A Summer Jaunt Down to South America

Summer in the Southern Hemisphere, that is. It was January in the States and time for a vacation. For this year’s winter escape, I not only needed something doable over the span of a single week, but I required a new destination, somewhere warm, and something reasonably priced. I needed to creatively strategize. I swear I operate by cost-benefit analysis…

Patagonia is at the top of my bucket list but I don’t want to rush it; I’d ideally take 2 weeks to road-trip and hike the region. I started looking farther up the coast of Chile and came up with a fun alternative. When I found a flight to Santiago for half the price of what LATAM was charging on its website and a dear friend agreed to keep and water Harry, I was in.

After a 10-hour direct flight into the capital, two west-bound bus transfers and a taxi, I began my vacation in Valparaiso, also known as Valpo, or the “Jewel of the Pacific.” And what an idyllic and eclectic little port town. The streets are covered in art and tagging is legal, provided the artist has the property owner’s permission. And the art is celebrated, so it really is everywhere. The coastal views are lovely. It’s super hilly, so much so that there are nearly thirty outdoor elevators built into the city hills. On my first day, I joined a great walking tour, slid down some outdoor slides (built into the natural slopes), took the camera for a spin, and wined and dined. Only negative was the pigeon fight that happened outside my window while trying to sleep!

I spent much of my second day touring the neighboring beach town, Vina del Mar. I signed up for a walking tour which was actually one of the worst I’ve ever experienced, but hey, you can’t win them all. Perhaps it didn’t seem so great because it was cloudy for much of it – a city never looks as nice under gray skies. But interestingly, I was on the beach for an hour and a half under those conditions prior to the tour, and got quite sun burned. I couldn’t believe it… initially I blamed it on being closer to the equator but realized the equator is equidistant between LA and Chile. So, not a plausible excuse! I guess my winter skin wasn’t ready for the exposure, ha.

And just like that, it was the next day and already time to leave Valpo. I navigated back to the Santiago airport, arriving as close to my departure time as possible. I have become an expert in last minute airport arrivals. The next destination? Mendoza, Argentina! Yep, I country-hopped just two and half days later.

The first thing that struck me about Mendoza was the intense heat. I wasn’t ready for 95 degrees sunshine after a mid-70s experience in Valpo. I fumbled through my first few hours. I Ubered to my Airbnb on a very low phone battery, arriving only to realize that my “universal” charger was not so universal (whereas it was a non-issue in Chile). I was based right next to Aristides Villanueva, the main entertainment drag, and fortunately stumbled upon an electronic store. After buying my charger, the clerk directed me to an ATM down the street.

I pulled out what I *thought* was $200, then used my remaining 3% phone battery to navigate to an air conditioned restaurant where I ordered an early dinner, wine, and was able to charge my phone. I was finally catching my breath and cooling down over a delicious $4 Sav Blanch when I realized that not only had I just taken out TWENTY US dollars, I had also left my debit card in the ATM. Classic. I’m blaming fatigue, the heat, and non-English translating ATM for the distraction 😉

I needed cash specifically for two cash-only tours I had booked, one of which was leaving at 7am the following morning. I wandered into San Martin Park for sunset while I contemplated my next move. While sitting on a bench, a man sat next to me and we started chatting. We communicated in his Spanish and my substandard Spanglish, and he ultimately helped me locate a few more ATMS, none of which took my credit card (as I knew would be the case). He explained that I may have indeed requested the correct amount at the original ATM, but due to a bleak economy, it was likely the machine spit out as much as it could with the cash available. I’m still not sure. Either way, we departed and I returned to my Airbnb for a cool down and to get myself together. I managed to convince the next day’s tour to accept a payment via Zelle, which was a bit complicated but it worked.

Thank God I worked that out, because my tour was wonderful. I jumped on an early bus and it headed west toward Aconcagua National Park. I was tired but couldn’t rest – views from the bus were in-cred-ible. Along the way, we stopped at the Potrerillos dam and Puente del Inca, a colorful natural bridge. We hiked in the park, marveling at Mt. Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas! Just like Mt. Everest, avid hikers can summit this mountain, although it takes 2 weeks for acclimatization and has only a 65% completion rate. Although I did a low key base hike, this was a special bucket list check off. I took myself to dinner in town that evening, eating a yummy burger (had to beef it up in Argentina), wine, and ice cream.

The next day I was set for another tour, this time cycling through vineyards. Ultimately I canceled for a few reasons (primarily sun burn and fear of heat/more sun + learning I would be the only person on the tour… no thanks). So instead, I reconnected with my park buddy, treating him to breakfast for helping me two days prior. And I decided to try my luck – I asked him if he would be interested in doing a winery tour with me and he agreed. He got us there in his car and I covered him – a whopping $9 per person for the tour and tasting. It was fabulous and I even bought a bottle of cab sav to bring home.

I wrapped up the quick trip with a late afternoon and overnight in Santiago. I intentionally booked a hotel in the Italian Lastarria neighborhood, my hotel rewards splurge. It was bohemian, historic, and hella comfortable. I intially felt a little nervous to walk around Santiago in the evening, but found the area to be lively and safe. And had the BEST dinner at Galindo in Bellavista. Highly recommend trying Chilean pastel del choclo (savory corn pie) should the opportunity present itself!

In the morning, I enjoyed my hotel’s complimentary breakfast and walked the area. Found a cute Alice in Wonderland themed coffee shop and then completed an easy trek up Santa Lucia Hill, climbing the castle tower for views over the city. I learned that my flight time had changed and I’d miss my Sao Paulo, Brazil connection, so pulled a few strings and switched my connection to Lima. Before leaving, I had one of the best sandwiches of my life, barros lucos (traditional shredded beef and cheese with vinaigrette peppers and jalapeno sauce). Hours later, I found myself in Lima on a 5 hour layover, resting in an airport lounge. Such a good deal at $30.

The trip was super exhausting and very go-go-go, but you do what you gotta do when your senior fur child is waiting for you at home! Thanks to my friend Vas for taking great care of him while I was away. I adored this region and can’t wait to return some day for my Patagonia adventure.