Braeden is his usual lively self - even with a damaged knee - no concessions. Luckily he can't move very fast when you take his crutches away.

Pub night calls!

The Last Supper

With a 21.45 hrs departure for Toronto, we had a full day to fill on Thursday. Our hosts were happy for us to stay for as long as we wanted but we got on the road just after midday and drove cross country to Casablanca in time for a late lunch at the Casas del Bosque. We were too late to visit the winery when we were in Casablanca last week but they gave us such a friendly reception we decided that it would be a nice way to finish our stay in Chile.

We chose their food & wine pairing menu and the food was excellent, perfectly matched to the four wines that they gave us. One of our best meals and a fabulous location -not sure the picture does it justice!

From there it was a a quick blast down the motorway to the airport to drop of the car and the joys of long-haul travel.

Alamo - like most of their fellow car rental companies - lived up to form; first they couldn't find the original reservation and were unable to calculate the costs, then when they did find it, they charged a $120 penalty on the rental cost because they had no record of my request to extend the rental period by a week - despite an email and a phone call to confirm the extension and the absence of any penalty. After a lengthy discussion (just as well we had plenty of time for check-in) we had to pay 50% of the charge in return for the contact details of their General Manager to whom our complaint will be addressed. Will refrain from further comment until I see his response.

The Air Canada flight was full, long and took a very bumpy road north - otherwise uneventful arriving on time in a dry mild Toronto morning. Jim was waiting to meet us and provide Starbucks for breakfast-how good can it be!

A further thought

Forgot to mention that just as the towns and cities feel safe and secure, the countryside is equally benign. There do not appear to be any snakes or bugs to bite or poison you and there have been very few mosquitoes - haven't even seen a cockroach - probably explains why camping is so popular!

Thoughts on Chile

We have enjoyed our time here, it was an excellent choice for our winter break and we have generally been impressed by all we have seen.

Firstly, everything works – which is a contrast to some of the South American or Asian countries that we have visited – just like being at home. It is safe, secure, generally litter-free and comfortable. It is also a very affluent place - lots of new cars and families on holiday - not much sign of homelessness or begging on the streets, although there were the usual one or two who looked like they needed the money for another drink.

Travel is easy – they must have one of the best bus systems in the world – and the roads are generally good with lots of improvement programmes in progress. There has been plenty to see and do - from the lakes, volcanoes and national parks to the wineries, thermal springs and beaches - and we didn't make it to the far south or to the northern deserts.

Being here in the height of the holiday season has been challenging at times but if you came here in November, December or March, you would avoid most of this. Definitely a great place for a holiday and perhaps even better for those with young families – there are so many activities to entertain kids of all ages.

It has proved more expensive than we expected – much the same as the costs at home – but the wine is cheaper and the fruit and vegetables, which are of such good quality. The food has been good – excellent meat, fish and seafood – but the cooking has been plain and quite ordinary. There are probably only 2 or three meals that stand out.

I commented on the police (Carabineros – or carbonaras as Linda insists!) in Santiago and their presence has been notable throughout our travels but not in an oppressive way – perhaps it is just high-visibility policing.

The people have been friendly and helpful where ever we have interacted with them although at other times they can seem distant and disinterested – a little like being in London where people are too busy or stressed to notice those around them.

I should have improved my Spanish before we arrived – learning on the trip has provided some amusing lessons but thankfully few misunderstandings. Over the last couple of weeks I have managed a few lengthy conversations but I am always conscious of how poorly I speak the language. If you are planning to travel here, you need to have a basic level of the language to be able to eat, drink and get around.

Who needs a hairdryer?

Guess that's it then!

Our last home in Chile has proved the ideal place to finish our trip. Our room - at one end of the house - has a great deck and a pool and sits on a slight rise surrounded by the fields - oranges to one side and corn, onions, grazing for the horses on the other along with a variety of other fruit trees. A great place to relax and prepare for our return to reality and all the jobs that need to be done at Moyhill.

Wednesday is our last full day and there is a very good chance that it will be much like today - walk around the fields after breakfast followed by a swim before driving into town for lunch and a little shopping for some snacks for supper. By the time we get back it will be too hot for anything but the pool and perhaps a cold beer or two.

On our evening stroll through the orange groves we were joined by the 5 dogs and a young ginger cat who kept us company the whole way. They come to check up on us when we are sitting on the deck but never overstay their welcome.

The temperature drops as the sun sets, but still warm enough to sit outside and read until it is properly dark and the night sky is revealed in all its glory. I am getting better at identifying the stars but there is such a profusion of them that I need to go back to the star-charts for reference.