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Published: March 17th 2009
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Hola! Well, we are now in South America after having arrived safely in to Chile from Auckland. We flew in to Santiago, the capital city, a thriving hub of unexpectedly western living and culture.
We have just finished in Chile after spending 3 weeks there and in all honesty, we have been continuously surprised by the level of development and progression both economically and socially.
Santiago for example is a vibrant metropolis that offers tourists a huge variety of attractions and services. With free “wifi” spots in chic coffee houses, a clean and efficient metro service and an important financial hub you could be excused of mistaking Santiago as a modern European city. On the contrary, walk 500 metres away from the contemporary buildings in the financial centre and to the cobblestone streets which surround architecture typical of quaint villages and you may think you have walked back in time to the Spanish colonial era.
In many ways, Santiago offers tourists a mix of the old and new. On one hand there are the trendy side street bars and restaurants selling “picso sours” and effervescent cocktails whilst jazz or easy listening music plays in the background. On the
other, you have the beautiful colonial architecture which dates back from as early as the 1800’s.
In addition to the city centre highlights there are also several parks to be found on the outskirts of the city. Cero Santa Lucia and Cerro San Cristobal are both set up on high ground offering outstanding views of the city set amid architecture dating back to the age of Spanish invasion.
For us, Santiago was a great place to start our journey in South America as it helped ease us gently back in to the travelling lifestyle again and the surprisingly “westernised” Country of Chile!.
Our hostel in Santiago was called “Casa Roja”, an old mansion house of magnificent proportions. The building was typically colonial which inevitably meant the rooms had high ceilings and original dark wooden floors. We were impressed to see a large communal garden area and a swimming pool on site. What we didn’t know when we booked the hostel is that the Casa Roja is renowned for its party atmosphere! So much so that often the last drink of the night is served at 4 or 5am the following morning! Having said that, it didn’t bother
us too much and on a couple of occasions we decided to join in with a few late night drinks in the garden… if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em hey?!
After feeling a little worse for wear we took some respite for the weekend at a nearby town called Valparaiso which serves as an important port and is situated up in the hills to the north west of Santiago. Valparaiso and its neighbour, Vina del Mar, are both quaint spots on the coast meaning the atmosphere is much more relaxed than the busy capital city. The meandering roads of Valparaiso sit within a maze of steep snaking lanes winding their way around the old colonial buildings in town. You could get pleasantly lost in the enchanting and delightful cobbled lanes of Valparaiso.
There are several artisan galleries and boutiques hidden away within the cobblestone maze of Valparaiso. Along with a scattering of very traditional looking restaurants offering modern French/Spanish “carte de dia”, the town of Valparaiso offers tourists a little taste of the Mediterranean.
Culinary treats are offered in all towns / cities and it was in Vina del Mar that we experienced our first “completo”
(a hot dog with masses of avocado paste, mayonnaise, salsa and ketchup). Of course, it was as rich and calorific as it sounds but it served us well as a nice treat whilst sat on the beach!
After having sufficiently re-charged our batteries we went back to Santiago for a few days before heading to the very small town of Chillan. It was recommended to us by a local Chilean chap we met in Santiago. Whilst it was a nice place to visit, we passed through fairly quickly after seeing the main attractions such as the modern cathedral towering above the colonial - style plazas.
From Chillan we headed further south to Villaricca where I was to spend my big “30”. We arrived in Villaricca on bus although to my surprise, Deep had arranged for a car to pick us up from the bus station and for it to take us to a charming little hotel called “El Ciervo” just down the road. I was very touched to wake up on my birthday the next day to flowers and champagne sent from Dad and a couple of cards from home. I was also told that I would be
going horse riding, a present from my friend Beckie. Deep had apparently been in cahoots with several friends and relatives to try to get cards there on my birthday! Whilst some of the cards were a bit late due to the wonders of Chilean post, I was touched by the thought and enjoyed opening them whilst sat on a beach at our next destination!
After a wonderful 30th birthday we travelled just 30 minutes down the road to Pucon, a bigger and more touristy town. The main attraction of Pucon for us was the active volcano on the outskirts of town and the numerous climbs that can be done on it. After having had some recommendations on tour companies we decided to book our volcano “walk”. I say “walk” loosely as it was a difficult 5 hour climb up the side of the volcano which involved loose rocky terrain initially and then snow nearer the top. The views from the peak were unbelievable and because it is an active volcano, we were even able to see inside the smoking crater. The hard work of the climb up also paid off on the descent which was great fun. We were
given overalls and waterproof sacks to sit on and were then able to slide down on the snow! There were several small crevasses already cut in to the snow which gave us all and easy route to slide down. Just think tobogganing but in big plastic nappies instead!
After also visiting the volcanic sand beach in Pucon (black sand), we took another bus further south to Valdivia, a popular University town near the coast. We were very lucky to see wild sea lions basking in the sunshine near the bustling local fish market. This is a common occurrence apparently and one which was amazing to see. Whilst in Valdivia we also took a trip out to a local festival taking place in the next town of Neblia which apparently means “fog” in Spanish. As we arrived on the local bus in to Neblia we were astonished to see a huge cloud of fog literally covering the town. In one minute on the road in to Neblia we went from searing sunshine to drizzly fog. The festival was like an open market area serving drinks and food and offering live entertainment. Unfortunately we missed the latter but we did get
to try some beautiful spit roasted suckling pig and some local juice made from peaches.
After sampling some local dishes in Neblia and Pucon we moved on to Puerto Varas for Deep’s birthday. After failing miserably at making chocolate brownies for him (!!), I took Deep out for a walk to the local national park which offered great views of the surrounding volcanoes. We ended the day with a lovely seafood meal which was devine!
We moved on from Chile to Argentina just a week or so ago. I will update you all on our adventures in Argentina soon but for now, I hope you have enjoyed reading about our first leg of the South American trip.
Adios for now amigos!,,,,
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