Santiago, Chile

Our view in Santiago

When arriving in a unfamiliar city with luggage, I am reluctant to navigate the local transit system until the luggage has found a home. Experience dictated this practice. There is nothing like the comfort of not having to carry bags on and off buses, up and down stairs and through hoards of people. It makes for less-frazzled travellers.

Time, being of the essence, we arrived in Santiago Chile - via bus from Valparaiso - with a plan to see it's highlights with 24 hours. 

As if.

Hopping into a cab, we made it to our AirBnb (more on that, in another post), checked in and were on our way to discover the city. This is where the fun starts. 

Armed with a tourist map and our lists of places to see in Santiago, we venture down, into the Santiago Metro, and purchased a "Tarjeta Bip" card from one of the kiosks inside the station. Stations are everywhere and the kiosks translate to English. This is how we roll.

The Santiago Metro is really extensive...for some great travel tips go to ... http://www.ilovechile.cl/pepes-chile-santiago-chile-metro-map/

http://www.ilovechile.cl/pepes-chile-santiago-chile-metro-map/

Santiago was wonderful. Clean, vibrant and sophisticated. Our brief stay included...

• - Barrio BellaVista
• - Catedral Metroplitano
• - Plaza de Armas
• - Castillo Hidalgo
• - Parque O'Higgins

Going to the Santiago Airport?

- Take the Metro to Pajaritos Station. Get off and look for the "CentroPuerto" bus to the airport. You can buy your ticket (about 1200 CLP) on the bus. If you can't find the Centropuerto bus just ask anybody...

And then were were off to Lima, Peru. 

Valparaiso, Chile

Valparaiso

A Unesco, World Heritage site the city of Valparaiso is nestled on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Once a busy commercial center and port of call for cargo ships arriving from the rest of the world, Valparaiso's economy took a tumble after the opening of the Panama Canal created a new route for ships to travel to the Pacific. Now, it is a city on a resurgence with an active arts, food and cultural scene.

Street Art

If you are planning on  touring Valparaiso on your own, by foot - get a tourist map and pocket-change. You will need to get on an "Ascensor". Believe me when I tell you this.

Ascensor

Valparaiso is built on a hill. A steep hill.  "Ascensors" are manually-driven elevators that take people up and down hills. There are 22 of them scattered all over Valparaiso and their locations are easily found on any tourist map. Also, choose a round-trip fare. If you don't use it , you might be out 25 cents.

Also.. there is a light rail metro that runs east/west along the coast - it's limited in distance but better than nothing.

We arrived by cruise ship and found taxi's to be OK - they are metered and will give you an approximate estimate to your destination upon asking "Cuanto cuesto...?" 

1000 Chilean Peso's = about $1.50 US

Speaking of money - Valparaiso is poor. Really poor. That being said, we were surprised by the noticeable lack of street beggars. Being warned by locals - repeatedly - to beware of pick pockets and robbers, our index of suspicion was at an all time high but our anxieties were soothed somewhat when we were assured that "they won't have guns". Money was securely tucked away into my (ahem) bosom and Mr. Something was in charge of picture-taking - while I stood 'on lookout'. We were fine - and probably just paranoid. 

Chilean Vineyards

Leaving Valparaiso for Santiago, The Pullman bus fare from Estacion Rodovario was 6,500 pesos each (about $10 US) - not bad for an 80 mile trip!

Our overall take on Valparaiso? It's a beautiful, rustic and interesting city, where the food was good, the wine was plentiful and the views, unforgettable.

Rounding Cape Horn

With the exception of visiting Machu Picchu, a trip to South America was not really on our radar. Who knew that the mention of "Strait of Magellan", followed by "Rounding the tip of Cape Horn" would incite such enthusiasm from my 'sailor at heart', Mr. Something?

Where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet - part Argentina - part Chile, lies Cape Horn.

Discovered by Dutch navigators, Jakob Le Maire and Willem Schouten, January 29th, 1616, it soon became known as "The Sailor's Graveyard". Treacherous seas, due to high winds, waves, currents and icebergs claimed many ships and lives bound for transporting trade (prior to the opening of The Panama Canal  in 1914) but rounding Cape Horn was how they did it back then.

And on November 19th, 2014 at 0500 hrs at 19F (-7C) under clear skies and calm winds of 55 mph ...The Spotswoods rounded Cape Horn, too.