We made it to Santiago — Busy Bee With ADHD

FIRST DAY IN SANTIAGO (PT. 1)

February 18, 2016 @ 8pm | Aji Hostel, Santiago

8:13 pm

My first day in Santiago was awesome. It was nice to be able to explore a place without an itinerary. I really enjoy this type of traveling because it feels like I'm truly getting a chance to stop and smell the roses, enjoying the city just like a local would. I got a chance to give my sandals a test and take some photos. I also made an attempt at trying Chilean food but I'm pretty sure it was German. See below!

*First view of Chile after touching down in Santiago*

1) Arriving: Well for one, the flight to Chile was very easy and smooth. We left ATL at 10, had dinner around 11, and I was asleep by 12:30. 6 hours later I woke up to a beautiful and exciting view of the mountains [or hills] surrounding the Santiago airport. I saw the sun shining and I knew that this was where God intended for me to be. Getting through the airport, going through immigration, and finding our luggage was really easy. We found our stuff in no time. Next thing I knew we were at the transvip desk and heading on out! Note: I'm almost sure the people at the desk were laughing at us and that did not make me happy.

2) Leaving the airport: Leaving the airport was kinda confusing especially since there were so many taxis trying to get us to use them. Plus, I didn't know what I was looking for. We eventually found our way to the Transvip van. A friendly older man took our bags and drove us to the hostel. The ride wasn't bad but I then realized that I definitely prefer a silent commute as opposed to a noisy one. The woman beside us was on the phone (speaking in Spanish) and the men behind us were having a really in-depth conversation (in French). The radio was playing pop songs in English. So many sounds going on at once! It made my head hurt and I just wanted everyone to shut up. Probably a personal problem. Oh well.

3) Hostel: Upon arriving at the hostel, I didn't know what to expect. It was kind of confusing to get situated and I found out that since I'm considered a Chilean resident (per student visa), I have to pay more (Chilean tax) to stay in the hostel. Greaaaaat. $15 (USD) extra later, I'm finally in my room...or so you thought. We had to wait for over 2 hours to be situated. STARVED. TO. DEATH. That's all I can say. At this point I was too grumpy to speak or appear friendly to anyone and I just wanted to take a shower. Finally at like 2:30, we were able to head up to our room with our new friend, Malin.

4) Jorge: Our host at the Aji Hostel in Santiago was a 20-something guy named Jorge. He was really nice and showed us around the city a little bit before he headed home. He helped me find my way to an ATM and showed us to a great restaurant, Fuente Alemana, that I later found out has 4.5/5 stars on Google. Que bakan! (Translation: How cool!)

*Churrasco completo: churrasco cut of steak with sauerkraut, cheese, mayonnaise, tomato, and avocado. "Completo" in Chile means toppings, toppings, toppings! (Not actual translation)*

5) Food: I thoroughly enjoyed my churrasco completo even though I found it to be overwhelmingly large and sloppy. The condiments falling around made it quite difficult to eat it with some dignity but I guess that's something that’s supposed to be set aside when eating in Chile. I was starving but literally only ate 1/4 of the sandwich because it was so big. It essentially tasted like an interesting cheeseburger. And the cheese? My goodness - AMAZING!

*I may have gotten scolded, but I also got a super cute owl bag. Winning!*

6) Protecting belongings: One thing that kind of rubbed me the wrong way was the fact that Jorge and the workers in the restaurant made a HUGE deal about me not carrying my camera on its strap around my neck. All I could think of is “But how...else...am I...supposed to take...pictures?” I don't know. I don't get it. I guess I'll stick to my phone for now. In order to store my camera, I got a super cute day bag for literally less than 10 bucks. Also, I almost got a photo of a pigeon on a table until it flew away. It took me too long to get my camera out my bag and I missed the shot (I promise I’m not salty. Okay, maybe a little).

After a short tour of Providencia [a commune in Santiago], we headed back to the hostel, checked in with our family and friends, and then had dinner at the hostel. Dinner was cool (and free - thank the Lord). It consisted of a chicken patty, rice, lettuce, carrots. This combination is not one that I’d normally eat but it was surprisingly good. I washed it down with some mango juice and this was the very moment I realized that Chileans like everything sweet. Literally, “juice” might as well be corn syrup. Quite horrible if you ask me.

I’m writing this as I’m sitting in a corner on my phone. And now that I think about it, I probably seem a little standoffish. If that’s the case, then I guess I’ll go make some friends.