Hola! We’ve been in Santiago, Chile for just a few days now and wanted to let you know what we have been up to.
Our trip to South America started with one of our craziest flights, ever. On Thursday afternoon, we flew from BWI towards Atlanta. Thunderstorms in Atlanta had our airplane doing circles in the air high above the airport. When our fuel began to get low, we were diverted to Columbia, South Carolina, for an unexpected pit stop. After refueling, we lifted off once again, successfully landing in Atlanta. Fortunately, our connecting flight to Santiago, Chile was also delayed, so we did not miss our flight. At 2 am, we were back in the skies, and nine and a half hours later, we were touching down in the Santiago airport.
While going through this ordeal, Tim and I could not help but wonder if Santiago, Chile was going to be worth these long flights, made longer by crazy flight delays. But as we looked out of our airplane window and saw the Andes Mountains to our left, we knew this would be worth it. In just a few days we would be driving over those giants.
Our first day in Santiago was spent in a foggy, tired haze. We went out to a very late lunch/early dinner and were in bed at 8 pm.
Then we spent one day touring the Maipo wine region, which sits to the south of Santiago. This is a beautiful area, with small towns, the hills of the Maipo region, and the Andes Mountains towering off in the east.
Easter Sunday was spent touring Valparaiso and Viña del Mar on the coast. Valparaiso is famous for its graffiti and technicolor houses on the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We were bigger fans of Viña del Mar with its great restaurant scene. Peruvian food is a big deal here and we have all been eating it as much as possible.
Tyler and Kara have been great, touring the wineries with their parents. Our real adventures start tomorrow, when we drive over the Andes Mountains to Argentina and spend next week in Mendoza. Rock climbing, horseback riding, and maybe even white water rafting is in our future, activities to keep our whole family happy.
More Information for Your Trip to Chile
CHILE: Learn more about how to tour the wine regions in Chile and see photographs from Valparaiso.
ARGENTINA & CHILE: Find out how we combined Santiago and Mendoza into an awesome 12 day trip.
MENDOZA, ARGENTINA: Tour the wine regions in Mendoza, go white water rafting and rock climbing, and hike to Aconcagua Base Camp. See the full list in our article Best Things to Do in Mendoza.
DRIVING SANTIAGO TO MENDOZA: Find out what it is like to drive from Santiago, Chile to Mendoza, Argentina and if it is worth it. We also have a guide on how to drive to Cristo Redentor, a white knuckle but beautiful drive on dirt roads that cross the Andes.
TRAVEL BLOGGING: This website started with a trip around the world and has become one of the most popular travel sites on the internet. Learn more about what it is like to run this website in our article My Life as a Travel Blogger.
Planning a trip to Chile? Read all of our articles in our Chile Travel Guide.
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