Shopping in Los Dominicos

                                        Exterior View of Los Dominicos

Los Dominicos is a shopping treat! The winding paths are lined with small shops.  I was fascinated again this year by a tree with purple flowers. I'm determined to discover the species this year.

The shops are filled with  many delights-fine shawls, wraps, etc., jewelry, artwork, copper items, wood carved items, and much more.  I shopped until I dropped--purchased a few items but decided to wait to buy more until we had toured other places.

I noted that the Chileans do not decorate to the extent that we do. I didn't see any lights in the neighborhoods and not too much elsewhere.

                                                I was told that these are grape palms and that the fruit is used in ice cream.

My son and his wife bought me a beautiful wrap in one of the shops. I'll be nice and cozy this winter.

                                                    Wonderful selections!

After looking through all the shops that were open, we then drove around Santiago - what a beautiful city! I am so impressed by all the greenery. The boulevards are heavily planted with trees, shrubs and flowers. Plants abound on the balconies of the apartments. There is even one building with grass growing on the outside walls.  I didn't see any litter. Parks  and bike paths seem to be everywhere. What a difference all the trees and flowers make--I never really felt that I was in such a large city--rather, just neighborhoods. The cell phone towers are even covered with fake palm trees which look surprisingly real!

We went to Lido--a grocery store recently purchased by Wal Mart--a shade nicer than our Wal Marts at home. There was an escalator leading to the store-

                                                          A ramp escalator

                                                     The restaurant area

Emporium

                                              One of the few Christmas displays

The store also had clothes, appliances, a pharmacy and most of the other products we have in our Wal Marts. The checkers in this store were also sitting in high backed chairs.

We had a nice drive home. Paul grilled wonderful, tender, tasty prime beef steaks for dinner. We sat on the porch until late enjoying the evening--then off to bed. Until later . . .