Xmas in SFO

Let it go
On Thursday, I arrived well in time for the little dinner Renato and Dennis had prepared for me and our friends Lisa, her parents Nancy and Jim, and Brandon. We had ham, rice, Brussels sprouts, salads, cheese and lots of wine. I managed to stay awake quite long, despite the 5 hour jet lag from […] Read More

Santiago budget

Let it go
I’ve spent 21 days in Santiago. As usual, accommodation comes in first. But I also paid the side trip to Valparaíso and paid double for those days. Santiago was a bit more expensive than expected, for going out, especially. And I ate out more, I did not use my kitchen as often as in Buenos […] Read More

Aviation guardian angel

Let it go
When I booked the connection from Santiago to San Francisco via Toronto and Los Angeles, I already had a hunch. This would be tight. You have to factor in delays, the time at immigration and customs, the transfers etc, etc. I had mailed all my itineraries and booking codes to my friend Renato, with whom […] Read More

Cajón del Maipo

Let it go
On my very last day in Santiago, Sebastián picked me up and took me on a ride out of town. We were heading into the Andes mountains, to the Cajón del Maipo, a canyon carved by the Maipo river. The landscape is super dry, the higher you get. It’s clear it does not rain much […] Read More

Off to San Francisco

Let it go
The next few days will see a lot of traveling. Five flights in total, the first three lead me to San Francisco for a pit stop on my way to Australia, and to meet up with old friends… Here are the stats: Flight 7 to Toronto Date: 25/12/2013 Code: AC93 from SCL to YYZ Airline: Air Canada […] Read More

Riding the Metro

Let it go
First thing I thought when coming into the Santiago Metro was: Paris! This smells like the Paris Metro. I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but I feel every city has a distinct smell in its public transport system – and I don’t refer to a potential pee problem. The smells are hard, or impossible […] Read More

Merry Christmas from Santiago

Let it go
My last day in Santiago was Navidad. The city was much more quiet – a lot of coffee shops and restaurants already closed during the day. Yesterday I did some last minutes Xmas shopping with Sebastian, he took me to an area full of old warehouses or markets, with little stalls where people were looking […] Read More

La Jardin

Let it go
A friend told me about La Jardin. I had passed it already once, looked into the courtyard, found it curious but hadn’t bothered to look closer. Epic Fail! I have to be more curious. La Jardin is a vagabond restaurant. It started in London as a private project called The Pale Blue Door, and has […] Read More

Night out

Let it go
Last night I met up with Hannah and her friends for some drinks in a cute bar and restaurant Ciudadano in Barrio Italia. We had beers and ate something, the night was really mild… Santiago is hot during the day, but the nights can see temperatures drop quite sharply. It’s always good to have something […] Read More

Humita

Let it go
Finally I got to try the Chilean specialty called Humita. I had eaten empanadas in Argentina filled with something called Humita, but this was different. Humita is a Native American dish from pre‑Hispanic times, and a traditional food in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru. It consists of masa harina and corn, slowly steamed or […] Read More