The first thing I heard about the Chile, skiing and to be on beach you can make it in one day. There I was BA airport, looking out from window it was rainy crappy day as unfortunately most of them during my stay. But my mind was on fire, I experienced first time Latin American culture and it just getting started. You would may to say man look what was happening already are you crazy?, I am like bright it on baby! I mean come on I am on verge of new, well everything, describe ti as experience is not enough. Feeling, exploring, understanding, excitement of unknown, withstand whatever may come and that’s ladies and gentlemen the trickiest, yet exciting part. I got through customs, remember to not forget to give them the list of electronics I was carrying to Buenos Aires otherwise I could be charged taxes for camera or laptop possibly up to 40% of price, yeah greedy bastards. So lift off and I am in clouds over Ands, beautiful view on the show white peaks of vast mountains. Two hours flight ahead, relaxed enjoying feeling of whatever exciting shit and bam! I recall the pilot tried say something about turbulence but he hadn’t fishiest his monotone speech and suddenly our plane just jumped like was hit by something in air, damn if something would happened I wouldn’t have even time shit myself. It was such a shock, haha then in another few sec I was like wow, I looked around checked other people if I am not the only pussy there but it was funny when noticed one dude still with opened mouth gasping for air and looked like he had seen reaper asking him to take walk in hell. Well, nice I’m still alive refreshment, better than breeze mountain air in face. This process I am not sure about but after landing nothing special happened. I took metro directly from airport, straight to Airbnb place I booked before departure. This time it went smooth compare with Argentina. I supposed to be with some couple my own room in apartment nearby city center. After I arrived there were very welcoming, with the guy I haven’t talked much because language barrier but his girlfriend she was into it, so I got bit introduction into Chilean hospitality. They explained me a lot, once got corona (the beer this was year 2016) with very interesting smoked chili thing around the edge of the glass. Now the exploring part, Santiago de Chile. One day I realized I actually knew one guy and he supposed to be from Chile, we met in Laos with his girlfriend, I wasn’t sure if they are still traveling because they supposed to be in Vietnam. Surprisingly they were, I got info that they had to cancel their trip because unfortunately his girlfriend had accident on scooter. So we met, got some tasty Chilean beer, pretty good. He explained me that it’s because most of breweries are owned by local Germans, so mystery solved. Well again during my almost 3 weeks stay I hadn’t much interaction with people due to language, so I checked places like any tourist slash gringo would do around city. Here is the one thing, this was different now because I didn’t have any plan. This was big deal so, I chose to stay at least two weeks if something would had happened, even more, no rush, when the right time comes, with all mighty plan and who knows what else. This was my simple philosophy, don't push it, live gives you right answer, if you give it right question, and as bonus you will enjoy every detail surrounding you. I believe its working not only in these specific situations.
(flight over Andes)
Before I went to South America, it was still at least little bit with knowledge about Argentina or Chile, what to expect or where to be in simple sense. But now nothing, no plan, no idea about the rest of continent. I kept in that way, yes its more intriguing, yet bit scary this time. My first idea during stay in the city was to find school to learn Spanish because without its really bit boring without the proper taste of interaction, the cultural gap. Or I had other choice to just keep going and rely on fact that I am going to meet some other gringos to interact with along the way. So of course as it always was my priority, most complex and challenging than better. Meanwhile I was about to go to some local club which was idea of guys . And I have to tell you that party was wild shit! From start it was all right, like any other but then It came, smoking weed everywhere, crazy people dancing jumping spitting beer everywhere and on everyone. Damn it was crazy I liked that, no boundaries just like animals… haha, I miss it sometimes, here are mostly just cocky punks in clubs, they should taste proper Chilean pogo :) I met someone there who showed me bit more of the city, what is always welcomed.
(no idea where it were)
After this cultural enrichment by Chile started to consider ma future whereabouts in Latin continent. So far everything in Santiago was more or less similar experience as for any tourist as in any another European bigger city, well except that thig I mentioned before. Yeah that Spanish is damn important. I had chance to see some beautiful places, one of is hill nearby city from where I could see it all, as you can see on photo. Just interesting fact, that skyscraper is the tallest building in whole South America. Yeah and one more thing, they have very good stakes, like Argentina.
(view on the city with dominant Gran Torre Santiago)
As usual suddenly one day there was a memory randomly showed in my head. The memory was about some documentary by national geography I guess. I don’t have idea when had seen it, but I remembered it was about driest desert named Atacama, located somewhere in South America. I swear to god, it was like this, if I needed to encounter something some idea which would helped me to answer question what to do next and it has to worth it, it just popped up based on some absolutely unrelated memory block and based on it I just created my very wide possibility plan. Yes, like the saying “whatever supposed to happen it will happen”. So I googled it, find out its in Chile, what a coincidence right? And set up a plan. First flight to Calama, where would be my first experience with pacific ocean by the way. l and then direction San Pedro de Atacama, small town in the desert from where I could take trips around many amazing places of Atacama. By ending the third week in Santiago I talked to my Airbnb friend now we said goodbye each other and then I headed to bus station. Well before actually I had issue with my baggage I called it coffin, yeah it had 80 liters. You know I wasn’t exactly fun of backpacking, I liked travel more with style, and I would called it something between backpacker and occasional high class tourist with. So, they took to me shopping mall to get new one, in Chile it wasn’t like in any big European city to get many alternatives of any goods for at least normal price was much more challenging. But in shopping you find everything, unfortunately for high price. I have found something bit more expense than I planned but it was still good, still use it till today. By the way thank you my Chilean friends if you are reading this for the help again J
Well, Santiago was great especially thank to my great hosts… Next place San Pedro de Atacama, I have to cut it otherwise nobody would finish to be reading this, but damn it was so exciting to see and be in the driest desert in the world guys!