Santiago de Chile

Our time in South America started with a charming 35-hour journey that ended up taking almost 40 hours. Our first stop was Los Angeles, where the connecting flight to Houston was unfortunately delayed by over 2 hours. And so our buffer to catch the flight to Santiago de Chile, which is the only flight per day from Houston, melted away. At the counter, we were told that we might still make it if we could run quickly in Houston. Then the boarding was delayed again and we were actually sure that we would spend the night in Houston and wait for the next evening flight. We went to the counter again and this time there was a super optimistic employee. Houston is huge, but we could take the train from one gate to another, so it might work - a train ?! - well, we were positive again. After landing in Houston, there was traffic on the runway and we had to wait again until we could drive to the right parking spot and get off. By now we were absolutely sure that it wouldn't work anymore, the flight to Santiago should have taken off 1 hour ago. Nevertheless, we got off quickly and after looking at the departure board, on which the flight was still listed, it was clear: now we have to sprint as fast as we can. We didn't see any trains, but we ran so fast that no train could have kept up 😜 When we arrived at the gate, we were panting like crazy, but we could actually board! Boy, were we relieved after all the back and forth! Actually, the plane waited quite a long time for further passengers, so we could have saved ourselves the sprinting. Hindsight is always 20/20 and the little workout did us good and was probably also a good prophylaxis against thrombosis between all the sitting. So we continued for another 8 hours to Santiago, where we arrived at 8 a.m. local time, slightly beaten up but safe and sound, after crossing 3 time zones and a total of 14 hours difference from our starting point Sydney. We were, but unfortunately our luggage was not. We were told that it was still in Houston, but it would most likely arrive the next morning. If we had to buy clothes in the meantime, we should keep the receipts. We didn't need to be told twice, firstly we couldn't check into our hotel so early and secondly it was freezing cold. So off we went shopping! Otherwise, we visited a large cathedral, walked around the city and strolled through the Plaza de Armas, where a band was playing and lots of people were dancing and waving towels. With the music, we had our first South American feeling. In the evening, we snuggled up early in our beds with a delicious pizza in our bellies.

The next day, the relieving news came: our backpacks had arrived and were delivered to the hotel at noon. Hallelujah! We had booked another free walking tour for the day and with the cozy 12 degrees, we were glad to have our own clothes. The city tour lasted 3 hours and took us to the most important places in Santiago, we also learned something about the history of the country and at the end we received restaurant and bar tips. The tour ended in the neighborhood "Lastarria", where there was a nice market, music was playing, and we walked past many beautiful stands. As our guide had recommended, we then explored the gastronomic side of the neighborhood and tried our first Chilean beer, which was delicious and above all a proper pint. Slightly tipsy, we continued and did a small wine tasting with 3 Chilean wines each.

On our last day in Santiago, there was a small procession for Corpus Christi, which apparently takes place later here than in Germany. The procession was much less spectacular than expected and above all very incense-heavy. So we just watched briefly and then visited another church where a special Jesus is hanging. His crown of thorns slid down to his neck during an earthquake many years ago, and every time they tried to put it back in place, there was a new earthquake - a understandable reason for the crown to stay there now. We continued walking to a small hill with an old castle, from where we had a nice overview of the city and in the background, we could see the peaks of the Andes. To end the day, we went to a museum with relics from the time before the Spanish colonization.

All in all, we liked Santiago, even though it's actually not that special. But the old colonial-style buildings, the friendly Chileans, and the atmosphere were a great start on this continent! We're getting along well with the Spanish language after having spoken almost only English (and German) for 5 months now. Although the Chileans don't make it easy for you, as they always swallow the end of words and - like all Spanish-speaking people - speak damn fast. 😄

Now it's time to pack again because tomorrow we're heading to probably the most remote destination of our trip: Easter Island!