Following Bolivia, my next destination was Chile, which was also my last country with Phi before she returned home and my family flew out. Chile was quite different to the rest of the countries we were visiting, in that we didn't have any tours or coaches booked throughout and instead fully did our own thing. We only visited the touristic San Pedro de Atacama and the capital, Santiago. The currency was Chilean Pesos and the exchange rate was GBP 1: CLP 1168.
San Pedro de Atacama
Day 1
San Pedro de Atacama is the driest desert in the world and this is where the coach was dropping us off once we'd crossed the border from Bolivia. Many people had to get rid of any coca leaves and other produce that they'd purchased in Bolivia, however the border crossing ended up being more lax than the long queues made it appear.
We'd spent the majority of our time in Bolivia in jumpers and coats and we were more than ready for a bit of sun, which luckily is exactly what this town offered; we were finally warm again and could leave the house in just a t-shirt, which was much needed. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived to our hostel, Phi felt very dizzy so she had a lie down while I relaxed. It was here that I learnt that one of my uni flatmates was now engaged, which was very exciting. We then had lunch, before meeting up with a girl from our Gadventures tour group in Peru in a bar called La Casona. We learnt that she'd been unwell on an overnight bus in Bolivia and had no choice but to relieve herself (read: shit) into a bag twice (note that the same bag was used both times). This made Phi and my experience in Bolivia seem much better than we'd realised. We went to a bar called Lola to enjoy some pisco sours, which seemed to be packed with Brazilians and kept us very entertained as one of the staff members was skiving big time and dogs kept sneaking in then being escorted out. The sunset was absolutely gorgeous, although it was slightly windy, to the point that our friend's tour to the (Chilean) moon valley (Valle de la Luna) was cancelled.
Day 2
Phi and I had breakfast in the main square, and here I tried 'manjar', a Chilean dulce de leche, which was delicious. We explored the town, which comprised of an old, rustic church, souvenir shops, and bars, and booked a tour to the aforementioned moon valley. Phi started to feel queasy soon after, so we headed to Roots café for an orange juice. We sat outside and were very disappointed to discover that, for the first time since starting this trip, the orange juice wasn't fresh. On a positive, we ran into two girls that we'd met on our moon valley tour in Bolivia, and they told us that their Jeep had broken down in the Salt Flats, leading to them being sent towards an island by the tour guide, and after walking for two and a half hours, they realised that they were stranded in pitch black, whilst two rescue teams were sent out in search of them. Luckily, a local bus spotted them and did a detour to drop them off at the island, but it's safe to say that they were traumatised, and once again, Phi and my experience of Bolivia was looking better and better.
Unfortunately, Phi really wasn't feeling well, so only an hour or two after confirming our tour to the moon valley, we then had to cancel it, with no refund. She rested, while I headed back to the beer garden in La Casona to update my travel journal and enjoy an aperol spritz in the sun. I FaceTimed my boyfriend and brother, when all of a sudden Phi reappeared.
We'd debated between stargazing or going on a night out, but felt that given Phi wasn't in her prime, it would be easier to get home from a night out, should we need to. We headed back to Lola for more pisco sours, karaoke, and a boogie. It was so much fun, we got to pet some doggos and chat to some people nearby. Unfortunately, the main bar closed at 1:00am, and the terrace shortly thereafter, but given that we'd drank a lot on an empty stomach, it was probably for the best.
Day 3
We woke up feeling very fragile, having only had five hours sleep and a sensitive stomach. I took an 'everything shower' to feel alive, then headed to La Franchutería for an al fresco breakfast as I'd barely eaten the previous day and was starving. Both Phi and I felt very sick so she slept it off while I filled my stomach. I then did some souvenir shopping in the main town, before heading back to the courtyard of the hostel to call an Uber to the airport.
This is where we realised that we'd messed up as we needed to get to the airport and assumed that we'd be able to just call an Uber, as that was what we'd been doing until then, however there were no Ubers or taxis available. We called up various transfer companies, which all had no availability, so headed to the bus station to try and figure out a solution. We spoke to a bus driver and quickly realised that there wasn't a single bus that would get us to the airport in time, but fortunately the driver knew someone who could drive us to the airport immediately. It was much more expensive than a bus or Uber, but we were desperate and just thanking our lucky stars that we would make our flight in time. (We also had to stop at an ATM to get cash out as neither of us had enough on our person, which was just another little stress that we could have done without).
In the airport, we ordered two chicken mayo sandwiches, which took an hour to arrive, as the system was down and other tables both arrived and departed within the time we had been waiting. Our flight had started boarding so we asked for the sandwiches to be takeaway, although our flight was then also delayed about 30 minutes. We eventually arrived in Santiago, and got to our Airbnb quickly, where Phi's mum was waiting for us.
Santiago
Day 1
Phi's mum decided to meet us in Santiago as she'd been wanting to visit for ages and the timing worked perfectly. On our first day in the capital, we had breakfast at a local café then visited the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, which was very interesting but heartbreaking, especially the parts on Pinochet's military dictatorship.
We headed to Palacio del Vino for lunch, which was delicious, and it was here that we tried the local wine, Carménère, for the first time. We then headed to the Palacio de la Moneda, which is the seat of the Chilean President, and saw a lot of commotion; as it turns out, it was decided that the Chief of Army was remaining in position that day. We also visited the main square, Plaza de Armas, however we couldn't gauge the vibe. It was busy but unclear whether people were happily waiting for their pals, or loitering about. We then climbed up a park (Parque Florestal Ruben Dario) in order to see the sunset over the city, and although the sunset was absolutely gorgeous, it was very cloudy so we couldn't see the picturesque mountains surrounding the city (although the clouds did look cool). By this point, we'd walked all day, and I'd felt queasy since breakfast so we got the metro home and after I'd rested for a bit, I reunited with Phi and her mum in a nearby restaurant called Casa Toesca for dinner and drinks.
Day 2
En route to breakfast, we once again passed the Palacio de la Moneda, where we witnessed the changing of the guard, although the band played 'Thriller' and 'Rock Around the Clock' at different points, which threw me off and was the last thing I expected. We enjoyed avocado toast and coffee for breakfast in a nearby café, which was delicious and filling.
We then got an Uber to Maipu Valley, which is a popular wine region in the country. We were dropped off at the wrong entrance, so walked along the rows of autumnal trees to the correct location, enjoying a lemon tart en route in a cute café. Eventually, we reached the correct entrance of Santa Ema vineyard and were offered a private vine tour in English, which was ideal as I was struggling to understand the Chilean accent in Spanish. Our guide as absolutely great and after visiting the different parts of the vineyard, we then ate grapes directly off the vine and enjoyed four glasses of local wine, alongside some meats, cheese, fruits and nuts. It was all delicious, and I especially enjoyed trying the Carménère again, which Chile specialises in. That said, it wasn't actually the best time to visit as they'd recently harvested the grapes, so the vines were mostly bare. Despite this, it was very sunny and we could finally enjoy the mountainous backdrops in the landscape.
We went to El Hueso Enrique for dinner, though were surprised by how empty it was for a Saturday evening, and once again we simply couldn't figure out how we felt about the city. People seemed quite quiet and introverted, which we put down to the devastation that came with Pinochet's rule, however they'd often describe themselves as being chatty and lively, which we didn't necessarily perceive. It felt like a much bigger city than anywhere else we'd come across up to this point, and potentially more diverse (though also much more white), but we just couldn't gauge the vibe at all.
Day 3
One of my favourite breakfasts of the whole trip was consumed on this morning; Phi found a nearby café called Piaf, which had four set breakfast menus, and I chose the one that comprised avocado toast, fresh juice, a small croissant and a large cappuccino. Everything was honestly superb and I could not recommend this café enough, it's just a shame that we only discovered it on our last day!
It was a Sunday and most things seemed closed, though some preachers were out and about, and we then walked to Bellavista and Mercado Central, which was a busy fishmarket. Throughout our time in Santiago, the streets seemed fairly quiet, however on this walk we'd pass extremely busy intersections, and then the following street would be deserted; it was very strange indeed. We visited Cerro San Cristóbal, a viewpoint of the city on the top of a hill, offering spectacular views, which we took a funicular up. From here, we spotted a multitude of skyscrapers, which we definitely hadn't noticed during our stay here, making me think that either we were exploring the wrong areas, or there's just a lot we didn't see. That said, we'd visited most of the sights recommended online and in the Lonely Planet guide, so I felt satisfied with our stay.
Phi tried a beverage similar to what we'd tried in La Paz, however it was called 'mote con huesillo' and seemed to be a peach juice with cereal at the bottom, as well as an empanada, however it didn't look as appealing as the other ones I'd seen across South America (although this could have just been the specific one she tried). Soon thereafer, I had to go to the airport for my flight to Mendoza, Argentina, whilst Phi was flying back to London and her mum to Canada later that evening. I really enjoyed spending time with Phi's mum as I got to know her better and she was very chilled, and I (of course) loved my time spent travelling across Peru, Bolivia, and Chile with Phi. It had been four weeks since the start of my travels and time had really flown by.
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