santiago, chile 🏔

i did not know what to expect when i decided to come visit Santiago~

i just thought it would be neat to see what life is like in Chile. luckily, Michael's niece is half Chilean, and she put me in contact with her cousins here!! they gave me some great suggestions on where to visit.

Santiago is a giant metropolis surround by gorgeous mountain peaks covered in snow. 

At the top of the Sky Costanera with the Andes in the backdrop.

i arrived on Thursday, September 22nd, and this is the one place that has been more strict with COVID19 restrictions. most people have masks on outside and inside. when i arrived to the airport and went to customs + immigration, they "randomly" put a colored sticker on you. if you had red, you had to do a rapid PCR test. luckily, i got the yellow sticker and didn't have to get tested~

once i arrived to the hotel, i showered and got ready to walk around outside to the tallest building in South America. i checked the weather the day before i arrived, and thursday was the best day out of the few days i was here, to go to the tower and see the views of Santiago.

the next day i did a full day trip to the coast!! i had to get up at 6AM to be ready for my pick-up at 6:50AM... and of course they were running late due to picking up other passengers, but eventually we got everyone and headed to the coast. the first stop was in a wine outlet building in Casablanca. it was freezing cold!! 🥶 and i did not pack for cold weather. luckily it was supposed to be a quick stop, but guess what? the bus broke down and we had to wait 1.5 hours for another transport coming from Santiago. eventually two tour vans came and the group got split into two. we made it to Valparaíso and passed by Pablo Neruda's home there and walked around to see the street graffiti art. We also went to Viña del Mar and drove along the beach. It was interesting to see the difference between the city life and the coastal life. i know i definitely enjoy the beach life more. 😎 after a late lunch we headed back to Santiago and i finally got back at 7PM. oh yah! i had a nice lunch with a couple from Bolivia. we communicated in Spanish and English. haha. i tried my best. ☺

Valparaíso

arte

Viña del Mar

so i befriended the tour guide since i was the only English speaker in the group, and it turned out that he grew up in the greater Seattle area! we hung out Saturday evening and walked around Saint Lucia Park. i mustered the courage to go by the Metro, and it turned out to be very straight forward to use!! at the viewpoint at the park we met a mother-daughter pair who were from Peru and they were so nice! chatted with them for awhile and exchanged contact info. 

Nuevos amigos~ 🇨🇱🇵🇪🇺🇸

then on Sunday i ended up spending the day with the mother-daughter duo. we walked to San Cristobal Park... we walked forever! it was nice to be able to meet them and spend time together. they were super friendly and patient with my Spanish.

Sky Costanera from the Japanese Garden.

At the top of San Cristóbal Hill.

my last full day in Santiago was chill. i spotted a ramen shop and when i went by on Saturday the wait was 2 hours! so, i decided to go back on Monday for lunch when they opened. it was super delicious!! 🤤

Mayu Tamago Miso Ramen

 

i signed up to do a walking tour in the Yungay Barrio, and it was neat to learn about the history there and see the murals depicting the revolutions of the people in Chile.

mural 👽

i'm glad that i was able to come visit Santiago. i hope the next time i come i can visit the natural sites!!