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Valparaiso, Chile's principal port and second largest city is 120 km from the capital.
I have often wondered about the factors that have determined the choice of a particular site for the founding of a new city. Sometimes the advantages of a particular site are so obvious that the question does not arise but, in my opinion, that is not the case for Santiago and Valparaiso. Why was Santiago built so far from the sea? Was there no port site better than Valparaiso, one where the city would have had room to expand?
I know that it's none of my business to ask such questions, but I just wonder how much weight chance and circumstances have relatively to logic in the making of such important decisions?
As for Viña del Mar, it obviously would not exist had it not been for its great sand beach and the proximity of the two big cities, Valparaiso 15 km and Santiago 135 km away.
Viña del Mar is exactly the same as a number of places around the world such as Mar de Plata in Argentina, Acapulco in Mexico, Torremolinos in Spain, Durban in South Africa, Surfer's Paradise in Australia or Waikiki Beach in Hawai to name only a few of them. These places are so much alike that I think they must make an special effort to copy each other.
Just across the Andes, is the city of Mendoza in Argentina which is the southern limit reached by the roads of the remarkable Inca empire. The courageous but unorganised and nomadic Mapuche Indians were able to stop the Inca's progression no doubt partly because of the logistics problems caused by the 3000 km distance from Cuzco.
The bus ride from Santiago to Mendoza was a treat for a lover of mountains scenery like myself.
At about 120 kms from Santiago the bus has to climb this incredible series of switchbacks called "Los Caracoles" just before going through the "Cristo Redentor" tunnel to reach the border at an altitude of 3150 metres.
The border formalities leaving Chile and entering Argentina were surprisingly efficient for South America.
On the bus I met Mara who was going to Mendoza to buy parts for her car over the weekend. This young lady was a successful entrepreneur running a courier service in Santiago. From a modest beginning with one bicycle that she rode herself, she built-up an on-going business with dozens of motorcyclists working for her.
That a woman could succeed as well as she did was a good point for Chile, it would have been unthinkable in many other South American countries.
Not far from the border I got a glimpse of the highest peak in the Andes, the 7035 metre Aconcagua.
On the western side of the Andes, the mountains were generally composed of dark coloured granitic rocks while the eastern side offered breathtakingly beautiful views of delicate pink sedimentary rock peaks.
It was summer in February so this fashionable ski resort, which is very busy in winter, was empty save for a small number of hikers who don't need the thrill of skiing to appreciate the mountains.
When the Spanish first crossed over the Andes to come here in 1550 they found a fertile, artificially irrigated valley worked by the Huarpe Indians who had learned technology and arts from the Inca.
After almost two weeks in the Santiago area I used the excellent Chilean busses to move south, stopping on the way in Chillan and here in Villarrica.
I found that the Lake District looked very much like home. There are no volcanoes in Quebec and the mountains are not as high but there are lots of lakes and the land is similarly wooded. The climate is also similar, our summer months, June, July and August, are very much like January February and March here.
Also, the abundance of lumber has led to building wooden houses in both places. This wooden house near Lago Villarrica would not be out of place in the Laurentian mountains near Montreal, some 9000 kms due north of here!
Of course, you won't see Spanish signs in Quebec, Maine or Vermont but you might see small villages that look like this one.
There are of course differences in style, like this church for example.
It is easy to see why Valdivia chose this place for the city that was to bear his name. It's a great site at the confluence of the Rio Calle-Calle seen here from my hotel window and of the Rio Valdivia shown on the next photo.
I found Valdivia to be a laid-back place with friendly, easy to meet people. A happy bunch of locals were drinking beer, dancing and having a good time on a sunny Saturday afternoon in this floating restaurant taken from the bridge over the Valdivia river.
Somebody knows what to do with his money!
Valdivia's site has everything going for it. Its two rivers join into a large estuary that closes down to a narrows just before flowing into the Pacific. The Spanish built forts on both sides of the narrows at Corral and Niebla to control the access to what looks like a great natural harbour.
I wonder why Valdivia did not grow to be much larger than it did?
There was a country fair at Niebla that Sunday so it took a boat down the estuary to see it and crossed the narrows to visit the Corral Fort while I was here.
In 1820 during the war of independence, the famous Scottish mercenary Lord Thomas Cochrane added to his considerable fame by successfully attacking this stronghold with only one ship and 300 men while it was defended by 700 men and a hundred canons.
