Valparaíso - "Little San Francisco"

My two new European bffs and I decided to take a trip to the coast for the weekend. We met up at the Universidad de Santiago bus station on Saturday and booked a 2.5 hour bus ride to Valparaíso. You never realize how convenient cell phones are until you don’t have one. Even though I knew the time and the place where we were to meet, what if something happens and you are going to be 10 minutes late? You hope they wait, or you are screwed. Luckily, it hasn’t burned me yet. So we booked tickets on Tur-Bus, I think it cost around $3.000 each. I slept for some of the bus ride because the scenery wasn’t that exciting between the two cities.

Valpo had a very different vibe from Santiago, and you could feel it when we first arrived. It is a port town and all available waterfront has gone to the navy, cruise lines, harbor tours, barges and docks. The city rests on a bunch of very steep hills (cerros) and only has about three blocks worth of streets that are flat before the drop off of the harbor. All of the houses were painted in solid vivid colors. Supposedly this started when people had leftover paint for their boats. There were a few high rise buildings in the flat section leading up to the hills, but once you hit the 20 degree grade (yes, they were that steep), it was all one and two story houses and shops. The hills are so steep that they have vernaculars (that is an English word and no, I’d never heard it before either) to take you up the hills if you didn’t want to hoof it. Basically, they are like elevators on rails instead of a cable that go from top to bottom.

We didn’t have a set plan, and there aren’t that many ‘attractions’ in the city, so we got a map and started walking around to get our bearings. Carolien asked a random chileno for directions in Spanish, and he did his best to explain for about two minutes. He saw that we weren’t getting it and said in almost perfect English, “Can I just tell you in English? Because that would be easier.”

We had a good laugh about that… as it turns out, he had studied in the US for a semester and had an American girlfriend. His name was Francisco and he was born and raised in Valpo. He told us where we needed to go, and then invited us out that night for his friend’s birthday party. Talk about lucky! We picked this random guy, and now we had a plan for the evening and I could get a taste of the real chileno nightlife.

We wandered around the city for a bit and started to get hungry. We found this tiny little empanada shop on Calle Urriola with two older ladies behind the counter. It may have been because I was hot, hungry and a bit tired, but that was one of the best meals and definitely the best empanada I’ve ever eaten. They were made to order and you could put pick pretty much any ingredient to stuff inside. Delicioso.

After that we made our way to the Hostal Polanco, a hostel that was recommended by one of Kristine’s friends. I had never stayed in a hostel before, but it was about what I imagined. There was a kitchen, lounge area, dining room, one bathroom and 4 dorm rooms with 5 or 6 beds. We were lucky enough to get a room that had no one else in it for the night, so we didn’t have to worry about our stuff getting stolen (which was a concern of mine). It was on the dirty side, which is something I am not used to. I think it is typical for a hostel though, so if you are a neat freak and need a clean bathroom to shower in, I would recommend getting a hotel (although in Valpo, I don’t remember seeing any).

We dropped off our packs and went to walk around some more. The best thing about the city is the graffiti. I use the term lightly because it’s really noncommissioned street art. Almost every available street-facing wall space is covered in beautiful and colorful murals of every imaginable style. Walking the streets was more like going through a modern art gallery - around every corner was a new masterpiece.

It was time for dinner before we knew it and we got a few recommendations from locals (in Spanish) to a place that was just a short walk from the hostel. It served typical chileno food and could only seat about 30 people. There only happened to be two other parties there, so the place was relatively quiet (except for the Americans behind us… stupid gringos). As my European friends met in Spanish class and were still studying during the week, I suggested that we do our best to order in Spanish although the waitress spoke some English. I have come to discover that everyone is very enthusiastic when I explain to them “Mi espanol es muy malo, pero quiero practicar.”

A few other waiters came over since there was hardly anyone there, and we asked a lot of questions about typical food, what was in it, and did our best to understand. Sometimes they had to switch to English, but they obviously enjoyed sharing their culture with us. We got a bottle of carmenere, an appetizer of some kind of brushetta along with three different main courses. Mine had mussels, fish and a few things hard to decipher mixed into a creamy broth that was really good. After dinner we were treated to a drink on the house. It wasn’t that good, but it was interesting to try. The liquor was clear but had herbs in the bottle. It wasn’t minty, but had a very distinct flavor. Saludos for the gesture though.

Carolien got Francisco’s cell phone number, so we called him and walked to a major intersection at the bottom of a cerro to meet up (without a cell phone, I don’t think we would have been able to find him... +1 for technology). We walked to a pub and met his friends at a low key pub. Francisco introduced us to vino con frutillas: iced red wine mixed with strawberries and sugar. He ordered a whole pitcher of it and passed it around to everyone although we already had drinks of our own. It was… ok.

The next stop was a disco. As you know, my hobbies are ping pong, sun bathe, watch women make toilet, and disco dance. There was a small cover to get inside, but it got you a free drink. Or, you could just let us in for free and we can buy drinks. Whatever. One room was playing house style music (ick, flashbacks to Bar Constitución, get me away) while the other had popular dance songs (some chileno music, Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, etc.)

Francisco’s friends were really cool and we had a good time dancing and talking. It wasn’t that much different from a club in the States, except for the stupid bar lines. There were quite a few gringos there to my surprise, but I guess when people travel through Chile, they only spend a few days in Santiago and then come to Valpo and Viña del Mar (definitely worth the trip if you find yourself in Santiago). A lot of people were still going strong in the disco, but we wanted to be functional on Sunday. We ended the night around 3 am with a stop at a food cart for completes. These are very popular low end cuisine, comprising of a hot dog with cole slaw, pureed avocado and loads of mayonnaise. They had me until the mayo, but I took a bite of one anyway.

We didn’t get up until around 11 am and checked out of the hostel. A different woman was working, and she arbitrarily raised the rate $1000 pesos, saying that was the standard price. I wasn’t going to argue, because we thought it was going to cost $10 US, and now it was going to cost $12. Kristine was pretty pissed, but I wasn’t going to sweat it.

We had one more thing to do in Valpo before we hit the beach at Viña del Mar – a boat tour. From what I could tell, there were 3 companies all vying for your business, waving their arms and walking up to you to get on their boat because it was the best. We settled for one that looked almost full for $1500, little did I know they were going to cram 10 more people on it after us. We sat on benches toward the back and I really hoped I wouldn’t get seasick. And I couldn’t be the only gringo on the boat AND the only one to get sick. I keeps it real. They flung each of us a life vest that went around your neck and tied at the waist. Little kids, well… they were out of luck. No baby life vests. Parents didn’t seem to care though.


Our boat tour guide was apparently pretty funny because all of the other passengers were laughing at things he said. The jokes were lost on us. I understood a few clips every now and then, especially when they stopped the boat and asked if everyone wanted to pitch in more money so it lasted an hour instead of just a half hour. No, gracias. We drove by some massive ships, saw some sea lions and got a beautiful view of the city from the water.

There is a tram that runs right along the coast and connects Valparaíso with Viña del Mar. After about a 15 minute ride that took us to a station in downtown Viña, we headed to the beach. The city was so much different from Valpo… there were palm trees, wide avenues, high rise condo towers and parks along our way. It looked more like Miami. I was told that all of the well-off people in Valpo move to Viña.

The beach was somewhat crowded, but it is still early in the summer season. It was definitely hot, but the water was cold from the Antarctic current. I was really tempted to change into my trunks and lay around on the beach with Carolien and Kristine, but none of us had any sunscreen and I didn't want to look like a lobster the next day. I also wasn’t too keen on being all gross for the return bus ride later on. Instead, I decided to walk around the city. I told the girls that I would meet up with them in a few hours.

I didn’t see all that much that was interesting. The streets were packed with restaurants, hotels and boutiques. There were a lot of families and small children, probably on vacation. I got some gelato (very popular here) and sat down on a bench in the shade because it was pretty hot. I got approached by two gypsies that wanted to read my fortune, but I just said, "Lo siento, no comprendo." One walked away mumbling something, I think to the effect of 'You understand, alright.'

After a few minutes of relaxation I met up with the girls and we took the tram back to Valpo and walked to the bus station. After another nap we were back in Santiago and I was ready for another work week. These two places should be on your MUST SEE list if you ever make your way down here.

The Most Interesting Thanksgiving Ever

It was no surprise that no one celebrates Thanksgiving in Chile, so I was prepared for the fact that I was going to have to work both Thursday and Friday. I did my best to stay away from all of the Facebook status updates, put my head down and work.

I spoke with Carolien, my Dutch friend I met in Santiago, early in the week. She seemed excited to put together a Thanksgiving meal since I was missing it back home and she had never experienced it before. The plan was to bring a few of her friends and some food over on Friday night and then go out afterward.

I got home from work on Friday and before I knew it there were three women cooking in my kitchen. Carolien brought a friend from Canada, who luckily was a very good cook and familiar with Thanksgiving, and another from Brazil who was also having her first Thanksgiving meal. I invited Erik, one of my Brazilian coworkers, to the party since he had told me he was interested in learning about the holiday.

Check out our Thanksgiving spread:

Once dinner was cooked, we made our way up to the 22nd floor roof of my apartment building to eat and admire the view of the high rise expanse that faded into the Andes - an American, Canadian, Dutchwoman and two Brazilians celebrating Thanksgiving in Santiago. It wasn't a traditional meal by any means, but definitely one of the most memorable holidays of my life.

After dinner we went out to a bar area in Providencia on Avenida Suecia. There are lots of Swiss-style buildings, which gave it the name. We went into one karaoke bar that gave us a free drink, and then walked around for a while. A lot of people would try to drag you into their establishment promising drink specials. We ended up going to a salsa club with a live band called Ile Habana. It had a nice vibe and was very Latin... hot and loud. I wouldn't recommend going to this area alone or in small groups as it seemed to get a little sketchy as it got later.

Next up, Valparaiso and the beach!

Working on Thanksgiving

I've had to work on Thanksgiving before (when I worked for CNN), no big deal in the grand scheme of things. It was a little depressing to look at status updates on Facebook while I worked (I guess that's not really working though). I decided to take a jog up to Cerro San Cristóbal and watch the sunset... an ok tradeoff I think.

Monumento Natural El Morado and Baños Morales

My new European compadres (see previous post) and I planned to meet and go hiking on Sunday morning. We spoke with someone on the phone with the bus system, and through my very limited Spanish we learned that the bus (#72) for Monumento Natural El Morado left from the Bellavista de la Florida bus station at 8:30 am. There was only one bus to the park and one bus back to Santiago at 6:00 pm, so you had to be there on time.

Hopefully anyone else thinking of doing this trip will read this blog and learn from my experiences...

First of all, before you leave you need a backpack, some food for lunch, and enough water for a 4 hour hike. It's not very strenuous, so no gear is necessary. Depending on the month you're going, a light jacket might be needed as you get closer to the glacier and snow. I went in mid-November and was fine in shorts and a light long-sleeved shirt.

The metro doesn't begin service until 8:00 am on Sundays. So when I walked up at 7:30, it was shuttered. I got nervous about waiting for it to open since I had to take a connection to get to Bellavista de la Florida. Note that Estación Bellavista de la Florida is NOT in Bellavista. It's the last station going south on Line 5 (Green line) before Estación Vincente Valdes. I ended up taking a taxi, and the driver didn't know of that metro stop - definitely bring a map just in case. It ended up costing me $6.000 pesos, which is more than the $3.000, 2.5 hour bus ride to the park. Oh well, I had to get there, right?

I got to the station, and by then it was open. After walking around and asking a ticket operator, I found the Connections area and Bus #72. The station was pretty empty, and there were other gringos in hiking gear there. It always helps to know what to look for when you're in a strange place.

The bus cost $1.500 each way, and still functioned as a city bus as we went out of town. Random people would get on and off as we sat for a few hours, anticipating the destination. The bus stopped once for a coffee and bathroom break, and the scenery along the way was a great change from the city.

The roads got a bit curvier and the mountains got closer as we came into San José de Maipo. We reached the park and were reminded that we had to be back by 6:00 or be left to fend the elements for the night. There was a little store and souvenir stand, but I would still recommend bringing your own food and water. You had to sign your name/passport number at the ranger station and pay $1.500 to enter the park.

Here are the details about the park and why you should go. Cajón del Maipo is a beautiful and accessible park, and the best place to go if you want to experience the Andes mountains near Santiago. El Morado is the highest of the mountains in the area, and hovers at 5,060 m (16,596 ft). The hike will take you up to 2,373 m at Laguna Morado, where snow melts and forms a (not that impressive) lake near the end of the hike. There are a few more details here.



The hike started out kind of intense, but after the first 1 km or so, it flattened out and went right up into the canyon. This isn't a canyon in the American sense, but you are surrounded on all sides by mountains (except the access trail behind you). There was a main path along with a few side trails, but they all led in the same general direction. It was impossible to get lost, and there were children as young as 10 on the trail with us, if you're trying to gauge how serious it is.





The view was unbelievable. A few parts of the path were covered by snow and were a bit tricky, but all in all you could walk and enjoy the view. The river flowed to your right during the whole hike, and there seemed to be no rules about staying on the path. There was really no major vegatation to damage. Also, as a side note, I was surprised at the lack of wildlife. We saw a few horses roaming around, but they were shod and used by the locals to take the lazy up into the canyon. There were a few yellow chested birds that clustered near the laguna (because that's where the food was), but that was it.



We didn't go all of the way up to the glacier, but I wish we had. Laguna Morado seemed to be the area where most people sit on rocks, enjoy the view and have lunch, but the laguna itself was less than impressive. I was expecting some kind of big glacier lake but it was really just a dirty pond where all of the snow melts and then drains into the Rio Maipo. Here is a video I took at the turning point:

We wanted to save time for Baños Morales, which was back at the entrance to the park, so we didn't make it to the glacier (another 20-30 minutes of hiking into the canyon). We turned around and went back to hopefully relax in some hot springs.

Just opposite the park where the bus dropped us off, we entered the springs and had to pay another entrance fee. It was a chilly 65 degrees or so, and we were hoping to get warmed up while we soothe our muscles from the hike. Our expectations, unfortunately, were not met. First of all the water was a strange orange-ish color:




Second of all, IT WAS FREEZING! We braved the water and found where the spring actually bubbled up, and huddled in that corner with a few chilenas and practiced our español. We kind of got used to the water, but it wasn't comfortable by any means. I guess later in the summer when it is warmer outside, the pool would probably be filled with people. But do NOT go there expecting a hot spring. Looking back, we definitely should have hiked up to the glacier instead of coming back to the springs.

We still had an hour to kill, so we went into the shack/store that had a small wood burning furnace to warm up. As it got later, it started to get chilly and we could use the warmth. We got a few cups of tea and ate the rest of our food as we waited for 6:00 to roll around. The locals working and socializing there were very hospitable, as were their dogs. One was named Lobo, and they claimed that his mother was a wolf. I was a bit skeptical.

The ride back (for another $3.000) was uneventful, except for the fact that I had to use the bathroom for the last hour and a half. And my assumption that we would stop halfway again... was a wrong one. We picked up more locals just using the bus as a regular service again and made it back to the station in a few hours.

I recommended the hike to a few coworkers and they went a few weeks later. As it was warmer and into December when they went, there were more people going because of the nicer weather. Balance the higher traffic with the nicer weather to see when you want to go.

Here is my favorite picture, not only from this hike, but from my entire month in Santiago:

Crossing Paths

After my late Friday night, I slept in a bit and then woke up to a solo day in Santiago. I was free to explore the city and I wanted to start with Cerro (Hill) San Cristóbal, which is located in a city park very near my apartment and has a great overlook of the city (click for a better view):



There is also a Virgin Mary statue at the top of the hill. It's an easy climb to the top, with a wide paved road for cars going all of the way up. I Google mapped it and it was only 5k from my apartment to the top. I was a bit hungry and lazy when I got there, so I took the fernicular back to the bottom. There is a zoo in the park as well, but I didn't think it was worth seeing based on its size.

The base of the hill flows right into Bellavista, so I strolled the streets to see what it was like during the day. There were some cafes serving lunch and street vendors selling cheap trinkets on the sidewalks. I walked by a cafe and two girls caught my eye, gringos of course. I saw that one was reading a guidebook, another clue that they were tourists. I kept walking and went to the corner, and made a decision that would change the course of my trip.

Should I go back and talk to these strangers (which by now, you should know that I absolutely hate doing), or do I continue on my way? I decided to go back and talk to them. I asked if they spoke English (in Spanish), and was surprised at their accents. They weren't American, as I had guessed. One was Dutch (Carolien) and the other German (Christine).

Here's a pic of my European amigos:


They were super-cool and invited me to go to a museum with them - Pablo Neruda's former residence in the city. I had read about him a little in my guidebook, but didn't know that much of his work. I had no real plans for the rest of the day, so I tagged along.

Pablo Neruda was a popular Chilean poet/political activist from the '40s-'70s, and even won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Neruda supposedly founded the neighborhood of Bellavista... there are a lot of artists, lofts and graffiti/murals that can be attributed to him living in the neighborhood and surrounding himself with those kind of people. He was a very eclectic guy, and counted Diego Rivera, Che Guevara and Andy Warhol among his friends. His house had a very weird design to match his tastes, and was filled with art from all over the world. I wouldn't go out of my way to see it if I was recommending things to do in the city, but it was a good way to waste a few hours since I had time. Also, there is only one English tour per day on Saturday, so make sure you get a reservation.

The Euro girls were nice enough to include me in their plans for the next day (and weekend). More to come on that (see my next post).

I finished up the day at Parque Arauco, one of the premier shopping malls in the city. I was surprised to find that it wasn't that different from a U.S. mall, except for the language of course. Prices were exactly the same to my dismay, but I still ended up buying a shirt at Zara. Their department stores (Paris and Ripley's were the major ones) were a bit different though. Imagine a store like Macy's, but then you add an electronics section, sporting goods and home appliances. You can literally find anything there.

For a first 'free' day in the city, it was a good start. I was beat, and had a big hike coming the next day. I didn't even attempt to go out on Saturday night. I decided to rest up for the next day's adventure.

Can using a phone in Chile be any more complicated?

Apparently these are the rules for using the phone in Chile.

Cell phone to cell phone - all cell phone numbers start with a 7, 8 or 9 and are followed by 7 more digits, so you'd call 9-999-9999 for example
Cell phone to land line - must dial "02" before the 7-digit land line number ... 02-999-9999
Land line to land line - this is the easiest, just dial the 7-digit number ... 999-9999
Land line to cell phone - you have to dial "09" before the 7,8, or 9 + 7-digit number .... so it would be 09-9-999-9999

These were passed on to me by a friend I met in country, so don't take my word for it. Even with these rules, I have yet to get my condo's phone to work correctly. I think I decided that it is because my landlord restricted calls to cell phones. I think.

First night out

My first weekend in a new place started well. The Indian guys I work with cook every night, which can be annoying when you're looking to explore the city with people. However, when you get invited to dinner you don't turn them down (especially when you love chicken tikka masala as much as I do). We chowed down on food that was spice-subdued enough to allow me to eat it. Then the guys and I went out for a night on the town. I knew this would be a good story, if nothing else.

My Lonely Planet guidebook really talked up this neighborhood near ours called Bellavista. It was supposed to be THE area to party in Santiago. Sanjay, Nayan, Sheilindra, Mandar, Amit (henceforth referred to as 'The Indians') and I rolled into the area around 11:30 pm. I had heard that it didn't really get hopping until after midnight, but I thought we could walk around and explore to find the best spots.

Our taxi driver confirmed that Patio Bellavista was the place you wanted to be on the weekends. We walked through a portico into an open air square that was lined on all sides with restaurants and their patios. Every restaurant was packed and there was a really nice vibe.

The Indians really, and I mean REALLY, wanted to find the discos. Bars were not good enough. They almost convinced each other that Bellavista sucked, since the only places we found had people, sitting and drinking. No dancing = no fun, apparently. I tried to explain that things don't happen until later, and they were finally convinced to stick around for a bit.

We found a place called Bar Constitución that had some promise for the guys. It seemed to be the only place playing disco music, and people were starting to filter in at the same time we were. A DJ cranked up some constant bass beats (the typical house music), which got pretty old after about a song and a half, at least to me. The Indian guys loved it though, and spent the whole night at the front of the bar dancing with each other in typical Indian fashion.

As it turned out, Bar Constitución is THE foreigner bar in Bellavista (see the review in the link above). I picked out a few random guys and girls, and found it relatively easy to start conversations with people... where are you from, what are you doing in Chile, how long are you here, etc. If you know me, you know how much I don't enjoy talking to strangers, but this was simple and care free (as well as necessary unless I was going to roll solo for my entire stay). It's funny how you can make eye contact with a stranger and know for certain that they are from the States. I met some pretty cool people that night, but most were just passing through on vacation, so I didn't find any Santiago compadres.

One Week Down

After the initial culture shock wore off, things haven't been hard at all to get used to here in Santiago. My apartment is a two bedroom condo in a 22 story building in Providencia, the more upscale business and metropolitan neighborhood of Santiago. I would live in this place in the States. The view from the top of the building is amazing:






























Work has been interesting. Every monring I ride with 7 Indian consultants (you don't want to rent a car in Santiago, trust me). There are also 5 Brazilian consultants that we work with. Add the chileno clients to the mix and in any given room where we work, people are speaking Spanish, Brazilian, Hindi and English (I am the only native English speaker). It can be a bit crazy. Luckily, everyone except for a few of the clients speak English.

I haven't had a formal Spanish class since high school, so needless to say, I am a bit rusty. I spent a few weeks in Costa Rica a few years ago, and I've been hitting Rosetta Stone pretty hard to dust up on the language, but I'm nowhere near fluent. My coworkers give me the chance to practice Spanish and can bail me out when I give up and start speaking English again.

Every night this week I walked to restaurants for dinner in Providencia. FYI... dinner doesn't start down here until after 9:30, so most restaurants will be fairly empty until then. Partying doesn't start until after midnight and lasts until 4 or 5 am, but more on that later...

If you are in this area, Liguria is definitely a restaurant that you need to check out. They serve typical Chilean food and the atmosphere is very cool. Nearby is a place called Phone Box Pub, which is a British style restaurant, although the food is a bit more chileno than British.

And So Begins My Adventure In Chile

I had this great plan for my 9.5 hour, 4,600 mile direct flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to Santiago, Chile. Eat the dinner they provide an hour or so into the flight, pop a Benadryl, and knock myself out for the rest of the trip. The only problem was that I left my Benadryl at home… oops. Now I had to occupy myself between the in-flight movies, the Lonely Planet guidebook for Chile, and the 70 year old woman sitting next to me. I prayed for sleep that came in fits.

One respite from the torture of monotony and purgatory between sleeping and waking was a great movie called 500 Days of Summer. It told the story of a guy’s relationship with a girl named Summer in a very unique way, jumping to different days in the relationship throughout. I thought that it accurately portrayed the mindset of a typical guy dealing with a breakup and trying to move on. At least to me, it felt very close to home. I’m still waiting on that new ‘Day 1’. See the movie to see what I’m talking about. Also, the soundtrack was filled with quality music, so check that out.

I ended up having a few brief conversations with my geriatric neighbor. As it turns out, at least half of my flight consisted of senior citizens going on a 3 week cruise from Chile, around Cape Horn and finally to Rio de Janeiro. It sounds like a cool trip, but I came to spite many of my fellow passengers. You cannot fathom the deafening snoring that I endured as I tried to find some sleep. Imagine your grandfather x 25. One man was snore-hickuping, or slowly dying, I’m not sure which. It was one of the strangest sounds I’ve ever heard.

Finally, a few hours of sleep and 4,600 miles away, I made it to Santiago. Fun fact: Santiago is actually 2 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. It's something you don't really think about until you go there. My client provided a driver to take me to the hotel for a few real hours of sleep before I went into work. I'll try to take notes of what I see and do as I live here, and so begins the month abroad. Day 1.

Check out the view from my temporary home.

Jet Set Update

It's official, I'm going to Chile! After weeks and weeks of debate on where it would be, and if I would actually get to go, I finally know for sure. November 16 - December 11 are the dates. Hello frequent flier miles, hola espanol! More info to come...

Halloween - I'm On a Boat!

Here is my friend Kyle and I before last night's Halloween party at Park Tavern:






















Here's the inspiration if you've been living under a rock.