Santiago, Chile

"We were pleasantly surprised with the charm Santiago had to offer in the Bellavista Barrio. There was amazing graffiti, countless restaurants, and our favorite: Patio Bellavista, where there were outdoor restaurants, shops, and bars. We fell in love :)"

We spent two full days in Santiago before flying out to Colombia. To be honest, we didn’t expect much from the big city. We knew that a vast majority of Chileans live in the metro area of Santiago, and that its huge population helped keep the city covered in smog. We were pleasantly surprised to find the neighborhood we were in was bustling with trendy restaurants, fabulous street art, and friendly people all over! In addition, the airbnb we stayed at had a pool, which really helped considering it was well over eighty-five degrees while we were there. It was a dry heat though so that makes it better!

We arrived at 6am in the morning of Valentine’s Day after taking an overnight bus from Pucon. While there was an old woman behind us who talked very loudly into her phone for what seemed like forever, we would say that this mode of travel is the most comfortable we’ve experienced so far. Seats are large and cushy, they fully recline, and leg rests pop out. It was much better than air travel! After they played the in-bus entertainment we slept for most of the ride, and only woke up as we pulled into the Santiago bus station at about 6 in the morning. We waited for our luggage, then called an Uber, battled rush hour traffic, and by the time we arrived at out place it was just after 7. We were able to drop our bags off, but not check in yet, so we set out to explore the city.

First things first, we needed some coffee. We ducked into a placed called the Afro Cafe in Bellavista, and got some coffee and tried to order a chocolate croissant to split. Things get lost in translation sometimes, we ended up with two croissants. Oops! After the coffee, and some confusion paying the bill, we set out to wander around the neighborhood. After walking past probably a million bars and clubs, we came to a giant hill in the middle of the city called Cerro San Cristobal. We had intended to climb up to the top, but there was a fire just two days before we arrived, and much of the park was closed to the public. We did climb up part of it, and found that there was a zoo. It cost money to enter, but we walked around the outskirts and were able to see a couple animals, including a hippo! It was exciting at first, but we were sad to see that big guy in such a small space. After the zoo, we walked back down and did a little more exploring. We came across a few restaurants we promised to try later before finding a grocery store. We picked up a few items for breakfast the next day, and worked our way back to our airbnb, but not before getting some more Completos (loaded hotdogs) for lunch! In the afternoon we took advantage of the pool, and watched the local kids splash around, and made a short walk to a Mexican restaurant for some afternoon drinks. Hannah tried a passion fruit mojito and peter tried a classic margarita. The restaurant, called Rosita’s, was in a square called Patio Bellavista. Patio Bellavista is a walking-only square with about a dozen restaurants and bars all around, all featuring outdoor seating, and an open space in the middle. While we enjoyed our drinks we noticed they were setting up a stage in the middle, so we decided to come back later for dinner. We settled on a Thai/Sushi restaurant, which was a little disappointing. The Food was very flavorful, but the outdoor seating attracted smokers and was distracting from our food. What wasn’t disappointing however, was the live music we were able to see! I would describe it as modern Salsa and Tango music. We fell asleep with smiles on our faces and music in our ears!

The following day we ventured a little further out of our neighborhood, working south into the city. We found it less pleasant the Bellavista neighborhood we were staying in. Most of the city is like most major cities in the US, loud, busy, and dirty. One ray of light we found was Santa Lucia Hill, which was an old church on top of a sharp hill in the center of downtown. The steep stairs are very old and cut into the stone, so it was a little bit of a treacherous climb, but the top was definitely worth it. From here, better than anywhere else, you can see the smog settle over the city. We realized there were mountains around the city, which were almost entirely obscured from view because of the haze. What made this part of town so cool was the ancient church that stoop atop it. For lunch, we went back to Rosita’s for some more afternoon drinks and delicious chorizo and bbq chicken tacos! Then we took a dip in the pool again, and lounged in the sun as the kids splashed nearby. For dinner, we went to another little square called Jardin Mallinkrodt. This square consisted of five or six food trucks sharing one menu, plus craft beers. We ordered variations of a hamburger, a hotdog, and fries. The best was the hotdog, called the Hot Mexican, consisting of guacamole, nacho chips, cheese, and mayo. Delicious! Chileans really know how to make a hotdog! Between the Hot Mexican and the variety of Completos we had, we can safely say the best hotdogs are found in Chile!

The following day we left around noon to head towards the airport, where we stayed at the Holiday Inn hotel by the airport (literally at the airport), as we had to be at our gate at four in the morning the following day. It was really great staying right in the airport with such an early flight the next day, and well worth the extra money it cost. Our time in Chile drew to an end, but we were too excited for our next destination to be sad. Next stop: Cartagena, Colombia!