Welcome to South America

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After an uneventful flight we arrived jetlagged and bleary-eyed in Santiago. Pete's spanish was a little rusty but still a relief to hear! We managed to catch a bus and the metro to the city centre but then ended up slightly lost because we couldn't decide which way was north. Reminder to self = a compass is not a bad idea! We tried desperately not to fall asleep mid-step as we walked into town for dinner. This was to be my first taste of South American cuisine, and it only got worse from there until a few weeks down the track. The next day we traipsed around town again, went to the markets in search of some fresh tasty food (not to be found) and went to a museum of pre-columbian art. I'd recommend this to others although it was a bit difficult to find. The collection was mostly from Central America, but included lots of art from the Andean countries as well. I think the collection was donated by a missionary who had collected most of the items himself.

We caught a bus to Valparaiso for a day and had a fabulous time checking out the colourful, messy streetscapes. There are grand old buildings amongst run-down artists' residences and lots of nice-looking restaurants and coffee shops. The photos tell the complete story, as a keen amateur I couldn't stop taken photos all day! It's a very hilly place, and so in the early 1900s about 20 steep cable cars were built to transport people up the steep cliffs. We rode one up and down the cliffs and were amazed at how well they worked for something 100 years old. That evening despite being a bit weary we walked to Pio Nonno (a lively district in Santiago full of young people, pubs and great restaurants) for dinner. We had Turkish for dinner and the good food drought still showed no signs of breaking.

The next day we were booked to fly south to Punta Arenas. As we checked out of our hotel room we noticed the streets were much less busy than usual and it wasn't until we tried to catch the metro that we realised it was a public holiday for All Saints' Day. Luckily there were still services to get us to the airport where we departed with only minor technical hitches. Apparently LANChile need an extra character in the booking number which wasn't on our Australian-printed copies. A trap for young players..

We arrived in Punta Arenas to be blasted with cold Patagonian not-quite-summer wind but I think it felt worse that it really was since it was so warm on the plane. I came out with one of the more memorable quotes for the trip when I complained "Why are you bringing me here?" when I first saw the wind and felt the icy temperatures. Since then each time I've marvelled at a fantastic mountain view or had a great meal Pete has reminded me why we are here!

Punta Arenas turned out to be quite a nice city with some nice buildings and lots of shops and restaurants, not all of them geared towards foreign travellers. We found one we liked called the Luna Restaurant (I think). Dinner was fabulous, I had a creamy scallop soup that was the first edible meal I'd had since arriving in South America! They had maps on the wall with pins showing the home towns of previous travellers. We looked at one of them and decided that Mt Isa should be represented on the wall. After dinner Pete chose a map on which to put his pin, and saw two other pins on there, Mel Coward and Mick Butcher! We didn't think Punta Arenas was that small! So we had a good laugh and after dinner I tried a Pisco Sour. It was quite good, but I don't think I needed another one, unfortunately the bar owner liked us so he offered us another few drinks on the house. We stumbled home and tried to get to bed, but the night was to continue. The Señora at our hostel had some fellow travellers staying up late in the kitchen drinking Pete's favourite Central American rum. So we had another few drinks and woke up feeling worse for wear the next day for our bus trip south.

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Photos

Valparaiso Skyline
I loved Valparaiso, with all its tea-houses, colourful buildings and messy wiring. It's not for everyone though, up close it is messier than most big places in Chile.

Valparaiso Elevators
One of the elevators built into the side of the hill in the early 1900s

Bohemian Like You..
Pete soaking up the vibe at Valparaiso

More Valparaiso
I love this - a mixture of really colourful architecture with clouds obscuring the hills in the distance

Comments

[Mel]

Ha ha.... we who have done our time in The Isa can always sniff out the best place for a drink and a good feed!