We have booked a tour to Cajon del Maipo with wine and empanadas today.  Right up our alley – the Andes, food, drinks!  We know we won’t be as lucky as we have the last week with private tours, but we are hoping for the best.  Our Guide, Alvaro, and driver, Alexandro, pick us up right on time and we drive about Santiago picking up others at different hotels.  There are 8 others on the tour – and 6 of them are on the HAL cruise with us!  Hopefully we’ll all gel, but that’s yet to be seen.

With all aboard, we start off on our drive up into the Andes and through the Maipo valley.  During the 2 hour drive – with one restroom stop – Alvaro gives us a running commentary about Santiago – a province with 9 million people; the country – there are 16 regions in Chile; the are where we are headed, San Jose de Maipo – the biggest region in the area with mountains, a small city of 24,000 and big on outdoor activities.  There’s not much to see in the beginning, we are just leaving the city, but Alvaro’s commentary helps pass the time.  We learn that Maipo means fertile lands and that the Maipo valley lies between 2 rivers – the Maipo and and Mapucho – the end of which flows through Santiago right outside our apartment.  The Condor is the national symbol, as well as local deer, but there are only about 1500 deer left in the country.  The hills around us are now more green than city blocks as Alvaro points out the walnut and almond trees planted around.

Finally getting out into the mountains, we drive alongside the Yeso river, which is clear, not muddy like the Maipo.  The road out here is really rough, with some areas just dirt from the rockslides and wash outs with waterfalls flowing down and across the road.  You can totally see why most attempts at reforestation in the mountains have failed because of the rocky soil.

Alvaro picks a lovely viewpoint for us to stop and stretch our legs.  The Yeso river is below us and makes for great photos of the terrain, as well as us in front of it!  Unfortunately, as we are getting out of the van, one of the women tripped and fell out the door, landing hard on the rough rocky road – cutting her hand and knee and completely smashing her mobile phone.  The husband had already gotten out and was over by the lookout, when we called him and Alvaro back to help.  The phone screen is pretty well smashed, but he said he had a screen protector, which we tell him to just leave on – not to mess with it – and relayed our story of how we had done the same thing and the screen and phone lasted 4 months until we could trade it in.  The lady says she is ok, and after she gets some bandages we all breath a sigh of relief and try to enjoy the view.

Back on the bus, the fall-lady’s husband promptly pulls the screen protector off, and yeah, you guessed it, the screen is shattered and now useless.  Oh well…..  Driving along, the barren mountains rise up above us until we pass the El Yeso dam and arrive at the Cajon del Maipo – the lake-filled canyon that is our destination.  It is absolutely gorgeous here – the turquoise blue lake contrasting against the sand colored mountains.  You can see snow in the crevices at the top of the peaks and once we walk a little ways away from the rest of the group – it is wondrously peaceful and quiet. 

We have 45 minutes here and make the best of them, walking down the road alongside the lake and climbing atop a huge granite boulder for better views.  Even though it is a long way to drive – so worth it for the views and the experience!

This is as far as we go into the Andes today, turning back now to visit the Salta el Yeso, the Yeso waterfalls.  Salta is the name for any waterfall, which is weird, because in Spanish it is typically cascada.  Salto is an alternative, but it is usually masculine.  Go figure!  I’ll never learn the language…sigh….At any rate, we start to see waterfalls even before we arrive to our next stop – off to the side of the road, cascading down into streams by local’s shacks. 

Arriving at Salta, we are given free time to wander around the trails and go down to visit the actual waterfall.  Before we do though, we stop to take a good look at the Mesa Alta, the flat-topped glacier we can clearly see from the little bridge that leads to the waterfall.  Amazing – we are so warm right here, and that huge thick glacier is right up above us!

Also here we find a great iron representation of a Condor – the national symbol remember – and fabulous waterfalls. 

Along another trail, we can see the rapidly rushing river that is heading toward the falls.  With the stunning craggy mountain peaks and glacier backdrop.  Fantastic.

Then it is time for our picnic!  Fabulous Chilean wine, crackers, chips and this great spread of cream cheese with soy sauce drizzled on top.  That was super delicious and something to remember once we are home.  We spend some time here chatting with our fellow passengers and learn that the fall-lady and husband are basically crazy Canadians – like literally crazy. She is spouting every conspiracy theory known to man, going off on some consortium or another that is taking over the governments.  Um…thank heavens we are getting on a big ship!

Back on the bus we head down the mountains, passing farmland with little community complexes, many more waterfalls and roads along the now muddy Maipo river being repaired from rockslides and erosion, all the while listening to whacko-Canada lady interject stupid comments into conversations of which she isn’t a part. 

Finally we arrive at our next stop, Casa Chocolate, a bizarre fairy tale looking house that is home to a chocolate shop – where of course we have to buy chocolates and also taste the ice cream which Alvaro raves about.  When in Rome…or Maipo as the case may be. And no, we have no idea why the house is built in a fairy tale-type architecture.  Just that it supposedly was built with all recycled materials.  It’s a sweet – and cute – little stop and a nice way to spend a few minutes – and have a restroom break!

Our final stop of the day is in the little town of San Jose de Maipo where we will have our empanadas.  Interestingly enough, we are getting them from a food truck parked on the street outside of a food market.  Hey – whatever – we’re going with the flow.  Although the only thing to drink is water or juice.  No beer, no wine. Bummer.  But that is easily handled.  The empanadas take 15 mintues to make, because they are making them fresh, so we give Alvaro our order, then wander down the street, past the Plaza de Armas and cool architecture to the little grocery store – and voila – beer. 

Of course we aren’t sure we can drink it out in the open on the street – and Alvaro isn’t so sure either – so we compromise!  Instant koozie! Just use an empanada wrap.  We’re all good!  Now if only we could get our empanadas.  Somehow our orders got mixed up and our chicken empanada and Jamon empanada are given to another couple who don’t realize they got the wrong thing – and we end up with vegetarian ones.  Alvaro realizes his mistake – and quickly reorders ours – which come after another 10 minutes and are still wrong – but we aren’t complaining!  Regardless of the fillings, they are still hot and fresh and good.  It’s a little late for lunch, but we’ve basically just been snacking all day and aren’t full or stuffed, so not a problem.

The rest of the ride home goes well – and quietly, fortunately.  We wish all our fellow travelers well, telling the nice ladies traveling together (well one nice, one sorta not) that we’ll see them on the ship – and we are back at our apartment without a hitch.  Lovely day – whacko passengers notwithstanding. 

Later, we venture out for dinner, landing at La Ofelia Restobar, right around the corner from the apartment.  We are one of only 2 tables occupied on the outside terrace and since we are in no rush, we sort of hang out watching the goings on inside with the staff and the public walking by on the sidewalk. We figure out that this is a Gay bar/resto, and that pretty much we are in the LBGTQ area here.  (We sort of noticed that in the apartment building too.)  We get to chatting with the server – the guy they call to speak English to us! – and after a while, he tells us to be careful around here at night.  Now is ok, but late night is not good.  Ok – so our airport taxi guy was right!  But we have no worries, since we’re eating and then heading back to the apartment.

And eat we do!  We order everything to share – excellent little Arepitas, which are miniature arepas stuffed with a yummy avocado crema, Tequenos, fried cheese wrapped in the best pastry dough! And an excellent main of Pollo ala Mostaza – a mustard/oil sauce that is amazing, served atop creamy mashed potatoes.  Awesome last night meal in Santiago!

Back at the apartment, we organize our bags then hit the balcony for our last nightcaps here in Santiago, staring out at the Andes as the lights of the city come alive around us.  Onto our first FlixBus ride and our Oosterdam home away from home tomorrow.