Diego De Almagro Santiago Cent

Its a beautiful day in Santiago, sun is shining, pollution in the air, poverty in the streets, not in Patagonia anymore....<br><br>Bus ride to Santiago was a breeze. Watched a movie in spanish and slept next to an old guy named Hector. Thats the 1st. Meet with Jorge at the bus station, we take the subway to Lisa's apartment (Jorge's ...

... A LIME?!". We did actually have a couple of contraband oranges which we gave up, not really worth the threat of a fine or imprisonment. Also a very scenic place to cross a border, high in the Andes, which were still very snowy and wintry. <br><br>Valparaiso, our first stop in Chile, was a real surprise to me. Guidebooks tend to write it off as a faded port town, past its best increasingly dicey in parts. We had a great weekend ...

... and found this amazing ice cream place ...(of course) and just had a relaxing afternoon. apparently no one eats until like 9 or 10, so we went back to hang out at the hostel and later had a very interesting dinner.....i def ordered wrong, pastel de choclo-corn cake- not a good idea....the next morning was flight to buenos aires so we didnt go too crazy haha... but it was a lovely night as the city was alive at 12 at night with people of all ages out ...

... Wisconsin, New York and Tasmania who were all doing volunteer work in Bolivia. They were taking what seemed like a much deserved a break on the beach before heading back to finish their terms working with people in the poorest parts of Cochebamba. <br><br>Also, on our last night at Franklin´s, we met a brother and sister traveling with their father. The son, Wayne, had just finished a semester of study in Santiago and he was showing his sister Theressa and dad ...

... only a small lie) and that I would have to verify all this with the hostel as they were sending out incorrect info etc. Anyway in the end he gave us back 30,000 each and charged us 20,000 which I could live with. When we got to the hostel and checked in my bed wasn't ready so me and Hannah just had a wander around to check out the area while it was daylight. Chile seems really nice and has some really colourful building (see pics on facebook ...

... craze that seems to be shared by all of South America! No blog is complete without its token food nightmare. We went to the local market, and tried the much raved about seafood soup. It was more than we bargained for, and we choked down a number of slimy unknown sea creatures. Our mouths tasted like low tide for the next week. The highlight of the city was sharing a Chilean feast with the hostel owner and his friends while watching a ...

... on planes and airports) Jorge and Diego showed us their capital ... As always it is a great advantage to be shown around by locals - so at this point - thanks again you two! <br><br><br><br><br><br> <br><br><br><br> At 21:00 the people attending the barbeque got together for a glas of chilean wine while the different meats were frizzling next to ...

... an article about Santiaguinos hating their city in summer and leaving it in hordes at first opportunity. It was a bit disorienting to stay there. Reality was slipping into heavy dreams, Santiago was hidden in the shapeless haze and the whole country sank in obscurity as I took off for Mendoza. Nevertheless I returned and spent seventeen days going between fjords, volcanoes, impossibly long lakes, occasionally seeing Southern Cross without recognizing it. Seventeen days lasted ...

... and some water. A quick shower and we were off to dinner at Puerto Fuy, a reservation I made a few weeks ago. My roommate for the tour, Wade, decided to join us for dinner as he´s also a bit of a foodie, and we had an extra spot available with the reservation. I knew that Santiago had some world-class restaurants, so I had done some research before the trip and stumbled upon a website for a Spanish-language magazine, where I ...

... last night. Luckily there were plenty of bars &amp; restaurants open and the main street was packed, which wasn't at all what we were expecting. <br><br>We chose a nice looking restaurant at the end of the road, near the Santiago zoo. <br><br>I ordered steak &amp; eggs which was just over a fiver, Katie went for baked fish &amp; salad for about the same. I had a beer, Katie had a water, so we were a bit surprised when the ...