Our bus ride and visit to Valparasio and Vina del Mar on the last day of the trip was one my favorite parts. I had not previously seen the Pacific Ocean, so it was a big day for me. There is something strangely intoxicating about the smell of the Pacific Spray mingled with diesel fuel and seafood. It reminded me of Morehead City, NC - 1000 times more intense.
We visited Pablo Neruda's house in Valparaiso, which was a unique 4 level structure that had almost no rhyme or reason. The view from his top level study was breathtaking. No pictures were allowed in the museum, but here is one from the street:

In Vina del Mar, we enjoyed lunch in a seaside restaurant featuring traditional seafood dishes. I had the butterfish with a shrimp and scallop cream sauce. The restaurant staff was excited to have us there, but was stretched to serve a group of 21. My favorite parts of lunch were the clam chowder and flan.
Vina del Mar is beautiful, and if I have my numbers correct, you can purchase a beach view condo for about $25,000. The climate is similar to Southern California, but the cost is much more palitable. On the downside, it's a 10 hour journey and you want to speak Spanish (I don't).
Here are some of my favorite pics of the Pacific in Vina del Mar.


Heather Bailiff and Karen Frekko on the coast of Vina del Mar


Vina del Mar

Sunset in Valparaiso

During our visit to Chile's largest winery, we had the unique opportunity to sample Carmenere wine. Chile is the only place in the world where the grape grows without grafting. The cuttings of Carmenere were imported by Chilean growers from Bordeaux during the 19th century. The Carmenere grape was nearly wiped out by Phylloxera, but the Chilean valleys are protected from this insect.


If you like Cabs, Marques de Casa Concha, was amazing. This one is available in the US for about $20.

Casillero del Diablo (Cellar of the Devil) is a legend started by the Don Melchor, the founder of the vineyard, to discourage theives from stealing his best wine. We visited this famous cellar.

After the tour, we saw a presentation about the winery. Chile is second only to Australia for wines imported to the US. Because the wine market is highly competitive in the US, Concha y Toro prices many varities below Chilean prices in the US market. We still picked up a few bottles at the gift shop to sample on the bus ride home. This is when my Tide pen came in handy!