The flights from Cusco to Lima to Santiago were straightforward and on-time. There’s a two-hour time difference in Santiago from Lima so even though our flights were early, our arrival is still early evening.
No way I am driving in Chile so we’re hired a driver and guide to escort us to some of the wine regions. We have a pleasant surprise at the airport as Maurice (wine guy) opens a fine bottle of Carmenere which we sample in the airport lot before heading into Santiago. Could be an interesting trip!
Things are a little sporty in the city with large-scale demonstrations, some turning violent. Subway stations burned, shops looted, roads blocked – not good. We’re staying in the district of Providencia which is quiet and has not been affected by the disturbances and Claudio (driver) takes us along a safe route to the neighborhood.
We’ve rented an apartment through Airbnb for the next 5 days. It’s a nice place with a small kitchen, balcony and great wifi. What more could one want? Shops and most restaurants have closed early due to the disturbances but we are able to find a good Peruvian restaurant (‘Machu Picchu’ – seems like we were just there!) a few blocks from our space.
D.
Early pickup at La Casona to the airport. We are flying Cusco to Lima, then to Santiago. Check in is fine and the flight is on time. We are met in Santiago by Maurice and Claudio. Maurice owns Chilean Wine Tours and he is our guide for the next several days. We collect our luggage and we are escorted to our van. Maurice pulls out a very fine bottle of Chilean wine, 2 glasses and an aerator, welcome to Chile!
There are several civil demonstrations going on in downtown Santiago. Fortunately, we are staying in the Providencia region that is not near the downtown area where the protests are taking place. Still there are roads that need to be avoided to get to our apartment. We meet Camlio; our host who gives us the basics. In the 10 minutes we are talking the local market goes from open to closed. Everyone is closing early due to the protests. Luckily, we have been supplied with 6 liters of water, eggs, and coffee. Around the block the Peruvian restaurant Machu Pichu is open so we eat there. We can sleep in tomorrow.
M