SANTIAGO

From Pucon we drove to Temuco where we dropped the car off before catching a bus upto Santiago. We had heard several reports from people telling us that Santiago is not a place to linger but we found the place to be lovely..... just the right mix of history, facilities, views and modernity together with very Parisianesque boulevards and street performers. Our impression of the place was enhanced by the fact that on our second night we crowded into the main plaza (Plaza de Armas)and sat in the bandstand drinking wine and watching a free, open air Placido Domingo concert ..... this is what long holidays are about ... all the unexpected extras. Santiagio itself has some great museums, the most notable of which is the pre'colombian museum ... spent hours here just staring at the craftsmanship and beauty of the artefacts. Also tried a traditional Chilean drink called mote con husillo - simply a fruit juice drink with corn at the bottom and quite frighteningly on first seeing it.. a dried peach that floats to the top! There are also several great vantage points in Santiago where you can admire the cities stunning position at the foot of the Andes .... we were blessed with clear, smog free days which, we were told was unusual for the time of year.