West on Ruta 68
The route out of Santiago runs west on Ruta 68 toward the coast, through the twin bores of the Lo Prado tunnels and down into the Curacaví valley, the old coastal range separating the two cities behind the windshield. Lunch is in Curacaví itself, a town whose whole identity is built on chicha and dulces chilenos, both now holding official denomination-of-origin status. The chicherías here have been fermenting grape must the traditional way for generations, and the empanadas and roast pork sold along the main strip are the kind of thing travelers have stopped for since before the railway existed, back when this was the obligatory relay post on the road between Santiago and the sea. West of Curacaví the highway climbs again through the Zapata tunnels, crossing into the Valparaíso region and the cool-climate vineyards of the Casablanca valley, before the descent finally opens onto the Pacific and the hills of Valparaíso itself.