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.