We had one of the easiest flights yet, going from Calama to Santiago in Chile. Once we got there, the hustle and bustle of a big modern city was quite a change from where we've been recently. Although it is enormous, we were able to explore some of the nearby neighborhoods, as we were fairly centrally located. It is a city of big skyscrapers mixed with old architecture and throngs of people. Graffiti decorates most walls and can range from simple spray painted scribbles to elaborate murals. An enormous library was within walking distance, where we spent nearly an hour exploring the many rooms, including one of wood that was lined with balconies of books. Near the center of downtown is a hill. On top is an old fort called Santa Lucía slightly resembling a castle. From the top, you can see much of the city on a clear day.
Santiago is a very large city with many neighborhoods. While we weren't there long enough to see them all, we were able to visit a couple good ones. One of my favorite neighborhoods was the Bohemian influenced Bella Vista. It's kind of a grungy part of town where nearly every building has amazing art. It is a residential area interspersed with clothing shops and cafes.
While we liked Santiago, we were really excited about Valparaíso, which is a much smaller city about an hour away. Nestled in a bay, the small port town twists it's way up from the water with narrow winding streets to the top of a series of seven hills. From the top of any of them gives you a fantastic view. Boasting a community of artists and self-proclaimed hippies, the city is completely filled with art from the murals covering every building, to the mosaics embedded in walkway and parks, or the many street musicians jamming on corners or marching through the streets. We weren't prepared for how much we'd like this town. In fact, our plan was to stay three days, and we ended up staying a week.
The great thing about not making concrete plans well in advance is flexibility. Our original idea was to go to Mendoza, Argentina from Valparaíso. Unfortunately, the passes closed due to snow, and there was no way to know when/if they'd open soon. As sad as it was to miss it, we were able to get a great flight deal directly to Buenos Aires from Santiago. Thus, we have had the time to relax and not move around for a while in the very beautiful city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Chile is modern, it is colorful, has lovely architecture, but the food lacked. Buenos Aires is not as colorful, but overall a wonderful place to be. We have been staying in a wonderful little boutique hotel close to everything called Del 900 Hostel. Like Santiago, it has a mix of modern and old buildings, but it is a cleaner city with an abundance of culture. Just in the central part of the city there is so much to see and do including seeing the many historical buildings and sculptures, going to the marketplace or weekend craft fair in San Telmo, visiting the many bookshops or the theater/bookstore El Ateneo, watching a tango show, strolling the enormous park in Palmero, and stuffing yourself with amazing Argentinian barbecue and chimichurri sauce.
One of the best sites we visited in Buenos Aires was the Recoleta Cemetery. It seems to be a city all on its own with numerous streets filled with ornate mausoleums, some as big as houses. It is an incredible sight, and takes time to wander through. Some were so intricately decorated, and the occasional flower only worked to enhance the beauty of the place.
One of the few other things to do while staying in Buenos Aires is to take the short train to Tigre. It was easily done in an afternoon, and we thoroughly enjoyed a boat trip up the river and canals. It's a strange town that I feel is more lively in summer months. There are a few European influenced building in city center, but much of the best part of the town is in the countryside. It sits along a river near the coast where many of the residents live on a series of delta islands with the only mode of transportation between is boats and occasional rickety bridges. The houses range in styles, but nearly all are built on stilts with a long wooden dock on the edge of the property. It's almost like a city whose streets were sunken: canals are the alleyways and the river is the highway. It is a quiet, and interesting town.
We leave Buenos Aires in two days for an entirely different part of the world. Southeast Asia, here we come! I'm looking forward to it.
Santiago, Chile
Hotels:
Plaza Paris Armistar: 31,000 chilean pesos/night
Restaurants:
Majestic Indian Restaurant
Bocanariz
Transportation:
Bus to Calama: 12,000 chilean pesos ea
Airplane to Santiago
On foot
Activities:
Cerro Santa Lucia
Barrio Bellavista: free
National Library: free
Plaza de Armas: free
Valparaiso, Chile
Hotels:
Casa Violeta Limon: $50/night
Casa Violeta Limon Hostel: 18,000 chilean pesos/night
Restaurants:
Altamira Brewery
Cocina Puerto
Transportation:
Bus to and from Valparaiso: 3,000 chilean pesos ea, each way
On foot
Activities:
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Hotels:
Hostel Del900: $32/night
Restaurants:
Las Cholas
La Continental
Freddy’s Choripan
Transportation:
Airplane to Buenos Aires
Train to Tigre: 24 argentinian pesos ea
On foot
Activities:
Puerto Madero: free
El Ateno bookstore: free
Barrio Recoleta: free
Recoleta Cemetary
Barrio San Telmo: free
Floralis Generica: free
The Pink House: free
Feria de San Pedro Telmo: free
Obelisk: free
Tango Porteno: 405 argentinian pesos
Take train to Tigre, boat trip: 100 argentinian pesos ea
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