Life in the Fast Layne

As I begin to wrap up my trip here, here are some thoughts about the wonderful city of Santiago where I've spent the last 3 weeks. 1. I find the city to be very much like a Latin infused New York. It's very corporate, there are a lot of universities, the public transportation is easy and reliable and there are plenty of places to eat and shop. Besides the fact that I don't understand what anyone is saying, it feels a lot like the States here. 2. Chilean food is not so good. I find it to be a bit bland. Luckily the food scene in Santiago is excellent. There's great Peruvian, Italian, Japanese, and of course gelato. Chileans love ice cream, it's everywhere. Lomito: shaved pork, melted cheese, avocado. Yum. Dulce de Leche from Emporio La Rosa, ranked in the top 25 ice creams in the world.  3. The people. The people here have been extraordinarily nice to me. From the cab driver from the airport that called the hostel instead of just leaving me on the sid

This past Sunday I utilized multiple forms of public transportation (a major accomplishment for me) to take a little trip to the Chilean coast. Arriving in the middle of Viña del Mar without a map was a little disorienting but after a quick stop into an internet cafe, I safely made it to the Street Garden Hostel. After dropping my stuff off (and acquiring a map) I began to explore the city and immediately fell in love. I'm a sucker for beach towns and this one was no exception.  Gotta love the Pacific Ocean! Unfortunately, it's almost winter down here so I wasn't able to swim but it was still nice enough to take in the sights.  Tuesday I took the metro to a neighboring town, and UNESCO World Heritage Site, Valparaiso. This was a major world port until the Panama canal was built. Now it is a bit dirty and run down but is bursting with street art.  The view from Cerro Alegre Just a sampling of the street art in Valpo Since I only brought a litt

For all of you non-Spanish-Speakers, that means, "I'm lost." I have been lost 4 times in the last 24 hours. It's really quite ridiculous. In fact, last night, I got so lost that I was on a corner with a map and a nice British woman came to help me. Kind strangers are my saving grace these days. During my wandering, I have come across some excellent sites. My first Chilean Sunset I suppose they have these everywhere now, it's a bridge where you put a lock with the one you love. A mural from down the street. The art here is fantastic. The view from the top of Cerro Santa Lucia. I wish it would rain so there would be less smog! Yesterday I went on a walking tour of the city and I met a few English speakers. We met up at a recommended wine bar last night and then today for some excellent Peruvian food. I must say, raw fish still scares me a bit but the ceviche was excellent.  Mixed Ceviche for lunch!  Besos xx

So after 25 hours of traveling, I finally arrived at my hostel at about 7:30 this morning. Since I was so tired, I decided to let myself sleep until 10:30 before going to explore the city. I walked for about 2 hours and bought a couple of groceries so that I could make myself lunch. Later in the day, I decided to try to find a real grocery store. I got directions and started walking and found a giant outdoor market instead. To be honest, I really wanted to go to the grocery store to find peanut butter, but the market was so enthralling that I decided to shop there instead. I'm sorry this is blurry but it's just too good! This is the giant market that I stumbled upon. I guess I'll just have to go back for another photo! After picking up 5 apples, 3 giant bundles of lettuce and some bananas for less than 3 dollars, I decided that would get me through the next couple of days. To be honest, not knowing Spanish is a real struggle. People have been really nice in helpin

Yes, this blog is about dead. In so many ways I am over it but there's something about it that I really like. So I'm going to do trip updates through it and see what happens from there. Tomorrow I'm jetting off to Santiago, Chile. The trip is going to take about 20 hours and then the adventure goes from there. I don't have many set plans so we'll see where the wind takes me. Wish me luck!