Last Day in Chile :-( Mar.14
March 16, 2012
For a final day in Valparaiso and Chile, this was hard to beat!
After our continental breakfast at Camila 109, we took the 612 bus to La Sebastiana, Pablo Zleruda's magnificent house, overlooking the ocean and port. This guy knew real estate -- location, location, location. The house is now a museo and it is very well done. But, no pictures allowed inside, only outside. 5 floors and each room was meticulously designed by Neruda and populated by him with cosas that are unique, beautiful, functional and international. It is an antique lovers delight from an ancient typewriter, a horse from a Paris carousel, to a map of S. America from the 1600's.
After our tour of Neruda's house ( one of his three in Chile - the others are in Santiago and Isla Negra), we decided to return to the lunch venue of yesterday -- Allegretto in Cerro Concepcion, the quiet neighborhood of lovely shops and cafes that we discovered yesterday.
Today, we met the British guy who owns both this cafe and a nearby B&B that we would seriously consider if we return to Valparaiso. Unfortunately, he is a divorced father of 2 whose ex is a Chilena. But, he seems to be making s real go of it and adopting the Chilean culture if not mind-set. After a wonderful lunch - our last real meal in Chile, we headed back to our hotel via collectivo for final packing.
And, then, a final mini-adventure began -- getting from Valparaiso to the Santiago airport. To save mucho dinero, we opted for a taxi to the central bus station, a $4 bus ride to a stop near the airport and then a taxi from there. Total cost of getting to the airport was $11 per person, a mucho difference from the muy caro cost of $65 per person that we spent 2 nights ago when we arrived late at night in Santiago and opted for the expediency of a cab from the aeroporto to Varparaiso. Our final little excitement was our cab getting a flat tire only a minute or two from the airport. But, the cabbie was a whirling dervish changing the tire in less than diez(10$ minutos) and getting us to the airport in plenty of time for our trip home.
Hasta Luego, Chile. We hope to visit you again pronto!
After our continental breakfast at Camila 109, we took the 612 bus to La Sebastiana, Pablo Zleruda's magnificent house, overlooking the ocean and port. This guy knew real estate -- location, location, location. The house is now a museo and it is very well done. But, no pictures allowed inside, only outside. 5 floors and each room was meticulously designed by Neruda and populated by him with cosas that are unique, beautiful, functional and international. It is an antique lovers delight from an ancient typewriter, a horse from a Paris carousel, to a map of S. America from the 1600's.
After our tour of Neruda's house ( one of his three in Chile - the others are in Santiago and Isla Negra), we decided to return to the lunch venue of yesterday -- Allegretto in Cerro Concepcion, the quiet neighborhood of lovely shops and cafes that we discovered yesterday.
Today, we met the British guy who owns both this cafe and a nearby B&B that we would seriously consider if we return to Valparaiso. Unfortunately, he is a divorced father of 2 whose ex is a Chilena. But, he seems to be making s real go of it and adopting the Chilean culture if not mind-set. After a wonderful lunch - our last real meal in Chile, we headed back to our hotel via collectivo for final packing.
And, then, a final mini-adventure began -- getting from Valparaiso to the Santiago airport. To save mucho dinero, we opted for a taxi to the central bus station, a $4 bus ride to a stop near the airport and then a taxi from there. Total cost of getting to the airport was $11 per person, a mucho difference from the muy caro cost of $65 per person that we spent 2 nights ago when we arrived late at night in Santiago and opted for the expediency of a cab from the aeroporto to Varparaiso. Our final little excitement was our cab getting a flat tire only a minute or two from the airport. But, the cabbie was a whirling dervish changing the tire in less than diez(10$ minutos) and getting us to the airport in plenty of time for our trip home.
Hasta Luego, Chile. We hope to visit you again pronto!
