Homeland

To travel to Chile from Port Hardy is a long way between 18 and 20 hours.

You can go from Port Hardy to Vancouver by driving 4 hours to get Nanaimo and from there get the Ferry to Vancouver around 1:45 hour more and from Vancouver get the fly to Toronto to Santiago. Or you can take the easy way by flying from Port Hardy to Vancouver - Toronto - Santiago.  If you do this you can save around 4 hours of travel time. 

Our trip to Chile was in winter time, most of the time the weather was not good. I forget how cold Santiago can be in this season.

Anyway my kids had fun, they visited some touristy places like the Natural History Museum. This museum is located in one of the oldest parks in Santiago. Also  they went to the Mim Museum. It is a interactive museum like a scientific museum.

We went to "Cerro San Cristobal" (Hill Saint Cristobal); it is another tourist place in Santiago. On the top is the Sanctuary of the Immaculate Conception. There is a big statue of the Virgin. From here you can see a panoramic view of Santiago city. To climb up there, you can go on the "teleférico" (like a cableway) or walk or go by bicycle. 

The kids also enjoyed playing with old and new friends in my mom's neighbourhood.

They visited their paternal grandparents many times.

In September, in Chile, two important dates for the country are celebrated.

September 18th commemorates the proclamation of the First Governing Body of 1810, marking the beginning of the Chilean independence process.

On September 19th, "Day of the Glories of the Army" is celebrated. Both days are holidays. There are many activities to enjoy for the family like the "las fondas"; this is like a informal restaurant where you can enjoy typical foods and music. Many people take the days to relax with family and enjoy a trip to the beach or country. 

In Chile day we went out a lot. The kids enjoyed typical Chilean foods, candies, crafts, and another activities.