I am in Chile, which was not in my plan when I started the trip.. Now I’ve come this far, just like I was caught in the wind.
Note: If you haven’t read the cover letter I shared for this trip, I suggest you take a look at it first.. It can be useful for you to see my 60-day itinerary, the items I took with me, and the total cost of the trip.
South America Trip Cover Letter
Arica
The journey from Tacna, Peru to Arica took about 2 hours. I don’t plan to stay here, I will take the night bus to Antofagasta, but I have 8-9 hours, so I thought I’d go and explore the city a bit.. Since it was Sunday and it was around noon, everywhere was closed and I would say that there were no people outside. I found a place with internet and both filled my stomach and spent some time. Of course, by the way, I’m chatting with a few people on couchsurfing so that I can find a place to stay in the capital, Santiago.
There is a huge hill in the city stretching towards the sea.. If you’ve seen it, there’s nowhere else to see it.. Again, I wandered the streets and walked, but I couldn’t find much worth mentioning. The city got a little lively as people started to go out towards the evening hours.. I spent time in the center until 8-9 and returned to the terminal.. The road takes about 10 hours, the ticket price is 45 TL.
Antofagasta
Bus journeys are not difficult as I am used to sleeping on the road on night buses. started. It’s enough to get it to its destination intact, that was my only concern. When I landed at the terminal in the morning, I looked for a hostel nearby, but unfortunately I couldn’t find it.. I went to the city center by city bus. The ticket is 60 cents, you can give cash to the driver.
Although I don’t like looking for a hostel with a backpack in hot weather, sometimes there is nothing else to do.. The concept of hostel is not very common in this region.. It’s not even common. After about 1-2 hours of searching, I found a guesthouse in the center.. Price per night in a room for 8 people is 45 TL. But there’s no one left but me in the big place. It’s not a tourist city anyway.. I haven’t seen a backpacker or a tourist other than me.
I left my things and started walking around the city. By the sea, there is a market selling second-hand and antique items.. I went here first, then had lunch at the central market right next to it.. Prices are very reasonable in this area and the food is decent.. After asking a few more people, I realized that there is not much to see in the city.. There are a couple of shopping centers and parks, I visited them.. Prices are not cheaper than our country. In other words, shopping is not very advantageous.
I decided to go to the hostel early one day and take a rest on my trip, which I continued at full tempo for about 40 days.. so did i. Because the next day, I will go to the capital, Santiago, and the road is not very short.
I got up in the morning, slowly packed my bags after breakfast, and again took the city bus from the center to the terminal.. This time the trip is to Santiago. The road takes 19 hours, ticket price is 80 TL
Santiago
Hotels in Chile are expensive. I was compelled to look for other. Of course, the shortest way is to find a host on couchsurfing.. I don’t know if there were many people using couchsurfing in Chile or if it was me, but 3-4 people said come and stay.. So I chose Rosario among them (:
How we met, how the house turned out, watch the video, let’s continue;
Now, if you say what is couchsurfing, I will write a separate article about it, but let me roughly say this; think of it as the travelers version of facebook.. Are you saying that I will come to the profiles or board of your destination on this date, is there anyone who will open their house to me?. They also look at your profile and say, “Come here bro,” depending on the situation, or I’m not available.. Of course, some may not answer at all.. When you find a host for you, this business has secret rules, I suggest you do them. The man who comes home takes something to the kitchen and when he eats at home, he washes the dishes. So it can be treated as a bit of a subcircuit (: But if you want to see the real culture of the place you’re going, I think this is the best way.
Rosario drove me home and then returned to work. Weeks later I took a shower in a real house and went outside and started touring the city.. Santiago is a very crowded and modern city.. Metro network is developed, public transport is good. Even though it was surrounded by buildings, they knew how to preserve the greenery.
Because the house was in the heart of the city center, everywhere was within walking distance.. There are so many busy streets intersecting each other in the central region that almost all of them are like our istiklal street.. And there are very good street performers. If you’re bored and haven’t found anything to do, just sit and watch them, and that’s how you spend half a day.
Chile people, like other South American countries, are friendly and approachable.. Of course not a Brazilian but still good. Whenever I ask someone something, even if we don’t speak the language, they somehow helped and guided.
I didn’t have a city map because I was staying at home, but I went to a hostel I saw in the center and asked for a map and learned a bit about where and how to get there.. They were generally within walking distance.
Of course, when it’s a big city, the nightlife is bigger for it.. It has two big streets side by side.. In one there are places with expensive places and possibly high society hangouts, and in the other there are more affordable places where young people hang out.. You can go to both and have a good time.. There are places with very good live music.. Although I said high society, I can still say that the prices are cheaper than in Istanbul.. From Tuesday to Sunday there is a full and fun nightlife.
There was a friend I met at a hostel in Rio and living in Santiago. He said let me know when you come and we’ll go out.. I called him and we talked.. He took me with his friends to different places and parties that I could not find even if I searched for two evenings.. If you come here, I would definitely say find a local person and travel with him.. As you can see, I used the advantages of staying at the hostel to the last drop (:
While you’ve come this far, it would be nice not to go to the city of Valparaiso, which is famous for its colors.. I leave the house and go to the terminal. The road takes about 2 hours. Ticket is 10 TL
Valparaiso
I’m going to the city at noon. It’s pretty cold for Santiago, probably because it’s by the sea.. Thank god I have my coat with me because Rosario told me to take something solid.. Otherwise, I might have been sick with a cold.
Since I don’t have much time, I asked the informationa in the terminal, is there a free walking tour around here, and I got a map.. 45 minutes later, there was a meeting point in a park in the center.. I went there for a trip.
What is this walking tour?. Those who usually stay in hostels know. It gathers at a point in the center or a man collects everyone from the hostel.. Then it takes you to places that can be visited on foot, historical areas and gives information about them.. After the trip, he probably takes him to a restaurant he has previously contracted, he says, if you want, you can eat here, or if you want, the trip is over and we can leave.. When you leave, you give 3-5 tips, he is happy and he passes by happily.
This walking tour has done a lot for me because I have a time constraint.. As you watch in the video, the city is chirping.. Graffiti art is very common in South America, but the ones here are really beautiful.. Especially the graffiti on the roofs of the houses took me away.
The city is in a very serious earthquake zone Concrete or brick is not used much in the construction of houses. They made a house by covering the wooden outside with tins you know.. The reason is to be earthquake resistant, not to be under a dent if it collapses, and to be affordable.
After traveling for about 4 hours, we finished the tour and came back to Santiago.. While I’m at it, I would like to see the night, but I had to go to Santiago.. I have to return to the terminal at the end of the tour. Although some backpackers said that it would be sufficient for the day, there is no need to stay overnight, but if you have time, I would say stay overnight anyway.
Santiago again
I stayed here for two more days after returning from Valparaiso. Normally my plan before coming to Chile was to stay in Santiago for a maximum of two days, but I stayed for 5 days in total.. Both the house was beautiful, the city was beautiful, and there were many friends to go left and right, these 5 days were a lot of fun.
I liked Santiago more than I expected.. Before I set foot in the city, I didn’t know anything about it, but now I remember it as a fun place with a taste of Istanbul.
From here I will move on to Mendoza, Argentina. Bus ticket is 70 TL, the road takes 6 hours.
To continue with Argentina travel article, please click on the link;
Argentina Travel Notes
