suggestions for Chile, Uraguay, Argentina.

[pmrid]

This February, my wife and I are heading for South America by way of a retirement present to ourselves - on a cruise - with stops in Santiago, Montivideo and Beunos Aires with a few ports in between - essentially a cruise around the horn for 2 weeks with a couple of days in Santiago on the way in and the same in Buenos Aires on the way out. Wondering if anyone had any recommendations for things to see and do, restaurants, wines, etc in that part of the world.
No time to get to Atacama I'm afraid.

Peter

[OICURMT]

I agree, limited time means local things only... this is my list.

I haven't been to South America in a while (I used to work in Latin America from 1990-2000), some places were starting to get run down and other were starting to see an increase in crime. Don't know how some would be today...


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Chile: I have family here, last time I saw them was in 1997 (My mother is Perúvian)

Plaza de Armas - A lot of historical buildings in the area.
San Cristobal - Take the funicular up unless you love exertion
Lastarria
Parque Forestal
IF you happen to stop in Punta Areñas, then there is ONE place you need to frequent is the bar of the Los Navegantes Hotel. A lot of scientist who are on their way to Antarctica stay here and the conversations you can strike up are incredible... The other place is the German bar, called Alemán's (Spanish for German).

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Montevideo (1996): Not really much to do ... Depending on your timing, I'd suggest renting a car and taking a trip to Punta del Este to the beaches and then take the ferry back over to Buenos Aires to catch up with your cruise ship... if not, then:

Old town
Parque Prado (and the botanial gardens)
Rambla (maybe... nice, but little else to do)
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Buenos Aires (1996): I have family here as well... My favorite city in the world!

La Recoleta (don't forget the cemetary where Eva Perón is buried). There is a MASSIVE tree with big wooden supports that keep it from falling down. The best restaurants in the city are here...
Casa Rosada
There's a coffee shop close to the corner of "La Florida" and "La Valle"... great for people watching while you have a "cuppa" (Both streets in this area are "walking malls". You'll see a lot of street Tango's here... but................................ ....
La Boca.... Holy Crap-O-La Batman... this place is great... The most colorful place you will ever see and witness the lively street tangos...
So much more to see, but I suspect that your cruise will line you up....
Last time I was there, a new BIG and in HUGE area was being built along the port to cater for new fancy restaurants. Considering the Argentines passion & love of food and wine, I'd assume that this place has gone feral with people...
Malbec's... don't forget to drink Malbec's.... best in the world, period.

[mental4astro]

If you are in Montevideo by Feb 1, you've GOT to see the Carnaval (http://www.welcomeuruguay.com/carnavales/index_i.html). The last day of the month long festival ends with the oldest component when the various competing groups parade down the main street in a percusion extravaganza (https://www.google.com.au/search?q=carnaval+montevideo&hl=en&tbo=d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=qTvKUMjAKI-ciAe20IDoBA&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAA&biw=1366&bih=768). The carnaval has the same roots as the one in Rio from the bad old days when slavery was one of the industries of South America supplying the USA with its grubby trade.

The "Old City" of Montevideo is just like Sydney's Rocks area. The architechture is very Parisian in style, constructed during the glory days of Uruguay. Very picturesqe and dotted with many boutique stores.

There's the Mercado del Puerto ("Port's market", site is in spanish) (http://www.mercadodelpuerto.com/).

La Plaza de Independencia (Independance Square) (http://uruguay360.com.uy/uruguay/montevideo/plaza-independencia) is a very cosmopolitan square surrounded by a mix of old and modern architechture with an equally diverse mix of modest to very stylish shops and restaurants.

This is just a little taste of my birth place.

Alex.

[pmrid]

Thanks Alex and OIC - that's exactly what I was hoping to hear. Really helpful.
Peter