Watching the sun set on 2010

The last sunset of 2010 - Viña del Mar

New Year's Eve can often be a bit of a damp squib. All the anticipation and hype inevitably, at times, leads to anticlimax and disappointment, leaving you wondering what all the fuss had been about.

Happily, this year, my new year celebrations were far from disappointing. Admittedly, I was a little nervous, as lots of people had said to me how amazing it would be to see in the new year in a different country, and somewhere hot! Thankfully, it did not let me down.

Having spent the day at the seaside, we made our way to relatives of Carlos' who have a beach view flat at the resort of Viña del Mar. The resort is across the bay from Valparaíso and together they are the setting for what are said to be some of the most spectacular fireworks displays in the world.

Before dinner, we took a walk on the beach with the children and got to see the final sunset of the year, turning a golden orange before dropping below the cliffs. Carlos and I repeated the scene on New Year's Day - sitting on a rock watching the first sunset of 2011.

Then it was back to the flat for - what else? - a barbecue. The ubiquitous choripan (hotdogs) followed by a hunk of beef. I attempted a tequila cocktail, which was brave, given a slight incident shortly after completing my A-levels... all went well.

As midnight approached, the anticipation grew and Carlos and I found ourselves feeling quite nervous. In keeping with Spanish tradition, we each clutched a small bowl of 12 grapes, which would accompany the bongs of the clock in the countdown to the new year. Unfortunately, in a minor oversight, we discovered that Chile doesn't count down to new year with clock bongs, so we had to stuff them into our mouths as quickly as possible as the crowd on the TV counted down from 10.

Out on the balcony, a huge cheer ran across the bay, a rain of ticker-tape and silly string covered us, the champagne bottle popped and it was hugs, kisses and felicitations all round. Then a pause, almost silence, as thousands of people looked at a black sky, lit only by a few floating Chinese lanterns. Where were the fireworks?

Perhaps a minute passed, and then, an enormous explosion. Cascading colours lit up the sky, with a cacophony of noise from the bangs of the fireworks, cheers and gasps from the spectators, honks from hand-held klaxons and the ships in the bay and the blaring of car alarms. The Pacific Ocean was illuminated in pinks, greens, reds, whites and golds as vivid displays from 10 or more platforms in the sea erupted simultaneously. The spectacular show lasted for 25 minutes and was truly, one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.

Video from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuBYF1pYuIo&feature=related