First steps in South America

November 2022 - February 2023

My first travel on Findpenguins starts in Savoie, my birth region. I will spend two months between Chile and Argentina. The itinerary is not determined yet, which gives space for last-minute changes. Improvisation is what makes each travel unique 😃 Read more

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Traveler First steps in South America
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- Nov 26, 2022
- ⛅ 10 °C
- Altitude: 578 m
- France Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Thénésol 45.713496, 6.39318745°42’49” N 6°23’35” E
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Day 1
Thénésol
November 26, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Here starts my journey, in the French Alps.
In November, the first snow fell, as you can see on the mountains around me. Several skiing stations recently opened. It is hard to believe I will be in a summer weather in a few days...Read more
Traveler Tiens,tiens,tiens ! Ça me dit quelque chose cette route. J ai déjà dû passer par là 😂😂
12/3/22Reply
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Traveler First steps in South America
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- Nov 29, 2022
- ⛅ 10 °C
- Altitude: 137 m
- France Île-de-France Paris Paris 18 Buttes-Montmartre Sacré-Cœur Basilica 48.88681, 2.34298948°53’13” N 2°20’35” E
Day 4
Short stay in Montmartre
November 29, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
Just before taking off for Chile, I spend some days in Montmartre.
It is such a lovely district. The central piece is the Sacré-Coeur but I strongly recommend you to explore the districts nearby.
You can find the Salvador Dali gallery, Dalida's tombstone, the "Je t'aime" wall, among many other treasures hiding behind the corner.Read more
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Traveler First steps in South America
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- Nov 30, 2022
- ☀️ 26 °C
- Altitude: 839 m
- Chile Santiago Lo Contador Cerro San Cristóbal -33.424927, -70.63254433°25’30” S 70°37’57” W
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Day 5
Cerro san Cristobal
November 30, 2022 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
After a 14h-long flight (no toddler or snoring person next to me, yeaaah), I arrived in the Arturo Merino Benitez airport. Once outside the airport, I took some time to enjoy the shining sun and its 25 degrees. My first conversations in Spanish to get info are surprisingly easier than I thought.
I didn't have any idea about what to visit for my first day, so I chose a place not far from my hostel : the San Cristobal hill. Located at the north of Santiago, this hill hosts a national park with hiking and biking trails, an open-air swimming pool and the Mapulemu garden, where one can find the different plants from Chile's three climate types.
At the culminant point of the park stands a statue of the virgin Mary. From there, I saw how far the city spreads between the mountains.
You can walk there from the hill's bottom in ~2h or take a cable car and enjoy a nice view of the city, as I did to get back to the hill's bottom.Read more
Traveler 😲 waouh ! La petite bourgade 😉
12/3/22Reply
Traveler 🙏
12/3/22Reply
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Traveler First steps in South America
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- Dec 1, 2022
- ☀️ 27 °C
- Altitude: 580 m
- Chile Santiago Barrio Bellavista -33.432015, -70.63844333°25’55” S 70°38’18” W
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Day 6
Bellavista : a storm of colors
December 1, 2022 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
For the second day, I decided to go for a walk along the Mapocho river. The river's side has some green spaces to chill in but is surrounded by two big highways. Not the best place for a relaxing walk, but I enjoyed the view on the San Cristobal mount and the paintings on the rivers' edges.
Destination of my walk : Bellavista. This is Santiago's "artsy" district. Beautiful and colorful street art pieces can be found on pratically all buildings. In the morning, Bellavista was deadly calm, but regarding the bars, theaters, dance clubs I spotted, the district might reveal all its vibes at night time. To be confirmed...
I walked then to the Baquedano place, at south of Bellavista... and found there an interesting place. The "jardin de la resistancia", which seems to be a place to comemorate victims (policital opponents??) as well as a place to celebrate nature and human bounds. I'll look for some info about this place, it will be posted on Instagram ;-)Read more
Traveler Magnifique !
12/2/22Reply
Traveler Esthétique et poétique 🥰
12/3/22Reply
Traveler Très belle mosaïque murale !La spécialité de Paula Guerra 👍
12/3/22Reply
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Traveler First steps in South America
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- Dec 2, 2022
- ☀️ 29 °C
- Altitude: 574 m
- Chile Santiago Barrio Bellavista Plaza de Armas de Santiago -33.437776, -70.6504533°26’16” S 70°39’2” W
Day 7
The city center !!
December 2, 2022 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
For this visit, I booked a free walking tour on GuruWalk. It is a great way to discover a city's historical and cultural features, but also a way to meet people and make new friends.
Before the visit, several persons including the tour guide warned us about the city center. Robbery and pickpocketing are common there. For what I saw, it is not less safe than any touristic district in Paris (at least in daytime).
On the pictures, you can see in the order : the church of San Augustin and its creepy Jesus Christ ; the "Nueva-York" district where are the Diplomatic Academy of Chile (most prestigious academy in the country) and Chile's stock exchange, the Palacio de la Moneda (seat of the president), some buildings from the plaza de Armas (Santiago cathedral, central post office, museum of natural history). Speaking of museums, many of them in Santiago are state-owned and free of access.
After the tour, I went on the Santa Lucia hill with some people met during the tour. The hill itself offers nice gardens and a castle at the top, although the view from there is not breathtaking.Read more
Traveler De beaux bâtiments. Et sympa les vues satellites qui accompagnent tes visites 👍
12/3/22Reply
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Traveler First steps in South America
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- Dec 3, 2022
- ☀️ 30 °C
- Altitude: 535 m
- Chile Santiago San Miguel Canal San Joaquín -33.475346, -70.64760533°28’31” S 70°38’51” W
Day 8
The Bio Bio market
December 3, 2022 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
On the previous day, the tour guide told me about a market to see. The Bio Bio market (or Persa Bio Bio) is the kind of place you can find ANYTHING! Furniture, cooking ustensils, GameBoy games, brand-new or second-hand... You can also find a lot of food courts around the market where to sit, eat and enjoy some Bossa Nova music. The market is a vrey non-touristic place where you can enjoy being around the locals, wander in the market and try not to buy everything you seeRead more
Traveler Un genre de souk chilien en somme 😉
12/6/22Reply
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Traveler First steps in South America
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- Dec 4, 2022, 8:46am
- ☀️ 19 °C
- Altitude: 540 m
- Chile Santiago Quinta Normal -33.443106, -70.67350733°26’35” S 70°40’25” W
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Day 9
The Yungay district
December 4, 2022 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
Le quartier Yungay est un incontournable de Santiago et il est impossible de comprendre pourquoi sans passer par un tour guidé.
Ce quartier a été un haut lieu de la bourgeoisie de Santiago jusqu'à ce qu'une crise économique sévère fasse migrer les gens aisés à l'est de la ville. Aujourd'hui, on peut encore admirer certaines bâtisses magnifiques mais souvent laissées à l'abandon.
Le quartier a été une place forte pendant les manifestations de 2019 et plusieurs artistes ont protesté en dessinant des oeuvres magnifiques sur les murs du quartier. Ce qui m'a le plus fasciné vient d'un collectif de 4 femmes militantes, dessinant séparément ou ensemble des oeuvres, chacune ayant son style propre.
A côté du quartier Yungay se trouve un grand parc ainsi que le Musée de la mémoire et des droits humains. On y retrouve des documents et témoignages de toutes les atrocités commises par la dictature de Pinochet. Un autre incontournable!Read more
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Traveler Certains endroits me font penser à Cuba. Bâtiments décrépis mais avec beaucoup de charmes ❤️
12/6/22Reply
Traveler Les fresques sont très belles également chacune dans leur genre
12/6/22Reply
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Traveler First steps in South America
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- Dec 5, 2022, 9:00am
- ⛅ 14 °C
- Altitude: 61 m
- Chile Valparaíso Cerro Alegre Instituto y Conservatorio de Música - Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -33.042114, -71.62759933°2’32” S 71°37’39” W
Day 10
Departure for Valparaiso
December 5, 2022 in Chile ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Premier départ de Santiago! Après un trajet en bus de 2h, j'arrive à Valparaiso.
Je note le ciel nuageux et l'air frais qui fait plaisir, après la chaleur écrasante de Santiago.
La ville étant bâtie sur des collines, on y passe son temps à monter et descendre des routes et des escaliers. Il faut avoir les pieds solides!
Le centre historique où se trouve mon hostel est un coin charmant, avec beaucoup de street arts, de petits cafés et restaus donnant vue sur la mer... mais le fait que 80% des gens dans la rue soient des touristes me bloquent un peu. Je ne suis pas dans le coin le plus "Chilien" du Chili. Je me contenterai des belles fresques murales.Read more
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Traveler First steps in South America
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- Dec 5, 2022, 2:00pm
- ☀️ 19 °C
- Altitude: 17 m
- Chile Región de Valparaíso Viña del Mar Población Vergara Playa Acapulco -33.014954, -71.54953233°0’54” S 71°32’58” W
Day 10
Vamos a la playa : Viña del Mar
December 5, 2022 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
L'après-midi, je suis parti avec deux amis à Viña del Mar, une jolie petite ville côtière connue pour ses plages.
Le trajet s'est fait en bus. A Valparaiso, les chauffeurs de bus sont indépendants et se font leur propre salaire comme des taxis. Il est possible de leur faire signe sur le bord de route pour qu'ils s'arrêtent et peuvent également vous déposer à tout moment sur leur trajet. Niveau sécurité, c'est pas top mais c'est très pratique!
La ville est assez typique d'une ville côtière. Nous avons quand même trouvé un musée sur les peuples autochtones du Chili, très intéressant. Avec en prime, une belle tête de Mohai!Read more
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Traveler First steps in South America
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- Dec 6, 2022
- ☀️ 21 °C
- Altitude: 18 m
- Chile Valparaíso Barón Edificio Isabel Brown Caces - Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -33.047653, -71.61137833°2’52” S 71°36’41” W
Day 11
Guided tour in Valparaiso
December 6, 2022 in Chile ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Pendant la matinée, je suis monté au parc culturel. Il s'agit d'une ancienne prison reconvertie en centre comprenant salles de danse, scène de théâtre, salles d'exposition de peintures, etc.
L'après-midi a principalement été marqué par un free walking tour de Valparaiso, durant lequel j'ai rencontré des gens adorables! Nous avons fait le tour du centre historique avec le guide qui nous a expliqué l'histoire de la ville et des différents street arts visibles un peu partout. Valparaiso étant bâti sur des collines, on peut trouver des funiculaires un peu partout pour accéder aux parties hautes.Read more
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