After leaving the metropolis of Santiago, we hopped on a bus for the 80-mile ride to the coastal city of Viña del Mar. Viña is the upscale suburb of the gritty port city of Valparaiso, and is home to many hotels and an old casino (which we wandered into one night after dinner and lost $4 on the slot machines).

We were in town just before the summer season starts when the tourists fill the hotels, bars, and beaches. Although we had hoped to make time to swim in the beach ourselves, the weather stayed too cool and windy for a dip.

So instead we wandered the city and enjoyed the ocean views, a museum with an excellent collection of Easter Island artifacts, and even did a little shopping to replace some clothing I managed to lose at some point during the trip.

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