Chile Santiago

So here it is, the last destination of our South American adventure, in just over three months we have made our way from Cartagena in northern Colombia, to the south, and the city of Santiago, Chile. It has really been some incredible adventure, and one that we would definitely do again, even the long, tiresome bus rides!! Chile Santiago, end of the South American line.

Chile Santiago The End of the Road for South America

We cannot really believe we are here, but we are, after a twelve-hour trip from Mendoza, Argentina. Twelve hours is not the scheduled journey time, but a five-hour wait at the border post of Los Libertadores extended our trip. We didn’t let this experience negatively impact our first impressions of Chile, and instead we blamed the Argentines, as they do everything the complicated way we, from our experiences! We arrived in Santiago to the busy bus terminal at 10pm Sunday evening and quickly proceeded to get a taxi to our hostel. The city looked impressive with nice long avenues and beautiful buildings and plenty of restaurants. Upon check in we walked a few blocks on Av. Brasil  to an area with bars and restaurants and had some food for around $US30 for two, a little bit on the expensive side for what we received, which was quite plain and simple. We headed to bed that night tired but looking forward to exploring this new city.

The following day and what a day, glorious sunshine and clear blue skies. It was hard not to feel a little sad though as this would be our last destination for now. Paula will be heading to Australia soon, and I will go back to Ireland to sort out more medication and other business. It is hard to believe I will be swapping the warmth and sunshine for cold, damp and grey days very soon. The shops full of Christmas goods and decorations looked out-of-place here, particularly if you are used to a northern hemisphere winter. We strolled a few short blocks towards Plaza de Armas, yes another Plaza de Armas in South America! The streets were full of shoppers, street traders and office workers but immediately we felt at home, and both agreed early on that it is much more pleasant than Buenos Aires. Impressive building after impressive building were photographed, before we stumbled upon a castle (Santa Lucía hill) with many staircases leading up to a magnificent city view. Here we climbed the many steps before relaxing on a bench and enjoying the panorama of the city with the mighty Andes in the background.

More strolling around was done that day before eating in a Chinese restaurant that night and relaxing in our hostel.

Another day and more sightseeing, we awoke, quite late, so it was afternoon before we hit the streets, no hurry anyway, we have another week here. We decided to take the metro underground system to Baquedano and on to the funicular at Cerro San Cristóbal which would take you up high above to enjoy a unique city view. Ahh the funicular, how Paula hates that word. She is not too keen on heights or cable cars but again she sacrificed her nerves to keep me happy. Another glorious day as we headed underground to the busy metro. The system is very easy to use, you just purchase a Bip card, charge it with as much money as you like and you are away. Our destination was only two stops away so quick as a flash we arrived and emerged at another beautiful part of the city.

We could see in the distance the viewpoint so made our way there passing many, many bars and restaurants with street seating. After about ten minutes we arrived at the funicular, where there is also a zoo. We decide to skip the zoo so bought our return tickets for the bargain price of 2000 pesos for two, return, approximately US$3.20. The journey to the summit was quite short, about three minutes, so nothing like the trip up Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, but still was spectacular as the city of Santiago spread out in front of you. Unlike Bogotá or Quito, we didn’t have to worry about cloud cover, so enjoyed a fantastic unobstructed view. After climbing up more steps, we reached a church and statue of the virgin Mary, where Pope John Paul II said mass in 1987, inside the church were some carvings by a German sculpture who lived in the city in the nineteen thirties, again worth a look.

The peace and quiet at the top was sheer bliss and we could have stayed all day, but as Manchester United were playing, I needed to find a TV. As luck would have it the first bar we reached showed the game on three screens but one was enough to see them win, as we enjoyed some strawberry juices and Paula dined on some ice cream. We made it back to our hostel at 7.30pm before going to our new favourite Chinese restaurant later that evening, we heard that Santiago was quite expensive but two big main courses and drinks for just over $US20 was very reasonable.

The next day we needed to check out of our hostel as they were booked up, but no real disappointment as the showers and internet were terrible. Walking around in the hot morning sun with 20kg on my back certainly woke me up, as we walked about ten blocks to our new hostel. This time a nine bed dorm, but a funky and well laid out place. No time to relax we headed back out to eat, do some sightseeing before we relaxed in the shade in a local park. The next day we headed back into the city centre, no real agenda today except walk around and look for the famous café con piernas, or coffee with legs. Coffee with legs is a novel idea utilised to the full in Santiago, we had heard that the coffee is poor, but the service is unique with girls in skimpy outfits providing the drinks. We, however, were disappointed as the many coffee on legs we saw on the streets just had girls wearing regular dresses, short, but nothing you wouldn’t see in a city nightclub. After some more investigation and with help from the local police! We walked towards a shopping mall in the centre of town.

Upon reaching the ground floor we spotted K20 with its tinted windows and picture of ladies legs on the dark façade. We had finally found the elusive café con piernas, upon entering it immediately became apparent why the windows were tinted, this wasn’t a coffee shop but a strip club serving coffee. LED lighting, mirrors everywhere and eighties music, and of courses girls wearing thongs, bras and heels. We placed our order with the cashier before a busty lady with big smile approached. She proceeded to kiss us all on the cheek (Paula and I and Rob and Tom from our hostel) before preparing our drinks with her bare ass inches from our faces. I must admit I never had a drink served this way before and I could see how it is popular with other local guys standing at the bar. We sipped our drinks, not quite knowing where to look, as directly ahead two large breasts faced us. Rob, who speaks fluent Spanish broke the ice, and asked our server some questions, she said she was from Cali, Colombia so we explained we had been there before, Paula admired her stomach tattoo which then encouraged our server to show us her ass tattoo!! After a strange few minutes we left our tips, received our kiss goodbye and made our way out. We laughed and took a picture outside as unfortunately no photos allowed inside. Strange that such a place exists in a shopping centre and it must be a shock for unwitting customers who want to purchase a regular coffee!

After that surreal experience we strolled around the city, while Rob from the USA purchased a new camera, all the shops full of Christmas goods, which felt strange for a European in 30 degree heat this time of year. We headed to another Chinese restaurant that evening before relaxing at our hostel. The next afternoon Paula and I went to the nearby Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos or Museum of memory and human rights.

I’m not usually a great fan of museums, except for modern history, which this certainly is. I was reminded of the horrors of the seventies in Cambodia when Pol Pot killed and displaced many of his fellow countrymen. The same situation happened here in Chile under the murderous Pinochet regime with thousands fleeing and going missing during his dictatorship between 1973 and 1989. I still cannot believe the world’s leaders let this happen, but then again I am not, especially when another murderous troll was his ally, Margaret Thatcher. Politics aside, it is hard to believe this great nation suffered so recently and this museum certainly explains in great detail which can’t help but leave you moved. Paula, on the other hand, left after twenty minutes or so as it was not her thing!

One of the places Pinochet and his army used to hold and murder many citizens was at the national football stadium, where people were tortured and brutally murdered. I had wanted to visit the stadium, as I have in other countries, so visiting it now would take on another meaning other than sport. We took the metro some eight stops to Nuble, where after a fifteen minute walk we reached the impressive Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos. We kindly asked at the entrance, could we see inside? To our surprise we were allowed to just wander in, and before we knew it we were pitch side! No officials or security shouting orders, I could have even kicked a ball on the pitch if I had one! The way it should be, after looking around and taking some pictures we headed back into the city some ten minutes metro ride away, ate some more Chinese food before going back to the hostel. That night Paula, myself and Tom from England went for food, yet again a Chinese, but they are reasonably cheap and you definitely leave full and satisfied.

After a non-eventful day we finally headed to Valparaiso on Sunday, Santiago is a beautiful city with parks, mountains and impressive buildings, but the one thing missing is the sea. Valparaiso, some two hours away, with its ocean side location sounded like a nice day out of the city. We caught one of the many buses from the main bus terminal and drove the two-hour trip to Valparaiso.

Valparaiso Chile- Day Trip

We walked around the quiet back streets, as it was Sunday, onto the busier main thoroughfare where a large market was taking place. We browsed through the many second-hand stalls before going to the waterside. Here we watched the many seals playing and jumping around in the water which made us laugh, as the hot sun shone down. We walked further into the city, taking some pictures, before having yet again another Chinese! After another few blocks of the city we were becoming bored so spent the last couple of hours having a drink in a coffee shop and walking around the empty rubbish filled streets. We caught our bus out at 7.25pm and drove through the nearby beachside town of Vina Del Mar.

Maybe we went on the wrong day but Valparaiso did not impress us, so we were glad we didn’t stay the night. We arrived back late to our hostel where there was a barbecue taking place, after some nice meat and a few beers it was time to hit the bed. Next day would be our last in a South American hostel as we booked into an apartment for our final few days. As our South American adventure is ending we decided to spend our last couple of days in luxury, no more shared bathrooms or crowded rooms. We found a nice apartment for rent for US$40 a night, for this price we would receive a city centre apartment with spectacular city view and swimming pool. Upon arrival at our 27^th floor dwelling we were not disappointed, a luxurious one bed apartment with kitchen, hot shower and awe-inspiring view. We spent the day, which happened to be a public holiday, settling in, before I got to watch Manchester United play in the comfort of my own couch and TV. After our relaxing night we prepared for our final day together on this leg of our journey before we prepared to say goodbye for a few weeks.

So here it is our final day, well mine as Paula has another afternoon in Santiago, I fly early the next morning. A day filled with reflection, but mostly sadness, as the thought of separating is making us sick. After five months travelling and spending every minute together you would think we would be glad of the break. If anything this trip has bonded us even closer together, so I do not know how we will cope. Anyway back to our last day, plenty to do, print off boarding passes, do some Christmas shopping, change money and pack.

We spent the glorious morning scurrying around the busy city streets shopping at the many market stalls and shops before getting a well deserved Chinese, what else? This time in the most beautifully decorated Chinese restaurant we have ever seen. Along with the impressive décor there was an area for birds to fly about in creating a unique spectacle. However, the large bill at the end of the meal ensured the birds certainly won’t starve here. After some more shopping we went back to our apartment to make use of the pool and last bit of warm sunshine I would experience for a while. We spent a relaxing few hours there before meeting our friend, Tom, for dinner, this time at a Peruvian restaurant. We said our goodbyes before going back to pack and savour our last few hours in South America. As previously stated, Paula is going to Australia, and me, back to Ireland for a few weeks, so quite depressing, but we both agree that Santiago was a wonderful city to finish our South American journey in. Spectacular mountains in the distance, beautiful friendly people, clean safe streets, and of course coffee on legs!!! We will forever have fond memories of this place, but for now it’s hasta la vista South America, you’ve been wonderful.

Chile Santiago