Over the Mountains to Santiago

Hi Everyone! It's been a while because I have arrived in Chile where the plugs are different and it has taken an embarrassingly long time to find an adaptor. Once I found one the wifi was too slow to upload, so hopefully this one works!

My first Chilean flag
That's right, Chile! My second country so far. And what a trip it was to get here. After a 4 hour delay due to snow on the high roads, we set off into some amazing mountain scenery as the road wound upwards through the mighty Andes. The border crossing itself was spectacular - 3200m above sea level and surrounded by snowy mountains. A pretty sweet experience for my first time crossing a land border, which made me very glad to have taken a day bus instead of the overnight!



Winding down into the Chilean side was hairy...
This isn't even all the switchbacks

But eventually we made it to Santiago.

And Santiago was...OK. It was quite clearly a capital city, a place of business more than pleasure, but without the bohemian attraction of Buenos Aires. There were things to do and see but overall it isn't a hugely impressive place for a tourist. It didn't help that the hostel I was staying at was absolute shite. If any travellers are heading that way AVOID la Casa Roja in barrio Brasil. Just don't do it.

One thing that was very cool was the street art all over the barrio Yungay. Some impressive pieces, mostly psychadelic in nature, with some political undertones. I managed to arrive on the day of the Chilean Census when all the shops had to close, so I had all day to wander aimlessly on the empty street and take some snaps:
This one dates from just after the fall of Pinochet I think. "If we stop fighting, we start dying"
Overall, Santiago was the first city I have visited that I have felt a bit let down by. But that's ok, it's just one more town. On to Valparaiso!

Cheeky napping doggo

PS: I am way behind on my updates, but this one took over an hour to upload so you will have to wait a little longer for my other Chilean adventures.







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