Chilean hospitality

The Sacré-Coeur of Santiago

In the air we were approaching the Andes. The captain turned on the camera on the plane's tail and we saw the beautiful mountains with it’s snowy tops clearly. In a few days we’re going to cross these mountains again on land.

Santiago’s environment is rather dry, with yellowish/reddish soil, makes me feel like I’m in southern Spain. We booked a hostel in advance cause we didn’t want to search for one with our sleepy heads. Walking with our backpacks searching for the hostel. They made it a challenge for us to find it, but finally with the help of a Chilean woman, we found the hostel with a tiny sign next to the door “Casa Verde”.

relaxing on top of the Cerro Santa Lucía

After unpacking we went for a walk to a hill, just one block of our hostel, Cerro Santa Lucía. It’s park, a nice one. Jos found herself a bench, sat there and relaxed under the Chilean sun, forgetting the cold wet autumn in Holland.

This park/hill is partly a castle. On the tower we had a nice view of the city. We weren’t alone, there was a young man, drinking beer by him self. He asked if we wanted a sip, but we thanked him. I was tired from the journey and hadn’t eaten for a while, so it wouldn’t be wise to drink alcohol at that time. But we started a conversation. He was really friendly, and after a while, to not to offend him, I accepted his continuous offer to have a sip. But I didn’t get the sip, he got a new can for me. Before I could say no, he opened it and handed it to me.. So there we stood, on a tower with a nice view, a friendly Chilean and a can of beer on an empty stomach..

Try an 'Italiano' when you're in Santiago, it's a popular hotdog with mustard, avocado and diced tomatos.