San Antonio 4th February 2018

San Antonio is the gateway port for Santiago, the capital of Chile. We had planned an early start to catch a bus to the city, but while on the shuttle that was taking us to the bus station, the tourist guide asked where we were heading (which was Santiago) and offered to take us there and show us around for $20 each. Considering that P&O were charging £65 per person just to take us there and back, we felt that we were getting a bargain!  The rest of the passengers also agreed so off we went, without the guide just the driver.

The only major problem was the the driver hadn’t bothered to learn English! But us plucky Brits managed to save the day, and with some careful hand signals and some writing down of the 24hr clock and pictures, we managed to get by!

One of the best views of the city is from the top of San Cristóbal Hill. The minibus could only get us 1/2 way up so we had to walk the rest. As you can see from the facial expressions it was quite a challenge in the 30c heat!

This is the view from the top of San Cristóbal Hill. Well worth the effort.

The statue of the blessed Virgin Mary on top of the hill has a fantastic panoramic view of the city of Santiago below.

So would Kev and Val if only they turned around!

The view from another angle, if you look carefully you can see Janes bright white trousers as she climbs back down again.

After the climb my face was as pink as my shirt, Jane remained looking perfectly cool!

This is the main square early on the Sunday morning before things really started getting going!

It really did start a llama bells ringing when I saw this animal out on a Sunday all on his own.

Its a reflection of how things change…. Chile is now one of the more affluent countries in South America and you can see immense wealth and extreme poverty side by side.

This is the top of Santa Lucía Hill right in the centre of the city, not as high as San Cristóbal Hill but a lot closer to the action and you could see a lot more of what is going on, and hear all the hub-bub of the city.

A panoramic view from the top of Santa Lucía Hill.

This police lady was guarding the President’s Palace, I don’t think I would like to mess with her, but maybe on second thoughts…….!!