The Seafood Down Here is Worth Writing Home About

I´m back from Valparaiso and it´s neighbouring beach, Viña del Mar. One was interesting and the other disappointing. The weather was chilly and foggy at Viña, not making it great for the beach. But the sun shone like a bastard just two kilometers to the south in Valparaiso. We were warm despite the crisp sea air. The town has an authentic Chilean feel (unlike Santiago), given that this is a popular tourist destination for Santiago residents. It had a great fish market that really gave you a sense of how things are done outside of Santiago. After a great meal (see below) we headed back to the beach where massive waves rolled in off the beach (do not see above). I got my feet wet just to say that I'd been in the Pacific ocean.

I´ve been hanging here a little too long I think. Heat makes me sedentary and sluggish. After an unsuccessful attempt to land a seat this morning, I'll be on my way at 7:50am tomorrow by bus to Mendoza . I think I will have to come back here if I want to fly to Buenos Aires, but I´m going to double check once I get to Mendoza. No worries though.

The seafood down here is fantastic, and while not cheap on the same level as Argentinian restaurants, the quality is spectacular. A nice simple glass of Sauvignon Blanc thrown into the meal and you're still escaping for under ten dollars. Monster mussels, squid done in olive oil and some locally spiced sauces, beautiful and delicious prawns and the most magnificent salmon I´ve ever eaten (had it as sushi and it just melted in the mouth, then again in a French restaurant with a white wine cream sauce that was again spectacular). Decent sea bass escapes me though, and once bitten, I've been twice shy about trying it again after a horrible experience in a tourist trap on my first day here.