We returned to Chile to meet up with Katie and Chantelle.  From Arica on Chile´s dry north coast, we made our way south to Iquigue through a surreal landscape of massive sand dunes.

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San Pedro de Atacama, established in 1540, is a little oasis in the Atacama Desert, the driest in the world.

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17 hours away by bus is La Serena, and another 7 got us to Santiago.  The Spanish arrived in La Serena  in 1544.

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We got a hell of a fright at 3.30 this morning when our 100 year old hostel in Santiago de Chile started shaking and a big bit of the wall fell on the bed where Jeff had been lying.  It was an 8.8 earthquake. The hostel owner was very good and got us all out safely. 
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We waited a few hours in the park nearby before we could find another accommodation. We later saw that the wall on the floor above us had fallen out completely, leaving the beds exposed.  Its chaos in Santiago now and we are stuck here for a couple of days as no buses or planes are going anywhere. 
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Valparaíso (Valpo as the locals call it) is a World Heritage city built on several steep hills around the harbour.  The mansions and brightly coloured corrugated iron houses all seem to have been built on top of each other.

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To access the top there are many twisting stairways and a maze of alleys but the best way is to ride one of the more than 100 year old funiculars that rattle up and down the hillsides for as little as 60 cents.  It is first necessary to enter through a heavy, old fashioned turnstile operated by a foot pedal.

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Sadly, many of the old ascensores no longer operate and lie abandoned with their carriages still attached to the cable, one at the top of the hill and the other at the bottom.

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Most of the wine of Chile is produced in the valleys within a few hours drive of Santiago.  85% of Chile´s wine is exported, and almost all the good stuff.  If you want to try excellent Chilean wines you need to go to the wineries.

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So we headed south to began our tasting in the Maule Valley around Talca, then moved on to the Colchagua Valley centered on Santa Cruz. These valleys are famous for their red wines, especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère. The vines were full of fruit, ready to be picked in about 2 weeks. One winery (Viña Gillmore) started the tour with a tasting the various grape varieties growing in the vineyard, before moving on to sample the finished wines.

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The Casablanca Valley, northwest of Santiago, produces some excellent white wines. We tasted some great Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay as well as a beautiful Pinot Noir at Viña Casas del Bosque.

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We made a last minute decision to visit Easter Island during their annual Tapati Rapa Nui Festival, and on arrival became caught up in  a parade of half naked, decorated islanders.

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To see for ourselves those giant statues (Moai) was really something, and on a visit to the volcano quarry many unfinished heads could be seen scattered about.  There are some 800 around the island ranging from 2 metres to 21 metres high.

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The laid back capital Hanga Roa has no high rise buildings and it is not unusual to see people riding horses through town.  The fat fried empanadas stuffed with fresh tuna and cheese were irresistible.

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Santiago is a pleasant city to spend a few days, with some leafy cobbled streets and interesting buildings.   We were able to catch some street theatre, where a giant wooden puppet performed for the crowds.

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There are vineyards to the south, easily accessable by public transport.  We visited Concha y Toro as we have sampled a lot of of their Casillero de Diablo wines in Australia.  We like the legend that the devil lives in the cellar.  The owner started the rumour many years ago in order to stop his workers from stealing his best wines, worked too.

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From Puerto Natales we went by bus to Punta Arenas where we visited the penguin colony of Otway Sound.

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We boarded the Mare Australis for a 5 day expedition to Ushuaia, sailing down the Straits of Magellan, through the fjords of Tierra del Fuego and the Beagle Channel to Cape Horn.  We had many opportunities to go ashore by zodiac.  The weather and sea conditions were perfect.

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On a shore trip to Pia Glacier, whiskey with glacier ice was waiting for us.  That evening the boat sailed down Glacier Alley.  As we passed by German Glacier we were served German beer and sausages.  A short time later we passed French Glacier and out came the champagne and cheese.   Passing the Italian Glacier we had red wine and pizza, and the Holland Glacier it was Dutch beer and potato croquettes.

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Before we set off for 8 days hiking in the Torres del Paine National Park, we were warned that the Patagonia weather can change in an instant and that strong gusts of cold wind can come out of nowhere to blow someone over.  The forecast is always the same – variable!

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We were fortunate to have perfect weather.

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We camped in some amazing places, the mountain scenery breathtaking.

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From Puerto Montt we sailed south on the weekly Navimag cargo ferry for 4 days between the islands of southern Chile to Puerto Natales.

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At first we had calm conditions and enjoyed great food and wine.  On the 2nd day we reached the open ocean and were seasick for the next 12 hours.  We woke to a better 3rd day back inside the fjords with an hour ashore visiting little Puerto Edén, then right up close to the Pio XI glacier (the largest in South America).

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What a wonderful experience it was and we were sorry to have to disembark in Puerto Natales.  We were free to walk all over the ship, including the bridge.  The weather was crazy, sun, snow, wind, hail, rain all within hours and cold.

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