Careful What You Wish For

Santiago is hot. This is what I wanted, so I can't complain. It's actually not too bad, a dry heat like Sacto. The weather is completely different from Patagonia. Funny how a few degrees of latitude and the world's third largest ice field can change things.

Laura and I partied like animals on New Years Eve. We spent the remaining hours of 2009 with a friend wandering the tourist town of El Calafate to find dinner. I kid you not, we were turned away from every single restaurant in that town except one because we didn't have reservations. The one that didn't turn us away did not have any vegetarian dishes. (You should feel sorry for me.) I didn't think I could go any lower than instant mashed potatoes for Christmas Eve dinner and frozen vegetables for Christmas dinner in Torres del Paine. My last dinner of 2009 consisted primarily of cheese and crackers that I bought from the equivalent of a convenience store. (Now you should feel really sorry for me!) Good company helped a lot and we rang in 2010 with fellow travelers in our hostel common room and with the fireworks of strangers on the streets. We considered going out afterwards, but the bars and disco didn't open until 2am and I'm a senor citizen when it comes to staying out late.

Laura and I left Patagonia sometime between January 1st and the 5th. No, I didn't go through some sort of time warp during those days, I am just unsure if Bariloche is considered to be in Patagonia. Some say it the northenmost point of Patagonia while others consider it solely in the Lakes District. Maybe the Lakes District is in Patagonia? Whatever. We spent our first day in 2010 waiting at the airport for first a cancelled flight and then a delayed flight. We arrived in Bariloche around 11pm and wandered the streets going door to door looking for a hostel with open beds. Not fun, especially with all of the tacky souveniers, I mean goodies, I've accumulated. Finally someone took pitty on us and offered to call around to hostels so we no longer had to wander. We checked into one of the dodgiest hostels I've ever slept in and promptly checked out the next morning.

After being active hikers, backpackers and even ice climbers south of Bariloche, Laura and I settled into a somewhat lazy routine and became normal sightseers. Neither of us are big shoppers, but in the 3 days we spent in Bariloche, we mostly shopped; chocolate, t-shirts, artesenal crafts...the usual. In the spirit of doing something strenuous in every town we've been to, we did manage to hike up to Cerro Campanario for what was rated by National Geographic as one of the top 10 vistas in the world. It was definitely an amazing view. (See video at end of blog.) There were lakes as far as my eyes could see. But one of the top 10 vistas in the world? Maybe National Geographic meant one of the top 10 vistas in the world accessible by mechanical means rather than soley by foot. Laura and I attempted to sneak onto the chairlift for a free ride down. The man assisiting people onto the chairlift wasn't checking tickets, but he took one look at us and banished us to the dusty steep path back down the mountain. I realize we didn't look like the "see Patagonia from an expensive tour bus" type of tourists, but I didn´t think we looked like grungy empty-pocketed backpackers either. We're simply budget travelers looking for a good deal. And if that means hiking up a mountain to see a world renowned view rather than paying $AR30 for the chairlift, so be it. With that being said, after our mountaintop ascent and descent, instead of taking the bus, we hitchhiked back to town. (Mom and Dad, you didn't read that last part.)

Bariloche was a taste of the warmer temperatures to come. From there, we moved from t-shirt and jeans weather to shorts and tanktop weather in Santiago. Except it's too hot to wear tanktops because the sun is so strong. I've chosen my walking paths around the city according to shade and spent one afternoon with Laura and Grace sitting at a cafe and another with Grace playing Scrabble rather than exploring because we were so hot and lazy to do anything else.

I don't feel like I've given it my all as far as exploring Santiago. There are four reasons for this; 1) I don't have a guidebook so I have no idea what I'm missing out on. 2) While traveling, I met two Chileans on two separate occasions who both told me there's nothing to do in Santiago. 3) It feels and looks like LA. Been there, done that. 4) Did I mention it's hot? I have seen what I think to be all the major points of interest; Cerro San Cristobal, Santa Lucia, the Precolumbian Museum, Central Market, Constitucional Square, Plaza de Armas and La Moneda Palace. I even went on a day excursion to outlying wineries Vina Cousino Macul and Concha y Toro as well as a weekend excursion to Valparaiso and Vino Del Mar where I neglected to apply sunscreen to certain parts of my body and learned firsthand of the "big-ass hole" in the ozone layer (as one Chilean on the subway described it).

So I've had my share of sun and I'm ready for the cold and rain of Sacramento. In fact, I'm dreaming of cutting through fluffy white stuff with sharpened and waxed skis. If only flying home were as easy as it sounds...



PS Laura and I took a video journal regularly during our trip. I plan to upload all of them and post them for your viewing pleasure when I get home and they have been edited. Stay tuned!