Chile and Argentina

My most recent trip took me to Chile and Argentina. In Chile, I visited Santiago, Valparaiso, Viña del Mar, and Isla Negra (to see poet Pablo Neruda's favourite house). Buenos Aires was the only city I visited in Argentina. In both countries, the people were wonderful; very hospitable and friendly, and always willing to let me practice my Spanish!

I think my favourite moments in Santiago were in the small cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, which are essentially connected to each other and are located on the coast. The sunsets were amazing, I saw my first albatross, and I ate in a rotating restaurant (without throwing up!) that overlooked the harbour (on a very foggy day, unfortunately, but it was still amazing). In Buenos Aires, I was completely overwhelmed by the sheer size of the city, and the number of people that live there: 13 million people in the overall metropolitan area! That's more than a third of the entire population of Canada put into one huge city. Amazing.

The sunsets were beautiful; in Santiago we would watch the sun set over the Andes in great streaks of hot pink and the brightest orange you can imagine. My photos certainly do no justice to the true beauty of the sight. One night in Santiago, we went up Cerro San Cristobal, which is a huge hill topped by an outdoor Catholic church and a huge statue of Santa Maria (the virgin Mary). We wandered along the pathways, took a gondola ride between two peaks, climbed up to the statue, and then watched the sunset over the hills behind the city. It was breathtaking. The only downside of he park located on that hill was the zoo; it was the saddest zoo I have ever seen. People were petting the animals, the enclosures could have used an upgrade, and the staff didn't seem to care.

For this trip, I travelled with my supervisor and some colleagues; it was a nice change from travelling solo and hoping to meet up with friendly folks along the way. We worked hard, and had great experiences during our down time; it was lovely. I hope to explore other parts of South America in the future!