I had intended to cross from southern Argentina to southern Chile, but the big earthquake in Chile (which people in my hostel in Bariloche felt but which I slept through) necesitated a change in my plan. So I double-backed on my route (i.e. I again did the 20 hour trip from the Lake District to Mendoza) and went from Mendoza to Santiago. Although it was a bit of a mission, crossing the Andes and watching the most amazing electrical storm I´ve ever seen made the trip memorable for the right reasons.
Santiago was the first really big city I´ve visited in quite awhile (it was my first time on an underground metro system since Mexico City). The main image of the two sunny days there was seeing Chilean flags everywhere, with ones in official buildings flying at half mast - the earthquake has certainly stirred up alot of patriotic feelings.
From Santiago I went to the coastal city of Valpariso. Parts of this city are listed by UNESCO as being "world heritage sites" - sometimes I don´t know what those UNESCO people were thinking, as most of Valpariso was a just a grubby port with lots of shanty towns. But I will always remember Valpariso because while on the way to the beach we felt a tremor which was quickly followed by a tsunami warning; so we joined everyone in the city as they headed for the hills.
It was quite exciting at the start, but after two hours of sitting on high ground looking at the sea the novelty had worn off. Still, good to have an earthquake/tsunami story.
I then headed north to the pretty seaside town of La Serena. The highlight of my two days there was going stargazing at an observatory. Due to its dry climate and consequent lack of clouds, this part of Chile is ranked as one of the best in the world to see stars. The tour was excellent and seeing Saturn and its rings through a telescope was certainly memorable.
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