Hey again everyone, and
welcome back to A Vida Gringo. Last week I went over some details for
getting a tourist, student and business visa to enter Brazil, so if you're
interested in traveling to Brazil, be sure to check that post out. I'm shifting
gears away from Brazil this week, and I'll be going over a recent trip I took
to Santiago and Buenos Aires, the capitals of Chile and Argentina respectively.
In order to keep these a
little shorter, I won't be going over the history of both countries, rather I
will be focusing on the history of the cities I visited.
*Whenever I talk about
culture or things I notice, please keep in mind these are based on my
experiences and are not intended to misrepresent or offend anyone. If I
say something that is incorrect, let me know and I will fix it. *
CHILE: Santiago and
Valparaiso
Chile is a country well
known for its biodiversity, well developed economy and modern capital,
Santiago. It has a reputation for being one of the safest destinations in
South America, and with places like the Atacama Desert, Patagonia and Rapa Nui
(Easter Island) it is a very attractive destination for travelers. Due to
the lack of time that I have for travelling, I based myself in Santiago and was
able to visit Valparaiso, the main port along the Pacific Ocean.
History of Santiago:
Before the arrival of
the Spanish forces, the region of Santiago were mostly small villages of
natives belonging to the Incan Empire. Before the arrival of the Inca in
the area however, there isn't anything of major consequence to mention.
Francisco Pizzaro sent
one of his fellow conquistadors, Pedro de Valdivia, to begin advancing south
from Cusco and continue claiming land for Spain. He soon arrived to the
area where he would establish Santiago de Chile (the full name of the
city). Unlike other groups of natives, the ones Valdivia encountered were
not conquered militarily, rather they cooperated with the Spanish to a certain
degree. After conducting a meeting with some of the local chieftains,
Valdivia established the city of Santiago in 1541.
After Valdivia took his
forces south, he left Santiago relatively unguarded. This resulted in a
different group of natives sacking the city, but were unable to fully capture
the city due to the defenders demoralizing the attacking host. Santiago
was rebuilt, but due to difficulties faced presented by frequent attacks and
earthquakes, the city’s growth was slow at first. In 1607, the Royal
Court was established in Santiago, separating colonial Chile from Peru and
allowed Santiago became the capital of the new colony.
Following the struggle
for independence, Santiago was moved from a colonial capital, to the new
capital of the fledgling Republic of Chile. Due to the need to transform
Santiago into a more developed capital, the city underwent a number of
improvements during the 19th century.
During the 20th century,
Santiago grew from around 500,000 people in 1902 to almost two million people
by 1960. There wasn't a lot of important events that occurred in the city
until a coup d’état ousted the civilian government in 1973. This led to a
dictatorship headed by Augusto Pinochet, who ruled from 1974 until 1990, though
he remained involved in the military and politics until his death in 2006.
During his rule,
Pinochet's government introduced a number of economic reforms attempting to
make the country's economy more free market orientated, which allowed Chile to
begin developing one of the strongest economies in the entire South American
continent. Also during this time, Pinochet began moving the government
out of Santiago to try and curb its influence.
After the fall of
Pinochet and the reinstatement of a democratic government, Santiago began to
deal with a lot of problems due to its high population and air pollution.
Today the city has a population over 7 million people, and during the day, you
can easily see the smog covering the city. The pollution is difficult to
deal with due to Santiago's position in a valley surrounded by the Andes.
During the summer, it dissipates quickly due to the high amount of wind they
get during the summer months.
General Information:
Money: In Chile, the local currency is the
Chilean Peso. At the time of writing, the conversion rate is around 647
pesos per dollar.
Language: Obviously Spanish is the official
language, but the Chilean dialect is very different from any other Spanish in
Latin America, so be ready for that. You can find a small amount of
English, but having some basic Spanish phrases will go a long way.
Getting Around: Walking is fine for most of the tourist areas,
but if you want to go outside of the central districts, you're better off using
the metro. Tickets start around 700 pesos and you can buy reloadable cards if that’s
what you want.
*Uber is technically
illegal in Chile. You can still reserve one, but they will ask you to sit
in the front and if you are stopped by police, just say the driver is a friend
taking you somewhere*
Safety: Santiago is a very safe city and probably
the safest capital in all of Latin America. However, this does not mean
that you should let your guard down. Use common sense and you'll be
fine. If you take the metro, it is usually very crowded, so be sure to
keep an eye on your pockets. Petty crime is all you should be in danger
of though.
Food: I can't speak to the total food culture
of Santiago, but the food I did have, especially the steaks, was very
good. Chile is also known for its wine, with a focus on French style
wines. There are several wine valleys in Chile that each produce
different styles and varietals. The main grape to try is carmenere, which
is a unique grape that was thought to have gone extinct in France, but reemerged
in Chile.
My Experience:
I arrived to Santiago's main international airport after a 6-hour trip from Porto Alegre. I arrived around 8 PM, so customs and immigration were very easy to get through. As an American passport holder, you do not need a visa for tourism purposes (I have no clue about other reasons, so be sure to check that before going). The only thing you need is your passport (duh) and an entry card that they should give you on the flight. When you go through passport control, they will give you a slip of paper that acts as a receipt for your entry card. You need to keep this and present it when you leave the country, I don't know what the potential consequences would be, but I'd recommend not finding out.
*There used to be a fee
that was charged for US citizens to enter Chile. This is no longer the case.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO PAY ANYTHING TO ENTER CHILE.
Since Santiago is an
enormous city, you should research which district you would like to stay
in. For myself, I chose a hostel in the northern part of the city, called
Bellavista. Bellavista is where one of the main universities is located,
so if you are a younger traveler, this is one of the better areas to stay,
since there is a good number of bars and clubs around the district. The
gem of the nightlife is the Patio Bellavista, which is similar to the outdoor
malls that you find around the US. There are a lot of different
restaurants as well as ATM's and smaller artisan shops.
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| San Cristobal from my hostel |
My first day in Santiago
was a Sunday, which due to the city being highly Catholic, most of the city is
closed. So, after getting a light breakfast at my hostel, I decided to
climb Cerro San Cristobal, which is one of the two hills located in the city,
with the other being Cerro Santa Lucia. To get to the top of the hill,
there are 3 options: the funicular which will take you all the way up, driving
and taking one of the hiking trials. I opted to do the hiking trails
instead. It took around a full hour for me to get all the way to the top,
but it’s a fairly easy climb. At the top you will find a statue dedicated
to the Virgin Mary. The top of the hill offers a fantastic view of the
entire city and helps provide perspective.
After the climb, I
decided to head into the downtown area. Most of the central part of
Santiago is very safe, so you shouldn't have any issues walking around. I
started my exploration at the Plaza Mayor. Here you can find the national
cathedral and a few important museums. I always feel weird going into a
church when there's a mass going on, so I avoided that and opted to visit the
National History Museum instead. Unfortunately for me, the exhibits
aren't in English, and my Spanish is worse than my Portuguese so I wasn't able
to take a lot away from it.
I then moved onto
another museum, which had English translations for exhibits, called the Museo
de Arte Precolombia (The Pre-Columbian Art Museum). This is a must-see in
my opinion. They have amazing examples of the wood carvings, tapestries
and other relics not just from the local natives, but also from around Latin
America.
After the museum, I then
paid a visit to the La Moneda Palace, which is the Chilean version of the White
House. I then walked to Cerro Santa Lucia. This hill is different
from San Cristobal in that Santa Lucia is smaller and is the site of a former
Spanish fort. The park is free to enter and is a nice place to relax and
enjoy the gardens and views.
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| La Moneda Palace |
 |
| Mural in Valpo |
The second day of the
trip, I decided to take a tour to Valparaiso (also known as Valpo) and the
Casablanca wine valley. Valpo is very different from Santiago and is well
worth the visit. Located about 2 hours away from Santiago along the
Pacific Ocean, Valpo is one of the main ports for the entire country. It
is also a city that promotes a more artistic vibe. You will find colorful
colonial houses and a lot of really interesting murals and street art
displays. The colonial buildings aren't just in the Spanish style
though. You can find examples of English, Portuguese, Italian and a few
French style buildings as well. This is due to the fact that until the
completion of the Panama Canal, Valpo was the main port for goods coming to the
Americas.
 |
| View of Valpo |
After spending some time
exploring Valpo, the tour then moved to a nearby city called Vina del
Mar. This is a smaller city near Valpo that is known for its flower clock
and niche museums. I didn't get to spend much time here, but I was able
to enjoy some nice views of the ocean from the beach.
The final part of the
tour took us to the Casablanca valley. This is one of the main wine
producing regions in the country. We only had the chance to visit one
winery, and honestly, I found the wine to be average. I need to try more
examples of Chilean wine though before I form a proper opinion.
 |
| Gran Torre |
My last day in Santiago,
I decided to explore another area of Santiago. In the eastern part of the
city, you will find the Gran Torre, which is the tallest building in all of
South America. Normally I would have gone up the tower to get some good
views, but I couldn't find the entrance, so I can't tell you much more than
that. I did spend time at a mall attached to the Gran Torre, which was
probably the biggest shopping mall I have been to. There were 6 or 7
floors, with a variety of shops, restaurants, a movie theater, etc. After
spending a couple hours exploring the mall, I moved onto an artisan
"village" called Pueblitos Los Dominicos. This is a good place
to do your souvenir shopping. There is a metro stop nearby, so it is very
easy and cheap to get to. Here you can find a lot of different
products. Outside of wine, some of the things that Chile is well known
for is: copper work, leather, artwork, handicrafts from the Mapuche tripe,
alpaca products and a stone called lapis lazuli.
After doing some
shopping, I retired to my hostel and got ready to switch to Buenos Aires.
Overall, I liked Santiago, but I would probably say that it is better to only
stay in Santiago for a couple days, and stay in other cities like Valparaiso,
San Pedro de Atacama in the north or Puerto Natales/Punta Arenas since these
give access to either the desert or the Patagonia region.
Buenos Aires: A European
Marvel in South America:
History of Buenos Aires:
Just a short plane ride
away from Santiago is the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires.
Just like Santiago,
there isn't a lot to mention about the pre-Columbian history of the city.
The Spanish arrived in the area around 1516 and the city of Buenos Aires was
first founded in 1536 along the banks of the La Plata. However, this
first settlement was abandoned due to the repeated attacks by local native
tribes. The second attempt at settling Buenos Aires wasn't until 1580.
Due to its access to the Atlantic, Buenos Aires was supposed to be one of the
main trading colonies in the Americas, but due to high amounts of piracy in the
area, most of the goods were sent overland from Lima. In order to promote
trade, the city began trading with nearby Portuguese colonies instead.
Once trade was able to
flow freely into the port of the city, Spain made Buenos Aires the capital of
the colonial region of Rio de La Plata. However, the locals of Buenos
Aires (called Portenos), had been exploring the idea of gaining their
independence. The independence movement was halted during conflicts with the
British, who were trying to gain a foothold in South America. After the
British were defeated, the Argentinians began their war for independence in
1810, after a viceroy (local governor) in Buenos Aires was overthrown.
Formal independence was finally declared in 1816.
During the 20th century,
Buenos Aires was considered one of the most developed cities in South America
and was one of the strongest cultural cities as well. This led to a high number
of immigrants coming from Germany and Italy following World War II. The
Italian influence is mostly felt in the local food and the language.
Portenos speak a version of Spanish called Lunfardo. This is a local
dialect that combines a lot of la Plata Spanish with Italian phrases.
Buenos Aires remained a
dominant city until a the 1970's, when a series of conflicts between left and right-wing
factions weakened the government. The in 1976, a coup led by General
Jorge Videla saw the fall of the democratic government. Under his brutal
regime, nearly 30,000 people disappeared, presumably executed by the
government. His rule continued until 1981, and soon after, a new
democratic government was established in 1983.
In present times, Buenos
Aires is one of the top tourist destinations with major sites like the Recoleta
cemetery, French style architecture and well preserved colonial district.
Buenos Aires: General
Information:
Getting In: There are two main airports in the
city. The first is the Ezeiza International airport, where most flights
from the US, Europe, etc. would arrive at. The other is the smaller
Aeroparque, which is where flights from Santiago, Uruguay, and Porto Alegre
will land.
Money: Cash is king in Buenos Aires. The
local currency is the Argentine Peso, which at the time of writing is around 17
pesos per dollar. If you're eating out, be sure to ask if the restaurant
accepts cards or not. Also, be sure to keep enough cash to get you
through the day, there are a decent number of places that don't accept cards.
Language: Argentina in general speaks a different dialect
of Spanish than the rest of Latin America. This dialect is called
"La Plata". As mentioned above, the city itself also has the
Lunfardo dialect, so if you want a good way to challenge your Spanish, this is a
good place to be. Because of the number of tourists, you will find a
decent amount of English, but just like Santiago, try to learn some basic
phrases, and it will go a long way.
Getting Around: Buenos Aires also has a very good metro system,
but walking is a good way to get familiar with the area. To ride the
metro, you need to get a Sube card, which can be purchased at the national
lottery offices or certain stores. You load cash onto the card at these
places as well. These Sube cards can also be used for the local buses.
*Like Santiago, Uber
is also illegal in Argentina, so use the same rules I stated above*
Food: The food in Buenos Aires is pretty similar to
Porto Alegre, with the focus being on staple foods and parrilla (Argentine churrasco).
There is also a lot of Italian food due to the influence of immigrants, with
Buenos Aires having a particular love of Milanese style food (think chicken
parmesan or schnitzel style meat). Argentina is also known for its wine,
with Malbec being the king.
Safety: Buenos Aires is a little more unsafe than
Santiago, but as long as you are vigilant, you will be fine. The biggest
worry is petty crime and theft. During the day you will be fine with
using common sense, but at night, be sure to stick to major roads and avoid
empty side streets. If you ride the metro, keep an eye of your things,
since it is also very crowded.
My Experience:
I landed in Buenos Aires
and had the longest line to go through immigration I have seen. I should
mention that I landed at the Aeroparque airport, so it is smaller than
Ezeiza. It took around 90 minutes to get through, mostly due to the
amount of people in line. To get in all you need as a US citizen is your
passport and that's it. They will ask you what you're doing in the
country. If you are a tourist, they will also ask you where you are
staying and when you will be leaving the country. After that, you will
get your stamp and be free to go into town.
*There used to be a fee
for US citizens to get into Argentina, this is no longer the case*
The following are
considered the "touristic" districts of Buenos Aires:
-La Boca*
-San Telmo
-Centro/Obelisco
-Palermo
-Recoleta
-Retiro
-Puerto Madero
*La Boca is a fairly
poor neighborhood that has a strong tourist area in the center, but it is not
considered safe to walk into La Boca. You are better off taking an uber
or the bus there. *
My hostel was in the San
Telmo area, which is considered the colonial part of the city. During my
first day, I was cautious about exploring as I had heard a few horror stories
about the area, so my first day wasn't too interesting.
The next morning, I
spent time exploring San Telmo and decided to check out the Mercado San
Telmo. This is one of the main places to shop for local food and
souvenirs. While it is open every day, Sunday is the when all of the
stalls will likely be open. After spending some time appreciating the
colonial buildings, I decided to head to the Recoleta Cemetery. From San
Telmo, you can walk like I did, or if you're smart, take the metro. The
cemetery is about 5 kilometers from San Telmo, but because I went the wrong way
for about 30 or 40 minutes, I walked around 7 or 8 kilometers in total.
This allowed me to explore most of the city though, and I spent some time in
the center seeing the Casa Rosada (White House of Argentina), and the main
cathedral.
 |
| San Telmo |
 |
| Obelisco |
 |
| Recoleta Cemetery |
After spending a few
hours walking I made it to the cemetery and it is one of the strangest sites I
have visited. It is essentially like a city of the dead. There are
rows and rows of mausoleums, statues and memorials all within the
complex. The main tomb to visit is that of Eva Peron, who is a beloved
figure in Buenos Aires. I went on my own, but it is probably better to go
with a guide or a friend who can provide context to what you are seeing.
Once I was satisfied with my exploration, I began the walk back to my
hostel. I was able to meet up with a group of people and got to visit a
local parrilla and try some Argentine steak. Parrillas can be fairly
cheap or expensive depending on what you want. For a group of 6, we each
got a steak, shared 3 sides, 2 bottles or wine and water for around 40 USD
each.
If you haven't noticed
yet, there is a pattern I like to follow when I visit a city. I generally
like to spend my first full day exploring, the second day (or the middle of the
trip depending on how long I'm traveling) and then the rest of the time is
spent in the main city. For Cusco, I went to Machu Picchu, in Santiago I
went to Valparaiso and in Buenos Aires I went to Colonia del Sacramento over in
Uruguay.
Getting to Colonia is
pretty easy. It is a short hour ferry ride from Buenos Aires. You
have three companies that do this trip: BuqueBus, SeaCat and Colonia
Express. There are also two terminals that the boats leave from, so be
sure to check which one you need to go through. Since this is an
international trip, you will need to go through immigration before you get onto
the boat. The process is simple though.
Once you get to Colonia,
it is an extremely pleasant colonial city. The city was traded between
the Spanish and Portuguese and was considered an important town due to its
position on the La Plata. There isn't a lot to do in Colonia other than
explore, so unless you're planning on going to Montevideo or somewhere else in
Uruguay, you can easily do everything in a day trip. I spent most of my
time just walking and appreciating the simple, yet laid back atmosphere of the
city.
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| Colonial houses in Colonia |
The final day in Buenos
Aires I reserved for shopping since Saturday and Sunday are the best days for
visiting the local fairs and markets. I went to a small street fair at
one of the plazas in San Telmo where you can find a lot of local leather
workers and artists. Prices tend to be fairly cheap, but try to make sure
that what you are buying is good quality. If you are buying a wallet,
make sure that your cards will actually fit. I made that mistake
myself. I also stopped by a local shop selling alfajores, which are these
sandwich cookies with dulce de leche in the middle and dipped in
chocolate. For a sweet tooth like me, it’s one of the best things to get.
 |
| Palermo |
I then took the metro up
to the Palermo district so I could explore some of the parks. After doing
that I walked towards Retiro so I could take the metro back to my hostel.
On the way though, I passed through the Recoleta area again and found an amazing
market near the cemetery. At this market, you need to make sure to have
cash. Some of the sellers will accept cards, but if you don't see a sign
that says that they take Visa, then you'll need cash. The products here
are better quality than the stuff from San Telmo.
The next day I had an
early flight back to Porto Alegre and that ended my trip through Santiago and
Buenos Aires. Overall, I enjoyed Buenos Aires a lot more than Santiago,
and I would highly recommend visiting. If my colleagues from Mexico are
reading, you have to visit. There are direct flights from Porto Alegre,
so there's no reason not to.
Trip Costs:
I didn't divide my costs
between the two cities, so here is the totals for the entire trip. The
prices are pretty similar between the two, so divide it in two and that’s
probably what I spent in each place.
Flight:
782 USD
Transportation:
75 USD
Hostel:
141 USD
Tours:
175 USD
Food:
275 USD
Spending: 100 USD
Spending: 100 USD
Thank you all for
reading. If you have any questions, comments or have any requests for
posts that you would like to see, let me know!
Also, go and check out
my friend Sierra's blog as she writes about her experiences in Mexico: https://sierrammoon.wordpress.com
My next post will be
next Sunday and I will be discussing some aspects of Brazilian culture that I
didn't talk about in my "1 Month Later" article. Until next
time!
