Tomko2Travel

Isla Negra, Casablanca Valley & Arrival to the Viking Jupiter January 24, 2020 A full day of Chilean culture was planned - poetry and wine.   We had ILoveChile pick us up at 10 am so we could leisurely enjoy another delicious breakfast at our Inn.  This day we had both Fran and Sebastian as our guides with Seba driving  their personal vehicle.  It seated 8 people with all our luggage piled in the back and was quite a squeeze for us and the bags. We said adios to CasaSur and Santiago heading West out of the city through the Maipo and Casablanca Valleys.  The plan was to visit the seaside home of Pablo Neruda, have lunch with the locals, and taste wine at a local vineyard.  The drop off at our cuise ship, the Viking Jupiter docked in Valparaiso, would be in the late afternoon. Driving in this direction, we saw a much different terrain with major grape growing regions sprawled in the valleys between the Andes Mountains and the Cordillera d...

Andes Mountains & Cajon del Maipo January 23, 2020 Rio Maipo Up early for our first full day of exploration.  We had a private tour booked with ILoveChile Tours - www.ilovechiletours.com - called Andes Panoramic Route, duration 10 hours.  CasaSur agreed to serve our breakfast a bit earlier then they normally do which was very accommodating.  We woke to temperatures in the upper 50's with a high of upper 80's predicted even in the mountains.  Our guide and one of the owners, Francisca Soto, was right on time with her driver Gonzolo.  She had a roomy mini bus for traveling comfort.  The plan was to drive SE out of the city through Cajon del Maipo (Maipo Canyon) to the high Andes Mountains where we would have scenic stops, a bit of walking, a wine tasting picnic and a local Chilean lunch. During our hour and a half drive to the Canyon, Fran talked about the social/political situation in Chile and, as we approached the countryside, abou...