Viña Del Mar (Fri 4/2)

Stats:
- 2 people duped on a hotel...
- 2 non-beach people "beaching it"
- Too many to count ice cream extravaganzas
- 1 great dinner

Four nights in Valpo was enough to 1) see everything we were interested in seeing, and 2) get sick of the filth and dogs.  So, we took a taxi about 7 miles north to Viña Del Mar.  Viña is where the Chileans go when they want to go to the beach.  We are not heat or beach people, but we wanted to check it out.  Given that our plan A fell apart with the earthquake, we are making up a plan B.  And, we had a first choice hotel in Viña, but we could only get a "smoking" room.  So, we had to book into a different hotel.  Let me tell you, photos can lie.  Reviews on Trip Advisor can also lie.  We checked into the worst hotel we have seen since we left the Carretera Austral.  There is one significant difference.  This is the first time we have had the "privilege" of paying $157 per night for both pink and black mold in the bathroom.  Arn said something we the front desk about the contrast between the internet photos and the room.  They said all the rooms look the same.  Maybe they took photos of a different hotel?  Anyway, they knocked $27 off the rate.  It is still crazy for where we are staying.

We left our stuff and took to the streets to walk around.  We walked along the beach with the thousands of people that have left Santiago and come to the beach for Easter.  The temperatures are actually nice --- 70s and sunny.  We left the beach and headed to the mall.  There was a movie theatre in the mall.  We decided to have lunch in the food court and catch a movie.  It was McDonalds for lunch and "Lovely Bones" in the theatre.  Did you know you cannot get a hamburger without cheese in these parts?  Arn asked for a cheeseburger (for me) without the cheese.  She looked puzzled.  I had a kids cheeseburger --- with the cheese.  The movie was very well done and we both recommend it.  I had read the book, but Peter Jackson did a better job with the movie than the author did with the book.  I rarely say that, but this time I think it applies.

After the movie, we walked around looking for a laundry place for tomorrow.  Given the holiday, most things are closed today and will be closed for the weekend.  During our stroll, we decided to get ice cream.  We found the same ice cream chain that exists in Santiago.  It was packed.  It was toe to toe and nose to nose.  They have a good system.  You pay for your ice cream first.  You are given a number.  When they call your number, you order what you want.  So, we had time to watch a lot of ice cream go by.  They also have a cafe where people sit and order ice cream.  I saw something I had never ever seen before.  A woman built an ice cream sundae in a bowl large enough to hold a ten pound sleeping cat!  I kid you not --- she scooped in at least 12 scoops of ice cream and the ice cream did not even reach the top edge of the clear glass bowl.  It was an insane amount of ice cream!  As we walked through the cafe, we laughed --- we only hope some of the ice cream consumed was a meal replacement strategy because huge sundaes abounded on the tables everywhere.  Arn had a cone with two flavors --- raspberry and dulce de leche with chocolate chips.  I had a single flavor cone with mousse chocolate.  The cones were SO huge they served them upside in a plastic bowl.

We enjoyed the ice cream and the walk to our moldy room. We watched most of the movie "Titanic" before heading out for dinner.  We had a great meal --- smoked salmon and a steak to share. The restaurant reviews in Viña are not great.  So, we made a reservation for the same place tomorrow night.  Tonight, we tried a wine from the Aconcagua Valley.  It was a fantastic Camenere.