March 23-31, 2008 - Santiago, Chile

March 23, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up later than planned and got to breakfast just before it closed at 10:30 AM. I met and chatted with a Columbian Girl and an English couple at breakfast before heading out at 11 AM. My first stop was at the Chilean Poet Pablo Neruda's home (La Chasona) in the Bella vista Suburb. I reached there around 11:45 AM and booked myself on a guided tour of the place for 12:45 PM. I spent the ensuing hour making Phone calls to friends and family and taking pictures of the neighbourhood around La Chasona.

We were given a very good guided tour (in English) of La Chasona that lasted 45 minutes. Neruda lived here with his mistress Magdalene. It is a very beautiful house that contains a painting by the Mexican Artist Diego Rivera as well as the Nobel Certificate and Medal awarded to Neruda for Literature in 1971. I had never seen a Nobel Certificate or Medal before so that was a first for me.

I would have liked to buy works by Pablo Neruda (translated in English) from the gift shop. But as the selection was limited, I passed. I walked back to the main street of Bella vista - PIO NONO and had a vegetable empanada for Lunch. It went very well with some hot sauce and should keep me hunger free for the next few hours.

Post lunch I took a long walk to the Bellas Artes Museum where I donated 500 pesos ($1) as they did not charge an entrance fee. There was a good section on sketches by artists such as Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso and Joaquim Torres Garcia (Uruguay). The museum was also having an excellent special exhibit devoted to the works of the Columbian Architect Rogelio Salmona - who is 81 years old and still continues to work. Many of his works contain a lot of curves similar to the Brazilian Architect Oscar Niemeyer (who continues to work at 100!).

There was also a Photo Collage exhibit that I hated intensely. It seemed a pretty sad way of saying that you are an Artist! I purchased a nice Tie at the Museum shop before heading to the Plaza de Armas. I headed to a nearby Mall and change my Argentine Pesos to Chilean pesos. I probably lost about US$10 in the process. I also found a MOVISTAR office in the mall and get my Old Chilean Mobile Number reactivated. I added 3500 pesos (US$7) worth of credit and was glad to see that International text messaging still worked (I was able to send and receive messages). Incoming calls are all free so I do not use up my credit when folks call me from the US.

I had a Venezuelan Coffee and biscuits for tea before heading to Casa de la Moneda (Presidential Palace). It is a grand edifice and I took some pictures. I may come back at 9:30 AM (one of these days) to witness the Changing of the Guards.

I got back to the Hostel and spent time checking my E-mail and doing some research on the Wineries I wanted to visit. The front desk folks at the Hotel are extremely helpful.

For dinner, I headed to 2 different Indian restaurants and they were both closed! I had to finally settle for Chinese food. I had Vegetable Noodles and Wine from the Santa Rita Winery. Both were OK. I took a detour to a local grocery store to buy bottled water and cookies before heading back to the Hostel. I chatted with an American Couple and the Canadian couple from breakfast for a little while before retiring for the night.


March 24, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up at 7:15 AM and was done with breakfast by 8:30 AM. My chat with Lucy (she of the American couple) took longer than expected and I decided that I would not be able to make it for the Changing of the Guards at the Presidential Palace.

The Museum of Money was closed as was the Museo Ferroviario (Museum of Locomotives). Monday is the day when all museums are closed! I booked myself for two Bodega visits and tastings before heading in search of the American Express office (to exchange my Traveller's checks at a good exchange rate). On reaching the location (based on my Guidebook), I was told that the American Express office there had been closed for years and I was directed to another office 2 train stops away.

On reaching the other office, I was shocked to find out that the currency had strengthened against the dollar in the ensuing months and I was given an exchange rate of 440 Chilean pesos to the US Dollar. I proceeded next to the Chilean tourist office where the folks were not as helpful as I expected. Could it be the fact that I announced myself as being from Estados Unidos? I should probably announce myself as being from India from now on and see the reception I get.

I headed to the town centre and found the Municipal tourist office was closed. I headed to an All-vegetarian restaurant (NATURISTA) and was pleasantly surprised to see it packed. I ordered a soup and a tortilla. While the soup was quite good, the tortilla was more like an omelette which was not what I expected it to be! While munching on this, I got a great idea on how a traditional Indian Pancake (ADAI) could be made healthier if we could bake it instead of frying it. Whether it works remains to be seen!

I spent some time after Lunch planning the transport options to visit the wineries on my list. The transport arrangements present more difficulties than obtaining bookings to visit the wineries themselves. I went to the Presidential Palace and was told that visiting the palace was not possible at this time, but I could perhaps "try later".

I went to an Internet cafe for 30 minutes to obtain some information before settling at another vegetarian restaurant for an early dinner. Santiago seems to have many natural food restaurants. The Vegetable Quesadilla was OK. I headed back to my Hostel and located the nearest laundry. I was assured a 1-day service on my clothes. I hit an Internet cafe and blogged for 2.5 hours but the backlog still seems to stay at a month!

I received a call from a friend in the US and we chatted for as long as he wanted to chat (as I was not paying anything!). I noticed that my room smelled and was told that it has been painted! I was not happy with this. They could have waited until I cleared out on the 31st before painting the room.

I will have to wake up early tomorrow as I may have to take multiple forms of transport to reach the bodegas I am scheduled to visit. I hope all goes well.


March 25, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up early. As it is still quite dark until 7:30 AM or so, it makes it difficult to gauge the time in the mornings. I had requested an early breakfast and I was done by 8 AM. I walked 10 blocks (15 minutes) to Republica Metro station before boarding a metro bound for the Central Station. On reaching the station, I purchased a ticket to BUIN (600 pesos). The train departed the central station at 9 AM. The coach was comfortable and as we were headed out of Santiago (against the traffic) the train was not crowded.

The ride to BUIN took 35 minutes. On getting off at BUIN, I approached a Kiosk owner (near the station) to get directions. He was rather helpful and told me that I could take either a bus or a shared taxi to reach the Santa Rita Winery. One has to say Puente Alto (the direction where I am headed) before asking for the Santa Rita Winery. After a 10-minute wait, I boarded a bus and bought a ticket (300 Pesos - US$ 0.70). After a 15-minute ride, I spotted the Winery on the right hand side and requested the driver for a drop-off. I was dropped-off at the entrance to the Vineyard.

The guard at the entrance talked to the tour office inside and told me that I was 1 1/2 hours early! I told him I was quite aware of that and that I did not expect my commute from Santiago to be this quick. He told me that I could head to the tour office area and walk around the vineyard to kill time. There is nothing else in the surrounding areas to do.

Santa Rita is in a lovely setting at the foothills of the Andes (although there are no snow covered peaks to be seen in the distance :)). I started walking to the office. I walked along a tree covered roadway on either side of which were Vines as far as I could see. After a 10-minute walk I reached an Adobe restaurant and the tasting rooms. I was asked to visit a museum located on the other side of the restaurant.

I had expected to see a wine museum containing the usual relics --> tools and transport used in the decades past, the evolution of the winery from its founding year (1880) and so on. I was surprised to see a sign that said "Museo Andino". The entry was free and I was the first visitor at the Museum today.

The Museum is dedicated to Andean Culture and contains artefacts from Peru, Columbia, Ecuador as well as Mapuche and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) cultures. The exhibits date from 11,000 BC to 1500 AD and they were in the form of Pottery, Textiles, Statues, Metal Implements (Horse shoes, Saddles etc.) and Ornaments (gold and silver) that were collected over a 40+ year period by the President of Santa Rita (winery). I spent a full hour here and could have easily spent more time admiring these collections. They represent one of the best collections I have seen in a long, long time.

A truly terrific way to use one's riches as it not only gives great pleasure to the "Collector" but also ordinary folks who may never get to see these otherwise. I am extremely happy that I arrives here 90-minutes early.

By the time I finished my tour of the Museum, it was close to the start of the Winery tour. I joined the tour of the winery with a Bilingual guide. There were 6 of us - 4 from Columbia, 1 from Spain and me (I was from India - for today!). Needless to say the English part of the speech (from our Bilingual guide) was just for me. She explained everything in Spanish first before repeating the same in English for my benefit.

Santa Rita uses steel tanks for fermentation. French and American Oak Barrels are used for aging. Santa Rita produces over 120 Million bottles of wine per year. Despite the winery's age (128 years), its operations have been modernized as evidenced by the bottling operation that can turn out 20,000 bottles per hour!

The old underground cellars at Santa Rita have been declared a National Monument in Chile. The bottles are arranged head to toe as it helps limit damage during earthquakes. During the 1985 earthquake out of 120,000 bottles stored here, only 2 were broken!

Santa Rita produces a wide range of wines. Their mass market wine is produced under the "120" label. Their Premium wine is called "CASA REAL". We tasted a 2007 Sauvignon Blanc and a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. We were given our tasting glasses as a memento. The wines we tasted were decent. We were given generous pours and I was forced to throw more than 50% after my tasting.

After the tastings, I loitered around the wine shop for a bit as I wanted to ask the clerk some queries. The Spaniard was buying wines and after he finished we wished each other luck / good tastings etc. before he stepped out (The Spaniard spoke English). After seeking a few clarifications on the wines we had tasted and then some, I told the clerk that I needed directions to get to Puente Alto (where my next wine tasting was).

He told me that the Spaniard was headed in that direction and told me to wait for a few minutes while he rushed out of the shop to ask the Spaniard to wait for me! He came back and collected the wine tour and tasting fee of CLP 7500 (US$18). All I can say, the tasting glass (souvenir) is rather expensive!

I walked out of the shop and saw the Spaniard waving to me. We shook hands and got in the car. He has been asked to drop me close to CONCHA y TORO (another massive winery) from where I could get a bus or a collectivo (Shared taxi) to Puente Alto. We chatted a bit during the 15-min ride. He used to work for Spanish Police and now does computer forensics for Interpol. How I wish I could get a good Analytical and challenging job like that! Some of the areas where his expertise is sought are Money Laundering, Child Pornography and Electronic piracy. He is currently in Chile on assignment and has used his free day to see some wineries! He told me that he has been to India as well to attend a forensic conference.

We reached Concha Y Toro and he dropped me off. I thanked him once again and headed to the nearest bus stop. I got a bus to Puente Alto (400 Pesos) right away and reached the centre of Puente Alto 15-minutes later.

I entered the city council office hoping to get some tourist Information on Puente Alto. There is a person in the city council office who sits in front of a computer and whose sole job is to help tourists. After about 20-minutes, we managed to find the exact location of ALMAVIVA Winery and the cheapest way to reach the place. I could have easily taken a taxi as the Winery had suggested, but I wanted to explore alternative options.

Lunch was a fiasco in that I could not find a place that served vegetarian food. I went into a supermarket instead and emerged with a can of juice and a bar of chocolates! After quenching my thirst and hunger somewhat I took a bus headed to San Bernardo and paid the fare of 400 pesos. I asked a couple seated next to me for Information on where to get off to reach ALMAVIVA Winery. They told me that they were getting off at the same place so I could follow them off the bus!

We reached the place after a 20-minute ride. The Winery entrance was hardly 30-metres away. A taxi from Puente Alto (for this ride) would have cost me 4000 pesos!

The sign at the entrance says "Concha Y Toro" while I have come here to visit "Almaviva". ALMAVIVA is jointly owned by Concha Y Toro (50% - Chilean) and by Rothschild (50% - French). A 10-minute walk inside the Concha Y Toro compound brings me to the entrance to ALMAVIVA. It is approximately 2:45 PM. The Security guard at the gate recognized my names and calls-in to the office inside. He accompanied me to the office and introduced me to SOLEDAD who will be my guide. She asked me to wait for 5 minutes while she finished up some work.

We start our tour and I am pleasantly surprised to find out that this is a private tour for me! This is a very small operation when compared with Santa Rita. ALMAVIVA produces 100,000 litres (150,000 bottles) of wine per year. They produce just 1 Wine - ALMAVIVA which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Cabernet France (5%) and Carmenere (20%). They appear to be even more selective than Achaval-Ferrer (Argentina). Drip Irrigation is used to water the vines. The 2008 / 2009 ALMAVIVA may have Merlot and Petit Verdot in the blend as well.

The Winery is advised by a French Oenologist. ALMAVIVA has been in operation for less than 15 years and their first bottles wines date back to 1997. In keeping with French tradition, ALMAVIVA also produces a second wine called EPU that is sold ONLY in CHILE. Steel tanks are used for fermentation. French Oak barrels are used for aging. While many wineries used their OAK barrels for at least 3 vintages, ALMAVIVA uses their French OAK barrels just once.
The wines are aged for 12-18 months in OAK Barrels. On the whole, Chilean wineries aged their wines a lot more than short-storage, quick-sell Argentina! ALMAVIVA has 3-levels of Press wines. We saw the excellent barrel storage facility before heading for the tasting.

I tasted ALMAVIVA 2005 (that costs 60,000 Chilean pesos - US$ 150 per bottle). The wine tasted very good but would be better if aged for 3-5 years more.

I purchased the Second Wine (EPU) from 2000 (considered a very good year) for CLP 7000 (US$16). The tour cost was 20,000 CLP (US$46!). Despite the high price of the tour, I would highly recommend visiting this Vineyard / Winery. I thanked Soledad for taking the time to show me around and we chatted about Indian Teas (which happen to be her favourite) for a bit.

On the way back to the main road, I spotted VINEDO CHADWICK which was also highly recommended by Hugh Johnson's wine guide book. I did not feel like doing another wine tasting and tour right away and skipped it.

I took a bus back to Puente Alto (400 pesos) and then took a Metro from there to Central Station. I got off at Bustamante (Station) to check out a second Indian restaurant (Salaam Bombay - How original!) I ordered food and a half-bottle of RHIN from Undurraga winery. It was a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling from 2004. It had 13% alcohol content, was pale yellow in colour and went well with the spicy Indian food. Since all I had was a can of juice and a bar of chocolate for lunch, I ordered extra bread as well to complete what would be a lunch cum dinner (it was hardly 6 PM).

Towards the end of my meal, the waiter asked me where I was from. When I replied India, he posed the question "Que Ciudad" (Which city?). When I replied "Chennai", he asked "Habla Tamil" (Do you speak Tamil? - My mother tongue!). I said "yes" in Tamil. It turned out that he was from Kanyakumari in the state of Tamilnadu (for which Chennai is the Capital). We started conversing in Tamil.

He had been in Chile for the past 5 years and working at this restaurant for the past 3 years. He told me that the restaurant opens for lunch from 2-4PM and for dinner from 7-12 Midnight. As I was a loner, he agreed to feed me at 5:30 PM! Since the chef was taking a break between shifts, he had been preparing my meal. Here was yet another case of a preconceived notion being incorrect (I had assumed he was from Bangladesh)! He happened to be a Hindu who had converted to Christianity (as evidenced by his name - Raman Samuel Nadar).

He gave me his card. I advised him against moving to the US or Canada as he would have to struggle there to establish a foothold. At least in Chile, the man has decent (free or nominal fee based) health coverage. He told me that there are 600 Indians (or people of Indian Origin) living in Santiago while there was 2000 folks of Indian descent in all of Chile. I think the Indians out here need to breed faster :)

I may visit the restaurant again during the rest of my stay. I headed back to the Hostel and chatted with a German who was wandering Chile to get some inspiration to finish his second collection of poems (at least that's what I think he told me). His name was Dieter Wagner and his first published book was "Suffering is like Happiness"! Don't ask me more :) I have not read it nor tried to delve into the meaning of the title or its contents!

I headed back to my room and wrote my diary before going to bed.

March 26, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up a bit later than usual but was ready and done with breakfast by 8:30 AM. I walk to the nearest Metro station and took a train to the University of Santiago Station. I walked 2-blocks to Terminal Sur (Bus Station). At the mention of Santa Cruz (where I needed to be for my wine tasting today), I was handed from one agent to another to another before finally being the shown the bus to board for Santa Cruz. [Note: There is heavy competition for customers as many Bus companies ply the same routes. Hence the need for many 'agents' whose job is to rope in as many customers as possible for the company they work for. The fares are all the same.]

I took a seat and the bus departed shortly after 9 AM. I had assumed that the ride to Santa Cruz would take 2-hours, thereby giving me at least an hour to get a collectivo (Shared Taxi) to take me to the Winery (Casa Lapostolle) for my tour and wine tasting session at 12:30 PM. I paid the 2500 Pesos (US$6 approx.) fare and settled back. The bus turned out to be providing a "Stop-when-requested" type of service. We reached RANCAGUA around 10 AM. We departed RANCAGUA at 10:15 AM and reached San Fernando at 11:15 AM. I called CASA LAPOSTOLLE from San Fernando and was told that the tour would indeed start at 12:30 PM. I watched the Scenery as the bus proceeded from San Fernando to Santa Cruz. I saw a sign on the right that said "Casa Lapostolle" and immediately requested the driver for a stop (Yes, I was availing myself of the "Stop-as-requested" privilege!). As the bus was travelling at 90+ Kilometres an hour (60 Miles), it was more than a mile from the Winery Entrance when it eventually stopped and I got off.

I went to the other side and waited at the Bus Stop there. A Collectivo came along presently and I took it and was dropped at the Winery Entrance a few minutes later (cost 200 Pesos - less then 50 cents). It was 12:15 PM. The guard at the Winery entrance (upon ascertaining the purpose of my visit) tells me that Winery tour and tasting are done at the CLOS APALTA Vineyards about 5 Kilometres (3 Miles) away on a road to the right!

It was blazing hot (34 C - 95 F) and I was not planning to walk the entire 5 Kilometres to the Winery. I stopped a passing Cyclist to reconfirm directions and he told me that I would need to take a Collectivo to get there. As it happened, a Collectivo was passing in the opposite direction and the cyclist stopped it for me. I told the driver where I was headed (a direction diametrically opposite to where he was headed!) and as there were no other passengers in the collectivo, he turned the Vehicle around and took the dirt road to the APALTA Vineyards.

We could see Vines covering the hillsides. After a drive of about 8-10 minutes, we pulled up in front of CASA LAPOSTOLLE (the CLOS APALTA Vineyards). I requested the driver to drive me all the way in and drop me near the offices - as the walk from the gate to the offices was more than a Kilometre and I was running late (It was just past 12:30 PM). As we waited for the gates to open (All Vineyards have large steel gates with security guards and access to the Vineyards is strictly controlled), we saw a van pull up close by (It was coming out of the Vineyard). The Security guard motioned for our car to stop and asked me to talk to the driver of the Van!

It turns out that the lady (driver of the Van) was heading to the main Casa Lapostolle office to pick ME up (as the guard from that Winery had called here informing them of my presence there!). Good Job! I paid up my Taxi and got into the Van with Lisa.

We drove into the APALTA Vineyard (a long drive as I had suspected). After passing through rows and rows of Vines, we drove up a steep Incline and pulled up next to a building and parked. We walked inside the building passing grape sorters on the way. We commenced our tour around 12:45 PM. It was (yet again) a private tour being done just for MOI! Talk about things working out in the end despite all the obstacles encountered during the process!

Grape picking is done manually at Casa Lapostolle (many Premium wineries do that and Casa Lapostolle was one). The Unique aspect at Casa Lapostolle is that de-stemming is done by hand rather than a machine as at other Wineries. There were 30 or so ladies de-stemming grapes. Another unique aspect of wine production at Casa Lapostolle is that Alcoholic Fermentation is done in Giant OAK (French) vats. Almost all of the wineries I had visited thus far do the majority of their alcoholic fermentation in giant Steel or concrete tanks.

APALTA (their Signature Wine) is a blend of Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Carmenere is the largest percentage in the blend while Petit Verdot is the smallest percentage in the blend. French Oak is also used for Barrel Storage. As at ALMAVIVA, CASA LAPOSTOLLE uses its OAK barrels just once. However, unlike ALMAVIVA, Casa Lapostolle does not produce a Second Wine. It produces just APALTA here.

The building housing the winery resembles a giant OAK Barrel embedded into the mountainside! The side of a mountain was dynamited to create this building. The building is 5 storeys tall. One enters on the top storey and climbs down to reach the each of the 4 subterranean levels. Gravity is used to transfer wine from 1 stage to another. The grape picking and sorting is done at the 5th level. The fermentation tanks are at the next level down. The OAK barrels are at the next level
down while the bottling is done at the lowest level! A temporary Bottling truck pulls up at the lowest level when bottling is required. Only the LABELS on the bottles are done at the main site (on the main road - Where I first landed before coming here).

ALMAVIVA (visited yesterday) has 3-pressings of its grapes although its Winemaker may decide whether or not to blend the different presses in a given year. CASA LAPOSTOLLE wines are made from Single Press only. The residue remaining from the first press is used as compost. I was taken to the cellar where the barrels are stored. It was quite impressive. What was even more impressive was the very large private cellar (below the main cellar) where the owner keeps her collection! Tourists are most certainly not allowed to view that during the tour. Employees of Casa Lapostolle are apparently taken there as part of their orientation! The owner (Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle) belongs to the Grand Marnier Clan. Hence money is not an object here and it shows!

We tasted the following wines:

Casa Lapostolle - Sauvignon Blanc 2007 - 14.5% Alcohol - 85% Sauvignon Blanc & 15% Semillon blend - Very Good

Casa Lapostolle - Cuvee Alexander - Cabernet Sauvignon (2006) - 15% Alcohol - Excellent

Both of the above wines were made at the Main Winery

We finally Tasted CLOS APALTA (2005) [Blend of 40% Carmenere, 55% Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot blend (the proportion is adjusted by the winemaker and varies from year to year) and 5% Petit Verdot]. This was definitely a young wine and would perhaps be ready by 2012. It had a 15% Alcohol content. As I mentioned before CLOS APALTA is grown and bottled at this Winery and 2005 is the most recent Vintage in the market. Casa Lapostolle produces 11, 000 cases of CLOS APALTA per year.

I purchased a Cuvee Alexander Sauvignon Blanc 2006 for 13,000 Pesos (US$ 28). The tour and tasting fee was 20,000 Pesos (US$46) which was way more than my room rent at my Hostel (13,500 pesos - US$ 29)! Oh, what the heck? At least I did not spend money lamely on a car rental, or an overpriced tour agency! For the money I paid, I got what amounted to a private tour and tasting!

I had asked Lisa on where MONTES Winery was located and she had told me that it was close by. At the end of the tour, she spoke to her manager and took me in a van and dropped me off at the entrance to Montes which was a 5-6 minute drive along the same road and is a competitor to Casa Lapostolle.

Talk about being nice! I thanked Lisa and we parted. She has 2 kids and is currently separated. She did a course in Viticulture before taking up a job as a guide in a winery. She used to work at VIU MANENT (another Winery Close by) before moving to Casa Lapostolle.

It was 2 PM and my tour and tasting at MONTES was not until 3 PM. As there was no place else to go, eat etc. I waited near the guard station (which did have some shade). I had cookies and water for Lunch!

The downside to wine tasting in these wineries (located in out of the way places) is that there are no places to have a meal (and I am not even talking of a DECENT meal - Some meal, any meal really!). While waiting for the clock to strike 3, I labelled and edited my pictures (directly from the Camera) and wrote my diary. At 3 PM, I was asked by guard to head-in. It was close to a 1-Kilometre walk from the main entrance before I reached the offices. I think I lost my Sunglasses in the taxi (on the way to Casa Lapostolle). The sun was scorching. But I still prefer this to RAIN!

Pamela (of MONTES) was waiting for me to commence the tour. There was a family of 3 from California (Father and 2 sons) who were part of the tour as well. In contract to Casa Lapostolle, MONTES produces a large range of wines. MONTES ALPHA M is the top wine. MONTES FOLLY and MONTES PURPLE ANGEL round up the top wines at MONTES. Alcoholic fermentation is done in Steel tanks. OAK vats are used for MONTES ALPHA M. Gravity approach as well as pumps used to move wine from one stage to another. MONTES have 3-pressings done with their grapes before the residue is used as compost. The OAK barrels are used twice before be re-sold to smaller wineries.

The de-stemming is done my machine. The harvest for 2008 is yet to commence. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenere, Petit Verdot and Sauvignon Blanc are all grown here. They are trying to grow Malbec as well. We visited the tasting area reserved for Commercial folks. It was a beautiful place. The Barrels are stored in stadium seating like setting. The tourists stand and observe from the dais at the centre! Music is piped in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is supposed to help in the evolution of the wine as well! (Learned something new today!)

The 5 of us (Including Pamela) were joined by an elderly Indian couple (Harish and Veena) at the tasting. Now there were 3 Indians and 3 Americans! We tasted a Sauvignon Blanc (Very, Very Good), Pinot Noir (Hated it), a Cabernet Sauvignon + Carmenere Blend (excellent) and Syrah (OK). The pours were generous and our discussions were spirited. I purchased the Cabernet Sauvignon + Carmenere Blend for 4500 pesos (US$10).

I thanked Pamela, bid adieu to the group and started my walk to the entrance. Harish and Veena (the Indian Couple) pulled up and next to me and scolded me for not ASKING for a ride! They gave me a ride all the way to San Fernando even though they were staying a place that was perhaps midway between CLOS APALTA and San Fernando! It was at least a 30-minute ride out of their way. They are retired and do 3-month adventure trips at least once a year. They are currently travelling across South America.

At San Fernando, we exchanged e-mails and promised to stay in touch. I took a slow bus to Santiago (2000 pesos) that departed San Fernando at 6 PM and reached Santiago around 8:45 PM. I took a metro train and walked to my Hostel. I called up the Indian restaurant (Majestic) but they were fully booked for the evening. I walked to Plaza Brasil nearby and ordered a vegetarian sandwich w/goat cheese at a local restaurant. It was bitter, but I ate all of it! I walked back to the hotel, wrote my diary and went to bed.

The Winery tours in Chile have been excellent all around. I have purchased wines from 3 top producers. I hope they survive the flight to New Jersey (they did). The pours were generous and the tours good. I was the sole person or joined at best with a handful of people on these tours and tasting. There were no large HERDS like at tastings in Mendoza (especially La Rural!).

I am not sure what I want to do tomorrow.

March 27, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up early and was done with breakfast by 9 AM. I took my clothes to the nearest laundry and was told that I could pick them up (clean, of course) after 7 PM today. I took a train to the University of Santiago and headed to the bus station there. I boarded a bus to ISLA NEGRA where the first home of the Chilean Poet Pablo Neruda is located. The bus was air-conditioned and the fare to Isla Negra was 3500 pesos (US$8).

We departed Santiago at 10 AM and reached Isla Negra at 11:30 AM. En-route we drove inside what has been the longest tunnel of my trip thus far (perhaps 3 Miles). While my bus ticket said ALGORROBO, Isla Negra is 20-minutes away from ALGORROBO and the bus did take me there. From the bus stop, I walked for 10-minutes before reaching Neruda's place. I booked myself on a guided tour in English for 3500 pesos (US$8). I wandered around and took pictures until the tour commenced around 12:30 PM.

Our tour guide was an elderly lady who spoke flawless English. There were 6 people in our group. The house was lovely. Like Chasona (in the Bella vista Suburb of Santiago), Neruda house at Isla Negra features a lot of ocean and sea related artefacts and the house itself reminds one of being on a ship with its narrow doors, ship masthead figurines, pebbles and shells. The house also contains eclectic collections of Neruda such as butterflies, insects, birds, coloured glasses. The house has been built without the use of nails. Wooden pegs have been used instead. He even had a tooth of a fully grown Narwhal (Fish found in Arctic waters). The tooth was about 7 feet long! The man's appetite for collecting exceeded my own - and that is a big understatement!

The tour lasted 30+ minutes. We were not allowed to take pictures of the interior. I had a light lunch at the Museum Cafe with a lovely view of the Pacific. I wrote a few postcards during lunch and mailed them at a post office located within these premises.

I decided to visit the nearby town of Cartagena. I took a bus and the roundtrip ticket cost me 1000 pesos (US$2.1). The ride to Cartagena took about 20 minutes. While the main square was nice, the waterfront (located about 300 metres away on steep downhill roads) was far more interesting. I spent about 40 minutes here before taking a bus back. I thought I was headed to Valparaiso (as the bus took a much longer route) until it finally pulled it to the bus station at ALGORROBO!

I used a paid bathroom facility here. It is a good concept especially as they are clean. I purchased a ticket to Santiago (3000 Pesos - US$7) and slept most of the way until I reached Santiago. I got off close to the Metro Station Pajoritos and took a train to the centre. It was close to 6 PM.

I visited a tour company and booked myself on a trip abroad the "Tren del Vino" for Saturday (Mar 29) that cost me 22,000 pesos (US$50). I went to the Teatro Municipal a ticket for a classical music performance for Friday evening (March 28). A seat in the Amphitheatre Section cost 11,000 pesos (US$25).

I headed to the Laundromat and picked up my clothes and got back to my Hotel. I spent the next 30-minutes repacking my large duffel bag to ensure that the wine bottles I had purchased were adequately padded for the journey to the US.

I had dinner at an all-vegetarian restaurant called El Huerto. The food was decent. The wine was excellent. It was a Carmenere 2006 from VINA COCHALAN that was Medium bodied with a deep ruby red colour and a light finish (14.5% Alcohol).

I may wander around Santiago tomorrow as I have a performance to attend at 7 PM at Teatro Municipal.


March 28, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I got up a bit late, skipped breakfast and headed out to Casa Moneda (The Presidential Palace). Upon reaching Casa Moneda around 9:15, I was informed by a policeman that the Changing of the Guards would take place at 10 AM. I headed to a nearby Starbucks and had coffee and muffin for breakfast before heading back to Casa Moneda by 9:45 AM. The place was packed with tourists as well as locals.

The Changing of the Guards last 30 minutes or so and is held Mon thru Wednesday and Fridays. A nice ceremony. I could visit this place again next Monday (Mar 31) if need be. I headed next to Teatro Municipal where I was told that there are no Organized tours of the place. I could come back on Monday (Mar 31) at 9 AM and speak to an individual about a private tour of the Theatre.

I headed to Casa Colorado (a Historical Place) and spent around 35 minutes here (entrance fee of 500 pesos). This place chronicles the birth and growth of Santiago and the English translations are pretty good. I hopped on a metro to Baquedano station and headed to Pio Nono street (Bella vista Neighbourhood) where I had a Falafel with Hummus (on Pita bread) for Lunch. This was the first time I tasted anything middle eastern during this entire trip. The Falafel and Hummus were quite good.

I tried doing some souvenir shopping but found the prices for Lapiz Lazuli (trademark Jewellery from Chile) rather steep. I abandoned my souvenir shopping for the day and headed to the tourism office in Casa Colorado to obtain directions to other souvenir shops. I found that souvenirs made from Alpaca wool are even more expensive (than Puntas Arenas). I gave up and returned to my Hostel around 5 PM.

I rested a bit, showered and headed out of the hostel at 6 PM and reached Teatro Municipal around 6:30 PM. The Anfiteatro level ticket that I had purchased (11,000 Pesos - $24) had me seated at the 3rd tier of seating. The Theatre had been restored well and I had an excellent view of the stage. As the performance for this evening was not sold out, those of us seated in the 3rd level were offered seating in the lower level (Premium seating). Everyone in our area took up the offer except 5 of us.

The Orchestra played pieces by PUCCINI, MARTUCCI, ROTA and RESPIGHI. While the PUCCINI and MARTUCCI pieces put me to sleep, the ROTA and RESPIGHI pieces woke me up :) The crowd was quite appreciative as well. The concert was over by 8:30 PM and I got back to my Hostel by 9 PM. I headed out and had an Ice-cream with Fruit Salad for dinner as the Falafel/Hummus lunch was rather heavy. I proceeded to spend the next 2 hours at an Internet cafe to copy my Memory cards (the speeds were terribly slow).

Observations
==========
School children here are required to wear Uniforms. I noticed this across all the 5 countries I had travelled thus far. The uniforms in Uruguay and Northern Argentina have a very catholic touch in that even boys wear a frock on top of their trousers (sort of like a priest). Nevertheless it is nice to see Unformed school kids.

Waiters at Chilean restaurants make it a point to tell you that tip is not included and recommend a 10% tip! This is getting to be like the US, where tip is expected irrespective of the quality of service. Argentine is far better in this aspect. Leaving no tips at restaurants is not an issue. ANY tip is gratefully accepted. I hope Chile follows its eastern neighbour than the one far North :)

March 29, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I am not sure if my alarm came on, but I woke up around 5:45 AM. I had a cold shower as the hot water is timed to start at 7 AM! I hate places like there where you ablutions have to be scheduled to the hotel's timer! I just have 2 more days to go before I depart for the US, so I do not want to go through the process of exploring and switching hostels.

I left the hotel at 7:15 and reached the central station around 7:40 AM. I purchased a ticket to San Fernando (1600 pesos). I had a muffin and an Orange juice for breakfast while I waited for the train to depart. The 80 Kilometre (50 Miles) ride to San Fernando took 2 hours. I felt the train speed was decent despite it making about 15 stops on the way.

The TREN DEL VINO was just pulling into the Station as I arrived in San Fernando. I took pictures of the steam power train. I had booked myself on the TREN del VINO trip. The TREN del VINO would be taking us through Chilean Wine country during which we would sample some Chilean wines and cheeses. While waiting for the TREN del VINO to depart, I noticed a much nicer commuter train pulling into San Fernando Station. This train had left Santiago about 30 minutes later (than the train I took) and reached San Fernando 10 minutes later. Being an express train, the seats and service were much nicer (not that the ones on my train were shabby). I might take this train to Santiago on the way back (assuming the schedule meets my needs).

I was asked to sit in the last car (of TREN del VINO). My companions were a group of Germans and French as well as a large group of Chileans. The Chileans were loud - as they always are when in a group.

We were headed to Santa Cruz located at a distance of perhaps 40 Kilometres (25 Miles) from San Fernando. Our TREN del VINO would take a leisurely 90 minutes to reach Santa Cruz.

We were served wines from VINA PORTA. The first was an excellent Sauvignon Blanc from 2007 that had a powerful nose, a light yellow colour and a smooth, short finish. The second was a Cabernet Sauvignon from 2006 that had a light nose, deep purple colour, medium bodied with a very long finish. I felt that the wine needed a few more years to mature and 3-5 years of aging would make it a very good (if not excellent) wine.

We were also given fruit and cheese platters along with bottled water and soda. In short, a very good wine tasting treatment.

Upon reaching Santa Cruz we were treated to a welcoming dance (perhaps Mapuche in Origin?) by some locals. The entire train (apart from moi) was comprised of people from different tour groups. I took a taxi to the town centre (300 pesos).

I obtained a map of Santa Cruz at the Santa Cruz Hotel. I walked to the nearby Mapuche Museum and paid my entry fee of 3000 pesos (US$7). I also paid for an English Audio guide (Headset) that cost me an additional 2000 pesos. It turned out to be an excellent museum and well worth a visit. Without my realizing it, I had spend close to 2 hours here. The museum chronicles Andean Peoples and Civilization, European conquest and occupation, liberation from Spain, World wars and more. The exhibits included costumes, coins, ammunition, jewellery, as well as a good selection of Antique cars. The museum also had a small section on ancient brewing and wine making techniques. Overall an excellent museum.

I headed to a Sushi place in the main square and had Cucumber Sushi with Wasabi along with Hot Sake. One of the waiters from TREN del VINO (who spoke good English) was waiting tables here. With the exception of the Sake, all was well.

Post lunch I headed to the Santa Cruz Hotel (On the main square) to look at some handicrafts. They were (as usual) way too pricey. I decided to head to BODEGA VIU MANENT. I had a long wait for a bus. It was worth it as the 10-minute ride to the Bodega cost me 300 Pesos, while the local taxis wanted 3000 pesos! I had to walk a Kilometre from the main road to the Bodega Entrance (which was not a problem for me).

The tour and tasting was 10,000 Pesos (US$22). I ensured that I would be tasting some well recommended wines before I forked out the money. I expect that! Myself and a elderly couple from Texas were given a tour of the winery and the vineyard on a horse drawn carriage.

We did a barrel (actually it was from a large steel Tank) tasting of a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve that had been aged for 12 months in French Oak. It was an excellent wine that was deep purple in Colour, smooth with a long finish.

At the tasting, we were given:

SECRETO VOIGNIER (2007) - Sweet, Simply Excellent
Malbec Reserva (2006) - Strong Nose, Light Body, rather sweet
Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva (2005) - Floral Bouquet, Medium bodied with Medium Finish - Excellent

and finally:

Late Harvest Semillon (2006) - A lovely dessert wine.

I purchased a 500 ml bottle of the Semillon (to take back to the US) for 4000 Pesos (US$ 9). This would be my 4th bottle. I am not sure how I am going to pack these in my checked-in baggage to ensure their safe passage to New Jersey!

I took pictures of the Grapes (the fleshy fruit made for some interesting pictures) before coming to the main road and taking a bus to San Fernando (450 pesos). After a 30-minute ride, I was dropped at the Bus terminus at San Fernando. I took the 7 PM bus to Santiago (2000 Pesos). Despite the promise of it being a non-stop bus, it stopped whenever requested :( A movie was being shown during the ride to Santiago. I managed to catch glimpses of "The Great Debaters" starring Forest Whitaker and Denzel Washington.

We reached Santiago close to 9:30 PM and I reached my hostel around 9:50. I did a quick check of my e-mail and found that my Japanese friend (from Ushuaia) had not yet arrived in Santiago. We will miss each other as I am headed to Valparaiso early tomorrow morning and will not return until late in the evening.

The search for restaurants (serving some vegetarian) was (as usual) frustrating. I finally settled on a cafe for a vegetable Sandwich and a Milkshake. The Salsa Aji (Pepper) I requested with the Sandwich was simply divine. I wrote some diary (at the cafe itself) before paying up and heading back to my hostel.

Update:
======

All bottles arrived safely in the US. The US customs did not bother with the 4 bottles of wine I was carrying. I did taste the Late harvest Semillon (2006) and it was superb. I would definitely recommend the purchase of this wine.

March 30, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

I woke up early, had a hot shower and was ready by 7:15 AM. The exterior door (to the street) was locked from outside (by the night manager of the hostel) who had gone to get fresh bread for breakfast! I waited for 20 minutes until he arrived. I had a glass of juice but skipped breakfast. I took a metro to PAJORITOS Station and purchased a ticket to Valparaiso for 3700 pesos from TUR-BUS.

The bus departed at 8:50 and made its way out of Santiago. After leaving Santiago well behind, we more or less took the same route that I took to get to some of the Vineyards. We drove through a really long tunnel (around 3 Kilometres - 1.8 Miles) and passed through the Chilean Wine country (Casablanca Valley). I was "BODEGAED OUT" and did not want to visit any more vineyards!

We reached Valparaiso around 10:15 AM. I visited the excellent tourist office at the Bus terminal (in Valparaiso) and obtained a very good map of the place. Valparaiso is a hilly area with many Cerros (hills). In addition to roads, there are also many funiculars that can be taken to reach the top of some of these cerros. 15 of these funiculars / cerros are declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO. The earliest of these were built during the 1880s.

It turned out to be a lovely day yet again. I have not had a single bad day since landing in Santiago almost 10 days ago.

I viewed Valparaiso from Polanco, Peral, Concepcion and Espirito Santo funiculars before taking a metro train for 2 stops to view the port of Valparaiso. The metro train was excellent and clean. I spent about 20 minutes at the Valparaiso port before heading to Cafe Colour at Cerro Conception for Lunch. The vegetarian options were OK. Rice was uncooked and that to me is the easiest thing to cook!

There were 3 young American girls seated next to me. Needless to say they were talking loudly about anything and everything. While most of it was inane here is a snippet from their conversation that set me thinking (and doing some reading): "Black and White are not Colours but Shades". To a layperson that comes across as asinine. But technically speaking, BLACK is NO COLOUR (or absence of colour) where WHITE is ALL COLOURS. (reflection of all colours).

Post Lunch, I wandered around Cerro Concepcion and took pictures. I purchased a Chilean Wine guide from a wine shop. Many of the funiculars were under repair and not functioning. I visited Museo Lucas (on Gervasoni Promenade) that contained works by the Italian Caricaturist Renzo Pecchenino. The captions were all in Spanish but some of them were so good that they required no translation!

At the end of this visit, I received a call from a friend in the US and spent close to 30 minutes talking to him. That is the good thing about being with MOVISTAR in Chile. All incoming calls are free!

I headed next to Cerro Bella vista where I viewed several Street Murals as well as colourful houses. Some of the Murals here were done by the Chilean painter Roberto Matta.

I had more or less finished my viewing of Valparaiso and headed down. I took the 5:50 PM TUR-BUS to Santiago (3300 pesos - US$7). I reached Santiago around 7:30 PM and reached my Hostel at 8. I rested a bit, labelled the pictures taken during the day and headed to the Indian restaurant located within the Best Western Majestic.

I requested that my food be made extra spicy (something that I NEVER do in the USA) and was spouting flames on consuming it. I was nevertheless thankful for not having BLAND ITALIAN CRAP for the past 10 days! I ordered a half-bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 from Santa Ema that had a light nose, was light bodied with a short finish and was excellent with the spicy food I had ordered. I topped the meal off with a traditional Indian ice-cream with Pistachios. The bill came to 20,000 CLP (US$46) with a 10% tip. I was indeed generous. And why not? The ugly, snooty hostess during my December 2007 visit was not here and the folks who served me treated me well. I could not help but overhear conversation from a large group of folks who were obviously working in the Computer Software industry. Oh, what a boring life they lead:)

I may do some souvenir shopping tomorrow.

March 31, 2008 - Santiago, Chile
=========================

My last day in Santiago/Chile/South America on this voyage! I slept in as much as I could which in my case was getting up around 7:30 AM! I finished breakfast by 9 AM, checked out and asked for the bill.

While I appreciated a small discount in the room rent for 1 day (as it smelled of Kerosene from being painted earlier that day), I was surprised to discover that there was a service fee of 3% on the usage of VISA Cards and that I had been charged for a lot of my Internet usage (when the Hostel's advertisement clearly states that they offer FREE Internet)! When I pointed this out to Claudia (the Owner's daughter) she drew my attention to a small sign (posted in a place where one tends not to look) as saying that the FIRST 10-minutes of usage are free and anything beyond that is chargeable! With the kind of SLOW connections these folks have, 10-minutes of free internet time would get you nothing. The 3% surcharge on the VISA card was a trade-off as my US bank would charge me a similar amount for withdrawing cash in Santiago (to pay the Hostel bill). However, I would have exchanged more Traveller's checks (had I known of this 3% surcharge earlier) as I do not pay any commission for cashing my Traveller's checks.

During all my Travels in Argentina, I had never encountered any of these issues. FREE was FREE and Credit Cards were accepted without any additional Service charges! I suppose, this is the Chilean Sleight of Hand!

Claudia agreed to drop the Internet Charges as she agreed that I had not been told about it in advance (and the sign was not prominent). I had assumed that I would be charged for 10-days, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had only stayed for 9. I guess I have saved some money:)

I bid goodbye to Claudia. I left 2 bags in the storage room of the hostel until the evening. I headed to the American Airlines office and booked myself on an earlier flight hoping that I could make the early AM connecting flight from Miami to Newark. That flight was still showing up as full and I was asked by the American Airlines agent to try again when I reached Miami.

I walked to the Bella Vista neighbourhood but was surprised to discover that the artisan place recommended by my guide book was closed. I visited to another place recommended by my guidebook (also located in the Bella vista Neighbourhood) and bought some nice copper plates (from Atacama). The shop carried arts and crafts from all over Chile.

I took a train to TOBALABA (Mapuche Origin?) station and visited the famous MUNDO del VINO wine shop. It is a very large and well organized store. I was happy and relieved to note that there was no difference in price between the wines I purchased at the Winery and the same wines displayed at this store! Unlike Argentine wine shops that stocked ONLY Argentine wines, this shop had a decent selection of wines from France, Spain, South Africa, Australia and Argentina. However, they cannot ship wines. I was already carrying 4 bottles and decided not to buy any more.

I took a train to Santa Lucia and wandered around the Artisan shops there that were also recommended by my guidebook. As I could not judge the quality of Lapiz Lazuli, I wound up instead by getting a native shirt (made in the northern part of Chile) for myself.

I headed back to Plaza Brasil and headed to my favourite cafe to have a toasted vegetable sandwich along with a large orange juice for lunch. I spent the next 90-minutes at an Internet cafe trying to copy the last of my memory cards to my portable hard disks.

I headed back to the Hostel and proceeded to do some repacking as I had to accommodate the souvenirs purchased. The duffel bag appeared a bit heavy - 4 bottles of wine would definitely do that! The smaller bag appeared to be around 15 Kilos. I reminded myself to request the check-in agent at the airport to put a "FRAGILE" sticker on my wine-holding duffel bag.

The shuttle to the airport arrive at the hostel around 5:30 PM. The ride took 30 minutes and cost 4500 pesos (although with the devaluation of the US Dollar, it amounted to more than $10). The wait at the check-in counter took an hour. The Agent told me that the airlines do not put FRAGILE stickers any longer. She advised me to get my large duffel bag shrink wrapped. I did so at a cost of 7000 pesos (US$16). The large duffel weighed in at 24 Kilos and the smaller one weighed in at 11 Kilos. There were no issues with either bag (with respect to their size or weight).

I wandered around the duty free shops and realized that the wines were more expensive here than in the shops at Santiago or at the Bodegas themselves!

I changed the last of my Chilean currency to US Dollars and boarded my flight. It departed on time.