December 31, 2017 – January 6, 2018
Santiago, Chile
The business class flights were a delight, to say the least. We landed around 9 and got through customs mostly unscathed. I had some nuts in my daypack that they wanted to take, but were fine with my dried fruit and couple kilos of miscellaneous food I had in my big bag. Humans are inconsistent – breaking news, I know. We requested an Uber (I was excited to be in a place with Uber again, just because it makes the arrival process so much simpler than dealing with unknown transportation options), and had to go to a short-term parking lot where we were quickly whisked into the car, as Uber pickups are technically forbidden at the airport and the drivers stand to receive massive fines if they’re caught. But, I guess the juice is worth the squeeze. Sadly, there aren’t really any reasonable public transportation options from the airport into the city (a big pet peeve of mine, especially for a city with a functioning metro and a big transit hub). The driver whisked us into the city, telling Sarah all about how you have to hightail it out of that airport because he sees people stopped and fined by the police all the time…and he wanted to make it to his sister’s for NYE dinner.
We were headed to the apartment of our Couchsurfing host, Amaranta, who lives in the Macul neighborhood. It’s residential, but still on the metro line and quiet. She was out with her son at a NYE party, with good reason, but was kind enough to figure a way to let us into the apartment without being there. The amount of trusted space that Couchsurfing provides never ceases to amaze me. It really reminds me that people, at heart, are good and willing to trust one another to help out – often because they’ve received the same kindness on their own travels. We got to the apartment and decided to go to the wine store across the street (open late on NYE, thankfully!) to get some wine as a gift. We took it pretty easy that night, just enjoying the champagne and snacks our host had left us and welcoming the next year around the sun together. It would be our 6th NYE together in 7 years, in 5 different places (Florida, DC twice, Colombia, New York, Chile), and it was exactly what we needed.
We got up late and met with Amaranta for a bit before we left for the day. From what little we spoke to her that morning, we were both amazed. She was so fascinating, open, and willing to help! We were on our way out, but we agreed to meet that night back at the apartment for dinner and wine. We decided to take a walk / bus into the center and see what we could find on New Year’s Day. Sarah had looked up some great restaurants for us to check out, and of course, wanted to show me around her old haunts (she had spent a summer working and living with a family in Santiago 8 years ago through WashU).
We started with a walk along the silent New Year’s Day streets toward Plaza Ñuñoa and hopped on a bus toward downtown. When we spotted an open cafe, we hopped off for a set lunch menu (“menu del dia”, which is common in Latin America). Then, as we approached the Museo de Bellas Artes (fine arts), we realized we were approaching one of the free walking tours of the city that was about to begin. We looked at each other, shrugged, and joined in. We learned it was run by a group called Tours 4 Tips, which operate around Chile and South America in other forms. It runs exactly according to its name: a guided city walking tour where you pay your guide what you can at the end. Our guide was a French Canadian girl who’d been living in Santiago for 3 years or so, and was super informative. We covered a lot of the day-to-day politics of what has happened during and after the Pinochet regime, as well as a lot of the street art and historical sites around the city center. New Year’s Day came in handy here, as the streets were pretty quiet, which made for an easier walk and ability to hear our guide, who spoke in English.
Worth noting was the Presidential Palace, called “La Moneda”, which was bombed and destroyed on the first day of the Pinochet coup d’etat, and from where the sitting president, Salvador Allende. He actually recorded his final speech to the Chilean public before the radio was taken down, and he ultimately killed himself (or was killed?). The speech is only a few minutes, and is quite a beautiful and inspiring one. You can listen to it below:
Santiago, on first impressions, seemed like a really well-run city. It has it’s history of colonial buildings, even a street known as “Wall Street” for its resemblance to the one in NYC. The metro is simple, efficient, and inexpensive (~$0.25 per ride). It’s got a very cosmopolitan feel, with lots a variety of food options, bars and cafes, and more diversity of people than I’d seen in (particularly) Central American cities. The bus system is large, there are several universities, and it felt rather clean, especially walking around on New Year’s Day. This is a reflection of the neoliberal economic policies that began to be implemented under Pinochet, and have divided the country ever since (quite equally, too). They have private universities and insurance, lots of the public services have been privatized. It feels a lot like the American system, but about 20 years behind where we are right now – struggling with housing crises in every major city, a healthcare system in the dumps, etc. Hopefully they’ll be able to look north and learn some lessons from our disintegration.
After the tour, we tried to find some inexpensive eats, but were in a tough neighborhood (Lastarria) for it. We then got in touch with Amaranta, and ended up picking up some breads, cheese, and fixin’s for our dinner with her at her apartment. An easy metro ride back, and we started chatting with Amaranta and meeting her young son, Elian, as we prepared a delicious set of “tapas” to enjoy with the main dish – wine.
We probably spent 5 hours talking with Amaranta on every subject imaginable. She works in the government office dealing with gender issues and education. Her father was a prominent communist during the Pinochet regime, which explains how her middle name is Libertad (Liberty). It’s like when you say “my middle name is Danger”, except not joking. She also attended a liberal Catholic school growing up, where students were encouraged to choose one of the three monotheistic religions to study. She became interested in Judaism and almost converted at age 15, and knew more about our own faith and customs than probably we did! She spoke about her desire to become a mother and about raising her son on her own. It was incredible, and so beautiful to connect with someone, through Couchsurfing nonetheless, who we were able to go so deep with. Needless to say, this was all in Spanish, so I had to run to keep up, especially with the Chilean accent and slang, but would interrupt every so often to catch up.
The next morning, we switched our Couchsurfing accommodations (twin mattress on the floor) for a bit of an upgrade. I still had a free night at a Ritz Carlton to use before February, and when I had gotten it the year before, we decided to keep one of the three free nights for South America. The only Ritz in South America happens to be in Santiago. Couldn’t have chosen better.
The scene of us arriving, from the metro station, into the lobby of the Ritz was hilarious and so out-of-place. You could see other guests looking at us in puzzlement with our big backpacks, front daypacks, and a couple of bags of food, waltzing towards the reception desk. Some older American couple were complaining about something (of course), so we just bided our time as an older gentleman cut in front of us to have a copy of his passport made. The receptionist was happy to welcome us in Spanish, and we settled into our ridiculously spacious, beautiful, comfortable room with a view for a little taste of luxury. We’d gotten there early, and would have a late check-out, so it was almost like having two full days there, which we planned to take advantage of fully.
We spent the day checking out the big food market, Sarah of course managing to make a connection with a fruit / nut vendor, and learning a bit about his life. He’d spent 30 years running this shop, after his father handed it over to him. He told us stories about how he’d bring his father lunch at the stall each day, and learning the business that he’d eventually take over. Sarah even took a bit of video interview with him that related to her project around inclusion and being heard. It was a very typical / beautiful Sarah moment that I couldn’t have experienced without her.
We continued on to the Museo de Bellas Artes and spent a bit of time perusing the exhibits in this airy, bright space, after which we split up for some “self care”. We met back up at the rooftop pool at the Ritz for a little R&R before venturing out for dinner. Experiencing this kind of luxury and service after a few months of “roughing it” was a pretty spectacular feeling. Backpacking shows you how little you need to enjoy yourself and live in a comfortable way and meet new people, but staying at the Ritz reminded me of how I do, in fact, enjoy the “finer things in life”, like rooftop pools and saunas and free bathrobes.
We had tried a couple of the restaurants that Sarah had found, but they ended up being too full or more expensive than we wanted. We settled on a Mediterranean spot, and were so hungry and excited for the hummus plate we ordered, but sadly, quite disappointed with how it tasted. It was comical how flavorless this dish was, that we even said something to the manager when we left. Prices in Santiago (and Chile in general) were not cheap by any means, and in fact, rivaled what I’d expect in major American cities. Easily $8 for a beer, $20 for a meal.
The next morning, to save some money, we had the room service bring us some plates / bowls and hot water that we used to make an oatmeal feast with some fresh and dried fruit we’d bought at the market. Probably a first for the Ritz clientele. We took a lazy day up at the pool, enjoyed a bit of exercise at the gym, and spent the afternoon in the blazing sun of the rooftop deck, chatting with a gentleman from wine country in California who was here on a business trip to the Chilean vineyards outside Santiago, and in nearby Mendoza, Argentina. Since we had the late checkout, we took our time and enjoyed the last moments of the afternoon before washing up (maybe my 5th shower in 2 days?) and heading out with our bags to meet up with Sarah’s former host family at their home in Las Condes for dinner.
It took us a little longer than expected to arrive, partly due to some bus mishaps, but also because it was rush hour. But, once we arrived, every possible worry and anxiety melted away as they welcomed us in the warmest way possible. By the end of the night, I felt like I had already been part of the family for years. Angelica, the mother, and two (of three) children Juan Pablo and Javiera, were incredibly welcoming, and even insisted that we stay over at their house for the night instead of going to our Airbnb. We sat in their beautiful garden in front of the house and Angelica cooked us a fabulous dinner of fish and choclo, a creamy corn dish, that was all just fabulous. Having a homemade meal was something I didn’t even realize I was yearning for. We were up til past midnight chatting about things near and far, learning about each other, and laughing way more than I had in a while. It was perfection, and I was so grateful to Sarah for having arranged it for us.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
We arrived in Buenos Aires (“BA”) in the late morning and got an Uber into the city. No surprise, the driver was named Andres Camilo (a very common Colombian name) and was from Bogotá. We got to chat with him about both Colombia, and Buenos Aires, where he moved some years ago to go to university, which was much cheaper than in Colombia. He now has a family, but was able to recommend us some ideas for our 48 hours in BA.
We would be staying that night with my grandfather’s first cousin, Jane (Juanita), and arrived at her humble but lovely apartment in the upscale Palermo neighborhood. We were thrilled to see each other, and it was, yet again, a beautiful moment of reunion with family or friends around the world. It never ceases to amaze me. I was so grateful to her for hosting us, and getting out of a hostel for a bit.
She graciously took us out to a typical lunch at a cafe attached to a museum. We enjoyed the food, and the cooled environment as it was a summery 95 F outside. We didn’t get a chance to walk much due to the heat, but afterwards, got in a taxi towards the famous cemetery in the Recoleta neighborhood. Apparently we had toured a bit of the city before then, but of course, after a big meal I dozed off a bit. The cemetery is full of massive mausoleums to the famous / rich families of Buenos Aires. Although we only had a short time inside before it closed, we found one of the only Jewish mausoleums there.
We spent the late afternoon in a famous cafe enjoying some typical migas (not to be confused with Migos), which made me feel a bit like a kid again. They consisted of crustless white bread with ham and cheese. I always like to try the local food, but I wasn’t so impressed, considering the hype I’d heard about Argentine cuisine. We got to catch up on family (she had been in NY recently, as she splits time between Miami where her son and granddaughter live, and BA), and also learn more about her life in Argentina over the years. We were all pretty tired and hot, so we just relaxed the evening at Jane’s apartment and ordered in pizza (Argentinians love Italian food apparently).
The next morning, we got our things together and left for the hostel we’d be staying at more centrally, and where our friend Darcy (Sarah’s friend from Chicago) would be meeting us later that night. Craving some veggie love, which I have now come to understand finally, we found a lovely vegetarian restaurant with a set “menu del dia”, and indulged in the food and the vibes as we digested our stuffed bellies. This cafe was recommended to us by Juan Pablo (Sarah’s host brother in Santiago), as he had worked there for a time. We dropped his name to one of the waitresses and she even got to send him a quick voice note on Whatsapp!
We had a walk through the drizzle to meet a walking tour of the city, but after a little bit decided to bounce and take shelter from the worsening rain. We checked out a really cool artists’ collective (Galeria Patio de Liceo), where different artisans, painters and the like had their own storefronts. After some perusing, I was ready for a treat, and we went for a couple alfajores in an old cafe nearby.
We took the metro back to our hostel, where we went to a bar nearby for happy hour and a burger (recommended to us by the Uber driver), and then stayed up late for Darcy’s much-anticipated arrival. She was just starting a monthlong sabbatical from work, and we were the first stop! We shared a triple private room (upgrade!!) and got moving early in the morning for our flight. Unfortunately, it was Sunday, so none of the many cafes in our neighborhood were open when we tried to find some bougie brunch options at 9am. We settled for some hardboiled eggs (my specialty) and made our way to the airport for our flight to El Calafate, the gateway city to Argentinian Patagonia, where we’d be spending a week.
Photos
