I GAINED A DAY!!!!!!!! Now this is cool!
Arriving back in Santiago… years later – and the flood of memories from spending time in Chile resurfaced instantaneously. I ventured into the heart of the city (after wasting time trying to figure out the exchange rate AND deal with having to dish out 100 buckaroos for a new visa, since my passport had expired since my last visit – GO FIGURE!) This visit I had one mission – to get to know Santiago. I had only been into the city once before – and between limited time and a festival that was extremely overwhelming (streets packed shoulder-to-shoulder) it was difficult to get to know this place in a day-to-day manner.
I found myself settled into the Happy House (gotta love a hostel with this name!)… and it was just that… a very happy place to be indeed. It’s a well-renovated historic building in Barrio Brasil (even when I’m not in Brasil, I’m in Brasil!) – a 10-15 minute walk to the main square. Hardwood floors, old doors, and windows that peered out on the mountains in the distance.
The day was so beautiful that I was tempted to get into the mountains on day two – but no mountain biking or hiking was to be had – with it being the off-season, I would have to hire a private guide just to get to the mountain… I’m definitely not that desperate! I’d rather go self-sufficient… find the bike, find the bus, find the trail… but once again, time would be against me here… so I stuck to the streets and inner-city hills!
Santiago is a city that is so large, that once you gain a vantage point from a higher level, you’re left with a speechless ‘wow’! I walked across the city – through the Plaza da Armas, where the men were in a trance with their chess games and where artists stood in hope of encountering their next customer, pigeons were in flight, and stand-up espresso bars lined the outer edges; throught he pedestrian only walk areas, where shops and people cris-crossing in every direction makes for a dizzy experience; through a local playground where parents pushed their kids on the swings and other locals just sat and chatted on benches; along the waterway that lines one of the main roads, which is also lined by a park on the side – with bike and walk trails on a gravel sand path; and then finally through a more artsy club district to the base of the Funicular... the place where you catch the tram (a very old school train-like thing, where they actually have to touch a metal stick to a metal wire to get it to go! Yikes!) to the base of the virgin…. Straight up! I, of course, was going to walk all the way to the top of the mountain, but this idea was shot down in an instant when I inquired with a local woman at the bottom who told me (in Spanish) that I was crazy… as it is very dangerous to go alone!.... whether or not this is really true, I won’t know for now, but her eyes were convincing enough! On top there is an outdoor seating area where they hold church services, a special area for peoples prayers & lit candles, and a few stray dogs and cats. The views are spectacular – minus the L.A. style smog line. Afterwards I wandered through the business district and over to an old fortress in the center of the city… it was quite a little challenge to find my way up and down old staircases and pathways… but fun none-the-less! As I worked my way back to Barrio Brasil it was a great reminder that I was back in S. America, to see the local people hanging out along sidewalks having a conversation, or simply just leaning out a window and watching the world go by. BEAUTIFUL!
The nightlife was a very enjoyable experience for me, as I stayed in the Barrio both nights and went to resto-bars for dinner. The 2nd night was in a place just below the Happy House, where a solo musician filled the room with live music, and where Tobias (a new German friend of mine) and I talked well past closing hours.
As I took the shuttle bus back to the airport (at 6am in the morning mind you!) I felt like staying to explore the rest of Chile… so it’s a good thing I have a visa that will last 8 ½ years this time!
Arriving back in Santiago… years later – and the flood of memories from spending time in Chile resurfaced instantaneously. I ventured into the heart of the city (after wasting time trying to figure out the exchange rate AND deal with having to dish out 100 buckaroos for a new visa, since my passport had expired since my last visit – GO FIGURE!) This visit I had one mission – to get to know Santiago. I had only been into the city once before – and between limited time and a festival that was extremely overwhelming (streets packed shoulder-to-shoulder) it was difficult to get to know this place in a day-to-day manner.
I found myself settled into the Happy House (gotta love a hostel with this name!)… and it was just that… a very happy place to be indeed. It’s a well-renovated historic building in Barrio Brasil (even when I’m not in Brasil, I’m in Brasil!) – a 10-15 minute walk to the main square. Hardwood floors, old doors, and windows that peered out on the mountains in the distance.
The day was so beautiful that I was tempted to get into the mountains on day two – but no mountain biking or hiking was to be had – with it being the off-season, I would have to hire a private guide just to get to the mountain… I’m definitely not that desperate! I’d rather go self-sufficient… find the bike, find the bus, find the trail… but once again, time would be against me here… so I stuck to the streets and inner-city hills!
Santiago is a city that is so large, that once you gain a vantage point from a higher level, you’re left with a speechless ‘wow’! I walked across the city – through the Plaza da Armas, where the men were in a trance with their chess games and where artists stood in hope of encountering their next customer, pigeons were in flight, and stand-up espresso bars lined the outer edges; throught he pedestrian only walk areas, where shops and people cris-crossing in every direction makes for a dizzy experience; through a local playground where parents pushed their kids on the swings and other locals just sat and chatted on benches; along the waterway that lines one of the main roads, which is also lined by a park on the side – with bike and walk trails on a gravel sand path; and then finally through a more artsy club district to the base of the Funicular... the place where you catch the tram (a very old school train-like thing, where they actually have to touch a metal stick to a metal wire to get it to go! Yikes!) to the base of the virgin…. Straight up! I, of course, was going to walk all the way to the top of the mountain, but this idea was shot down in an instant when I inquired with a local woman at the bottom who told me (in Spanish) that I was crazy… as it is very dangerous to go alone!.... whether or not this is really true, I won’t know for now, but her eyes were convincing enough! On top there is an outdoor seating area where they hold church services, a special area for peoples prayers & lit candles, and a few stray dogs and cats. The views are spectacular – minus the L.A. style smog line. Afterwards I wandered through the business district and over to an old fortress in the center of the city… it was quite a little challenge to find my way up and down old staircases and pathways… but fun none-the-less! As I worked my way back to Barrio Brasil it was a great reminder that I was back in S. America, to see the local people hanging out along sidewalks having a conversation, or simply just leaning out a window and watching the world go by. BEAUTIFUL!
The nightlife was a very enjoyable experience for me, as I stayed in the Barrio both nights and went to resto-bars for dinner. The 2nd night was in a place just below the Happy House, where a solo musician filled the room with live music, and where Tobias (a new German friend of mine) and I talked well past closing hours.
As I took the shuttle bus back to the airport (at 6am in the morning mind you!) I felt like staying to explore the rest of Chile… so it’s a good thing I have a visa that will last 8 ½ years this time!
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