activities – Andrew's Activities

tl;dr smoked salmon brioche breakfast, hiked a hill, saw Pablo Neruda’s house, had a completo from the central market, checked out a museum, did a free walking tour (palace, stock exchange, etc), crushed french fries, ordered in Lomo Saltado and Empanada de Pino, and drank Pisco – 9 Activities and 28,743 steps

Delta JFK – SCL

I flew on a 787-8 Dreamliner operated by Latam. The flight was overnight so I was able to sleep a few hours. I sat in the same row as a Chilean lady who gave me ideas and recommendations. Two recommendations stood out: 1. Skip Paraguay for the Atacama desert (I was already considering this change and the convo, it solidified my plans); 2. Don’t go to El Hoyo (an Anthony Bourdain recommendation) or if I go, only get a drink and get food elsewhere.

**FYI – SCL airport does not have any SIM card stands, but it does have free Wi-Fi, so keep this in mind when planning your trip.

Amazingly, I was able to check-in and get into my room at 7:30am and take a desperately desired shower…let the Activities begin

Activity 1 – Breakfast at Le Fournil

Had the brunch combo – brioche toast with avocado, mayo, smoked salmon, and an egg plus fresh OJ and an espresso. Good solid food and after a 10hour flight, I really needed some fuel.

Brioche toast with avocado smoked salmon and an egg

Activity 2 – San Cristobal Hill

I walked about 20 minutes to get to the base of the hill. Instead of taking the Funicular to the top, I thought it would be a fun idea to hike to the top…a few km’s later and with sweat dripping off my face, I made it to the top. The hike itself is nothing special, but the view from the top was nice. Had it been a clear sky day, I’m sure it would have been that much better. From the top, you can take a cable car to the other side of the hill. I recommend taking the cable car one stop and then coming back…from what I heard the second/final portion is nothing special and the great views are from the first half. I ended the Activity by taking the Funicular down (I had no interest in hiking back down…and I had activities to get to!).

Activity 3 – La Chascona

The poet (Nobel laureate) Pablo Neruda was born in Valparaiso (coastal city in Chile that I am visiting tomorrow). He had 3 houses that have since been converted to museums and one of them is in Santiago near San Cristobal Hill. It was cool to see where he lived, but it was nothing special.

Activity 4 – Mercado Central

Even with a hearty breakfast (and after having had a small breakfast on the plane), I was getting pretty hungry. I trekked my way towards the center of the city (noticing a trend here?) until I reached Mercado Central. The market is pretty similar to central markets in other cities – stalls for fresh food (fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, etc.) as well as some restaurants. I picked Como en Casa; it has solid reviews and seemed to have more local guests than the other options.

I ate a traditional style meal with fried fish, rice, and salad – it was really good and super fresh. The picture doesn’t do the fish justice as the color isn’t vibrant, but it was fried really well and was very tasty.

A little friend hung out with me for a few glorious minutes.

I explored the market a bit more and walked through crowded streets with hawkers selling anything and everything (I saw one guy selling a multi-tap for a PS2…). I caught the end of a couple World Cup matches before heading over to my next activity.

Activity 5 – Museo Historico Nacional

A small museum in the main plaza showcasing (at a very high level) the history of Chile. The museum is pretty small and is only in Spanish (thank you google translate), but it’s informative and has a great view from the top of the tower. I’m glad I went.

Activity 6 – Free Walking Tour

I signed up for a Free Walking Tour with Guru Walk. The guide (Carlos) was great – you can tell he has a passion for Santiago and sharing his knowledge with patrons. We made several stops on this tour and learned a lot about the history of the city and the Chilean people. We stumbled across a protest, which tends to be pretty common in Chile. We also saw a fight between the police and a guy selling goods on the street (to be clear, I don’t know what started it). One of the highlights of the tour was learning about the Chilean government and its connection to some of the elite families in Chile and the ongoing impact. Stops included: Plaza de Armas, La Moneda, Municipal Theater, Club de La Union, Bolsa de Comercio de Santiago, a couple churches (one with a super interesting detail…you have to come here to find out).

Activity 7 – French Fries at Papachecos!

The walking tour ended in Lastarria, the same neighborhood from breakfast. The tour guide recommended this place for a snack – it was delicious and had a super long line when I walked by it in the evening! Half of the tour group ended up at this spot when the tour ended. I had a ‘grande’ fries with caramelized onions and a garlic mayo sauce – did not disappoint.

On my way back to the hotel, I stopped by a grocery store for some water and snacks. I I had a couple of appointments scheduled for late afternoon New York time, so I had to take those from my hotel. This also meant that I didn’t have time to go out to eat and had to have food delivered.

Activity 8 – Dinner

Empanada de Pino is a traditional Chilean style empanada consisting primarily of yummy beef. Lomo Saltado is a Peruvian stir fry dish with beef, rice, tomatoes, onions, etc. – I ordered both and really really enjoyed. I also ordered Buffalo wings for good measure (really good as well). Needless to say, I didn’t finish everything (perfect for a late night snack though).

Activity 9 – Pisco at Chipe Libre

Pisco is the national drink of Chile and Chipe Libre was recommended to me from almost everyone I met. The bar itself is cool, but the Pisco was great. I had a Pisco flight and then followed that up with a Pisco Sour. The flight was a great opportunity to learn about the differences of each Pisco.The bar has a massive collection of Pisco – definitely recommend this spot.