After New York it was time to head to South America to see Julia. I got a little over excited at just how many good movies were available on the flight but still managed to get some sleep before landing. We managed to get a cab which took us to Julia's house (it decided that reversing up a one way street rather than actually go the correct way was the sensible way to do things, but we made it there). After an overexcited reunion with possibly too much squealing for the time of morning it was time for a catch up and breakfast. We popped to the shops and bought some Magdalenas, yum yum! That afternoon we headed to San Cristobal, a hill which overlooks Santiago. As it was very hot we decided to get a taxi up there, which was definitely a good plan after seeing some of the people who had clearly walked. We had a nice wee picnic at the top and looked over the city. For the picnic we had empanadas, a typical South American dish which is kinda like a Cornish Pasty, but kind of not - tasty though. It was gross to see just how much smog there is in Santiago, a grey haze definitely covers it. But still so gorgeous looking out and seeing the Andes with their snow etc. After coming down the mountain we went one of the parks and bought ice cream from one of Jules' fav shops, and I can see why she liked it! Awesomely tasty! On the walk back to Julia's, one of the stray dogs who'd be sitting by us decided to follow us. We kept on expecting him to give up and go back, but he didn't, instead walking us home and stopping at every crossing to wait for us. We names him George. Before dinner we brought mattresses down to Julia's room for me and Steph to sleep on, and we turned the room into a nest/obstacle course. Then we went to have tapas with Tania. It was such good tapas, in fact could eat it all again quite happily. Even though we were full we still decided that desert would be a good idea, and it was super tasty.
After a VERY long and well needed sleep we went and sat in the park in sunshine with Lawrence, before the sun went behind buildings and we decided to move park. However when we met up with Theresa to go chill in next park we discovered not only was it lacking in sunshine, but we were also all hungry so we went to supermarket and bought lots of food before heading to Theresa's where we cooked amazing burritos and had some nice Chilean wine. We ate a lot yet somehow still managed to find room for a really awesome cake.
On the Wednesday, Julia had a lot of classes so me and Steph were left to navigate by ourselves for a bit. First of all we went to the Costanerra Center, a shopping mall in the tallest building in South America as Steph realised she'd forgotten her shorts. However our plans to buy her new ones were scuppered by the fact the Chileans thought that 26 degrees was cold, and definitely not weather for shorts. We then returned home before grabbing some more emapanadas for lunch. Next it was time to head off on a wine tour. We went to the Undurraga winery just outside Santiago. There we got to tour the vineyards and the cellars before tasting the wine. Unfortunately I'm still not quite sure that I can taste any difference between wines (excluding the difference between white, rose, red and dessert) but I wasn't about to let the snotty American woman who claimed that "young people just don't appreciate wine" know that. When we got back we had an omelette (which was slightly disastrous in that it was too big to flip, but still tasty), before starting on another Chilean speciality - Pisco. An odd spirit it is apparently what every young person drinks, and I quite liked it. At 8:30 we headed out to After Office, a bizarre club which exists on top floor of a car park. However upon arrival I could see why Julia had been raving about it, it had an awesome outdoor patio plus indoor sections. Also amazingly Julia has connections allowing us not only to be basic VIPs, but VIP VIPs which involves your own table in an exclusive part of club and champagne. Win! Plus one of the French exchanges told me that my French was good, and although clearly a lie that's always nice. There were also magicians - one hired by the club, and one who was a random guy who used it to charm girls. Both were very impressive, still not sure how the first managed to get Julia's phone into a balloon simply pressing a blown up balloon onto it! Overall an amazing night.
The next day while Julia was at classes, me and Steph went to Santa Lucia, the hill which Santiago was founded around. There were an awful lot of steps but it was nice to see the castle and once again get some great views of Santiago. That afternoon, me, Steph, Julia and Sarah cuddled up with some blankets and watched Mulan which eating burnt popcorn. Then in the evening we cooked a massive stir fry for 11 people, it was amazingly tasty although involved using two kitchens, and a lot of confusion over timings. We also had enough noodles to feed about triple the amount of people but ah well! Once again it was very tasty (yes I've realised this blog post is mainly mentioning how tasty the food was, but it really was great).
On Friday the three of us took a bus to Valparaiso, a town by the sea with Tania, Theresa and Helene. Now this was no Megabus or Greyhound, it was ridiculously cheap yet its seats still nearly reclined back the whole way and were more comfy than any public transport I've ever been on before. When we arrived we managed to find the hostel run by the friend of Julia's landlord then headed off to get a bus to Vina del Mar, a neighbouring town with nice beaches. After an amazing lunch us girls just went and chilled on the beach. Lawrence and John were coming that evening so on the way back we stopped at the supermarket and picked up everything we'd need for burritos again. It was amazing once again, and Tania taught everyone how to hold it in order to minimise spillages. After a few piscos we headed out to a slightly bizarre club where there was some interesting live Chilean rock music being played, not a scene I'll really get into! However the company was great and had a lovely night.
The next day, Helene and Theresa went back to Vina for more chilling on the beach while Lawrence, John, Tania, Julia, Steph and me explored Valpa more. We walked up the hill, admiring all the pretty brightly coloured houses and the views out to the bay before heading down to the town to try and find somewhere to eat. Unfortunately they seem to celebrate Mother's Day all weekend and a lot of places were shut. However we managed to find a really nice place and ordered chorrillanas (a plate of fries with onions, eggs and bits of meat). Our waiter was crazy and absolutely awesome and it was a thoroughly enjoyable meal. Us girls then headed to hostel to grab our bags before leaving on bus back to Santiago. When we got back, we chilled out with the Ugly Truth and lots of snack food before an early night.
All we had time to do the next day was pack and say goodbyes. It was super sad leaving Julia again but it was so nice seeing her so well settled in Chile. Think that's all for Chile, next update will come post Argentina! Sorry for all the food chat!
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