Last day in Santiago and then home

Today is the last day, as my flight home is this evening.

Tricia, Amy and Laura and I went to Sky Costanera to catch the view from the top. There is a lot of smog, trapped by the magnificent Andes. The city of Santiago is quite large, now that we can see it from this height. We can also see San Cristobal Hill below us.

Afterwards, Amy and Laura head to their new hotel, and Tricia and I take an Uber to La Chascona, Pablo Neruda's house in the city. It's a unique place, designed for his secret lover at the time (who he eventually married). The house is small and compact with narrow metal stairs connecting the different levels. The rooms are covered with art work as he was friends with many renowned Latin artists. He also collected unique items from different places, where he was stationed representing Chile in different official capacities. The neighbourhood where the house is located is Bellavista where we dined at Como Agua para Chocolate. It's a really cool neighbourhood with lots of restaurants, bars, small shops. We find a plaza with restaurants where we have a late lunch which drags on because the waiter screwed up somehow, which is annoying. To make me feel better, I got myself a gelato and they have lucuma! It's just as delicious as ice cream as it was in the cake.

We get back to the hotel for our shuttle to the airport with a few other people from our group. Anne-Marie and Sheryl are on my flight but they're in first class.

The flights are smooth and my first experience with Global Entry (in Houston) is great!

It's so good to be home, after a truly unique and memorable vacation.