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Just one and a half hours from Valparaiso, a short bus ride in South American terms, Santiago would be our last stop on the continent. We arrived mid-afternoon and jumped on the metro to our hostel Ventana Sur. We'd emailed a number of hostels prior to booking to see who could offer us the best price for our five night stay. Ivan, the owner of Ventana Sur, swung our decision his way with the offer of a discount and a free bottle of wine. What's more, there was a free BBQ on the night we arrived. So that was free food and drink, the place was already a winner in our book.
As the BBQ was due to get started in a few hours we went to the supermarket to get some drinks. We stocked up on wine and beer and returned to the hostel where we met the other guests, 'wee James' - a Scottish chap who was coming to the end of a round-the-world trip of his own. He told us some tales of India and gave us some useful advice. Then there was 'big James', a Londoner who left home in late 2011 on his motorbike and
had travelled down from Alaska all the way through Latin America. Andy, from Merseyside was another biker. He had ridden down through Africa before shipping his bike over to South America. Both Andy and big James had some incredible stories and kept us all entertained for hours. Also staying at the hostel was a Dutch girl, Tanya and an English girl, Emma. It was a small, sociable place where everyone could get to know one another. Ivan, our host, took care of the BBQ and provided a great feed of chori-pan (chorizo hot dog), steak, potatoes, rice and salad. We had a great night; eating, drinking, sharing stories and having a giggle. It was really laid back and relaxed. We stayed up until the early hours before finally heading to bed.
The next day wasn't particularly notable, Sonya and I caught up with our families on Skype and did some travel admin before walking around the local area, a neighbourhood called Provedencia. We had a picnic in the park and did a spot of people watching before heading back to the hostel. After cooking we chilled out and watched a couple of films with the other guests.
Our
second full day in Santiago was much more productive, after breakfast we took the metro in the city centre and had a wonder around. It was an impressive city with a nice, complimentary mix of modern and classical buildings. In the afternoon we took a walking tour of the city, our guide, a Scottish chap called Johnny, showed us around Santiago for almost four hours. We got to see the Plaza de Armas - the main square of the city and other important buildings like the presidential palace. We also took in Cerro San Cristobal, a nice park by river, Pablo Neruda's house and we even had time to stop for a pisco sour. Johnny was very informative and gave us a good insight into Santiago's history. After the tour we rushed back to hostel because Ivan was preparing another of his famous BBQ's. Again we stocked up on cheap red wine and enjoyed the food and company at the hostel. It was Saturday night and Ivan explained that some cover bands were playing a gig at a venue not far from the hostel, we were keen to see some live music and so was the rest of the crowd.
We arrived at the club, the line up for the night consisted of 80's rock bands; Bon Jovi, Guns 'n' Roses and AC/DC. My kind of music! The bands were really good and the Axel Rose impersonator had his act perfected - appearing on stage in his pants with a checked shirt tied round his waist. I had a great night bopping along to all the classics and Sonya got into the spirit too by throwing her hair around. At one point I got a little too excited though as I picked Sonya up only to drop her on the back. A few too many shandies maybe.
We returned home well into the early hours so as you may imagine, Sunday wasn't a particularly productive day. We did manage to drag ourselves out to the human rights museum about 2pm. It focuses on the dark days of the Pinochet regime and it was really interesting, if not a little somber. Our hungover brains though could not handle more than a couple of hours there so we returned to the hostel via the supermarket, where we loaded up on snacks to see us through our night in front of the
television.
The following day we got up and decided to take the funicular, essentially an old fashion cable car, up to Cerro San Cristobal, the highest point in Santiago. Sadly, the weather wasn't brilliant and low lying cloud and smog scuppered our views across the city, we could just about make out the Andes circuiting the edge of the metropolis. We did visit the statue of the immaculate conception, the Virgin Mary atop of the hill and also enjoyed a coffee while we were there. In the evening, Sonya, wee James and I went out for some traditional Chilean food. Sonya and I shared chorrillana; a plate of steak, onions and sauce on top of a mound of chips. Wee James had a tasty looking chicken stew with big chunks of veggies. The three of us sat and chatted for hours before calling it a night.
Tuesday was our last day in South America, we weren't flying until late in the evening so we spent the day at the cities biggest shopping mall. After picking up a few things in preparation for the colder climate awaiting us in New Zealand, we treated ourselves to dinner from the Hard Rock Cafe before making our way to the airport.
Our travels around South America had lasted about three and a half months. Whilst it hadn't been plain sailing all the way - what with the language barrier, 30 hour bus rides, fleas and reoccurring bouts of sickness. Despite this, our time had been nothing short of incredible. I think back now and reflect on some of the amazing things we were fortunate enough to experience; Rio Carnaval, Iguazu falls, Patagonia, Bolivia's salt flats, Machu Picchu. I could go on and on. So yes, it may have been a little arduous at times but my God was it worth it.
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