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Published: November 19th 2012
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Hola from Chile!
Apologies, it has taken a while to sit down and start writing, we are nearly finished in Chile and leave for Argentina tomorrow.
We arrived in Santiago on the morning of the 8th of November and spent the first four days of our trip there. Santiago is a city that is difficult to define, it mixes South American culture with huge amounts of Westernisation. Indigeanous markets and stalls selling street food sit alongside flashing billboards, Macdonalds and Taco Bell in this modern metropolis. Whilst in Santiago we visited Mecado Central, a bustling fish market where huge fish and seafood of all varieties are piled high and weighed for customers using old fashioned scales which hang from the stalls. We absorbed the atmosphere here whilst paddling in the fishy water that covers the floor! Just beyond the fish market is Plaza de Armas, a large stone square dotted with huge trees and surrounded by majestic old buildings. The square itself was alive with people; small children playing in the fountain in the centre, buisiness men having their shoes polished, artists with eisels, enthusiastic preachers and old men playing chess under the shade of the bandstand. Beyond Plaza
de Armas again is the Barrio Brasil district, a less flashy, more rustic area of town where a small Plaza was strewn with stalls selling everthing from microwave parts to 90´s porn mags, a little reminiscent of the english jumble sale! We sat in the Plaza and read our books for a few hours looking up occasionally to watch an enthusiastic young man practice his cocktail skills or to listen to a group practising the pan pipes. We also tried a tradditional Chilean drink which we think combines tea, peach syrup, peaches and barley to make a satisfyingly refreshing drink. Just beyond the trendy restaurant and bar area of Bellavista is Cerra San Cristobal, a large wooded hill on top of which the white statue of San Cristobal looks over the city. We made a sweaty ascent up the hill which was deceptively high, we were rewarded by panoramic views of the city although unfortunately the Andes which surround the city were shrouded in smog and were almost completely invisible.
After four days in Santiago we were ready to leave, we hopped on a bus to Valparaiso and made the 2hr journey to the coast of Chile. Valparaiso is
a UNESCO world heritage sight and it was clear to see why, houses made of tin and wood cling to the steep hillside, stacked on top of one another to lofty heights. The houses are brightly painted, creating a patch work of colour, the houses are broken up by cobblestone streets and overhead is an incredible tangle of power cables. The hillside is so steep that the city has several verniculars to reach the higher streets! This city has a very arty vibe, there are murals all over the city, whole houses are transformed into artistic masterpeices making the city itself a work of art! We stayed in a lovely hostel and met some really nice people here who we spent and evening chatting and drinking pisco sours (a chilean grape brandy with lemon juice and sugar) with. We spent 3 days in Valparaiso and thourally enjoyed it!
After Valparaiso we got a 12hour night bus to Villerica in the lakes district. Whilst in Villerica we have been staying with a friend of George´s. The highlight of Villerica is the active volcan Villerica which sits just outside the town. The spectacular snow topped cone of the volcano emerges mysteriously
through the clouds beyond the calm waters of Lago Villerica. Unfortunately the weather was too bad to climb the volcano, but whilst in Villerica we have visited a small, rural, Mapuche village where we walked in the valley by the river and sampled some tradditional Mapuche food. We soaked our aching feet in some outdoor hotsprings and had the most amazing Chilean berbeque with Christian´s family, the meat is just so good here! Yesterday Christian´s family took us on a day trip to Valdivia, a town on the coast, surrounded by beatiful wooded hills. In Valdivia, we visited the fresh fish and fruit market which is right by the water. Here we also saw about 20 HUGE, bloated sea lions! The sea lions lie lazily around the market waiting to be fed with fish ofcuts.
That is all for now, tomorrow we have another 12hours of travelling to get to Bariloche in Argentina.
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