Pit Stop in Santiago

We arrived in Santiago after a quick two hour drive from Valparaiso. We didn't have much time to spend there since we had a flight south to catch. The immediate impression of Santiago is that you've arrived in a bustling European city. After talking to some locals, they admit that they like it that way. The architecture is very neoclassical with long columns and imposing buildings everywhere. The center of the city is separated by the fast-flowing Mapocho river which is accompanied by a park on both sides. The city felt like a real taste of home, with prices to match. Huge modern malls offered all the same items you could find in the states, and plenty of bars and restaurants had a distinct American feel. It was a great city to relax in for a few days, but three was enough to get a taste and then move on.

Bright orange backpack brigade

Museo Bellas Artes

Street art

God bless Te- ...Chile

Best empanadas in the city

Fresh out of the oven

Yum

Fish market

Parque Forestal

Great spring day 

Monument near Mercado Central

I had the seafood mix, Shanta got the fried fish with fried onions and an egg

Need more lemon!

Adios Santiago

Valparaiso

We left San Pedro and took an overnight bus twelve hours down the coast to La Serena. It was a quick one-day stopover, then we took a day bus to Valparaiso. Valpo, as its sometimes called, is an eclectic city steeped in rich history. After we found a hostel and set our bags down, we started exploring the bohemian neighborhoods that give the city its personality. The city was once a thriving seaport, but the opening of the Panama Canal made the city obsolete to trade ships traveling from North America. The economy took a blow for decades, but the city has since rebranded itself as an educational mecca as well as the official cultural capital of the country. Universities abound in old buildings once used as maritime offices and detailed artwork is visible on every street corner. Today you'll find students, musicians, artists, and Chileans simply escaping the heat of nearby Santiago. While we spent close to a week exploring the city, we still left wishing we had more time. It was by far one of my favorite cities. 

Main avenue

Lounging in the park

Narrow corner building

Tree-lined plaza

Looking north

City at sunset

Victorian house overlooking the port

Cobbled streets and colorful buildings

Palace of Justice

Deep red

Assortment of colored houses

Old hotel

To get into the hills of the city, everyone will tell you to use one of the vintage ascensores. This is a near-vertical carriage that will carry you to the top for a few cents. The city is dotted with 26 of these famous elevators, however only a handful remain active. These have the same charm to Chileans as cable cars do to San Franciscans.

Ascensor, or "elevator" in English

Each is painted a different color

Taking a ride

Not the best way to go down

As steep as it looks

The artwork in Valpo is everywhere. From sides of buildings to doors, windows, and parked cars, nothing is exempt from having an artist put his work on display. This is only a small handful of what we saw.

The last day, we went to the market with the owner of our hostel and bought a few items to make ceviche. The owner's son made us the ceviche and his family gave us a good sendoff before heading to Santiago.

Had to try the market's ceviche first

Shanta deciding on tomatoes

Sampling the fruit is encouraged

The market gato

Nacho making moves in the kitchen

Finally got the bottle open

The final product

This held us over for the ride to Santiago

Into Chile and Valle de la Luna

We exited Bolivia after only ten days (our shortest stay in a country so far) and drove across the border into Chile. From the moment our wheels touched Chilean ground, it was made evident that we were not in Bolivia anymore. Newly paved roads took us to the customs office and Chilean flags flew everywhere. Since the Chilean flag bears resemblance to the Texas flag, Shanta almost felt that she was back home.

Just like Texas, except for the volcano

Once we finished the border process, we walked into town and took in the scene. San Pedro de Atacama has a sleepy, old-town feel with adobe-style buildings and dirt roads. The sun was beating down strong as we walked through the town so we decided to cool off at a restaurant and see what Chilean food had to offer. First, we noticed that the prices matched with the US which is a shock coming from Bolivia. Secondly, seeing a Corona beer on a menu definitely made us feel back home. The food was great and we were in high spirits. We spent the next few days planning out our trip to Torres del Paine and lounging around the town. The highlight was renting bikes and exploring the nearby Valle de la Luna. The landscape is an endless sea of sand and rocks. It is so similar to the moon that NASA chose to test lunar vehicles there. We walked around the massive rock formations and took in the sights. 

Renting the bikes

Had to get a pic of this bus stop

Volcano leading the way

Entering Valle de la Luna

Walking through the rock formations

Surreal landscape

Biking to the sunset lookout

Like South American architecture, the rocks didn't account for tall people

Sunset over the valle

Looking back from the way we came

Volcano turning red

Getting cold as the sun goes down

Moon landscape

The long walk back to our bikes