Trip date: December 2018
Why Santiago de Chile (again)?
On Christmas Day, I found out that I would be alone until New Year’s Day. I decided to do something about it: I bought a ticket for Santiago, Chile, booked an Airbnb, a tour and two restaurant reservations and I left.
Day 1: A Day in the City
After arrival, I checked in early into my Airbnb in Providencia. It’s a convenient area of the city with the Costanera Center nearby. I quickly headed to 99 Restaurante for lunch. The lunch menu consisted of one entrée, one main, and one dessert at 12.900 CLP (US$18.50).
Then, I was off to the Lastarria neighborhood checking out stores as well as the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes (National Museum of Fine Arts), which is probably my favorite building in Santiago.
I wanted to do some more walking. So, I went to the local tourism office for ideas on where to go (as this is already my third trip here). The local tourism office wasn’t really good at selling their city. In contrast, Buenos Aires does a wonderful job. I ended up getting some good ideas from an exhibit they had on old shopping galleries so I went searching for them in the historic center. These commercial galleries (galerías comerciales) are pieces of Santiago’s past that still seem to be well-kept, especially with the nostalgic signage.
The first of these galleries were built back in 1852, and now there are still quite a few of them left in the city. These galleries resemble the passages that you see in Paris, as they are somehow “hidden” inside different buildings.
Finally, it was time for dinner. I reserved a seat at Ambrosia Bistro, which is my favorite restaurant in Santiago so far. I’ve been here a few times already and each time the food does not disappoint. This restaurant is the work of Carolina Bazán, who also owns Ambrosía, one of the top 50 restaurants in Latin America. I usually sit at the counter and watch the team work their magic, and I’ve been lucky to have had Ms Bazán tell me more about the food. In any case, it’s a must-try when in Santiago.
After dinner, I somehow went back to the Plaza de Armas to check out the Christmas decorations before heading back to my Airbnb for my early morning pickup for the Andes.
Day 2: A Trip to the Andes
The best thing about solo travel is the people you meet. At 7:00am sharp a van stopped in front of my building. It was my tour bus. I got inside and there were three other people – all much older. I smiled and got inside, and started to listen to the conversation that’s going on. Then, I realized the group of three were speaking Brazilian Portuguese to the tour guide, who was responding back in Spanish.
I began using my very, very broken Brazilian Portuguese (which was basically a three-hour crash course for my trip to Brazil back in 2016) and began conversing with my newly found friends for the day. They were Brazilians visiting from São Paulo. I also found out that one of them spoke Italian, which made things a bit easier for me. So I somehow conjured up a mix of Italian-Portuguese, but probably what’s called “portuñol” (mix of Portuguese and Spanish) to converse.
The first stop was a ‘meh’ restaurant midway so we could have some breakfast. Then we headed straight for Embalse El Yeso (El Yeso Dam). The dam itself it a reservoir which provides drinking water for Santiago. The most beautiful piece about this place is the turqoise color of the water.
On our way back to Santiago, I found out my Brazilian friends’ ages – 89, 90 and 77! I asked them what their secret was, their answer is wine – no matter which color. And whiskey. So does this mean I need to start drinking? The best part is, they invited me to come along with them on another tour the next day and I said yes!
Day 3: Templo Bahá’í de Sudamérica, Barrio Brasil and Italia
I met up with my Brazilian friends at their hotel, which was within walking distance of my Airbnb. A taxi came to pick us up to take us to the Templo Bahá’í de Sudamérica (Santiago Baháʼí Temple), overlooking the city. The architecture of the temple itself was just spectacular. In addition, the view of Santiago was just wow.
The taxi driver then took us back to the hotel, and it was time to say goodbye. The 90 year-old was simply classy; he insisted to get out of the car to shake my hand for a proper goodbye. He did the same the day before. Meeting them made the trip one to remember.
Now it’s time for me to explore Santiago. I went to the artsy Barrio Brasil and got me some wonderful empanadas for lunch.
After wandering some more it was time for dinner. Then I went for an after dinner walk at the Paseo Bandera back in the city center. This was a piece of urban art by artist Dasic Fernández that opened in 2017. It was almost 9pm but still very bright outside.
Day 4: Viña del Mar, Valparaíso and… Home
I don’t even remember how many times I’ve been to Santiago now, but I am pretty confident I’ve seen a lot of the city. So on my last day I want to mix things up a bit. I’ve been a bit nervous about leaving the capital for the Pacific, a bit scared that I wouldn’t make it back in time for my flight home. But I somehow ended up at the bus station and hopped on a bus to Viña del Mar.
This beautiful seaside resort is also home to the Fonck Museum, which features a moai from Easter Island (Rapa Nui) that was brought over to the Chilean mainland in 1951. Inside you can learn more about the island and its culture.
Now for the main event – the picturesque beach of Viña del Mar on the Pacific Ocean in the Southern Hemisphere.
Honestly I got bored of the beach, so I took the metro to Valparaíso to see the views from the hills (there are 29 of them). I took the funicular up the hill and the colorful houses as well as the street art were right there.
Then it really was time to get back to Santiago so I could get to the airport. Before then, I wanted to mail my postcards. Then I finally figured it out – there are no mailboxes. Well, the mailboxes are inside the post offices. So you can only mail postcards when the post offices are open.
Then I had an idea. I walked over to the hotel where my newly found Brazilian friends were staying to see whether they could mail my postcards for me. Surprise – the Brazilians were sitting in the lobby! It’s amazing how life works – the 80 year old then offered to explain in Portuguese (as she said it’s more likely they speak Portuguese as opposed to English). Then the guy said yes he’d mail it for me next week. I got to catch up with them, and then I was on my way to the airport. It’s been a wonderful trip
Practical Information
Transportation to/from Santiago (SCL) Airport: I used Transvip’s bus services to take me from the airport to my Airbnb in Providencia. Prices vary depending on where you want to go. I paid 7.600 CLP (Chilean Pesos) for the one-way trip, which was about US$11.
Andes Tour: I paid 60.000 CLP (US$90) for the day trip to the Andes. Used the AndoAndes Day Trip tours.
Tipping: Usually 10% in restaurants.
Postcard Rates: to the US, 600 CLP (US$0.86) globally. Important: the only way you can mail your postcards is during post office hours. The post boxes are inside the post offices.
1 USD = CLP$693, December 2018