"Chile - A Variety of Beautiful Landscapes!" Chile by bruingirl

There's nothing stranger than lugging around heavy coats when the temperature gauge reads 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Of course, most people were probably wondering where we were headed in the middle of the northern hemisphere's summer with ski clothes! Either we were headed to the looney bin or to a picturesque locale like Chile in the southern hemisphere. Well, I am happy to say that we aren't crazy, but rather adventurous!

Upon exiting the airport in Santiago, we were greeted with brisk air and overcast skies. We thought, perhaps we really are crazy to be leaving beautiful sandy beaches and perfect weather back home! But hey, we were in Chile to do something different, to add to our life experiences, but most importantly, ski/snowboard in the shadows of the Andes! Before heading to the slopes though, we had a few cities to explore and a few bottles of wine to drink.

....on the road again.....

Our trip started us on a clean, well-paved highway that led us into the twin cities of Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar. Along the way, we inhaled the fresh air of the countryside that came alive as the sun peeked through the clouds. We explored the Casablance Valley briefly, just to get ourselves familiar with the wine growing regions of Chile....After a "Motorcycle Diaries" type of experience in Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar, we ventured forth into the wine growing regions just south of Santiago.

The barren vines of winter....

The Colchagua Valley was filled with more vineyards than we had imagined and the cold of the winter air was refreshing. We tried everything from the popular Carmenere to Malbec blends and various Chardonnays and Viogniers. The countryside was so markedly different from Santiago which was an amazing city to explore and bigger than any of us had ever imagined. Words can hardly describe how majestic the Andes mountains are, even as we marvel at the great architecture of man....It's no wonder people, like us, travel from all over the world! Why? Just for a chance to experience the Andes, which seems to be God's idea of showing off!

• Pros:Visual overload! Just gorgeous beyond belief! Clean! Easy to drive.
• Cons:The food was just okay. Nothing spectacular.
• In a nutshell:A geographically fascinating country - the perfect playground for an outdoor enthusiast!