CONCON and VIÑA DEL MAR

Days spent: 1
Days recommended: 1

What we ate: fried empananadas (you can have some pretty amazing filling: crab and cheese, marisco -seafood- and pino -beef, onions, raisins, olives and boiled eggs- were probably our favourites. @ fried empanadas specialists Las Deliciosas in Concon).

What we drank: Pisco sour.

How we travelled: by public transport from Valparaiso (less than 40 minutes ride). Fun fact: 10 AM. Bus crowded with grannies. Pumped up techno music.

How many km we walked: 10

Issues we encountered: Apart from almost sandboarding straight in the ocean, none.

Would we recommend it? If you want to take a break from your Valparaiso exploration and you fancy a bit of a change in activities and atmosphere, why not!

Analogue tips: the light on the sand dunes of Concon is so incredibly bright. Pretty much snow effect! Pick a low iso film and bring pocket size and resistant gear (I challenge you not to fall while sandboarding!). My LC-A+ did a perfect job.

What to do:

Things we missed: a surfing class in Concon.

SANTIAGO

Days spent: 3
Days recommended: 2

Where we slept: private double room in central, social and modern Hostal Providencia

What we ate: pichanga caliente (a platter to share, made of fries and fried meat, topped with gherkins and tomatoes) and camarones al ajillo (shrimps with garlic, a South American must!) @ colourful and loud, locals-favourite Galindo in Bellavista neighbourhood. Deliciously creamy and highly addictive, handmade icecreams @ Emporio La Rosa -raspberry with mint and dulce de leche were our absolute favourite flavours-. Chilean empanadas and mote con huesillos (a traditional Chilean non-alcoholic drink/snack made with peaches in syrup and wheat) at whichever street stall. Chilean ceviche. Galactic juicy burgers @ Mr Jack.

What we drank: Escudo beer

How we travelled: by public transports (mostly tube), elevators and by foot.

How many km we walked: 43

How Santiago affected our wallets: food is quite expensive. Public transports and accommodation aren’t.

Issues we encountered: we were told by quite a few fellow travellers to avoid arriving after dark at the bus station because of how dangerous it was, so we just made arrangements to get to Santiago before sunset. We got targeted and chased for few minutes in Cerro Bellavista in the evening but found a way out by reaching a crowded street.
We were there for Xmas Eve, Xmas and Boxing Day and, unfortunately, most of the museums and restaurants were closed. Something to keep in mind if you’re travelling in that time of the year.
Lastly, Santiago was doubtlessly one of the most polluted city we visited in South America.

Would we recommend it? A capital city surrounded by the Andes isn’s something you see on a regular basis and there’s definitely something charming about it. Especially at sunset, when the mountains turn pink. I cannot say that we fell for it, but why not making a stopover here for a couple of days?

Analogue tips:
I was supposed to drop some films for developing and scan in Santiago and I was recommended to pay a visit either to Migo or to Photolab. Unfortunately they were both closed for the festivities.

What to do:

Things we missed: Sky Costanera’s (the tallest skyscraper in South America) rooftop and city view, Cementerio General de Santiago (Santiago’s monumental cemetery), Museo de Arte Precolombino, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes.

Who deserve a big thank you: Daniel and Claudio for the tips.

LC-A+, Agfa CT Precisa 100 (35)

Canon EOS 300, Fuji Velvia 50 (35)

Olympus OM-10, Kodak ProImage 100 (35)

22/12/16 – 24-25-26/12/16, Concon, Viña del Mar, Santiago (Chile)

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May 8, 2017

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