Viña de Mar

I was so taken with Neruda's Santiago house that I looked into a tour bus, primarily to see another Neruda house. People said that you have to see Viña del Mar and Valparaiso, and that tour included a Neruda house. Cost: $70. Time: 1 day. They pick you up at your hotel and not included is lunch and the Neruda Museum entry fee.

On the bus I meet a Spaniard gentleman, Manuel, who is a professor of history at the University of Sevilla. We hang out and have lunch together.

His accent is much easier to understand than that of Carlos Barragan, my roommate in Portillo who lives in the north of Spain. I also get to try out some of my new Portuguese with three gals from Brazilia who are food inspectors for the Brazilian government. On the way we stop for a coffee break and the bus is unable to shut the rear door. We are delayed nearly an hour, but they finally figure it out.

Viña is quite elegant, with stately houses.

We visit the house and garden of the founder of the city, Jose Vergara.

The house is under repair from the 2010 earthquake. The gardens are beautiful and ornate.

We eat at a mediocre restaurant, but some musicians come in who play some great music and I buy 2 CDs from them and get their picture on the beach.

The view across the water to Valparaiso is pretty.

The homeless on the beach, not so much.