Blogs from Santiago, Santiago Region, Chile, South America - page 110

Just a little interlude here, we've arrived in Santiago, and are trying to adapt to the local mindframe of using telephone, internet, e-mail..... or none of the above. It's quite nice to use any of the above and know that you will arrive somewhere, and will actually have a bed to sleep in. The below is an actual kind hearted reply to a simple e-mail to check for availability. Enjoy.... Hola Hey Fellows, how are you this beautiful friday evening. So, i dont have more availability in my hostel, but i have a full flat with one matrimonial room, kitchen, living room, fernitures, for rent, close to my hostel in Cerro Alegre. Valparaiso. The flat is near to: Yugoeslavian promanade (fireworks) (10 min walking down) Atkinson promanade (fireworks) (13 min walking down) Gervasoni promanade (fireworks) (11 ... read more

El viaje comenzó a las 7:00 am, saliendo de mi casa, junto a mi primo para reunirnos con Pepe Salas. Luego cruzamos parte de Santiago para llegar al punto de reunion. El viaje comenzó ligero a buen ritmo por la ruta 68 hasta el túnel lo prado. Ahi esperamos para cruzar el tunel, para luego descender por una bajada a 40 km/hr, lo cual fue bastante agradable para nosotros. Finalmente llegamos a la comuna de Maria Pinto, la cual es una pequeña localidad ubicada a 50 km de stgo, aun conserva ese encanto rural y sabor a campo. Ahi se realizaba la 2 feria de microempresarios locales, donde pudimos degustar y ver algunos de sus productos. Fue un rato de relajo, descanso, y comer unas ricas empanadas de pino. Al regreso nuestro grupo opto por una ... read more

Now, admittedly I only spent three days in Santiago (and on one of which I opted to take a day-trip to the coast - more about that in a minute), and I think I have been somewhat spoiled by the fantastic South American cities I have visited (think Buenos Aires particularly) but I just couldn't find anything to get excited about in Santiago. It is rather efficient and clean, and is fortunate enough to have the Andes as a backdrop (if the smog lifts enough to be able to see them!) but if that is the best thing I can think of to say about it, I'll take the dog poo covered pavements of Buenos Aires or the urine stink of Rio over that any day. At least those cities had some character, something I was ... read more

I watched from the window in satisfaction as the faded blue metrobus wound its way out of Santiago´s endless suburbs and into the countryside. The sun was dazzling and I ducked my head into the shadow of the curtain to gaze at the river charging alongside us. As much as I had come to love Santiago, three months living on the 19th floor of an apartment block in the centre of such a big city had left me longing for air which tasted clean and a pause from the endless drone and fumes of cars and buses. I was headed towards the Cajon del Maipo, a stunning canyon southeast of Santiago and a popular area for wealthy Chileans to visit at weekends for skiing in the winter and rafting, cycling and hiking during spring and summer. ... read more

Happy Holidays from South America! As many of you know, I have been traveling through South America for 6 months now. If you've been following my blog, you have been sharing in all my experiences and following along on my adventures vicariously. Thank you for your readership and wonderful comments. They help me feel connected back home, and I have cherished each and every one. For those of you who wonder, hey, what the heck has Tana been up to this year?, I am including the highlights here. To my blog fan base, enjoy the recap. (Ps, if you are not subscribed to my blog, you can subscribe at the bottom and will get an email everytime i post- no spam, i promise). On December 14th, I will be joining a month long tour through Patagonia. ... read more

I have decided to keep this particular entry into the blog short and sweet, not just because we were only there for three days but out of principle (yes, I have some principles!) because the utter b******* at customs in Chile think it's really ok to charge good Canadian people $132US just to get in to their ******** country!!!!!!!!!!!! I was not particularly happy, I may of had a hangover I'm not sure, very annoying......... It was at least beautiful clear sunny weather whilst we were there and surprisingly hot. Took the opportunity to catch up on some well needed sleep after BA and chilled in their courtyard reading my book. It's a pretty small city centre, I think Steve explored it in about 20 mins so there wasn't that much to do, but I didn't ... read more