Let me start this by saying it is faster to BUY a car in the USA than to rent one in Chile. It’s all good though. I got out of the Econorent office with a nice little Hyundai and a printout of Google map showing the route out of town! The Penguin helped navigate and we made it to stop #1 without incident!
About halfway between Santiago and Valparaiso is the Casablanca Valley, one of the cool climate wine regions in Chile. I stopped to enjoy some lunch and taste some wine at Verramonte.
Verramonte wines include some very nice labels such as Ritual, Primus and Neyen.
Navigating the twisty-turny streets of Valparaiso was interesting. I couldn’t take any pictures since I was driving and The Penguin doesnt have thumbs. Finding the hotel was a challenge and I was very happy that I got an international SIM card for the phone.
The hotel, Casa Puente, is nice. A bit understaffed, but pretty. And the view is quite lovely.
