Blogs from Santiago Region, Chile, South America

Anyway, we're back... in South America. Our crazy trip around the world brought us back here for five amazing weeks to see everything we missed the first time around (that's the plan anyway).On to Chile.Santiago is another well known city.. . fog The city is located in a beautiful location at the foot of the Andes, surrounded by mountains. The downside to this is that the area is exposed to low cloud cover, which in turn picks up the noise from cars and city factories. I'll keep my return intact by running until I leave Santiago.Our hostel, Happy House in the Barrio Brasil area of ​​the city, was possibly the best we stayed at on the entire trip (no mean feat). Not much to look at from the outside, the place is huge, beautifully restored in ... read more

Have you ever fallen in love with a country so much that you wished you could live there forever? Believe me or not, that’s what I felt about Chile after an amazing 10 days journey in this beautiful country. We travelled from top to bottom in Chile, and I enjoyed every moment of it. I know this sounds a bit impractical, but I felt that I blended so well with the lifestyle as if I had been living there so many years. Despite my language barrier, I enjoyed company of the common people, places like Punta Arenas and San Pedro made me feel home, I could watch the beauty of Torres del Paine for eternity. Somehow, I found a mental bond with the country. Spending noontime in a food court in Santiago Mall or asking subway ... read more

Being February, summer has arrived in South America. It is hot, dry and the wildfires are burning rampantly in the southern part of Chile. A haze of smoke fills the air and as we fly in from Rapa Nui. The views are masked… few mountain tops can be seen. Sad because this normally would quite scenic. But, it’s summer…. We spent a couple of days in Santiago before and after our trip to Rapa Nui and a couple of days in Valparaíso before our visit to the desert. Both cities are worth a visit, but each can easily be explored in two days. Santiago is the grand jumping off point in this part of the world. The airport is modern and flights from all places land here. Almost all destinations in Chile reached by air depart ... read more

Friday. 03/04022. Santiago. Our main event was a visit to the Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos (Museum of Memory and Human Rights.) It is mainly a museum about the period leading up to the election of the socialist president Salvador Allende, the subsequent coup d’etat by the fascist general Pinochet and the following 17 years of dictatorship. It included information about Truth and Reconciliation Commissions which were established in countries throughout the world, many more than I realized. The experience was moving and troubling but hopeful since Chile managed to return to a democracy. In the afternoon we returned to the Municipal Sculpture Park that is spread along the riverside for a better and longer look at all the art. For dinner we went to the wonderful Restaurant Peumayén Bellavista for their featured ... read more

Tuesday. Smooth disembarkation from our ship that took us to Antarctica then a bus to the airport. Beautiful day and I had a window seat on the east side of the plane which afforded views of steep snowy mountains, deep valleys, many mountain lakes and towns of the Andes. Santiago. Taxi from the airport to our B&B in the Bella Vista district at the apartment of Christian, our host. The area has a Bohemian atmosphere, low-rise buildings with many many murals, nightclubs, restaurants and an obvious gay presence. It sits at the base of San Cristobal Hill which has a large statue of the Virgin Mary on top, a sculpture that was made in France then shipped to Chile. A funicular runs to the top, but unfortunately it was closed, so we took the bus to ... read more