South for the Winter

Well, this entry really should've started yesterday when I took off from Vancouver, but alas, nothing out of the ordinary happened til arriving in Santiago. The wait from immigration and customs was probably the longest I'd ever had. By the time I arrived to my hotel, it was after 3pm (3 hours after we touched down - and no, the airport is not that far away).

For those planning to visit Santiago Chile, an easy and economical way to get into the city is the airport bus that leaves outside the terminal and drops you at Los Heroes where you can easily catch a metro to wherever you're staying. The metro map can be found on wikitravel. You will need to buy a BIP card and load it before using though. But all in all, 1800 pesos to Los Heros and then the usual range for public transport travel.

I'd forgotten what summer felt like with this winter so cold at home, to the point where it snowed on February 17th, the morning of my departure. I'd completely forgotten to pack for summer, more focused on the colder parts of the itinerary. Thank goodness for convertible pants from North Face and the ever present walking sandals. After freshening up, all I did was follow my feet and wander around. Strolling past the Central Market, across the river and back. Stumbling upon the Plaza Armas before passing Santa Lucia in a quest to find Barrio Italia. The latter I was not very successful and trudged back to the hotel while picking up takeout to dine in our rooftop patio. All in all, the streets were quiet, maybe because it's Sunday - Lima was the same.Read more