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Chile and Easter Island

Showing us how the cork is cut out of each piece of bark of the cork

For dinner we were served Pastel de choclo. It is a beef and corn casserole that is a very traditional and popular dish in Chile. Lots of different flavors - beef and onions, raisins, olives, roasted chicken - go into the body of the casserole, and the whole thing is topped off with a thick layer of creamed choclo corn. The corn "pudding" layer caramelizes in the oven, and the result is a delicious salty/sweet combination that's reminiscent of shepherd's pie, but better.

We were dinner inside the viewing room at the Bodega. Dinner was delicious as were the wines.

Road back to Santiago from the Paseo del Vino.

Santiago early evening driving back into the city.

Early evening Chile's cosmopolitan capital.

This is a building across the street from our hotel in Santiago that had two sides of the hotel painted into a giant mural around all the doors, windows and parts of the entire building. They do this to eliminate the graffiti which there is a lot in Santiago.

More words we are learning along the trip. This time in Spanish.

The flower market is just outside the Cemeterio General de Santiago.

Within the walls of the Cementario General de Santiago is found the Memorial for the many people lost during the coup of 1973 and the years of political unrest in Chile. Thousand of names are listed on the massive wall.

The Cementario General de Santiago is one of the largest cemeteries in Latin America, with an estimated 2 million burials. Established in 1821 after Chile became independent, leader Bernado O’Higgins set aside more than 210 acres just north of the city center in the Recoleta neighborhood, This lavish and expansive cemetery is a history enthusiast and explorer’s dream. Little did he know the cemetery would soon become a magnificent display of lavish mausoleums, ornate sculptures, gardens, and leafy trees.

Many of the graves are family plots and have staircases leading to underground rooms, where living relatives will someday join their ancestors. The most striking and magnificent part of the cemetery is the varying architectural styles of the elegent, massive mausoleums. They are built in elegant designs and styles, including French and Italian styles and even a Mayan Temple. These mausoleums are sometimes as big as houses – and more ornately built.

Located across the street from the Cementerio General, the largest cemetery in Santiago, Quita Penas is named conveniently for those who would wander into this pub after burying their loved ones.

As you enter and exit the cemetery there are flower stalls on each side of the entrance and down the street.

Nicole Flores, our Chilean guide for the trip, and one of our travelers mix the famous red "pipeno" to kill your sorrows. Quita penas, or "take away sorrow", is exactly what the patrons of this bar do - drown their sorrows with a large jug of pipeño or in one of their rich dishes. The food served here is a true example of Chilean comfort food at its finest, with bread, potatoes and meat as the base of almost all of these dishes.

It was a great drink. Each one went down better than the last.

Quita Penas is one of the historical hubs of Santiago, filled with stories and popular culture, it is here to stay.

Great murals painted on the fronts and sides of buildings.

Great walking streets in downtown Santiago. No traffic.

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