After Valparaiso the next stop was Vina del Mar, a naval port, fifteen minutes up the coast on a little train. The town itself lacks the colourful charm of Valparaiso but Vina still has a lot going for it. For one thing it was the location of our next blessed laundry session, which wasn´t to be sniffed at, unlike our heavily soiled garments. The town also has a beach or two which, although the water was definitely too cold to go paddling, were quite acceptable for a spot of relaxing and getting sand stuck to everything. While strolling along the promenade we chanced upon some gigantic navy guns pointing out to sea. Later that day we did the allegedly short walk, according to the clearly not to scale map, and were delighted to discover, amid the low-rise blocks of the town, one solitary, ill-conceived sky scraper protruding incongruously on the horizon. So, as you can see, it really was all go in Vina del Mar. I still don't know how we coped with all that adrenaline. Apart from the aforementioned mad capers, a lot of sunset watching took place, mainly because the colours looked beautiful and eerie in contrast to the cold metal bulk of the menacing war ships. Probably the highlight of our short stay occurred on our last night in Vina del Mar. While sitting at a beachside bar staring ourselves blind at the dipping sun, it became apparent that we had underestimated the need for warm weather gear once again. Obviously accustomed to the stupidity of these ill-prepared gringos, the kindly waiter brought us out some fluffy blankets, thus stemming the onset of hypothermia and possibly death. Thanks Nice Waiter Man!
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