R&J Travels

Introduction

Chile is famous for the Atacama desert and Patagonia, with people coming here from all corners of the Globe to lose themselves in the wild nature and landscapes. In many ways, foreign tourists visit Chile to escape urban life. However, between the bucket-list landscapes, there are large metropolises and vibrant fishing cities. Rather than flying straight to Patagonia, like the majority of people do, we decided to give these cities a chance. At the least, they would be much needed pit-stops before getting back on the road, but are they actually worth more than that?

Santiago

On our way south from San Pedro, with some unforeseen delays in CalamaCalama is a town close to San Pedro de Atacama, and acts as transport hub between Santiago and the north of the country. Unfortunately, unlike the large and efficient bus terminals in Bolivia, the Chilean buses are less streamlined. Instead of one terminal, Calama has a handfull of small offices dotted along one street, each corresponding to the different bus companies. Despite the route being popular, there were no departures until the evening, so we had a whole day to spend in Calama, rather than Santiago. After exploring for a while, and being warned on 3 seperate occasions by locals to be extremely careful with our belongings, we really would have appreciated a proper bus terminal. In the end, we resorted to spending the last few hours sat on the floor of one of the large ticket offices, waiting for our bus., followed by a long 26-hour bus ride, we arrived in the Chilean capital. Santiago is Chile's largest city, with almost 6 million inhabitants, and at times it can feel like a huge maze of skyscrapers. Seeing everything in one day is impossible, but with only 24 hours we did as best as we could. Fortunately, Santiago has a very effective metro system, which felt much more European than the cable cars of La Paz or the hectic city buses of Lima, and helped out a lot.

We took a free walking tour of Santiago to cover all the highlights in one go, while learning about some Chilean history. We explored the historic centre of Santiago, which had all of the impressive colonial architecture and Catholic Churches we had grown accustomed to in South American cities. We were also lucky enough to see a cueca danceCueca danceThe national dance of Chile is supposed to be based on the courtship between a pair of pigeons. After watching the dancers strutt around in circles, with their chests puffed and handkerchiefs ruffled, we could certainly see the resemblance. performed in the streets, where we learned about this unique part of Chilean culture. Further out from the centre there are lots of green parks by the river and the city market Compared to the markets we had now been spoilt with, in our opinion, Santiago's market dedicates far too much space to expensive restaurants, and not enough space for the produce stalls that locals would frequent.. The streets around the market are a lot busier and more hectic, great for observing real chilean city life and these peripheral streets have some hidden gems.

Despite being 1,000 miles south of San Pedro de Atacama, Santiago is incredibly hot and sunny, and we had worked up a sweat from walking around all morning. Fortunately, Santiago has an incredible way to beat the heat - the outdoor piscina Tapahue pool at Cerro san Cristobal. This is the highest hill in the city, which contains many parks and gardens on its slopes, and has a huge statue of the Virgin Mary which watches over the entire city at the summit, not too dissimilar to Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. The outdoor pool is roughly 2/3rds of the way to the top, but there are many public transportThere is a funicular and cable car, which go to the top of the hill, but we took the panoramic bus, which has a stop right by the pool. The various options are all very cheap, at <£2 each, while entrance to the pool costs CLP 7,000 (~£6.50). options if hiking up a hill in 30 degree heat is not to your liking. The pool offers both an incredible city view and a unique spot to relax and cool off.

After spending the afternoon relaxing, we hiked further up Cerro San Cristobal, in constant awe of all the runners and cyclists braving the long, steep ascent. There are a few gaps in the trees along the way, providing sneak previews of the panoramic view that awaits at the top. From the base of the statue, with calm gospel music playing, you can see the entire city nestled in the dry hilly landscape, gradually fading out into the haze on the horizon.

As our only day in Santiago drew to a close, we were impressed with how varied and interesting our time here had been. While we had felt a little rushed to do all the things we had on our list, we did feel like it wasn't a city we needed to spend a lot of time. Ideally, we would only have wanted one extra day here, so we could see a bit more of the city at a slower pace.

Valparaiso

Valparaiso and Viña del Mar are two names that are not widely spoken about outside of Chile. However, these seaside towns are incredibly popular getaways for people from Santiago looking for some sea and sun, and are also popular destinations on backpackers' itineraries. Although they are right next to each other, the two towns are very different. Viña del Mar is an expensive beach resort and the site of the summer homes for lots of celebrities, whilst Valparaiso is a colourful working-class fishing town. Since we only had time to see one, we spent 2 days in Valparaiso, admiring the abundance of street-art and ocean views.

Valparaiso has gathered a lot of hype about its vibrant streets and authentic fishing town feel, and is sometimes listed as one of the best places to visit in South America, so we had high hopes going in. Unfortunately, the town seems to have deteriorated in recent years, a lot of the streets were dirty and the town in general was not overly welcoming and felt a little unsafeWe might have formed some biased preconceptions, because we had read about a lot of crime here in recent years. However, due to the hilly nature of the town, there are many small narrow stairways that lead to the different levels, and it wasn't uncommon to pass suspicious people lurking here which made us feel slightly uneasy.. Putting that to one side, Valparaiso did have some real highlights, and definitely had the most street art of anywhere we have been. Most of the buildings in the town are decorated in some way, either with bright coloured paint or with a mural. The decorations depict an apparently random array of themes, with various topics and characters portrayed throughout the town. Valparaiso is an extremely hilly town, and although it makes walking around tough, the hills provide lots of amazing views over the colourful houses towards the sea. With accommodation prices not being the cheapest it is probably easiest to visit Valparaiso as a day trip from Santiago, you can easily see all the sites in one day.

Street Food

The central region of Chile has an ideal climate to produce a wide range of crops. Santiago and Valparaiso are surrounded by vineyards which produce some quality wines, as well as orchards growing a range of fruits. When we went, cherries were in season, and locals were selling heaps of them in the streets for as cheap as CLP700 (50p) per 500g. Despite this, most Chileans will admit that their cuisine is rather bland and unexciting. One of the most popular dishes is the completo. These are sold alongside traditional fast-food options, like burgers and fried chicken, and are essentially hot-dogs that are absolutely loaded with a mountain of sauces and toppings. The centre of Santiago is full of diners selling completos, commonly topped with chopped avocado, diced tomatoes and mayonnaise, but sometimes other veg or sauces are added too. We happened to find a van selling vegetarian completos, which were delicious. As a desert, or to cool off from the hot sun, various refreshing flavours of ice-cream are popular, although the locals mostly opt for a mote con huesilo as their refreshment of choice. This drink is sold by the barrel from street vendors in Santiago, and consists of a sweet, syrup like liquid (with hints of caramel and cinnamon), with rehydrated dried peaches and cooked wheat added in wholeThe drink is as peculiar as it sounds - the wheat grains sink to the bottom of the syrup, while the peaches float towards the top. . Although it's certainly not the healthiest, Chilean street food certainly is interesting.

Overview

Chile's capital city, Santiago, has some impressive highlights, from the architecture in the historical centre to the hilltop swimming pool on Cerro San Cristobal. Additionally, the colourful houses and huge murals in the neighbouring town of Valparaiso make for an interesting day trip. However, these cities don't have the same appeal as other big cities throughout the continent, and you would likely run out of things to do after a few days at most. Therefore, while they are a pleasant stop if you are passing nearby, they are not necessarily worth going out of your way for.

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