New year in Puerto Montt, and onwards

A very quiet day in 24 degrees or so of delicious warmth when I trekked around the shops of Puerto Montt, and the brothers took themselves off to Puerto Varas for a leisurely luncheon. I lunched in my room on bread and tomato purchased from Bigger, the main supermarket chain. Many jokes about going to the smaller Bigger. Then a wee siesta, before packing and off to the cuñada's mother's for a celebration with the entire family. The usual groaning table with calls for empañadas which went unheeded (luckily), and then to the viewpoint with most of the rest of the neighbourhood shortly before midnight. As the year changed, horns, flares and whoops of joy, accompanied by the popping of champagne corks, much hugging and kissing and wishing one another feliz año, before the municipal firework display from a boat in the bay started. Wonderful colours, bangs and glitter for the child in all of us, and then back to the house, en route further greetings, hugs and kisses, stopping the traffic. We made a discreet exit at around 1.30. Flew into Santiago next afternoon, via Temuco and Concepcion, the latter was the town affected by the earthquake in 2010. Santiago like a ghost town, with everyone at the coast for Valparaiso's renowned fireworks. A gem of a recently opened Art Deco hotel, where a mix up with our booking led to a delay checking in, and thus the loss of our planned afternoon's sight seeing, but leading to our paying for only one of the two rooms. 27 degrees, and an earlier sunset as we move further north to Santiago's wide boulevards, tree-lined streets and fin de siècle architecture. Out for our paseo to find somewhere to eat; we were assured that there would be nothing open, and strolled through Viña del Mar, an English development from the early twentieth century with a terrace of brightly coloured houses. Headed then for Bellavista, the old artesan quarter, where Pablo Neruda housed his mistress, at the foot of the hill in a large park. Had to fight our way through hordes of people streaming from the park where they had evidently been nursing their hangovers. Masses of restaurants open, so we stopped in a patio and had a meal. The waiter managed to knock the olive oil bottle onto the paved floor, which then splashed all over our rucksacks. Then bed, the brother's room (he gallantly took the smaller one) leading off an internal courtyard with whitewashed walls, black and white tiles and bamboo. The hotel's main staircase is an Art Deco treat, blocky curves and brass rail with steps of cool white stone. This morning, some problems with accessing the main blog page, as the Movistar mobile telephone company headquarters is right next door. Apologies if this has caused any confusion. A walking tour of Santiago, which took in the main sights, including the presidential palace where Salvador Allende died, and his statue outside. Also many stunning and graceful buildings from the early twentieth century, ending at the fabulous Museo de Bellas Artes, containing many treasures which we will not see as all museums in the city are closed on Monday. Nonetheless, plenty to see in Lasterria, and some excellent watering holes, where we sucked on fresh pineapple and mango juices to refresh ourselves. Off for a small siesta now, and supper at a veg restaurant tonight before an inhumanly early flight to Buenos Aires tomorrow. So sad that our time in South America is nearly over.