Last days in Chile enjoying Santiago, Vina del Mar and Valparaíso.

1st day – Saturday (11/06/2011)

My flight from Calama to Santiago It was a little delayed because of the volcano that erupted in southern Chile and caused chaos at the airports. I arrived in Santiago around 9pm (I was supposed to arrive around 5pm) and took a bus to the metro station The Heroes, the closest to my hostel.

I was left in this hostel in the Brasil neighborhood and I didn't like it. I thought it was much closer to the subway station and that because it was in the city center the neighborhood would be busy on a Friday night, with several happy hours happening. Sweet illusion… It was pitch black, no one was walking or cars were passing by. The street where the hostel is located is very dark and it is a little far from the avenue Liberator Bernardo O'Higgins, where there is a subway station. I even wanted to take a taxi, but since none came, I had to run with a 20-kilo backpack on my back. I stopped running halfway, fortunately, because I met a couple walking and I made a point of sticking to them. (This is one of the things that we take with us for the rest of our lives after living in Rio de Janeiro. Any deserted place anywhere in the world makes me think that I will be robbed and leaves me in a panic. Oh, how angry…). When I arrived at the hostel, I had to pay for the night I didn't show up, because I decided to sleep at the airport. I thought it was annoying to have to pay just because I had booked through website of HI Hostel, but I was so tired that I let it go.

I went up to my room and it was very tidy, all colorful, with 6 completely EMPTY bunk beds. How happy I was!!! I wanted some space and comfort after the experience at Atacama Desert. Sleep well. 🙂

2nd day – Sunday (12/06/2011)

I woke up around 9am, took a shower, had a great breakfast (compared to the other hostels on this trip) and got ready to go to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso by myself, because I found the tours offered at the hostel very expensive and also because I was feeling adventurous. Why not go alone, right!?

I went to the bus station in Santiago and looked for buses to the two cities, which are very close to each other. There are several buses that go there with very short intervals, so I didn't have to wait very long. I got on the bus right away and after about 2 hours, I was there. Valparaiso. I confess that I was a little disappointed when I arrived in the city… It's a bit dirty, there are a lot of people on the streets, the buildings are a bit old, anyway… I think I went with high expectations.

When I got off at the bus station around 2pm, I was immediately approached by several tour companies offering tours in Valparaíso and Vina del Mar. They tried to charge me 20,000 pesos (almost 90 reais) for the tour that would last a maximum of 4 hours and I explained that I was broke, so they ended up doing it for 10,000 pesos. I thought the discount was worth it and since I was tired (traveling for 30 days is tiring, people!), I immediately agreed.

A van showed up to pick me up and we soon headed to Vina del Mar, which is much more charming than Valparaiso. We stopped at some hotels and apartments to pick up the other tourists from the van and started the tour stopping at Quinta Vergara Park, very cute by the way. It has trees from all over the world, lots of dogs and the Quinta Vergara Amphitheater, where several concerts are held. We passed in front of a house inside the park that was completely cracked because of the frequent earthquakes that happen in the region. It was a shame…

We left there and went to visit the famous city clock, which is so cute, look:

Then we went to Easter Island Archeology Museum, common moai original right in front. It is small compared to the ones that are still on Easter Island, but it was cool to see it and get intrigued and want to visit the island.

Then we went to the beach for a half hour break. Some people went to have a snack and I thought it would be better to stay on the beach, watching the Pacific for the first time (!!!). Well, it's a normal sea, nothing special, but I felt that the moment deserved to be appreciated. I had a snack of chips and watched the children playing in the sand. There was no one in the sea, because the water was incredibly cold (I don't know if it's always like that).

After the agreed 30 minutes, I headed towards the van to continue the tour. We returned to Valparaiso, now to visit the La Sebastiana, one of the poet's houses Pablo Neruda. The view from there is very beautiful, look:

Then we went to the last point of the tour, a viewpoint on top of a hill, from where you can see the entire city of Valparaíso. We went there at the end of the afternoon and I thought it was really cool…

When the tour was over, the van dropped me off at the bus station and I bought a ticket back to Santiago. I tried to stay awake on the road, but the rocking of the bus lulled me to sleep so well… When I arrived in Santiago, I stopped at a small supermarket to buy dinner (rain noodles) and some snacks and then went straight to the hostel because I was starving. I was surprised: the ramen noodles were spicy!!! It was horrible, guys… I ended up eating chocolate for dinner… lol.

I took the opportunity to spend some time in Internet talking to people through facebook and went to sleep. No guests in my room again! Aeeee! 🙂

3rd day – Monday (13/06/2011)

I woke up, had breakfast, took a shower and went out for a walk around Santiago. Since it was my second time visiting the city, I went on some tours that I hadn't done in 2010. I walked mainly around the city center, passing by several beautiful buildings, take a look:

I continued walking through the city, observing people during their work/lunch breaks and I took the opportunity to go up the Santa Lucia Hill, which is a green space in the middle of the city center, with a really cool view of the city. Look how delicious:

After walking around the city center, I decided to have lunch at Santiago Central Market, which is interesting. I chose a fairly large restaurant and ordered a local fish (I don't remember the name) with mashed potatoes, which was good, but nothing sensational.

After that, I went out to do some shopping and found winter clothes much cheaper than in Brazil. There are several large department stores, with everything you can imagine… I loved it! I went back to the hostel with a few bags that I had a hard time fitting into my backpack. I took a shower, booked my taxi for the next day to the airport and went to bed, reliving every second of this trip alone.

So many good memories, so much learning… I grew a lot with this trip and I recommend that people try to take at least one trip alone in their lives. We rediscover ourselves, have adventures, meet a lot of people, reflect a lot on life… Anyway, I think it was a very rich experience that I would definitely repeat. I already miss it… <3

READ THE REST OF MY BACKPACKING TRIP IN THE LINKS BELOW

• ARGENTINA – Buenos Aires and Tigre
• ARGENTINA – Córdoba, Alta Gracia, Villa Carlos Paz and Villa General Belgrano
• ARGENTINA – Mendoza, Uspallata and Puente del Inca
• ARGENTINA – Neuquén and San Martin de los Andes
• ARGENTINA – Bariloche
• CHILE – Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas
• CHILE – Pucon
• CHILE – Cálama and San Pedro de Atacama
• CHILE – Santiago, Vina del Mar and Valparaíso

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