SANTIAGO and VALPARAISO - Chile

With Laura

Took a few flights, Copenhagen – London – Dallas – Santiago, to be exact, and finally I was in the capital of Chile. The goal was to get to Argentina, but as a logistical tactic, I ended up going to Chile first. Was going to visit some Argentinian friends and the home of one of them, Laura from Mendoza, is fairly close to the Chilean border. Laura and I decided to meet in Santiago and explore parts of this South American country together.

In order to have fun we needed to actually meet. I flew in, she arrived by bus. After realizing that the Central Station I was at was not the bus station she would arrive to, I had to use my handy dandy Spanish. I don’t really know Spanish, but had worked on a few words and sentences in preparation for the trip. So I basically used all the words I knew. I apologize in advance my Spanish speaking friends, this may hurt your eyes and ears, but I am stoked that after traveling for about 32 hours I could say anything remotely intelligent. The people in the information booths/bus companies’ ticket counters did not speak English, but wanted to sell me a ticket. I (along with some dramatic hand gestures) uttered: “No necesito un boleto, necesito mi amiga. Arriva a Santiago con autobus de Mendoza!” What I was aiming for was to say “I don’t need a ticket. I need my friend. She arrives to Santiago with bus from Mendoza.” Somehow it worked! I received directions on how to get to the bus station by walking a few blocks. It all ended successfully with Laura and I being reunited in a glorious fashion on the platform of the South Terminal. We proceeded to the hostel. I don’t mind hostels…or so I thought…until we had to endure several days of showering in cold water. I am leaning more towards staying in hotels now. Walked around in the evening and I was hit by the many colorful murals and cute cafés, bars and restaurants. Shared a local dish consisting of a mountain of fries, amazing chunks of meat, fried eggs and caramelized onions. When I wrote about my trip to Thailand a few weeks ago, I mentioned expected amazing experiences and unexpected amazing experiences. One category is not better than the other, they are just different. Here was the first expected amazing experience: Seeing Laura after being apart for a year and a half. Wonderful feeling indeed!! The unexpected was to spend some time in a park and see so many people dance, play drums, just because. It didn’t seem to be an organized event, but to be friends jamming in the early evening sun.

Moneda Palace

Day two and we took part of a Free Tour (you can tip the guide in the end if you wish, which we did). Our guide Felipe was an amazing story teller and enthusiastically guided us and some new-found friends all over Santiago by foot. Started at Plaza de Armas and ended over 4 hours later at Pablo Neruda’s (the poet) house. For me, seeing Palacio de Moneda (the Presidential Palace) was the highlight. This is where President Salvador Allende committed suicide (or was murdered…depending on what you believe) in 1973 and from where General Augusto Pinochet ruled Chile with the help of terror. Expected amazing experience: feeling you are part of an historic place when standing right in front of the Moneda. Unexpected: the changing of the guards occurred, something I always enjoy watching at various palaces as my father has done it at Stockholm’s Palace. But as it was Saturday, the guards jazzed it up a bit and played some samba etc. In the middle of the tour we took a break and both Laura and I had each an empanada (stuffed bread/pastry). Empanadas are common food in other parts of the world too. The Chilean ones turned out to be massive. My seafood stuffed one was rather amazing! After the tour Laura and I took a tram up San Cristobal Hill and were treated to an awesome view of the whole city. And visited a Virgin Mary statue while we were at it. Back down again, we ate another local dish called Pastel de Choclo – a fantastic meat and corn pie!

Artist and his young fans

We took a side trip to the coastal city of Valparaiso. Bought cheap tickets for a local bus, no fancy tour companies for us, and headed west.  People at the bus station tried to tell us tickets for a tour which would take care of us the whole day, but if you have someone like Laura by your side, there is no need for that. She is unbelievably good at finding her way around a city. Even a new city does not pose a challenge for Laura. This skill of hers is out of this world! We arrived in Valparaiso and after enjoying some salmon and ceviche (dish made from raw fish which is cured in citrus juices and spiced with chili) we joined yet another tour of the Free Tour company. I feel this is different than from taking a fancy tour. We started at Plaza Anibal Pinto (a small square) and ended at Muelle Prat (the docks). Valparaiso is a dream for artistic people. There are so much graffiti there! Both amazing and UNESCO protected, and some well, crappy sprayed messages. The artistic graffiti is truly a sight for sore eyes and the various neighborhoods make sure the artwork on the concrete walls match the overall feel and vibe of the area. Unexpected amazing experience: after watching an artist work on a Bank of Chile wall, the artist stepped down from his ladder and handed me a business card. I got all giddy and thought it was the coolest things ever. The city is

Valparaiso

not planned at all, and yes, you could sense that. The small and narrow streets were full of character and the many hills made it kind of a labyrinth. Valparaiso is famous for its many colorful buildings and by taking trams/elevators we could partake in various views of said buildings and of the harbor. After the tour Laura and I treated ourselves to an ice cream at a legit place. One of the 25 best ice creams shops in the world it claimed it was. The shop, Emporio de Rosa, had a rustic feel to it, but after closer examination, they opened in 2001. Regardless, great ice cream indeed. We took a local bus back to Santiago. Back at the hostel, the power went out. Imagine trying to maneuver around a bit of a dirty room at a hostel without the privilege of lights. Yeah gross indeed.

Immigration

The following day we stepped onboard a bus which was going to take us across the Andes Mountains and into Argentina. I had heard the buses in South America were very comfy and yes indeed they were!  We each had a large seat which you could recline a lot further than the ones offered on an airplane. The bus started to climb the Andes and made many sharp turns. Laura challenged me to guess how many turns. I said 11…I think the last count was at 40. You could see some snow on the top of the mountains and I found everything very exotic. Not the snow part per se, I am Swedish after all, but just the idea that we were crossing the Andes by bus! We arrived at the Argentinean border and here comes the unexpected amazing experience of the day: I thought it was sooo interesting to clear immigration on top of a mountain (okay not on top of but on a mountain range). I have had the privilege to cross many international borders around the world, but of course the majority of them have been at an airport. Here you had to fill out the paperwork onboard the bus, get off the bus, walk inside a building where other cars and buses were parked, with its human cargo waiting to clear immigration. Walk up to an immigration officer…stamp…stamp and you were allowed back on the bus. Then off the bus again for them to check inside your carry-on and the checked luggage to get screened inside a machine, just like at an airport. I thought the whole thing was thrilling…Okay maybe not after an hour of just sitting. But still, for an International Relations nerd/vagabond, these things excite me. We boarded the bus again and drove into Argentinean territory.