Santiago, Chile

The flight from Sao Paolo to Santiago was smooth and uneventful... arriving to Chile was not! Before we knew what was happening Karen was carted off by customs and questioned for over an hour (in Spanish!) about 3 rogue Brazilian oranges that were still in her bag and undeclared. Thankfully there were no fines and I got to take a sneaky picture that I knew would be funny eventually!

We arrived at The Magic House Hostel a little bit later than expected but we were still met by 2 of the nicest people in Chile, Tanya and Vincent, who made us feel right at home in their home for our few days in Santiago. 

Our first order of business was to do our ice bucket challenge which we had been trying to get out of for a while, but decided the pun "chilly in Chile" made it worth it. 

Once we were warmed up we went on a search to find Wally. Wally Tours do a fantastic free walking tour around the city (their guides wear red and white striped tops so it's easy to spot them). I really love doing walking tours in South America. They are the best way to get your bearings in a new city and you learn so much from local guides who really know their city inside out. One of our first stops was at these huge street art paintings by an artist named INTI (close to Metro Bellas Artes). The murals depict what really matters to Chileans, with a mix of Latin American folklore and modern images. I can't remember the names of the dolls in the pictures, but it is superstition to have dolls like these in homes and to give them gifts to keep luck on your side. 

We sat for ages outside the presidential palace learning about Santiago's rocky political past and Salvador Allende's grizzly end. He was apparently a great orator and he even called a radio station while he waited to be captured and killed, to tell his people to hold on to hope. The speech is translated into English on youtube.  

Some of Santiago's streets were built to replicate other cities from around the world, so we visited Paris Street, London Street and New York Street with its very own flat iron building. We also visited 

"PDA Park" and finally found out why teenagers are kissing everywhere you look in South America (the answer was pretty simple in the end; they have nowhere else to do it!). 

Another stop on the tour took us to one of the "Most Beautiful Subway Stations in the World". I'm not sure which number it ranks at, but it's pretty damn cool with the entire walls painted to represent an old folklore story. 

A crazy phenomenon in Santiago are the Cafes on Legs. They started as a way to convince men to drink coffee instead of tea, so waitresses wore short skirts and paid their male-only customers plenty of attention while they enjoyed their coffee, maybe even a peck on the cheek if they were lucky. But has time has gone on the Cafes on Legs have been getting increasingly x-rated - so you can get a lot more with your coffee these days.

We saw loads more on the tour and learned so much from our guide, it's an absolute must if you are in the city: www.tours4tips.com. The rest of our time in Santiago was spent eating more than we should and shopping more than we could afford. And alas it was time to say adios to Johnny for a while at least, as me and Karen become a twosome once again. 

It's so hard to believe that it's a wrap for South America. Three months have flown by and we have seen more than we'd ever imagined. And while we do remember where home is, we are going to take a slight detour before we head back...

Next Stop: South East Asia BABY!!