Santiago, Chile

Santiago wasn´t on our itinerary at first, but I´ve listened since I was a kid that we have some family in Chile (my grandmother´s brother´s side who immigrated to Chile). We finally made the contact over facebook with some help of google translate J and decided to cross the impressive Andes from Mendoza to Santiago on a day bus (very recommended). We were warmly welcomed by my family and felt like at home. It was really exciting to have a family dinner and meet them all. They showed us around Santiago, Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. We tasted some typical Chilean food: completo (10xbetter than our boring hot-dog), Chilean empanadas (even Anthony Bourdain liked them), pastel de choclo (something like polenta with some sugar added), paila marina, energizing mote con huesillo and last but not least ˝chilean˝ pisco sour. After spending great three days we took a 23-hour bus to San Pedro de Atacama (sitting in first row of the upper deck makes time run faster).

back to Chile

W hotel in Santiago

 in business district parks are full of peple during lunch break

 together with relative Paula

there are sculptures on every step

newly opened Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral

Museo de Bellas Artes

Plaza de Armas

 together with Luka´s newly found South American family

 there are many private universities, this one was just beafore opening

Centro Cultural Palacio de la Moneda (under the plaza)

a great day in Valparaiso

 one of many grafities

 Luka at Lukas´s house (famous Chilean caricaturist)

 model for sale

 old electric Trolebus

 power of Pacific in Viña del Mar

at delicious empanadas place in Concon

 ???

sunset, just beafore arriving to San Pedro de Atacama