When you do a trip like this, you expect challenges for sure. Of course we knew, that while traveling in South America, the predominant language would be Spanish .... we just didn't expect there to be as little English spoken ... and by little, we mean none.
Having traveled a lot before, we've got our tricks, our essential phrases to get us by but we've found it particularly difficult trying to make bookings with a travel agency. Truth be told, we had a really hard time finding a travel agency in the first place!!!! Addresses to agencies we found on-line were not accurate. What once was a tourist office is now an optometrist. And it's taken us a couple of days to realize the visitor map we are following is "off" by a block or two. Normally, all these setbacks get sorted out in a few days, but with the delay back in Vancouver, we've felt a little rushed and overwhelmed here in Santiago.
That said, we've had a great time exploring this city. Santiago is a beautiful city that lies in a valley that is flanked by the Andes mountains on one side and another coastal mountain range on the other. It feels and looks like a desert here - very hot, dry and brown. With a population of nearly 6 million people, Santiago is a huge city with many different districts - each with their own 'flavor'. We're staying in Centro, the oldest and busiest area with lots of interesting architecture and sights. There are many 'paseos' - streets for pedestrian traffic only- that make walking around the city enjoyable and easy with the kids. There's a cool vibe here like Vancouver in the summer, with artists and performers and vendors all around. This is no third world city. The economy is exploding and there is construction and development every single direction you look. They are currently finishing what will be the tallest building in South America. Prices are not that much different from home.
The metro is super easy to navigate and has cheaply allowed us to explore different neighborhoods and easily get to other parts of the city.
Yesterday, we checked out a major park set atop a large hill in the center of the city. The park housed the national zoo which had many interesting animals and birds we had never seen before that are native to Chile and other parts of South America. And what were the locals most interested in? The enclosure that housed a brown bear from North America...too funny!
From the zoo, we traveled farther up the hill to a spectacular public swimming pool with amazing views of the city!
Our last stop in the park was at a Virgin statue that towers atop the summit with more sweeping views of Santiago.
We've been staying in a basic, little apartment that has allowed us to cook many of our own meals which has been nice. The best part of this building is the rooftop pool. Those of you back home probably don't want to hear this, but it's hot enough to go for a swim after breakfast and we've enjoyed cooling off in the pool in the evenings after being out and about all day!
Today we went to Fantasilandia ... a little mix of Disney/PNE/Canada's wonderland with a touch of an extreme water park too. The kids had a blast! Entrance was $40 for the family that included all the rides, as many times as you wanted. When I saw the roller coasters and particularly the one where you hang beneath the track, I was ready to ditch the family and meet them back at the apartment!!!!! A proud moment for me was when Stella came on an airplane ride with me that went upside down and spun around like crazy. She loved it and would have gone on some of the coasters with me if she were tall enough. THAT'S MY GIRL!!!
The kids have been awesome! They've kept up with us every step of the way and are really and truly having fun! Stella made friends the other day with some girls from Argentina in the pool. We're meeting all kinds of fellow travelers. One girl we spoke with for quite a while, has come to Santiago from Buenos Aries and was able to easily communicate with us in English. When we complimented her on her fluency, she told us she learned the English language by playing video games on-line! And who says video games are good for nothing?!
Tomorrow we are on the road again ... off to Valparaiso on the ocean.
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