En route to Viña del Mar
En route to Viña del Mar:
February 21, 2016 @1pm | Pajaritos de Santiago a Viña del Mar
1:10pm
So today we make the great voyage from Santiago de Chile to our new homes in Viña del Mar. I woke up around 10, got dressed, and started packing my bags. Check out is at 11:30 so I figured I'd have just enough time to reorganize my bags a bit in order to consolidate and make sure that my valuables will be protected on the bus's cargo. I wrapped my laptop and tablet in a blanket and hoped for the best. After packing and struggling to lug my bags down the 10 mini flights of stairs at Ají Hostel, I took a break in the lobby to check out and have a bottle of water.
While waiting in the lounge, we made a new friend. An American friend? An American friend! You've got that right. While hanging out on the couch, a stranger greets us and asks us where we're from. I guess he picked up on our American vibes. We say "United States...of America," he says "me too." And that moment is where I got excited. He said "where?" We say "North Carolina." He say, "me too." Wow, I don't think I've ever been so excited to see another American. Another North Carolinian at that. I kid you not, I remember every single thing he told me.
Jr., the Chicano (Mexican-American), is from Asheville, NC. He graduated from UNC with a degree in marketing and is now teaching in Santiago. He's been here for 7 months so far, but only planned for 6. He's loving it and enjoying all it has to offer.
He recently got accepted into a Masters program at la Universidad de Santiago. He doesn't know if he's going to stay, but he's definitely considering it. He told us all about his time here and even gave us some advice on commuting through the city. He also told me about the Lollapalooza show that's coming in March that I now refuse to miss. Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Alabama Shakes will be performing to name a few. Honestly, that's all I needed to hear.
2-day tickets are $195 and I'll pay around $8 to get to Santiago and back. That’s way cheaper than it’d be in America and I'm really considering taking the trip. This is a once in a lifetime experience and I'm going to grab it while I can. Plus Snoop Dogg. Who can deny Uncle Snoop? Certainly not me...
Anywho, shortly after that conversation, it was time for us to head on out to our Uber [which might as well be illegal in Chile - oops]. Our driver, Pedro, was really nice. He helped us load our luggage into the car and the ride in its entirety was smooth (rare for a Chilean driver - trust me, this is based on experience). He was really excited to learn that we were from Los EEUU and came to Chile to learn more about the culture and language. I think overall he was impressed and he gave us his blessing. Another thing that I found cool about him was he accepted a phone call from I'm assuming what was his wife or girlfriend. The name that appeared on his phone was "Mi Vida" and that just made me so happy. I'm a hopeless romantic, so of course, my heart was smiling. Anyway. Once arriving to Pajaritos, he helped us get our luggage out of the car and gave us directions, warning us to be careful while crossing the street. A man sitting outside of the bus station exit, whom I would've normally avoided given his appearance, ever so graciously led us to our destination and then we were set. We carried our bags into the station, grabbed a bite to eat, and then boarded the bus. As far as buses go, this one is pretty comfortable and I have more legroom than I remember having on our Greyhound bus. So from now on, it's smooth sailing. We have about an hour to go before we hit Viña and I cannot complain at all. Currently bopping my head to some OutKast and peeping out some of Chile's finest views.
Check out my travel playlist [WARNING - Explicit Content]:
I'm not sure of the name for the mountain range that we're looking at, but it's rather magical and a nice contrast to Raleigh's overrun streets and scenic parks. But I'm done for now. I'm just gonna continue enjoying the ride and my music. Listening to my favorite tunes really makes this trip much more enjoyable. Where would I be without my music? Don't know. Don't wanna know.
Ciao!
1:22pm
Sincerely, Takira
