COOL AND CLOUDY ON THE CENTRAL CHILEAN COAST

The weather since my arrival here on the central Chilean coast on New Year´s Eve has been mostly cool and cloudy - more typical to the December weather patterns than the usual January sunshine. That´s not been a problem for me, but no doubt it has meant a disappointing weekend for many vacationers from Santiago, although they seem intent to make the best of it regardless.

The map I have provided here shows the central coast between Valparaiso to the north and San Antonio to the south. If you click on it you will be able to see a larger version, and you will be able to see exactly where I am: El Tabo, just below the center of the map on the coastal road from Algarrobo and El Quisco to Cartagena and San Antonio.





Here is a larger map which shows the various routes one can take from Santiago to reach the central coastal region. My usual route heads west from Santiago on the Costanera Norte, which feeds into Highway No. 68 just past the international airport on the extreme west of the city. I follow that route through the two major tunnels (Lo Prado and Tunel Zapata) to the turnoff just east of Casablanca, whyich is signed to Algarrobo0 but which I turn off of on the side route to Tortoral, a small rural village. That route leads me directly into Isla Negra, the famous site of the poet Pablo Neruda´s famous coastal home, which is only a couple of kilometers north of El Tabo.

Anyway, there is not much happening here today, except that I am spending plenty of time reading and taking in the views overlooking the South Pacific.. In my next post I will venture to give some small reviews of my beach front summer reading. Chao...