We left La Serena and drove into the next town, Coquimbo. We spotted a large cross on a hill and drove up to have a closer look. It was modern, made of concrete, and called the Cross of the 3rd Millennium - impressive but rather ugly.
We passed through green valleys where there were many radar traps. We also experienced quite a lot of fog before we came into Santiago. We were all staying at the Hotel Carrera in the centre of the city and some other Inca Trail people were also there - the Marklands, Paul and Charlie, the Moffatts in the Bentley and Gae and Simon Gaul, the newly-weds for whom the Inca Trail was meant to be their honeymoon! In fact, they have been doing their own thing since the beginning of the Rally and this was the first time we have seen them for weeks.
We had a club sandwich in the bar with Colin, then went on a guided tour of the city with a driver, Luis. It was very enjoyable. We saw many public buildings, Bellavista, the University and went to the hill of Santa Lucia where we walked around and took photos.
Then, we went to San Christobal, a park where there is a statue of the Virgin Mary high on a hill. It was a gift from France.
There were stunning views over the city which is very green, but with quite a few skyscrapers. We could see the Andes with snow on the top.
At the hotel, we had tea on the roof by the swimming pool, where again we could see the snow-topped mountains. We also had our dinner there. It is a most idyllic spot and even the Queen has visited this hotel. I would like to stay here.
Distance driven today 296 miles and total since Rio, 6,728 miles.
