Santiago, Valparaiso and Easter Island Pics and recommendations

Here are the full picture albums. I had technical issues with picasaweb and may need to find another vendor.. couldn't label many of the pics, they get scrambled during import and only a portion get pulled in. Very frustrating. I tried to reorder then as best as possible within a reasonable amount of time.

Santiago

Santiago 9/2015

Easter Island

Easter Island

Valparaiso

Valparaiso 9/2015

Recommendations:
Santiago

• Sur Patagonica restaurant (Lastarria)
• Plaza de Armas
• Catedral Metropolitano
• Basilica de la Merced
• Free Walking tours (excellent!)
• Correo Central (post office)
• Museo Chileno de Arte Precolumbian
• La Moneda (presidential palace). The changing of the guard ceremony is impressive if you can catch it (every few days)
• Citizen Square
• New York Street
• Mulato (Lastarria) empanadas, good pisco sour, merkem spice
• Parque Forrestal
• Bellavista (patio bellavista)
• La Chascona (Pablo Neruda's house/museum)
• San Cristobal (amazing views)
• Santa Rita and Concho y Toro wineries
• Pomaire

Easter Island:

• Marae Cabins
• Haku Honu restaurant
• Hanga Roa Harbor
• Kia Koe tours (more affordable than many options and good guides)
• Aka Hanga ruins
• Tonariki moai
• Rano Raraku quarry
• Anakena beach
• Te Ra'ai (traditional show)
• Ranu Kao volcano and Orongo caves
• Vinapu
• Kuki Varui restaurant
• Te Moana restaurant (excellent and great value, nice sunset view-- if you have sun!)
• Ahu Tahai ceremonial plaza
• La Kaleta (simple fare, good sunset view on the harbor)

Valparaiso:

• Free walking tour
• La Sebastiana (Pablo Neruda house/museum)
• Av Brasil- amazing murals and statues
• Lukas museum (cartoonist)
• Plaza Sotomayor (and consider a boat ride to see the city view and sea lions)
• Hotel Gervese (best pisco sours and nice view!)
• Cerro Concepcion- neighborhood with great wall art, restaurants, art vendors (oldest funicular)

We never found good restaurants here and ate a good number of empanadas- simple and inexpensive. Mi Casa and Cinzano restaurants I would NOT recommend. Cinzano is the oldest in the area and over 100 years old. I didn't like the food, the decor or the service so cannot recommend.

I also wouldn't recommend the Ibis Hotel. It's right on the water which we thought would be great, however, given that earthquakes happen frequently, they had no policy posted as to what to do, and locked us out of the hotel when we tried to go back after the evacuation at 1:30 am with no note posted. People who were in the hotel were assisted finding other accommodations. Given that earthquakes happen frequently, I would recommend staying higher up. :)