Around-the-World with Drew & Erin: Chile

Join The Blogging Post as we head around-the-world with our friends Drew & Erin. They’ll be sending us regular dispatches and updates from around, across, and all over the globe. This is their first post from Chile…

Approach to South America

As Erin and I arrived in the international departure lounge at Christchurch airport, minutes before our flight to Auckland and then Santiago, Chile, it hit us that we were approaching the final leg of our travels. We were headed for South America for three and a half months before turning for home. We were approaching South America with lots of travel experience and an open mind – no bookings, no set plans, and no limitations - other than our budget and time frame, of course.

We were leaving ourselves open to the possibilities of the road and the directions it offered. We would also be learning Spanish – or Castellano, as the language is called down in Chile and Argentina. After traveling to so many places and relying on the locals to speak my language, I’m ready to cross the language barrier and speak to the locals in their language.

Next thing you know, after a long flight from Auckland, we had arrived in the Santiago airport with no guidebook for the city, no place to stay, and little knowledge of the language. It’s quite exciting to approach a new continent this way. We opted for the local bus instead of a taxi. We found our way downtown. We scrambled around the city and found a place to stay in a friendly hospedaje – essentially a former home that operates like a budget bed and breakfast. And that evening we ventured out into the city for our first meal.

We actually got a buzz out of ordering empanadas and bebidas (beverages) and scarfing them down while standing elbow-to-elbow with the locals at this streetside food joint near the Plaza de Armas, a central square that is the hub of the city’s activity. We had successfully faced our first challenges, interacted with the Chilenos, and even spoken a bit of the language to do so. Our journey to South America was underway.

We spent the better part of a week in Santiago, fighting through some major jet lag and the brief sickness that ensued for a few days afterwards, while also taking in the sights of the city. I took quite a liking to Santiago and found it to be quite agreeable. It was clean, modern, had friendly people and a much more European feel to it than I had expected. It was less wild and rough-around-the-edges than anticipated.

Chile is the most prosperous and developed of the South American nations, and Santiago’s modern face and style confirm this fact. The city offers some outstanding architecture and an intriguing assortment of unique barrios, or neighborhoods. If the skies were clearer, it would also offer a dazzling view of the snow-capped Andes to the west, but unfortunately those views are greatly sullied by the dense air pollution that pervades the air.

While taking in the city, Erin and I were also charting our plans for a trip south. Our goal was Patagonia, and we needed to get there before the winter set in. We booked a flight to the southern Chilean town of Puerto Natales and were off. When the scenic flight from Santiago to Puerto Natales touched down, we got our first glimpse of legendary Patagonia. The conditions were windy with masses of dark grey clouds in the distance, and the land was interesting and colorful. There were mountains, lakes, grasslands, and open landscapes – the Patagonia of my dreams. And then there was also the weather – the Patagonia of my darker dreams, not nightmares per se, but ominous nonetheless. Regardless, I was excited to be here and set to tackle this mystical place.

PHOTOS

Photo #1 - The Plaza de Armas
Photo #2 - Some beautiful Santiago architecture below Cerro Santa Lucia (Santa Lucia hill)
Photo #3 - La Moneda, sight of Chile´s 1973 coup