Vina del Mar

Bakerlite.co.uk

Vina del Mar is a charming resort near Valparaiso on the Pacific Ocean. The beaches are magnificent, the water is cold and clear. The Humboldt current keeps it that way except in the years of El Nino, but that's another story. We were there just for a few hours and to enjoy the bracing air.

	Valparaiso is in the background here.
Jean decides to risk it. She last paddled here, on this beach some 50 years ago.

We take lunch in a fine sea front restaurant. One of our group has a birthday this day and we celebrate it in the time honoured way.		The following day, we have an early start (not unusual on this trip) to catch an early plane to Punta Arenas, the most southerly city in the world. We are advised that the weather can be cold and almost certainly very windy and maybe wet.