When I’m bored, I often peruse a combination of Google Maps and Wikipedia (because I’m a nerd). I quite enjoy exploring the world from the comfort of my own home. Well, one day I was looking at South America on the map. That enormous, unbroken chain of mountains from top to bottom was alluring. The Andes. Chile piqued my interest as well, so I hopped on over to Wikipedia to learn more about the country. In the opening paragraphs, I was struck when I read this:
[Chile] is one of the most economically and socially stable nations in South America, and leads Latin America in competitiveness, per capita income, globalization, peace, and economic freedom. Chile also performs well in the region in terms of sustainability of the state and democratic development, and boasts the lowest homicide rate in the Americas, following only Canada.
Suffice to say I was convinced. It seems to me the classic international vacation for a white American is a trip to western Europe. While I certainly would like to go to Europe someday, it feels a little too “safe,” rather than adventurous. You more or less know what you’re in for traveling to Europe, and it would come with all the comforts of the developed world. Also, Europe is densely populated, wilderness is hard to come by, and most tourist attractions are man made, all of which are unappealing to me. With a year of freedom on my hands, I thought it would be more prudent to make the most of my time and push my comfort zone a little. The more I looked into Chile, the more I was enamored with the idea of traveling there. Not only were the mountains were appealing, but the botanical diversity was also hard to pass up.
Going to Chile was little more than an idea for a year. It seemed obvious to me to fly into Santiago, then venture south into Patagonia and the tip of the continent. When Maggie and I finished thru hiking the PCT, we finally got to planning the details. With all the stops we wanted to make, we settled on visiting for six weeks. We did not go so far as to book every hotel along the way, leaving it somewhat open ended and flexible. The two exceptions were Santiago and the O-trek in Torres del Paine National Park. We just had to get there and fill in the very large gap between the two…
27 December 2022
We had an afternoon flight out of Denver International Airport. My folks dropped us off extra early. A huge wave of holiday travelers had their flights cancelled or delayed due to a Christmas blizzard that swept across a better part of the U.S. Maggie and I said good bye to my parents, expecting to be tan and speaking Spanish the next time we would see them. We got through security quickly despite general craziness in the terminal, and we were on the plane at 3 pm. The plane revved up on the runway, accelerating to take off. Then…. the plane slowed back down. The pilot got on the intercom and informed us that there was a mechanical issue, so we went back to the gate. Maggie and I sat patiently in the increasingly stuffy plane. We had a connection in Houston, and as the minutes ticked by, we realized we wouldn’t make our second flight. Maggie and I got off the plane, and got in line with the growing number of disgruntled travelers. Maggie adeptly called United Airlines and changed our flight over the phone.
We would be grounded for two more days, but that would only take a small slice out of our six week trip. However, we had checked our backpacks… Our original plane was not flight worthy, so they were moving everyone and the checked luggage to a new plane. After talking with gate agents three times, we finally got confirmation our packs would come out at baggage claim. There was so much unclaimed luggage around the carousels, the stuff of nightmares. Our packs eventually came out at 7:00 pm. We spent a whole 8 hrs in the airport! Maggie and I took the light rail back into Denver, where we met up with two of my old buddies. The four of us emptied some pitchers at one of my favorite dive bars, the Candlelight Inn…
28 December 2022
Let’s just say the night out at the bar wasn’t the best decision. However, we had nowhere to be, so Maggie and I chilled for most of the day. We got a couple odds and ends for Chile that we hadn’t purchased yet.
29 December 2022
Travel – take two. It snowed 6 inches overnight in Denver. I was concerned it would impact travel again, but the roads and the runways were clear by the time we got to the airport.
Our new flight itinerary was Denver -> Dallas -> Houston -> Santiago. We got off the ground the first leg out of Denver went smoothly. It was a quick, easy layover in Dallas – we literally walked 3 gates over and immediately got on our connection. However, we sat on the runway for an hour… I was starting to think some cosmic power didn’t want us to go to Chile. There were thunderstorms in Houston, and all flights were grounded, in and out. Our plane went back to the gate. As we waited in the plane, temperature and humidity ever increasing, I talked with a nice man from El Salvador, a brief Spanish practice session. The time wore on and it was looking like we were going to miss our connection in Houston… again. There was a sliver of hope, given that no flights were leaving Houston, so our flight to Santiago might be equally delayed. Our plane taxied back out on to the runway and took off. Rather than taking the direct line from Dallas to Houston, the flight path took us all the way around central Texas to avoid the thunderstorms. We saw the lightning flashing in the clouds next to us at 30,000 feet. Wild!
We landed in Houston with some fun turbulence on the way down. We sat impatiently at the back of the plane… Our flight to Santiago was scheduled to be taking off by now. Maggie and I immediately started running once we got into the terminal. I mean full out sprinting, my Teva sandals clapping loudly with every step. We had to take the sky train to the next terminal, which was a nice break, but it was frustratingly slow. We ended up running a whole mile through the Houston airport. It was disturbingly empty around our gate. We talked to the gate agent – the door had just closed, and they had already reopened it twice. The plane was leaving soon and there was nothing she could do to get us on board… We waited, resigned to the fact that we were stuck in Houston for the night. Another couple ran up 20 mins later in the same situation. The gate agent flagged down another group of four agents heading home for the night. These new agents were on the case, logging into the computers and making phone calls, undoubtedly working overtime just for us. I was under the impression that the plane had already pushed back and was on the runway, but it was actually still at the jet bridge. Strings were being pulled left and right. They asked to see our passports. They assigned us seats. It was happening! The agents escorted us on to the jet bridge and we got on the plane! It was an emotional roller-coaster. We didn’t take off for another hour, as a couple more passengers filed in, but we didn’t even care about the delay at this point. We were headed south.
30 December 2022
Maggie and I tried to sleep for the 9 hour of the flight, but I would say we both got about 2-3 hours of shut eye, periodically nodding off… The sun began pouring in through the left side of the plane as I frantically read through a Spanish phrase book on my phone. We landed in Santiago a little before 11 am, 33° south of the equator. We learned that our checked bags (large backpacks) did not make it on to the flight with us after our rushed connection. Thankfully we brought enough essentials in our carry-on packs for a couple days. Bleary eyed and famished, we slowly got through the long line at customs. We needed to figure out how to eventually get our backpacks before leaving the airport. We walked to all corners of the terminal looking for a United Airlines customer service center, but it was no where to be found. Maggie called and spoke with a woman in broken English, which wasn’t super helpful, but we gathered we weren’t in the right place. I called again and finally determined that we needed to go to the domestic terminal. We walked across the connecting bridge in the blazing sunshine, proving that we had indeed made our way into austral summer. In the domestic terminal, finding the United Airlines customer service was still impossible. The lack of sleep and food was not helping the situation as our frustration grew. We finally stopped in customer service center for another airline looking for assistance. As luck would have it, a United agent happened to be in there and he was looking for us! He spoke perfect English and lead us to his office. It was well hidden, so I’m not surprised we couldn’t find it. Rather than a large “store front” style service desk, the United office was behind a locked door, marked by only a small glass sign. We never would have found it on our own.
With a claim filed, we finally left the airport around 1 pm. Maggie and I took a bus downtown for $2, watching Santiago fly by through the windows. I like to think I tempered my expectations, but at first glance, I was not impressed. There was lots of litter and plenty of dilapidated buildings, at least on the outskirts of the city. I was getting that sinking feeling in my chest, “What was I thinking coming here..?” Things gradually became more vibrant as we got closer to the city center. We got off the bus at Los Heroes station, then walked the remaining mile and a half to our hostel. Our route was along Avenida Bernaro O’higgins, a very busy boulevard. There were pockets of busy pop up markets selling wares and food. It was a lot of stimulation to kick off our stay in Santiago. Along the way, we stopped to exchange some cash. The man behind the counter told us to be careful, but also that crime in Santiago typically isn’t violent. Just carry valuables in front so pick pockets don’t take your stuff. We quickly noticed locals and tourists alike carrying their purses and fanny packs in this manner. After stumbling a few more blocks, we made it to our hostel at 2 pm. The receptionists were so nice and they spoke English. We got to our room and pretty quickly laid down for a quick nap. I think we easily could have stayed in bed all afternoon, but starvation was catching up to us. Going to sleep in the afternoon would have screwed up our sleep schedule, so we walked around the corner for a late lunch at a cozy little Ecuadorian style restaurant. This would be our first of many embarrassing language barrier moments. Our waitress was very nice and patient. She slowed down her Spanish and simplified her questions. After deciphering the menu for 10 minutes, I got fried fish and plantains, and Maggie got shrimp and rice.
The portions were huge! Even though we were starving from our travels, we both had to take half the food back to the hostel. Maggie and I needed to keep moving, otherwise we were going to fall asleep. We walked to Cerro Santa Lucia, a little hilltop park in the middle of the city. As we were ascending some steps, another young American couple passed by. I recognized them from our flight, so we stopped and talked for a few minutes. They were heading straight down to Torres del Paine the next day, and we wished them luck on their adventure.
Maggie and I wandered, found nice views and cool plants in the last few minutes that the park was open, finishing at Plaza de Neptune. Back at the hostel, we lounged a bit more, then checked out the crowd gathering in the courtyard for a pub crawl. It seemed a little rowdy for us, so we walked down the block for a couple beers. The pub crawl group walked by, and it was probably over 80 people. Given our exhausted state, we were happy to sip our cerveza in peace. Maggie and I finished off our leftovers back in the room for a late night dinner. We flipped on the TV and discovered that Chilean TV is mostly American TV. It felt familiar yet strange to watch “Jurassic World” in English half a world away…
31 December 2022
We set an alarm for 8 am, hoping to get on Chile time (UTC-3, +4 hrs from Mountain Time). We ended up snoozing until 10… We put some clothes on and went out for breakfast. Again, the restaurant was in a small space, so we waited about half an hour for a seat. Most businesses seem to occupy a smaller footprint than what we’re accustomed to in U.S. The veggie omelets were amazing. A pair of American gals sat next to us, and we overhead one of them was from Connecticut. Turns out she grew up in the town next to Maggie’s – small world! We’ve learned that the dining experience in Chile is never fast. While it feels impolite to flag down a waiter in the U.S., it felt like we were being actively ignored if we didn’t ask for attention. All this is to say we were done with breakfast a little after noon. We checked back at the hostel to see if our backpacks had made it, and sure enough they were at the front desk! Honestly, it couldn’t have worked out better, because the delayed packs meant that we didn’t have to haul them through Santiago. We also signed up for the New Year’s Eve dinner and party with the hostel. It was time to explore the city!
Maggie wanted to go to the Pre-Columbian Art Museum, so we set off towards the museum and Plaza de Armas. The city was buzzing with activity! There were probably tens of thousands of people ambling around the plaza. We tried to go in the art museum, but sadly it was closing early for New Year’s Eve… We joined the commotion outside, and had our first public restroom experience, which cost a whopping 700 Chilean pesos (~$0.75) each.
We wandered the streets, checking out the endless rows of street vendors. A popular item for sale was yellow underwear, worn by Chileans for good luck on New Year’s Eve. Eventually we circled around to Barrio Italia, a super cute little neighborhood with shops and restaurants. We stopped in one of the cafes for a light lunch, a small pizza and carrot cake for dessert.
We walked back to the room to rest up before the party. As the evening approached, we could hear the hubbub slowly growing in the courtyard, so we ventured out to join the fun. I bought a six pack of beers and we posted up at a six person table. A German couple sat next to us, sipping wine from their coffee mugs while slicing up a nice block of cheese. We got to talking, and they too were heading south for the Torres del Paine trek, followed by several months of traveling through South America. They said they were almost surprised to see Americans, since it’s a stereotype that Americans don’t leave America. I, for one, was happy to break that stereotype (finally). A British woman and a Brazilian woman took the last two seats at our table, and we all swapped stories of our travels. As the light turned into dark, the hostel staff announced that dinner was ready (at 10 pm). We were learning that South America runs a bit later than the U.S. As the beers dried up, we approached the bar, and it happened to be just a couple minutes before midnight. The bar tender realized the time and he started handing out dozens of bottles of champagne, left and right.
We shared the champagne with our new friends and we counted down to midnight. “Happy New Year!” After another hour of hanging out, everyone started following the hostel staff out into the streets. We had been promised a “party” after all. The crowd walked to the club half a mile away. Maggie and I met some more Americans, including one who lived in Santa Fe. Seriously, small world! Even at 1:00 am, it seemed that night was just getting started. It was fairly empty at the club when we stepped inside. Maggie and I danced into the new year. At one point, a girl approached Maggie and took her hand. The girl took Maggie over to a man. Once she realized this was not an innocent, fun gesture, Maggie said, “Mi novio esta aqui [my boyfriend is here],” and she returned to me. Probably best to not get separated again… The club was getting louder and more crowded, and we were getting drowsy. We stumbled back to the hostel at 2 am, fulfilled with fun and champagne.
1 January 2023
Maggie and I had been in contact with one of our PCT friends, Shannon/ID, who was on her way to Antarctica. Shannon had an 8 hour layover in Santiago and we agreed to meet up for the day. I probably would have stayed in bed till 2 pm, but we couldn’t leave our friend in the dust. We got out of the room at 10 am and walked towards the Los Heroes bus station to meet Shannon. It was a Sunday, a holiday, and ostensibly the whole city had been up late partying into the new year. We quickly noticed that just about everything was closed. The streets were quiet. It felt like the apocalypse had happened overnight compared to the bustling city we had been in the day before.
Our timing was perfect and we found Shannon just after she had gotten off the bus. It was kind of unbelievable to see a familiar face in a foreign country! We needed food, so we went into a casual restaurant that was just opening. They were only serving these greasy sandwiches packed with sliced beef, not ideal with the raging hangover and a nauseated stomach. Maggie asked for vegetarian, tomato, avocado, and lettuce, which looked much more appealing. It was good enough, so we ate and began our walking tour with Shannon. We took her to the plaza and the hilltop park. We made it to the upper observation area where we could see all of Santiago. What initially looked like a cloud, Cerro Plomo appeared through the haze behind the skyscrapers, a massive 16,000 foot mountain capped with snow.
The three of us wandered a bit more, then we said goodbye and good luck to Shannon, as she had two more days of travel just to get to Ushuaia. Maggie and I were spent, so we went back to the room to lay down for a while. It felt like we were wasting the vacation a little, but it also felt like we had already seen everything in a 1 mile radius of our hostel. Hunger finally drove back outside, but still, most everything was closed, even the grocery store… We settled for empanadas from a lovely little corner market. With the city shut down, we returned to the hostel to lounge some more. We used the time plan out our next stop, Rancagua and the National Reserve for Andean Cypress. Eventually, we went out for dinner in the Lastarria neighborhood. It was slim pickings again, and most everywhere was jam packed, but we were able to get veggie sandwiches.
It had been a very educational first few days in Santiago. While it may have felt a bit uncomfortable at first, we were already starting to feel at home. Even so, we were also eager to explore more of what Chile had to offer.
Distance Over Time 