Santiago Oct. 17 - 27, 2006 was the fifty-first annual Society for American Travel Writers (SATW) convention. This year, the travel writers met in the beautiful City of Santiago. This photo shows the National Fine Arts Museum, founded in 1880, which houses five thousand artworks representing the most important Chilean and European artists from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries. The city is also home to the Isabel Aninat Gallery, offering artwork from contemporary artists throughout Latin America. Santiago is a large city with busy streets and tall buildings. Look above the trees and you will see the Andes Mountains. If it's foggy, they hide. This is a little organic vegetarian restaurant called El Huerto, where I ate at least once a day during the convention. Visit on line: elHuerto.cl Address: Orrego Luco 054, Providencia, Santiago Metro: Estacion Pedro da Vandiva This was one of two hotels that hosted the three hundred and fifty delegates to our convention. The other hotel was the Grand Hyatt (Santiago.Grand.Hyatt.com). The Sheraton was a good choice for a vegetarian, because the great restaurant was a seven minute walk from the hotel. (Sharaton, Santiago). Along with the Bill Muster Photo Showcase photo contest, the convention hosted guest speakers like Bruce Koon and Sree Sreenevasan as guest speakers. Click here to see Bruce Koon's Journalists.org, home of the Online News Association. Sreenath Sreenivasan is dean of students and a professor at Columbia Journalism School and computer professor of SATW. Visit his website: Sree.net. Just north of Santiago we stopped to take a photo of this vineyard. Vina Del Mar This was home base for three days. The large tower in the center encloses three glass elevators and a wild circular staircase. All the rooms face the ocean and the hotel hangs out over the water. It has a great spa, restaurant, and even a convention center. Chile has a four thousand mile coastline. We spent five days at the convention, then three days exploring the coast north of Santiago. Here is a child's toy left on the beach. Inside the lobby of the Sheridan Miramar, Vina del Mar. Ocean view condos in Vina del Mar. Valparasio On to Valparasio, a World Heritage Site, where all the homes are antique. Visit Valparasio online: MuniciipalidadValparaiso.cl. The city is built on hills with staircases snaking around connecting the streets. An ocean view blue house in Valparasio. Green shutters and roses, Valparasio. The city is famous for its funiculars. Here is one on its way up the hill. Arriving at the station. Valparasio is an ancient port, still a busy place. Chile Military Chile has an active Armada that patrols the coast. Here are some photos of the gear we saw within the three days we were there taking photos. The Road to Zapallar Fifty-five miles north of Vina del Mar is the destination city, Zapallar, a beautiful resort village. Nearby is the Island of Chachagua Nature Sanctuary, where otters and Humboldt penguins hang. We ate lunch at the El Chiringuito restaurant, then watched pelicans dive into the waves for fish at this little sandy beach. It was raining pelicans. More views of the coast . . . Roll the Credits Visit Chile: Chile Corporacion de Promocion Turistica Visit-Chile.org Servicio Nacional de Turismo SernaTur.cl Tour Chile: SportsTour.cl Fly to Chile LAN.com Easter Island: MysteriousPlaces.com Society for American Travel Writers (SATW) website: SATW.org Photos by Nori Muster. Great to be home! These photos taken in Arizona after returning from Chile. The big bird landed on a boat just outside my front door at my new waterfront condo. It's a blue heron. Yes, this is Arizona! Not Chile!