Logan and I arrived in Santiago early in the morning. We caught a cab downtown to our friend Elizabeth’s house. Elizabeth was a college roommate of our good friend Roze, and she graciously let us stay in her apartment. The apartment view was unreal looking out over a large section of downtown Santiago from the 21st floor. I could have stayed and watched the city line all day but Logan and had to do some planning.
Our original plan for Chile was to head north towards the dessert since we were crunched for time. We decided that the south was calling our names. We did a some southern city research before heading out on foot to a lookout point above the city and before meeting up with Elizabeth and some of her friends for dinner party on the other side of town.
When we got to the dinner party, we were again greeted by an incredible view of Santiago from a high rise balcony. It was a very international gathering hosting people from England, America, and Chile. We spent the evening drinking wine and piscola. Pisco is a local liquor made from grapes and it is commonly served as a piscola (with coke) or even more popular pisco sour. Along with the drinks we were served several types of meats right off the grill. I couldn’t get over the view as the party continued and we even watched the moon rise. Just like a sunrise at dawn, the moon jetted up from the backside of the nearby mountain that towers over Santiago and illuminated the night’s sky. As the night continued, we made new friends and even made plans to head to Valparaiso with a local named Carlita the following morning. It was a night that I will not soon forget and one hell of a way to kick start the first night in Chile.
The next morning, we met up with Carlita and jumped on a bus to Valparaiso. Carlita can speak English, but not fluently. Logan speaks Spanish, but not fluently. As for me, my Spanish is comparable to a cave man making grunting noises. There was quite the language barrier between all of us, which was wonderful. Carlita was able to practice her English and Logan and I were able to practice our Spanish!
When we arrived in Valparaiso, we realized the city was much larger than we had thought. After a long walk up a steep incline heading away from the beach, we found our hostel. It was nothing too special, but was tucked away up on the hill in a very artsy area. After settling in for a bit we headed back down the hill to explore the coastal city. We got some road beers and meandered to the rocky shore to watch the sunset. With a beer in our hands, we practiced our foreign languages with one another. We then watched a group of seals fight over sleeping space on a concrete island right offshore just as the sun was lost over the horizon. When the fiery glow of the sun faded away, the city lights came to life behind us illuminating the ring of development around the bay.
The next morning we decided to head to a small town just outside Valparaiso, called Vina Del Mar. First thing we did was head to the beach but we had all of our luggage with us. We relaxed, got some sun, and tried to play Frisbee until all the stray dogs caught on and wanted in on the fun. Chile is FULL of stray dogs. They seem to be some type of communal pet. As you walk around town, one, or two, or five will join you on your journey and stick right by your side. On the beach we had three hanging out with us. After some beach time we decided to find some ice cream and relax in a park before we had to split ways with Carlita. Our time with Carlita was short, but it was wonderful to meet a local and visit another city together. Logan and I then grabbed some dinner and jumped on a night bus headed south to the city of Pucon.
