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This is part 8 of the puzzle series that started at Living the traveller's dream. Each part is solvable on its own.

enter image description here

Dear Puzzling,

How have you been?. My trip is going really well. Even though you did not hear from me last week, I can assure you that I have been keeping busy as always. Please note that, in addition to normal cryptic clues, there are ten printer's devilry clues in this week's puzzle.

Each puzzle has five "thematic" answers, which are geographical locations all in the same country. Each is notable enough to have its own article in the English Wikipedia, although not necessarily under the same name I use. Your task is to fill the grid, highlight the thematic entries, and guess which country I am currently visiting (which is not indicated in the grid). Some of the answers will be needed in the final part of the series. Except for the last part, all others are solvable on their own without knowledge of the previous puzzles.

This week I have bathed in hot springs and hiked among stunning rock formations popular with climbers. I have made an exciting little tour to see the wineries of the region, watched penguins swimming in freezing cold water, and marvelled at natural landscapes that look like something from another planet. Can you guess where I am?

Wish you were here!
Love, Gladys.

Across
1. Alan's shortlisted for C. Turing at Cambridge (7)
5. Guy, or so it's said in France, makes butter (4)
11. Sip by entering email address (3)
12. Resume drinking hot mocha near old backstreet that's a great place to hike (7,6)
13. Fitting sound system by concert's end (3)
14. First name of author who wrote about angels & demons originally – the European (5)
17. Graceful African animal's heart turned green (7)
22. The director of the .com pans millions each year (5)
23. Inscriptions of angels losing head after eating pork (9)
25. A lab tutor lost key (9)
26. City lost Alcatraz prisoners (5)
28. Popular resort spot for fathers, each getting surprise in the end (4,3)
32. It can go backwards or forwards! (5)
35. Education institution's law enforcement officer in official attire (3)
36. All valued lean, strange and otherwordly landscape (5,2,2,4)
37/21d. Drug introduced, more than once, to Brazilian spirit dance (3-3-3)
38. Stank He, brother of Ollie from before their comedy career (4)
39. In retrospect, so glad I hesitated housing nobleman in Spain (7)

Down
2. No football trophy brought up for City (5)
3. ROM and very little for early Christians (5)
4. They live in, I gast of Nuuk (5)
6. Harold and Virginia making dessert (5)
7. Type out of hand spanned grand land (5)
8/15. Southern city's spa/nature resort to incorporate new area (5,6)
9. America, having taken Cuban capital after revolution, finally launched missile (4)
10. A lion's talk in bra (4)
15. (See 8 down)
16. Iron Maiden's purpose or utter rubbish? (7)
18. The word spur prefer to overembellished writing (7)
19. Constrain one that's crazy (4)
20. A river once more rolling over, creating a group of large waterfalls (7)
21. (See 37 across)
24. At last, error found in terrible nickname for Anne Hathaway's husband (4)
27. Explorers were sent to ma, Art, Ed, Terri & Tory (5)
28. Temperamental entertainer on new couch (5)
29. Shining silver base (5)
30. The ails were sent out on Thursday (4)
31. Iran's shah backing one native of Tabriz, perhaps (5)
32. It's fine to climb in the manner of proficient climber (5)
33. Second person to be seen with two backers of Bing Crosby's bandmate (5)
34. Leader of thousand people in China (4)

Gladys will return in Enjoying the ride.

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  • 1
    $\begingroup$ What happened to the number 37? $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Jun 25, 2021 at 12:23
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @GarethMcCaughan Oops, that's just a weird error on my part. Sorry about that! $\endgroup$
    – Jafe
    Jun 25, 2021 at 12:28
  • $\begingroup$ @GarethMcCaughan Fixed now! (Note that the final 3 clue numbers changed in the process.) $\endgroup$
    – Jafe
    Jun 25, 2021 at 12:33
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ This was a pretty good one! I liked 14a and 29d, and the misdirection in 33d. The definitions of 25a and 32a, not so much :-). $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Jun 25, 2021 at 13:37

1 Answer 1

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Gladys is in

CHILE

where she visited

the cities of PUCON, PUNTA ARENAS and TALCA, the COCHAMO VALLEY, and the VALLE DE LA LUNA.

Grid:

enter image description here

Across:

1. APOSTLE p.d. Alan's shortlisted for _a post le_C. Turing at Cambridge (7)
5. GHEE fracophone homophone Guy, or so it's said in France, makes butter (4)
11. Si_gn u_p by entering email address (3)
12. COCHAMO VALLEY CV containing MOCHA* O, plus ALLEY Resume drinking hot mocha near old backstreet that's a great place to hike (7,6)
13. PAT PA + (-concer)T Fitting sound system by concert's end (3)
14. DANTE DAN + T(-he) E(-uropean) &lit First name of author who wrote about angels & demons originally – the European (5)
17. ELEGANT ELE(PH->G)ANT Graceful African animal's heart turned green (7)
22. YEARN p.d. The director of the .com pan_y earn_s millions each year (5)
23. EPIGRAPHS (-s)ERAPHS eating PIG Inscriptions of angels losing head after eating pork (9)
25. TABULATOR (A LAB TUTOR)* A lab tutor lost key (9)
26. TALCA substring City lost Alcatraz prisoners (5)
28. DEAD SEA DADS EA getting (-surpris)E Popular resort spot for fathers, each getting surprise in the end (4,3)
32. KAYAK it's a palindrome It can go backwards or forwards! (5)
35. UNI ddef Education institution's law enforcement officer in official attire (3)
36. VALLE DE LA LUNA (ALL VALUED LEAN)* All valued lean, strange and otherwordly landscape (5,2,2,4)
37/21d. CHA-CHA-CHA H introduced twice to CACHACA Drug introduced, more than once, to Brazilian spirit dance (3-3-3)
38. NEWT p.d. Stank_new t_He, brother of Ollie from before their comedy career (4)
39. HIDALGO backwards substring In retrospect, so glad I hesitated housing nobleman in Spain (7)

Down:

2. PUCON (NO CUP)< No football trophy brought up for City (5)
3. SCARE p.d. ROM an_scare_d very little for early Christians (5)
4. LOOSE p.d. They live in, I g_loos e_ast of Nuuk (5)
6. HALVA HAL + VA Harold and Virginia making dessert (5)
7. EGYPT TYPE* containing G Type out of hand spanned grand land (5)
8/15. PUNTA ARENAS SPANATURE* containing NA Southern city's spa/nature resort to incorporate new area (5,6)
9. SCUD U(C)S< + (-launche)D America, having taken Cuban capital after revolution, finally launched missile (4)
10. GAZE p.d. A lion's talk in_g a ze_bra (4)
15. (See 8 down)
16. TORTURE (OR UTTER)* Iron Maiden's purpose or utter rubbish? (7)
18. LEPROSE p.d. The word spur p_le prose_ refer to overembellished writing (7)
19. GAGA GAG A Constrain one that's crazy (4)
20. NIAGARA (A R AGAIN)< A river once more rolling over, creating a group of large waterfalls (7)
21. (See 37 across)
24. BARD (-erro)R in BAD At last, error found in terrible nickname for Anne Hathaway's husband (4)
27. PUNCH p.d. Explorers were sent to ma_p unch_Art, Ed, Terri & Tory (5)
28. DIVAN DIVA + N Temperamental entertainer on new couch (5)
29. AGLOW AG + LOW Shining silver base (5)
30. SEEM p.d. The_se em_ails were sent out on Thursday (4)
31. AZERI (I REZA)< Iran's shah backing one native of Tabriz, perhaps (5)
32. KOALA OK< + A LA It's fine to climb in the manner of proficient climber (5)
33. YOUNG YOU + (-bi)NG Second person to be seen with two backers of Bing Crosby's bandmate (5)
34. KHAN K + HAN Leader of thousand people in China (4)

I didn't understand the wordplay for 35a because

I hadn't encountered "uni" as an abbreviation for "uniformed officer" (Jafe's intention as clarified in comments below) before. This usage seems to be rare but not un-heard-of, though I haven't found it in any dictionary.

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  • $\begingroup$ rot13(Uzz, 35n jnf zrnag nf n qbhoyr qrsvavgvba. V jnf fher V unq urneq "hav" ersre gb "havsbezrq bssvpre" (nf va n GI pbc fubj) ohg V'z fgnegvat gb dhrfgvba gung abj nf V pna'g svaq gung qrsvavgvba va gur qvpgvbanel. Pbhyq vg or gung V'ir whfg zvfhaqrefgbbq "havg" be fbzrguvat yvxr gung? Htu...) $\endgroup$
    – Jafe
    Jun 25, 2021 at 14:01
  • $\begingroup$ Well, that would certainly explain why I didn't understand it :-). $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Jun 25, 2021 at 14:16
  • $\begingroup$ The definition you mention is on Urban Dictionary, but then every imaginable definition for everything is on Urban Dictionary whether anyone actually uses it or not. $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Jun 25, 2021 at 14:17
  • $\begingroup$ But e.g. it's also found here suggesting that it's not something you just made up out of your own head :-). $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Jun 25, 2021 at 14:18
  • $\begingroup$ Well that's kind of a relief... That said, I should probably stick to definitions found in an actual dictionary! $\endgroup$
    – Jafe
    Jun 25, 2021 at 14:28

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