So we have finally made it to our last day of our Pachamama tour and we headed back to Santiago. Maeve and Liam have become accustomed to sleeping or entertaining themselves on long rides.

Already left one neck pillow behind in Cusco, so Maeve is using Michael's now

After several hours traveling north we stopped for a tour of the Balduzzi Winery. This was a beautiful property. We learned about the changes they had made since the 1960 earthquake. The guide informed us they had lost hundreds of thousands of liters of wine in that earthquake. He still had a smile on his face, I was almost brought to tears.

One of the damaged metal wine containers from the 1960 Chilean earthquake. They have since made many improvements. They have some newer containers and have better stabilized others on right.

Rose bushes are often planted at the ends of vineyards. They can attract insects that can damage the vineyard first, so they serve as a warning or sacrificial plant.

After our tour, we headed toward Santiago again. This was our third stop here. We knew where we didn't want to be, and we had seen much of the center, so we thought we'd try a different part of town. I had contacted a hostel called Happy House Hostel. I was immediately drawn in by my correspondence with the booking personnel. Charlie had quite the sense of humor. After a few humorous emails, he had arranged for Maeve and Liam to have their own room near ours. We don't always get our own space, so this consideration was truly appreciated, especially in a hostel.

This was going to be a more relaxed visit. We had a few days to unwind before leaving Chile. Santiago was pretty hot now, reaching the 80's most days. Happy House had a lovely pool, but it wasn't heated. It was still spring and even though it was hot, there weren't many adventurous souls jumping in. That was not going to stop Maeve and Liam.

Maeve and I enjoying the cool water on a hot day....also my birthday.

While the kids were enjoying the hostel pool, I met with Ricardo, the Marketing and Sales Manager of Happy House Hostel. I shared our story and we exchanged travel experiences. He is definitely proud of this hostel and his country. Ricardo is a great guy who does his job well. He also shared some information on the hostel.

The Happy House Hostel was owned by the Larraín family, which because of its approach to political life in Chile, decided to build a family mansion in the most prestigious district of the city of Santiago, between 1910 and 1930 (currently Brasil neighborhood and also part of the great Yungay neighborhood). It was built by a Chilean architect Alberto Cruz Montt in 1910.

Later it belonged to the cheerful and socially active Saint-Jones Family, which owned some mining in the country and hosted many celebrations.

Not wanting to lose the vision of creating a place where guests feel very comfortable, Happy House bought and restored the mansion. The renovation preserved the original design of the French neoclassical style and incorporated touches of contemporary design, which generated a rejuvenated atmosphere.

Currently Happy House Hostel is modern and contemporary and pride themselves on custom service. The walls inside as you go up the stairs are painted in a creative and whimsicle style. Ricardo also shared some of the professional photos with me.

Lovely outside area to relax and have a drink

This was a great way to end our stay in Chile and to celebrate my birthday. Michael planned a lovely dinner at a vegetarian restaurant he found online. It was delicious! The kids made me special video cards. Times have changed.

I will definitely return to Chile to explore Patagonia in warmer months. Then I can plan detailed excursions and accommodations in the national park there. It was just too much to plan and cover this time around.

We loved Chile. We liked that it was modern and had all kinds of unusual places to explore. It's definitely a huge country so it's difficult to experience all it has to offer in a short period of time.

Family Favs:

Michael, Maeve and Liam loved Pucón. They liked the activities and the feel of the city. I think they all disliked the amount of rain there as well as the amount of travel involved between Chilean cities.

Kristin loved the Villarica Volcan climb probably more after than during. It was an amazing experience and I'm glad I did it earlier in our trip. Valparaiso was a special city too. My only dislike were some of the hostels we stayed in on our Pachamama tour.