Santiago, Chile

We arrived in the capital of Chile at 3pm. The subway was easy to navigate and we made it to the central (or downtown) area where our hostel was without a problem. We checked into the Green House hostel, which had a great location and a super nice family vibe. At around 5:30pm we went out in search of food and to explore the area. The city had completely changed into a mad house! It was like NYC, no joke. There were so many people that it was difficult to walk!  It was mostly business men and women getting off work and people trying to sell them stuff. Like the rest of Chile, it is INSANELY expensive, so we had to hunt down a decently priced Chinese restaurant after taking a long walk up to the Parque Forestal (forest park) and into the Barrio Bellavista (Bellavista neighborhood).

 

We were warned about pickpockets by a friendly local who we chatted with at the hostel.  They love to stick their hands into your backpack when you’re not looking so we fashioned a fancy lock for ours, which we don’t carry around anyway. We took a safety pin and put it though the two zippers. It would take a very skilled pickpocket to undo that plus rummage around all while you’re not looking!

We spent the night and next day drinking (finally tried the country’s famous drink, the pisco sour) and relaxing respectively. Our computer fell off the bed, so we had to take it to a repair shop, and we also did some grocery shopping at a local supermarket. I cannot stress enough how expensive this country is, I don’t think we have had a single day of being at or under our budget ($30). The only things reasonably priced in this country are beer, wine and buses.

On our last day in Santiago we hit all the tourist spots including the beautiful Cerro Santa Lucia park, Palacio de Bellas Artes Museum, which was free but 75 percent closed, and the main Catholic Cathedral where Dan explained many mundane tidbits about his former religion. We also searched out the Terminal Los Heroes to buy our tickets to La Serena. It turns out someone has inconveniently misplaced this bus terminal on every map available, but some friendly police officers helped us out.  

Santiago is a wonderful, bustling city that looked awesome to live in, if you can afford it. 

Oh, and curious about the Pisco Sour? Here’s the recipe:

    * 4 cups ice cubes

    * 1 cup pisco (brandy made in Chile or Peru)

    * 1/3 cup lemon juice

    * 1/3 cup white sugar

    * 1 egg white

    * aromatic bitters

Add everything to a blender, blend and drink! Makes enough for two drinks, add a little extra bitters to top it off. Enjoy!