Photo Essay: Santiago, Chile

Posted on by
An old theater in Barrio Brasil

An old theater in Barrio Brasil

I spent over a week in Santiago and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I had heard from other travelers that the city was terribly boring, crowded, and polluted, but found only the latter to be true. The past ten years – as the country has continued to recover from Pinochet’s regime – has brought a cultural resurgence to the capital city and there is tons to see, do, and eat.

If you go, definitely take advantage of the free walking tours from three companies: Free Tours Santiago, Tours 4 Tips, and Spicy Chile.  I took one walking tour with each and they were all informative and enjoyable.

Continue reading →

The Houses of Pablo Neruda

Posted on by
A portrait of Neruda on a wall outside his Santiago home

A portrait of Neruda on a wall outside his Santiago home

In Chile I had the pleasure of visiting the homes of the world’s classiest hoarder, Chilean Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda. I’ve long loved his poetry (Ode to My Socks truly changed the way I view the world) but I didn’t know much about his private and political life until I visited experienced the Neruda Foundation museums.

Continue reading →

Photo Gallery: Street Art in Valparaiso

Posted on by
A cat on a door in Valparaiso

A cat on a door in Valparaiso

Valparaiso, Chile is one of the most striking places I have ever visited and the street art is among the best I have ever seen. Every corner you turn brings another mural, and the artists don’t see traditional walls as their limits. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it, and even after spending three days walking through the pasajes and trying to see as much as possible, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface.

Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to learn that much about the artists themselves as I didn’t take any kind of tour, but if anybody has any information about the artists who painted the work in the gallery I’d love to hear about it.

Continue reading →

Argentina Roundup

Posted on by
Hiking near Garganta del Diablo in Tilcara

Hiking near Garganta del Diablo in Tilcara

I spent only 15 days in Argentina, slightly cut short because of the uncertainty crossing the Mendoza – Santiago border during the winter months. Indeed, I got stuck in Mendoza for several days because the border was closed due to snow and flooding. Luckily, I did finally get across without much fuss! It was a bit difficult to calculate the daily budget in Argentina because of what’s known as the blue market rate. If you have US cash in Argentina, you can exchange your money for a much better rate than if you were to simply go to an ATM or use your credit card. So, my blue market budget was about $34 per day, but my real rate was $47 per day. If you are planning to visit Argentina, I highly recommend bringing US cash in crisp, $100 bills!

Continue reading →

Wine Tasting in Mendoza

Posted on by
The Rutini vineyard with a wine-transporting bucket

The Rutini vineyard with a wine-transporting bucket

Wine tasting in Mendoza had been on my bucket list for ages and I’m so glad I finally got the chance to do it on this trip. As it’s winter, the vineyards weren’t quite as impressive as I’d envisioned, but the wine tasted just as nice. It’s easy to book guided tours in Maipu from Mendoza, but the cheaper alternative is to take a bus to Maipu and then rent a bike.

Continue reading →