Excursion into the Central Valley

The weekend following the party was a long one thanks to Columbus (more about him later) so we took the opportunity to have a change of scene by hiring a car and driving into the Central Valley south of Santiago to explore some of the famous vineyards, orchards and countryside in general.
Ruta 5, the main motorway which bisects Chile's already slim interior, is not particularly interesting in itself though it is pleasantly surprising how quickly one can actually get out of the city (traffic permitting). This being Chile however there are often unexpected sights to note on the motorway such as cyclists, pedestrians and of course stray dogs traversing the carriageways (often to their peril). We took advantage of the roadside vendors on the way back to stock up on fresh produce, filling every available space in the car with minor wonders from the fertile Colchagua valley such as sackfuls of potatoes, oranges, kiwis, avocados, strawberries, asparagus...
Back to the trip. After passing Rancagua we turned off the motorway at San Fernando, embarking on the aptly-named Ruta del Vino which was a meandering road flanked by endless vineyards and occasionally bursts of startlingly beautiful wild orange flowers. Eventually we reached our destination of Santa Cruz, the main town of the area and inevitably a gateway to the tourism, gastronomy and business of visiting vineyards, wine-tasting and buying wine. It was a good place to stay while exploring the area though the guidebooks had somewhat exaggerated its charm we found. As usual for Chile there was a stark contrast between the social classes; most of the town was unexceptional with some very dilapidated parts to it while a luxury five-star hotel and restaurant (with its own casino) occupied the central position in the main plaza...
Our own bed and breakfast was tucked away on the edge of the town but was perfectly comfortable for our purposes which were quite literal in this case. We dutifully visited a vineyard though chose one the girls would enjoy which included a tour of the vines by horse-drawn carriage... and were persuaded into tasting and buying some wine too. The vineyards themselves were somehow different to the ones we knew from the more familiar landscapes of France and Italy, not terraced nor set on undulating hills but organised on the plain and surrounded by countryside which was reminiscent of the Wild West... This was "huaso" (Chilean cowboy) territory after all.

The cowboy theme continued the next day as we set off on our first horse-ride, DD1 and I on one horse and DD2 and DH on the other, accompanied by a real-life "huaso" on a third horse. We had expected to be led around a field for half an hour or so therefore were most surprised when our guide took us for what turned out to be a two-hour trek into open countryside. Despite some initial fears such as how to control one's horse it was very atmospheric and I for one felt like a character from a western. DD1 spent most of the time complaining she was being squashed and panicking every time the horse broke into a trot while DD2 was blissfully blithe, held firmly by DH who lost then regained his stirrups... but we all made it safely to the end, muscles aching but exhilarated by our latest adventure...