Santiago, Chile - Epilogue

Santiago, Chile to Toronto, Canada

We are on our way back to Canada. It was a nice visit to South America. By reputation, we were a bit apprehensive about the Latino countries. We view them as poorer countries and therefore maybe more backward. And perhaps these are more dangerous places. Indeed, in some places we were advised on what to do and not to do in terms of travelling or be out on foot. But in many places, we were told that it is safe to go anywhere and we did just that.  That really is not different from North America.

Our experience as a group has been very positive. We met many of the locals who are extremely nice and patient with these non-Spanish speaking people who are pointing all the time. We all learned some Spanish along the way.

In all the cities that we went through, there was no problem with traffic fighting with people, again imagined from stereotyping South American cities. Instead, drivers and pedestrians are courteous and patient. We  know that they have to be when 24 of us are crossing the road all spread out.

All in all, this has been a very fun trip and a very good experience with a different culture. It definitely corrects some of my misconception about Latin America.

Our travelling group came from London, Ont., Toronto, Montreal and Hong Kong. We really had a fun time together. Lots of laughs and made some new friends. Nice!

Santiago, Chile - Day 3

Santiago, Chile

Day 3

Today we climbed, yes there were steep stairs at some places, up Cerro Santa Lucia right in the next block of our hotel. Very nicely maintained in terms of vegetation. It is nice to have such green space in the city. Access needs some work such as the steep stairs! It is a smaller hill right in the city center so you can't really see far.

From there we experienced the Metro system of Santiago. Not too difficult to use other than common mistakes by first-timers. We definitely saw someone going in through those gates but we could not. It turns out you can only go in through the exit if you have a Bip card. When we tried our tickets, it was no go. 

We had a second accident of the trip when Gigi got blindsided by a large dog. Fortunately, it was just a side swipe and a fall.

We walked over to Cerro San Cristobal. We were there yesterday so Gigi and I did not go up again. We did find a nice restaurant where the entire group had a late lunch.

From there, we went over to the market. Fresh and cheap foods.

Tonight, each group prepared their own foods in the hotel apartment. We were going to do it to begin with. It was further reinforced when the server from the restaurant we ate at yesterday told us there might be student protest on the street tonight. Some dinners are much more elaborate than others like ours.

There were some noises in the street tonight but we can't see anything.


PS: I found out the Chile was playing Venezuela in World Cup qualifying that night.  The 4 rounds (I think) of noise that we heard might well have been the cheering for the goals.  Chile 4 - Venezuela 1.

Santiago, Chile - Day 2

Santiago, Chile

Day 2

We separated from the group and went on our own today. Gigi and I walked to the palace, La Moneda and Torre Entel. This district has many government agencies and it seems to be all business with people everywhere. There are standing room only cafes. That must help with the turnovers.

We walked back to the Mercado Central area where we found foods that are not as upscale. I thought we managed a little better with the ordering but still a lot of pointing.

From there we walked over to the Barrio (Neighborhood) Patronato area. On our way, we found a big produce market. We ended up with 4 huge sweet corns that we carried for the rest of the day. When I said huge, that also means heavy.

Barrio Patronato has many small shops, lots of them selling fashion items and some household items. There are also Chinese and Korean shops.

Through Patronato, we got to the foot of Cerro (Hill) San Cristobal. We were told that walking up to the monument is 6km one way. We made the wise decision to ride the funicular up to the top and walked back down (as opposed to walking both ways). Top of the hill is quite nice with views of the entire city below. The entire city, however, is in a haze. Being in a valley must not be helpful to clear the smog. We did take an hour and a half to walk back down.

Leather bracelets, we got one for Zoe.

We took the long way home after missing the turn. However, we also made some discoveries of different shops that we may re-visit later on.

Santiago, Chile - Day 1

Santiago, Chile

Day 1

Today we left the ship and headed to Santiago. Our arrangement for the transfer service worked perfectly. The company was prompt and we were ready at the right time. We arranged for a 10am pickup and we were on our way 10:04am.

Valparaisomania.com is amazing and I highly recommend it. Andres even helped us with the hotel and the transport of some of our group members to the airport.

Had lunch at the Mercado Central, Central Market. It is a mad house with seafood and seafood restaurants dominating the place. Seems like six or eight restaurants kept taking on more and more room with the bigger ones stretching out into branches which I can imagine were their competitors' space. Seafood was good. I don't think they are great. I may have a different opinion if I had the king crab that they keep pushing.

A good stroll through Plaza de Armas and the catedral (no surprises there).

Today, we had to worry about food ...

Day 14 - Sea Day

Day 14

Sea Day

The cruise is coming to the end. It was very enjoyable. No pressure and so little chance for very inefficient internet that there is no point trying. Fourteen days may be a bit too long but I really didn't mind it.

Good times.

Day 12 - Sea Day - Chilean Fjords

Day 12

Sea Day - Chilean Fjords

Last night was bad. I felt like being shuffled to the end of the bed and back while lying down. A sudden drop to the trough of the wave is like a drop on the airplane. I have not experienced that before on a ship. It was bad maybe for a couple of hours and then it was your normal "turbulence".

Being in the inside stateroom, you don't really know the time without a clock and I can reach one from my bed. Having been awake for a little bit and then decided to get up slightly before 10am. Up to the open deck and there is open sea in all directions. We are now in the Pacific Ocean but I hadn't realized we are that far offshore.

Soon enough we were in the Fjords and it was interesting. Pictures cannot do it justice. Someone asked how it compares to the Yangtse River in China. There was no  comparison, the Yangtse has this closeness with the terrain around you, much more majestic.







Got someone to take "a picture" of the group. Poor guy took "a picture" using each of the 7 or 8 devices. I lost count.

Day 13 - Puerto Montt, Chile

Day 13

Puerto Montt, Chile

Arriving at port while we were sleeping, as usual. Another port that tendering is required, giving us a nice view of the ship. A bit of sea breeze is good too when it is not so cold any more.

The printed guides said there is not much to see here. There is indeed not much but would have been a little better if most of the shops were not closed due to Good Friday. We found a supermarket that is open through tracking down someone with grocery bags full of stuff. Our Spanish was hopeless but body language works wonders. Did use single word Spanish to help shopping for camistas so I felt a little bit useful.

A lot of passengers, including a few in our group are not feeling well. We thought the rapidly changing temperatures may have something to do with it. We have gone from summer weather in Buenos Aires to low single digit at Cape Horn and finally we will get summer weather again in Santiago.

Day 11 - Sea Day

Day 11

Sea Day - Strait of Magellan

Another sea day passing through the Strait of Magellan. On our way to see the glacier, we saw lots of pieces flowing away from it. The glacier is spectacular. We saw a few boats getting very close. That would be nice.

It is a good rest day after yesterday's walk. Our group is enjoying simple games among ourselves and is having a great time.

Tonight will be a rough night approaching the Pacific Ocean. May be worse than last night. We will see ...

Day 10 - Punta Arenas, Chile

Day 10

Punta Arenas, Chile

We are in Chile today, meaning that we are decidedly on the home stretch.

Today is another day that we get tendered to the shore. At every port of call, there was free Wi-Fi at the terminal. It is just that there are usually something like 50 people trying to all get on. With me not having the patience to wait, I can only manage a couple of short text messages to home. The blogs have to wait. You are likely reading these all at the same time, definitely not as fun as daily updates. Hopefully it will be better for the Camino.

As always, we skipped cruise-offered excursions and did our own walking tour. The map provided at the terminal is totally sufficient to do it with. We did most of the places we wanted to go and actually beat the excursion groups to the vantage point up the hill for the view of the city below.

Most of the group followed us walkers to the market, Plaza Mayor, up the hill and to the cemetery for about 3 1/2 hours. Many are feeling the effect after.