Santiago and Chile


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South America » Chile » Santiago Region » Santiago
April 17th 2009
Published: April 18th 2009
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Santiago...a vast city with a ton of stray dogs, much like all of South America so far, and enough smog to give Beijing a run for it´s money as a top world polluter. Other than that...it is a decent place. It apparently has a great night life but i didn't part take in any. We strolled a round the city the first day stopping at a nice street cafe for some eggs and a cup of Joe. Sidewalk cafes have become one of my favorite things to do. Grab a snack, and some coffee and people watch. This particular corner was home of a crazy juggler that made is keep by performing in the crosswalks at red lights and then collecting tips from the stopped traffic. he was very talented so i think he was doing alright for himself. After the coffee and breakfast we cruised the city to a look out point that barley revealed the mountains that are the famed backdrop of the city. I guess it could have been nice if the smog wasn't so bad...but instead it was not that cool.
It was a saving grace that our hostel had a pool to relax by because after a full day of city walking we had seen what there was to see. The next day i spent sipping on cold beer, soaking in the hot sun, reading and shuffling through my ipod. In other words a day well spent. Nothing much going on in Santiago...but i think easter had something to do with it.

We headed of to Valparaiso with expectations of a really cool city with a really good nightlife. We crashed at a place that was run by 2 young guys. one was the Boss that seemed to have more of a clue about how to run a business and the other was Pedro. Pedro was asleep on the couch when we arrived in the afternoon. I soon found out why. It seemed that his only role there was to entertain. He told us one morning that we couldn't have breakfast before our bus out of town because he would still be sleeping. ha! this guy was a riot! he actually had his drug dealer come into the hostel for people to buy drugs for the evening. It wasn't a low pro thing either...he said...¨this is my drug dealer...i love him¨. no joke. we tried to get our drink on by mixing up some pisco sours but they were a little too sour for my taste... i will stick to beer and wine thanks. They were good but not a drink you want to have all night. We then headed to a bar at about 2 am...it was closing. I thought this was the place with the crazy nightlife. They rest of the crew headed to the bus station to go to Vina Del Mar for another bar but me and a few others decided that food and home were a better option. We scored some completos and made our way back to the hostel. This late night party town seemed to be a bit of a let down. Nobody was on the streets at that time and all the bars were closing. Even the crew that came back after the second bar said the only thing that was worth noting for the night was the bus breaking down on the way. I'm glad i got food and crashed. A few days of walking the streets in Valpo and we were able to cover a good stretch of town. And headed to a restaurant that served the heart attack fries. They were grease soaked fries covered in eggs, onion and pork with a side of some sauce that tasted like ketchup and Tabasco...so good!
The second day i opted to spend the afternoon watching the champions league matches. not much else to report. see you in Mendoza for the bike and wine tour!


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Important buildingImportant building
Important building

i cant remember what it was


22nd April 2009

Important things...
I can't count how many "historical" or "important" buildings, temples, cathedrals, landscapes that I really enjoyed the experience but didnt quite understand where I was or why it was a "must see attraction", but at this point its probably hard for you to keep track. You're clearly a much better traveler than I so I don't want to assume ;) At least you still have a camara and dinero that is not "falso"

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