Santiago Again

Back to Santiago. Again. Definitely not complaining. It is for the final time though . Well except for a layover later this month. But I will only be in the airport. Santiago is one of those cities that you can't help but pass through multiple times when visiting a country. And it's not a bad place to pass through. 

As previously mentioned, Emily and I got a ride from Valparaiso, and they dropped us off directly at our airbnb rental. We also got a handful of recommendations in the area since the couple who drove us, lived nearby. It was time to show Emily a little bit of Santiago. And do a few new things myself. 

Earlier that morning I had gotten a little bit of attitude from the host of the airbnb. We booked something last minute and apparently he wasn't prepared for us. My issue isn't that he wasn't ready, it was his attitude that he gave me over email. There are many different ways that you can address a last minute booking, and his attitude wasn't one of those ways. If you can't handle a last minute booking, make sure your property isn't listed for same day rental. And definitely don't make it an "instant book". If you need more time, that is ok, just let me know and we can work around it. I don't want blame put on me since I booked it last minute. So obviously we arrived and it wasn't ready. I think it was actually his dad cleaning the place. We dropped off our bags and went to find lunch in order to let him finish up.

The first recommendation we took up, was the nearby El Aji Seco restaurant to get some local ceviche and of course pisco sours. Since it was lunch and they looked like large portions, we got a salad and the ceviche to split. The recommendation was spot on and was very fresh and good. I'm glad we were able to try some before leaving the country. 

Ceviche.

On full bellies, we walked over to Plaza des Armas so Em could see a bit more of Santiago. We also connected with our brother, Zach, and his girlfriend, Liz, since they had arrived the day before. A poolside BBQ was in our near future. After a change into our suits, we headed to meet them at the metro. Liz's friend April is a local Chilean who had studied in Boston for a year when they were teenagers. They stayed in touch over the years, and we had the pleasure of meeting more locals. April and her friends were very welcoming to all of us. We accompanied her to her friend's place on the outskirts of Santiago where we relaxed by the pool for a while and played with all their dogs.

Hanging by the pool.

We drank some local beer, barbecued some food, and spoke to her friends in our limited Spanish. Liz and Emily were ok since they both took Spanish in high school and college. Zach and I on the other hand took French. We tried to learn a few things though, especially some slang. Except I can't remember any of it now. It was getting a bit late and we missed the metro cutoff time. I do love how NYC subway runs 24 hours. We hitched a ride back to our place and called it a night. A late one.

Cheese galore.

The following morning, we got a bit of a late start. We didn't get to spend as much time wandering around the Bellavista neighborhood as I would have like since we had lunch plans. I met up with my old teammate, Becca, again. We ate some local food and drank some borgona, a type of sangria. It was a good drink to enjoy on a sunny afternoon outside. This time I was keeping an eye out for any drink thieves.

Borgona.

Zach, Liz and the crew found us again, and since they hadn't eaten, we returned to our lunch spot. We hung out, chatted, and drank more borgona.

Lunching.

After everyone was full, we headed up Cerro San Cristobal to check out the views. The hike wasn't so bad, especially since I was wearing flip flops. It was a nice steady incline and not too hot. The shade was a nice welcome though. The one thing that's great about dry weather. It may be hot in the sun, but the shade is a nice reprieve. And let's be honest, I've been hotter elsewhere in the world. 

The hike up.

After about 40 minutes or so, we made it to the top. We had to just keep looking for the Virgin Mary and eventually we'd get there.

The Virgin Mary.

As with any ascent, we were rewarded with some great views. I think the mountains were not as covered in smog as previous days, but still not the clear outlines I think you expect in the winter. Although we did see some snow covered peaks at one point. Very hard to tell though. 

Santiago down below.

After all the exertion, (not really), we decided to take the tram down. It was fun going down and we did do the hard part by hiking up.

Taking the tram.

And of course to further reward ourselves, we stopped by a famous ice cream place (another recommendation) and tried a few samples before deciding on our flavors.

Ice cream. 

We spent the rest of the evening grabbing a few drinks outside a cute alley bar, smoking some hookah, and getting dinner. Not a bad last day in Chile. 

United States.

Emily and I separated from the group, took some photos with emojis, and headed to bed. We were on the same flight to Mendoza as Zach and Liz, so would see them the next day at the bus stop. We were running out of cash, so needed their money. And the printouts for our Argentinian reciprocity fee. 

Emoji wink.

After a bit of a rush, we made it to the airport with plenty of time and all together. As we took off and flew over the Andes, we had one last glance of Chile. Time for Argentina. 

Somewhere over the Andes.

Valparaiso

After my visit to Pucon, I got on the overnight bus to Santiago. I arrived in the morning and had some time to kill before my sister's flight came in. Once she arrived, we were headed to Valparaiso, a colorful city on the coast. To kill some time, I actually met up with an old college teammate. I went for a run, and was able to clean myself up and relax a bit. Before meeting Emily, Becca and I had some lunch in Bellavista. As we were enjoying our pisco sours and local Chilean food (some sort of meat with palta and mayonnaise), a homeless lady came right up to the table and snatched my pisco sour. It was official, that was my first theft of the trip. If you don't count people not giving you the right amount in change. I still consider that stealing, but this was a little different. The funny thing is the reaction time was so slow. After a second or two, I got up and made like I was going to chase her. Which I did think about, but instead I alerted the waitress. I could have taken her, but it wasn't my camera she stole. I got a replacement pisco sour anyway. The incident was more humorous than anything. And as we were leaving, we saw her again and of course yelled out in English, "I hope you enjoyed my drink!" She was so drunk, she didn't notice the American women yelling at her. 

Replacement drink.

After lunch, I retrieved my belongings and headed to the bus station to meet my sister. Fortunately she was there waiting and we immediately got in line to buy our bus tickets to Valparaiso. After a short bus ride (anything under 5 hours will be considered short for me moving forward) and a swervy minibus ride up the hills of Valparaiso, we arrived at our B&B for the next few days. And already it was living up to it's reputation for its colorful houses and artwork throughout the city.

Our B&B.

We didn't do too much to begin with, except get some wine to drink. Very important in Chile. We hung out on our patio for a bit and eventually went in search of food. We also made a tentative plan for the upcoming days.

Patio wine.

The following morning, after a run around the top of the hills of the city, where we managed to avoid actually going up or down any of them, we hit the town to explore. Every corner we went around, we came across colorful scenes. And I loved it. So many pictures to be taken.

The top of many hills.

More wanderings.

Mural art at it's best.

We grabbed some lunch and tried Cristal beer, and meandered our way to the harbor where there were a bunch of boats. To be honest, there wasn't much going on, but a lot of people were still out and about. We saw some boats being loaded, but not sure where they were headed. We couldn't tell what would be worth the cost, and instead made our way back up the hills to find some pisco sour.

Cool boats.

After working our quads a bit, we found a good spot with a great view of the city and the water below. Emily got to try her first Chilean pisco sour and I think it passed the test.

This isn't Emily.

It was time for dinner. So we headed to a restaurant recommended by a friend. However, since we couldn't sit on the terrace, we made a reservation for the following night and found a different place to get dinner. To cap off the night, we had some more wine on the patio.

Angel wings.

The following morning, we got in another run along the same path from the previous morning and got on a bus to Vina del Mar. We wandered around and eventually made our way to the beach. We had grabbed some beers and spent a few hours soaking up some sun. We did go in the water, but boy was it cold. The coldest water I've been in on this entire trip I think. We gasped when we first went in, but we couldn't get used to it. It was colder than Memorial Day on Nantucket. We did stay in for a few minutes, but not for too long.

The Pacific Ocean is cold down here.

We headed back to Valparaiso to make our reservation at 8pm. Which by the way is a very early reservation. We arrived and there were only a few people there. I consider myself a late eater, but not by Chilean standards. As evening came, more and more people showed up. The reason we made the reservation was so we could enjoy the balcony view. And that is what we did.

Pre-dinner drink pre-sunset.

Now what to eat. A lot of good options, but we both decided on the tasting menu, which involved a lot of different things. And to be honest it hard to remember them all, but we did start off with a mushroom espresso. No coffee from what I could taste, but it came in a cute little espresso cup.

Mushroom espresso.

The food that followed were all delicious and well-presented. And we got to enjoy some delicious wine while we were at it. Of course it did get chilly on the balcony. So it's a good thing they gave us blankets. 

Staying warm.

For our last full day, we caught a bus to Casablanca, in the middle of the Casablanca Valley. We decided to not rent a car. For one, both of us wanted to drink. Secondly, we wanted to save a bit of money. So after doing some research, it seemed like we could visit a few wineries on foot. So that's what we did. It was an adventure.

When we arrived in Casablanca, we caught another bus and headed to our first winery. Since it was a local bus it did take us a bit of time to catch it. We eventually figured out which bus to take, but since it didn't come quickly, many bus drivers stopped to ask where we needed to go. I'm not sure if this is standard or if we stood out and looked lost. We were finally convinced to get on a bus and it looked like it was going in the general direction, so we were on our way. After a little bit of a detour and probably a higher priced bus ticket, we got dropped off at Vina Emiliana.

Emily.

We decided to do the tasting without the tour. We wanted to hit up a couple of places and were running out of time, so proceeded to start in on our tastes. Our host/bartender took us through a few of their wines. And since Emily played up her sommelier role, we were able to get a few extra tastes for good measure. And a ride to the next stop. 

We got lunch at Casa del Vino, which was quite delicious. A very tasty sandwich and some good wine to tide us over until our next stop. 

The House.

And then we got chased by dogs. Who turned around when we came at them. You can't show fear. 

Chasing dogs.

We made it to our final stop at Vina Quintay. We showed up and they let us have a tasting, for a price of course. Unfortunately not many of the tastings in this part of the world are free. Or even at a small price. Oh well, at least we pay for the attention we got. We tried some more wines, had a little photoshoot in the vineyard, and caught a bus back to Casablanca. All in all, a pretty good afternoon. Although more horns from drivers passing by then I would have likes. 

In the vineyard.

The following morning, we got a run in, ate breakfast, and made friends with a couple at the B&B who took us to Santiago. 

Last run in Valpo.

Meanwhile, I was hoping that the bumps that appeared all over my body would go away. Yes, it seems as I may have picked something up along my travels. At this point, I was thinking bed bugs or flea bites. We addressed with our host, but still not entirely what it was or where it came from. Fortunately Emily wasn't affected. I was hoping they would go away soon. 

Pucon

After another overnight bus, I made it to Pucon, a small town in the Chilean Lakes District. It's no joke that Chile is a long country. From west to east, you can cover the country in no time. But it's a whole other story when heading north or south. From San Pedro de Atacama, I took a minibus to Calama to catch my flight to Santiago.

Flying south.

I had some time to kill in Santiago before my overnight bus to Pucon. So I wandered around a bit. First, I headed over the bridge full of locks of love. 

Locks of love.

I then found somewhere to eat lunch in Bellavista Patio.

Bellavista Patio.

After spending some time catching up, I meandered to one of the parks and took a much-needed nap. 

Naptime.

After getting a few items for dinner on the bus, I hung out in Plaza des Armas again.

Sun going down.

And on my way to the bus station I saw some sort of protest. Since it was in Spanish, I have no idea what they were protesting, but it seemed harmless.

Low-key protest.

I finally headed to the bus station and made the overnight trek to Pucon. We arrived at a decent time and I could already tell I would really like it there. Lakes, greenery, and mountains (ok, volcanoes). I found my place of residence and was able to check in early. Since it was so beautiful, I wanted to go for a run and check the town out. I ran along Villarrica Lake for a bit on the rocky beach, went along the Pucon Peninsula, and circled back into town, where I came across a race! I've been trying to find races in various locations, but don't always get around to checking. Especially as they are not frequent at all. Well I should have checked for Pucon. I probably could have signed up last minute for the 5k or 21k (half marathon), but my Spanish isn't great, and I had limited cash due to my ATM fiasco. So I settled for cheering. I will find a race in South America before I leave.

A race.

I spent the day walking around Pucon, and everywhere I went, I had views of the volcano. I found lunch and ordered a hamburger with no bun. With a cervesa of course.

Hamburguesa with no bun.

I headed towards Villarrica Lake after lunch and what a difference the day made. It got pretty warm, so everyone flocked to the beach. I've never seen so many people on such a small piece of land. And since it's not the ocean, people were right up onto the shore. There was no fear of tides coming in. The water was actually very nice as I walked along the pebbly beach.

Crowded beach.

The race I spectated spurred a long run the following day. Well longish. I decided to get out there and do at least 8 miles and while I was at it, I got to see some beautiful sights along the Rio Trancur. There were people rafting down the river, which looked like a lot of fun. There are a ton of extreme sports in Pucon, so I just needed to decided what I wanted to do. I ran along trails, crossed over rivers, and kept seeing Volcan Villarrica pop up in various spots.

Rio Tancur.

After my run, I headed to the lake to cool off with hundreds of other people. I spent a few hours making my around people as I took advantage of the cool water. Very refreshing. I only wish it was less crowded and there weren't set swimming areas.

Another good beach day.

Before the day could end, I headed to one of the tour companies that were doing hikes up Volcan Villarrica. When else can I climb a volcano and peek inside. I got that booked and set my alarm for early the next morning. We drove to the base of the mountain and joined a bunch of other hikers. 

Volcano shadow.

At this point, we had an option to hike up the first portion of the volcano or take the chairlift. I had done a little research and a few people recommended the chairlift after hiking up it. However, I really wanted to hike the entire mountain. And of course I had limited money on me, so also wanted to save that for when I needed it. So our guides split up and I followed one up the mountain after a quick pee break.

The start of the trek.

I had read that it was possible the guide would move rather quickly up the mountain, and I was prepared for that. I didn't want to necessarily run up the mountain, but was ok with moving kind of quickly. I think he was surprised that I could keep up. I was the only one in my group that decided to do the hike. And I was female. You know, because females are obviously slow. There were a bunch of others hiking up as well, and we slowly passed them as we made our way up. I was telling myself this was good practice for when I do Machu Picchu.

View from part of the way up.

After a couple of rest stops on the way up, we caught up to my group. The pace definitely slowed down at this point, but that was ok since I wanted to take more photos and not rush. Since we were hiking up a certain path, and then eventually a snow path, we were pretty much filing up the mountain single file.

Winding up the snow.

Our last rest break before getting to the rim, I realized that I totally forgot my sandwiches. I was getting pretty hungry, but fortunately had enough snacks to tide me over until we finished the hike. But was still annoyed that I had 2 sandwiches waiting at the bottom in Pucon. 

It was finally time to check out the inside of the volcano. We climbed a bunch of lava rocks and put on our gas masks as we approached the rim.

View from the volcano.

And peered inside.

Fire.

It was all smoky, so it hard to see at first, but as the smoke shifted, we could see the magma down below. It was pretty cool. We hung out for a while taking it all in and all of a sudden we saw fire. It is an active volcano. As long as it wasn't going to erupt, the more fire the better. I guess people don't always see fire, so we got pretty lucky.

The top.

It was official. I hiked up one of Chile's most active volcanoes at 2860 meters (9380 feet). After breathing in enough smoke, it was time to descent. We headed back to where our stuff was waiting and put on a bunch of gear to sled down. Yes slide down.

Sledding gear.

I was excited, but also a little nervous as we were pretty high up and it looked like you could go flying off the mountain. I didn't know how this was actually going to work. But it was pretty straightforward as they had a path that zig zagged down the mountain. It was a ton of fun. Since it's summer and the snow is melting, we didn't get to go down as far as I would have liked, but we got to do a substantial part of the mountain. There were a few run-ins with the people in front of and behind me. But no one was harmed. When you carry an ice pick down while sledding down a mountain, you can't help but think about it.

Sledding down.

After our sledding, we hiked down the rest of the mountain and made our way back to town. I headed to the beach again and relaxed. I got to hike up a mountain with a glacier, see fire in the volcano, go sledding down a part of the way and top it off with a swim in the lake. Pretty cool to do all in one day. 

The following day was my last day in Pucon before hopping on another over night bus back to Santiago. I caught up on a bunch of things and took a walk to the lake to grab one last beer. After dinner, I grabbed my things, and headed to the bus station. Next stop Valparaiso, via Santiago. 

I heart Pucon.