vagaCities: September 2014

Santiago, Chile. This was a stop of convenience for me, a place where the plane ticket was far cheaper than my actual plan. So there you have it, sorry Santiago. Because of this, I hadn’t really made too many plans or had expectations on my time here, I didn’t even really prepare for the dying winter or the birth of Spring here that makes the days short, gray and crisp. I have been cold 98% of the time!

I spent my first couple of days dragging out the remnants of a cold I’d been struggling with from before I left and so, nothing too exciting happened. I walked the city a few times, talked to some store owners or managers or whatever they may have been.

Santiago has not proven to be the place overrun with tourist accommodations and people with open arms and ready to give you a good time. Everyone has been nice and helpful in their own right, but they’re just going about their days. The city is on the move, with a metro feel and a city smell. The mixture of modern and traditional run throughout.

The city is surrounded by mountains, making views beautiful and pollution horrific. On my first few walks around, I got so lightheaded because of it but I adjusted quickly. While walking around I've also felt like I was back in Ann Arbor with groups of young folks gathered in the parks tight-roping between trees and slack lining (look it up), juggling and doing hula hoop tricks, dance battles and b-boys in the intersections; there's a lot to get into.

I've gone on a snowboarding adventure (click the link for more info), I've visited Valparaiso, which is a port city on the coast of Chile, and I've had a friendly interaction turned robbery, turned friendly interaction again. All these experiences made may stay here in Santiago more interesting, among the awesome people I've met. As far as the economy, the people, the scenery and city landscape, and the vibes and culture I've experienced here, I really wouldn't mind making Santiago a home for some time. I think it'd be a cool place to live and be a part of, especially if you're a city kid like me!

My hostel and the staple people in it have also made this place so comfortable, Chris from England, Ivan, the owner and his two friends that come over everyday; we're like the Golden Girls. I could just stay here non-stop, for months and chill. On my last night, we had a movie night, the 5 amigos, with chocolate and pie but I know I have to look forward to doing this over and over again. Today I head to Mendoza, Argentina which was slated to be my first ¨actual¨ stop so hopefully I will have some awesome things to share from my time there. Until later, ciao ciao!