Finding a bus tour that would accommodate a reservation for just one person, and hit the sites that I wanted to see, was quite difficult. I wanted to visit a coastal town, stop in a handicrafts mountain village, see the countryside, and tour a winery...all in one day. My savior came in the form of Grey Line Chile (http://www.grayline.com/things-to-do/chile/santiago/.) Their Neruda Route & Wine Tour (http://www.grayline.com/tours/santiago/neruda-route-wine-5957_80/) seemed perfect! The price however, was not. At first, I thought it would be absolutely crazy to pay over $300 for a tour. After overanalyzing the situation to death for about a week, I decided I had to splurge and book the tour. I justified it with the fact that my airfare to/from Chile was free and my hotel in Chile was very affordable. If I could not see what I wanted to see, then why would I go to Chile anyway?
The tour ended up being everything I hoped it would be, and more! First off, after booking the tour online about one month prior to my trip, I noticed a few days later that the advertised price of the tour had dropped by $58. I was so mad at first. But then I got the idea to ask for a price adjustment refund. I sent off an email, and was pleasantly surprised to receive a quick response from the company. They stated that tour rates change often due to economic factors, but they happily refunded the difference in price. (Lesson learned: The answer will always be no if you don't even ask, so ask!)
The tour company confirmed my reservation with me one day prior to my tour by calling my hotel, so I knew for certain that the trip was a go. (I was paranoid that it would be cancelled if I were the only person that had signed up.) The driver was to pick me up from my hotel at 8:30am. Unfortunately, this was also when breakfast started on the weekends at my hotel. I peeked in at the breakfast room around 8:20am, and decided to just sit down and eat since I saw two tables already had dirty plates on them. The kitchen maid was still setting up the breakfast buffet area, so I grabbed some quick items like juice, bread rolls and cheese, and a sweet bread. The driver came right on time, if not a few minutes early, so I folded up my "leftovers" in a napkin and headed out. (When the kitchen maid realized I was being picked up for a tour, I think she understood my rudeness in coming to breakfast early and didn't mind. At least I hope so.)
The "bus" tour ended up being in a nice, new van. The tour guide introduced himself and the driver, who was in training. (I believe their names were Roberto and Hector.) There were no other passengers yet, so I figured we were on our way to another hotel to pick some more people up. I was shocked when the guide told me that I was the only customer that day, so in essence I was getting a private tour. Wow! I had never experienced anything like that before. It certainly made me feel better about spending so much money on the tour.
The driver asked if I spoke Spanish, and I said a little. So, he spoke mostly Spanish at first. I kept up as best I could. As the tour progressed, I think he began speaking more English than Spanish. We left the city, and began driving on a highway. I learned that Chile has private highways, so they are very nice and clean. However, there are tolls and strict speed limit laws. And when I say strict, I mean STRICT! I believe my guide said that if a person is caught speeding more than two times, they lose their driver's license FOREVER!
Along the way, I could see countryside, farmland, mountains, and views of the ocean. The guide told me a lot more information as we drove, none of which I can remember right now.
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We were driving toward the coast for our first stop. I was very excited once the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean was right along the road. The water was dark blue and I could see a lot of rocks along the coast. We drove though a few small beach communities before reaching our destination, the town of Isla Negra.
The reason for our stop at the coast was to visit Casa Museo Isla Negra (http://www.fundacionneruda.org/en/isla-negra/visitors-information.) This was one of the homes of Pablo Nerudo, who is Chile's most famous poet, among other things. From the parking area, the guide and I walked down a dirt path on a hill to get to the house, which is now a museum dedicated to Neruda's life and his collections. The museum recently changed its policy, and no longer took reservations. Thus why my tour guide wanted to arrive here as early as possible to try to beat the crowds. Even still, there were long lines of people waiting to get in, and only 12 people were allowed entry at a time. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason, other than working your way to the front without making everyone around you angry. I waited in line for about an hour before I was able to enter. My guide waited with me for a while, so at least I was able to kill some time by talking to him. (This experience was when I first learned that Chileans disdain Argentines.)
First view upon exiting the entry building.
Unorganized chaos. Waiting to enter.
The entry fee includes a handheld audio guide. I chose to get one in English. I listened to most of the descriptions the audio guide played, but some were rather lengthy and I didn't even know who Pablo Neruda was until a few days earlier, so I wasn't extremely eager to learn every last thing there was to know.
Last group to enter before me.
His house was actually a few different buildings, which were additions to the original stone cabin.
The audio tour begins.
Neruda had an eclectic and eccentric collection of stuff - from furniture, artifacts, wooden figure heads, dishes and glasses, artwork, and sea shells. Most rooms had a general theme. Photography was not allowed inside the house, but was allowed outside and through the house.
Looking into the dining room with an ocean view.
View of the dining room from the opposite direction.
The house itself and the story of what was inside was neat, but I was most impressed by the ocean views! It reminded me a lot of the California coast in Monterey County. It was super windy and cold too.
Selfie, to prove I actually made it to the coast!
Campanile, or so my guide map says.
Looking in at a collection of ships-in-bottles hanging in a window.
The grave of Pablo Neruda and his true love, Matilde Urrutia, is behind the anchor, near where the people are standing. Not a bad place to be buried.
Side note: I learned that swimming is not recommended at any beaches in Chile because the currents and riptides are too strong and the water is cold. Plus, obviously, the coastline is very rocky in many places.
It took me about an hour to tour the house and exterior, though I am sure if someone was a huge Pablo Neruda fan, it would take them a lot longer. On the walk back to the van, my guide asked me the English word for a wind chime, since we walked past some for sale at a shop. Then he told me that Chileans have several wind chimes inside their homes. I asked why, and he explained that they act as earthquake warning devices. How clever! I also learned that Chile has 300 earthquakes a month! (Side note: I did not feel any while I was there.)
We continued driving a little farther down the coast toward Cartagena. The towns seemed to progressively get poorer. There were also a lot of roadside stands or cars parked on the side of the road selling lechuga (lettuce.) This part of the country is a filled with lettuce farms.
Lechuga for sale. Take your pick.
Prior to reaching Cartegena, we headed back inward to work our way up the mountains. I loved the views of farmland and tree-covered hills.
While I read a couple guide books in preparation for my trip, since I knew next to nothing about Chile, I came across a small town called Pomaire. The town is known for their artisan earthenware ceramics, which are made with brown clay, known as greda, from the surrounding hills. In addition to kitchenware and pots, the local pottery shops sell chanchitos, three-legged little pigs which are said to bring good luck. When I read about this, I had to go there and get one!
We arrived in Pomaire at approximately 1pm. In addition to being the pottery stop on the tour, this was to be the lunch stop also. (The town is also famous for offering traditional Chilean food.) My tour guide told me that I had an hour to spend in Pomaire. He asked if I wanted to eat or look around the town. As starving as I was, I had to get my hands on one of those pigs first! So, he and the driver stayed at a restaurant while I walked around town.
This was a Sunday afternoon and the weather had become gorgeous. The town itself was much busier and "modern" than I expected. It was definitely touristy. I appeared to be the only non-South American tourist in site though. Most people seemed more interested in eating than shopping, but hey, it was lunchtime.
Tip: To avoid crowds, head to Pomaire on a weekday. But avoid coming here on a Monday, because almost all of the shops are closed.
Cars and people down both sides of the street.
Empanadas and empanadas. (The town is famous for selling giant empanadas.)
A local artisan creating pottery in front of a crowd.
There were shops one after the other. While some sold similar pottery items, many sold unique items too, and the prices varied a lot. I did some shopping around before I settled on buying a medium size black pig for 1300 pesos (~$2.) I mainly chose to buy my pig from here because the price was good and there was a cute old man working in the back. When I paid, he advised me to put my wallet my away before going back out on the street. It was nice of him to look out for me.
I asked him if I could take a picture, and he said yes.
Side note: I didn't realize until now, but my pig has four legs. I'll blame this oversight on jet-lag. I wonder if he still brings good luck?
Even with four legs, I still love him.
One of the other shops sold miniature pigs, as well as other animals. They were 500 pesos each (less than $1), so I stocked up. I bought pigs for my relatives, as well as a turtle, frog, and turkey for myself. At this store, a young girl between about age 8 to 10 took care of me and double-checked her math with her mother. She did a great job.
My mini pig in his new home. And he IS three-legged.
Cute turtle.
I assume this is a frog, but maybe its a dog? There was only one of these. It was heavy and kind of ugly, but I thought it would make a good addition to my clay zoo.
A turkey, or perhaps a chicken.
I saw this hanging outside another store. I decided I had to have this too.
Some stores sold non-traditional pottery pieces also. I had to resist from buying the Hello Kitty.
My souvenirs from Pomaire were cheap, but they sure were heavy and fragile. My bags full of loot were getting quite heavy.
Tip: Bring your own reusable shopping bags, like I did, to make carrying your pottery a lot easier and safer.
I returned to the restaurant where my guide and driver were waiting. Thankfully, there was still time left for me to eat. I got the impression that if I ate, I was required to eat here - Los Naranjos (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g3468258-d4263645-Reviews-Los_Naranjos-Pomaire_Santiago_Metropolitan_Region.html), as it was affiliated with the tour company. I was fine with that since I was short on time anyway. There weren't any vegetarian options on the menu, so I settled for salad and fries. The meals also came with complimentary pan amasado (local-style bread rolls), as well as a two fresh salsas - one that had cilantro, tomato, and onion, and another that was a tad spicy. At the guide's recommendation, I also got a jugo natural (fresh juice.) There were a few flavors to choose from, and I picked mango and fruitilla. (Weird fact: In Chile, the word for strawberry is frutilla, not fresa.)
My pan amasado and jugo natural. Both were pretty good.
My unusual but beautiful salad, and standard fries.
Me and my driver.
There were lots of families at the restaurant and a man walked around playing traditional songs on an accordion. Everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves, and my driver even sang along. Not a bad day on the job, I guess.
There was no way that I only ended up spending an hour in Pomaire, which was all the time the guide initially said we had to spend there. After a fun, relaxing, and filling lunch, we drove back toward Santiago to our last destination - Viña Undurraga (http://www.undurraga.cl/.) The winery only had one English tour a day, and that was at 3:30pm. We arrived with about 15 minutes to spare.
Since there was time before the tour, I took a few photos with the assistance of my tour guide. I didn't realize that this giant wine bottle was on wheels though, so when I leaned on it, I stumbled over like I was borracha (drunk.) We all laughed.
I have been to a few wine tours in California in the past. I felt this tour was very nice. The tour guide spoke in some depth about grapes and wine, so I learned something new. He added a good amount of humor too. The grounds of the winery were very beautiful also, with a variety of different trees, plants, flowers, garden art, and wine making artifacts.
Chemamull, or Mapuchean totems - made from oak or laurel wood.
I learned that hydrangeas can be used to detect pH levels in the soil. Different pH levels produce different colors in the flowers.
Fruit tree. Not sure what kind though.
This is to show the root system and the rocky soil that grape vines thrive in.
I learned that different grape varieties have different leaves.
According to the tour guide, this variety of grape, Carménère, was once nearly extinct in Europe, but was found to still be thriving in Chile.
Beautiful view!
This wine cellar was a fairly recent discovery. It had been buried due to earthquakes and holds a cache of old, rare wine.
Everyone's favorite part of the tour, except for maybe me. We sampled four different wines. I thought the wine was decent, but I wasn't really a fan of any of them.
You get to keep your glass as a souvenir.
The weather got nicer and nicer as the day went on, which was a pleasant change after the rain and cold temperatures the prior day. The clouds cleared up enough that I was finally able to see the tops of the mountains as we drove back to Santiago. Some of them even had snow on top. My guide told me that snow on the mountains in late November/early December was almost unheard of. So the crappy weather on Saturday was actually a good thing, since it gave me this rare sight-seeing treat!
The Grey Line tour was a wonderful way to spend a day, and a long day it was. I didn't get back to my hotel until nearly 6pm. I headed out a little later to grab some dinner. My choices were limited since many restaurants were closed on Sundays. I didn't feel like walking very far, so I looked up some places near my hotel in Providencia.
Along my walk to dinner, sunset was fast approaching. I came across the stunning Iglesia de la Divina Providencia. My initial view of the church caught my eye because of the beautiful architecture.
But as I continued walking and looked back at the church, the pink clouds in the sky accented an entirely different view.
Side note: I later learned that the dome of the bell tower was destroyed in an earthquake on February 27, 2010. It took a few years to repair it. You would never know looking at it now. (I suggest searching on Google to see the what the damage looked like.)
I went to La Pizza Nostra (http://www.lapizzanostra.cl/) for dinner. It was a casual restaurant, so it had a completely different atmosphere than my dinner the previous evening. I ordered cannelloni with mushrooms, shrimp, and tomato cream sauce. It was good. Not great, but not bad either. Actually, the taste of the sauce reminded me of Franco-American spaghetti that I used to love when I was a kid.
Looks like vomit. Tasted all right though.
Next up: Seeing the sights of Santiago.
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