Yerbas Buenas

Apart from being a "well-preserved colonial village", the one thing I shall always remember about Yerbas Buenas (translated by the Dimminutive One as "The Good Weeds", which I'm sure would attract a certain kind of visitor) was the drunk chap in the street. He was sat alongside a parked car, inspecting the peeling go-faster stripes. This wouldn't have been such an issue if he´d chosen the pavement side of the vehicle. This rather badly thought out decision saw him positioned in the middle of the road. As you can see from the pictures, heavy traffic isn't a problem, although he was running the risk of getting a squashed hand from a passing tractor.
It was worth noting that it was only about 11 in the morning, so he'd clearly made an early start to the day. You could hear him singing within a four block radius, and we both burst out laughing when suddenly, breaking off from the wailing, he cordially greeted a passer by with a fairly formal "Buenas Dias Señor!".

Huilquilemu - Villa Cultural (complete with Last Supper)

A few miles east of Talca, there's a large, old colonial pile, that is now stuffed full of religious gumpf. The place looks a bit like the original curator was ousted half way through his plan to have a fairly standard museum. A few days after completeing the period drawing room, complete with grand piano and period furniture, said curator was sacked, only to be replaced by a Catholic nut. Said nut demanded, and promptly got, a lifesize model of the last supper, complete with spooky lighing (operated by dimmer switch), in the back bedroom. He, or she, then set about rounding up whatever freako Catholo paintings and crosses he/she could find, threw in a cafe (closed on Saturdays forgodsake), and called it Villa Cultural Huilquilemu. As a back yard they've got a selection of trees from around the world, all lumped together in a garden. Best place for trees.

Linares Plaza

Linares, about 4 hours south of Santiago, has a nice Plaza. Look at the pictures.






The lovely Hotel Turismo, where we served a 12 hour sentence, had all the grace and charm of a Soviet era Novosibirsk young offenders institute.