morning we start doing a little research on the internet as our next destination is Buenos Aires. There's some supermarket shopping to do this afternoon as we are eating in tonight. We have to go and change money, so before long the day is over.

Sep 27, 2018 - Easter Island to Santiago

Today we leave Easter Island and we are going to have one last attempt to visit the Orango Volcano. It’s still raining but very windy so we are hoping that will blow the cloud away and mean that we will be able to see the crater of the volcano and also the island that is part of the Birdman competition. We have brekkie at 8am and then head up to the office that sells the tickets to Orango and ask if there is cloud or not as we will only bother to catch a taxi up there if the weather is going to be favourable. We wait in the ticket office...

Sep 26, 2018 - Rain, rain and more rain

Today there is more rain forecast and this is the day we left free to do snorkelling or anything else that we discovered during our time here. We have a lateish breakfast and then return to our room as it is bucketing down. Around 11.15 we think we may as well go and have a coffee. A couple of places aren’t open yet but we find a restaurant that will serve us coffee. We are the only people there. We order 2 capuchinos and enjoy their warmth. The rain does seem to be easing so Phil pays the bill, a whopping CLP8,200 or nearly A$18 -...

Sep 25, 2018 - Vinapu, Orongo, Motu Nui, Akavi, Rano Kau, Ana Te Pahu

This morning we wake and the weather is not good. It's raining as forecast. We have two half day tours booked today. First we meet at the Mahinataur office and head to the end of the airport runway to see the main ahu called Vinapu, which has six fallen statues face down with three of the pukao that topped them. Its orientation, as in many other platforms on the island, is related to the position of the stars, and in this case it is directed east of the winter solstice. The ahu itself is the nicest on the island and shows perfect...

Sep 24, 2018 - Rango Raku, Tongariki, Te Pito Kura, Anakena Beach

Today we are going on an, all day tour, of Easter Island. We leave Hanga Roa and our first stop is Rango Raraku. This is the quarry for the volcanic rock that the moai are carved from, sometime between the 13th and 16th centuries. The carvers worked at the top of the quarry using flint stone to carve as there was no metal on the island. They would carve some of the moai shape and then slide them down the slope of the extinct volcano and finish the carving before raising them to the upright position. The eye sockets were the always the last...

Sep 23, 2018 - Santiago to Easter Island

Today we are off to Easter Island for 3 nights. We order an Uber and as it is still only 7am the streets are not yet blocked off for the bike riding, so we get picked up outside our door. Checkin is okay although they do not have the seats that Phil booked on line, seems like they have changed the type of plane so we get a window and middle seat. There is no gate mentioned on the boarding pass so we think it is still being worked out and head off down to the domnestic terminal. We see a staff member near the departures screen and ask her...