Chile: Part One

Our journey began with a flight from LAX to Dallas, then Dallas to Santiago. The flights took approximately five and ten hours, respectively. During our layover in Dallas, we were fortunate enough to meet up with Sean Waeiss, a much overdue gathering. The flight to Chile was an overnight flight and with the morning can beautiful sites from below. The flight went flawlessly and the airplane was surprisingly good. The first day in Santiago consisted of hanging out with family and eating a great deal. We never got too far from the table. Matt’s Spanish was put to the test, and he did fairly well through meeting a lot of family in a foreign language can be exhausting and intimating. Seeing family after eight years was amazing to say the least.

The following day German, Gaby, and Silvana took us sightseeing to Vina del Mar and Valparaiso. The road there was pretty and reminded us much of northern California. Vina del Mar is a nice beach town with plenty of restaurants, shops, and high rise apartments. Once there we went to their apartment, that had a gorgeous view of the coastline. From there were drove through Renaca and Concon, also beach towns but much more modest.

Viña del Mar

Next stop was Valparaiso where ate lunch at Bote Salvavidas, a restaurant in the shape of a boat that sits next to the port. We all order seafood and fish and the food was delicious. After lunch we went on a boat tour of the port. Valparaiso may not be Chile’s biggest port it is definitely is most well known. The city itself spreads across the hills and has many “ascensores” to climb the hills. The town is home to a spurting bohemian scene with art galleries, cafes, and shops selling handmade goods. This is all found in between worn down homes and home that once belong to the well to do, which have been restored and converted into nice hotels. Murals and graffiti are found at every turn and it is truly a city I recommend visiting and getting lost in. After getting back to Santiago we spent the evening with Pita (my grandmother).

German, Silvana, Matt, Me, and Gaby

Valparaiso ascensore

Valparaiso Rooftops

Valparaiso streets

Our third day in Santiago was Christmas Eve which is more celebrated than Christmas day itself. In the morning German and Silvana picked us and took us on a tour of downtown Santiago. The walking tour took four hours and we saw La Moneda (Chile’s “White House”) and many other important and historical buildings surrounding it. My uncle was a fantastic guide and we were extraordinarily grateful for the time taken to show us around. Once we were back at Pita’s we took a nap in order to prepare for the evening festivities, being that Matt and I are “gringos” and like to go to bed fairly early. The evening was spent at Gaby and German’s where we ate amazing food. Little empanadas as appetizers, filled with mushrooms, cheese and spinach, and “pino”, a mixture of beef, onion, and spices. This is the most traditional filling for a Chilean empanada. Matt ventured out and had the beef and even ate the pork served for dinner. I on the other hand didn’t quite feel like eating meat, and stuck with my vegetarian ways. Chileans are carnivores but my family was very courteous and prepare many delicious vegetarian meals for us. Also this evening my family taught Matt Chilean words, his favorites being huevon (a dirty word used as a noun, verb, and adjective, has both good and bad connotations) , poto pelado(butt naked), pata pelada(barefoot), te pelado(tea with no sugar), and bakan(cool). We finally called it a night a one in the morning, Matt and I were struggling to keep our eyes open despite of our nap earlier in the day.

Downtown Santiago

Silvana (my cousin) , Me, and Matt on Christmas Eve.

Above is Silvana's amazing painting!

My beautiful grandmother, Pita.

Christmas day was spent with lots of family and it was wonderful. I hope to never let eight years go by again without seeing my kin. That evening we got our packs ready for part two of our adventure.

Family

Ivana, showing off her new threads.

Juanjo, this little one is real cute.

Prepping

Next stop: Puerto Montt.