The final stop on our tour of South America was to Chile. To be honest, we had not thought too much about Chile before arriving, but were blown away by all it has to offer from the warm deserts in the north to freezing Patagonia in the south. See how we got on:
Santiago
We hoped on the bus in Mendoza, Argentina at about 1pm in the afternoon and thus missing the United-Arsenal match as we had been told that the views along the border crossing were spectacular and must be seen during the day. And they didn’t lie. What they didn’t mention however was the 7 hour wait at the border on the bus high above the Andes mountains.
Santiago
We hoped on the bus in Mendoza, Argentina at about 1pm in the afternoon and thus missing the United-Arsenal match as we had been told that the views along the border crossing were spectacular and must be seen during the day. And they didn’t lie. What they didn’t mention however was the 7 hour wait at the border on the bus high above the Andes mountains.
Bleedin' freezing! After a while of being cooped up on the bus we were finally let out, which didn’t help too much as we were in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops and the temperature was about 5 degrees. But the views were spectacular none the less. After a painful immigration, we finally made it to Santiago 8 hours late at 1am with empty bellies and without Chilean pesos. Not the ideal arrival and the taxi vultures quickly set in and offered to take us to the nearest ATM which seemed like it was back in Mendoza by the route he took. Finally with money in hand, we were ripped off for the short journey but getting to bed was the main thing on our minds so handed over probably a weeks’ wages for the guy. Not a great introduction!
Up not too early the next day, we demolished breakfast at the hostel and took a stroll around the city centre which is easily accessible by foot and quite beautiful. We quickly noticed the price difference between Argentina and Chile so had to make a little game plan in terms of food…straight to the peso saver menu in McDonald’s. We climbed Cerro de Santa Lucia which gave great views of the city and also of the biggest building in Latin America. All walked out we headed home for some customary spag bol and in the evening visited the local Irish bar “Dublin”, where we were told we could only order drinks if we bought food. 100% authentic then.
Up not too early the next day, we demolished breakfast at the hostel and took a stroll around the city centre which is easily accessible by foot and quite beautiful. We quickly noticed the price difference between Argentina and Chile so had to make a little game plan in terms of food…straight to the peso saver menu in McDonald’s. We climbed Cerro de Santa Lucia which gave great views of the city and also of the biggest building in Latin America. All walked out we headed home for some customary spag bol and in the evening visited the local Irish bar “Dublin”, where we were told we could only order drinks if we bought food. 100% authentic then.
Santiago
Our first few days in Santiago also coincided with our Movember campaign which at home would normally be quite recognisable as it is now a customary tradition year in year out. In South America however it was a different story. We looked like 3 pervy gringos (well 2 and a half with my teenage boy effort of a tash) walking around the streets of Santiago. A number of times we caught some ladies smiling away and us which gave us a little perk in the confidence until we realised they were just taking the mickey out of our beautiful Ronnies.
Serious effort
As the hostel was full for the week we were forced to change to another for 2 nights, which worked out quite well as they offered free meals every night for the Boys in Green, which meant only 1 spag bol a day…result! We took the few days in Santiago as a mini rehab and even played some football with some locals and a few French lads, who ironically made a couple of handballs during the game. Say no more. With our rehab all but finished and having seen the main sights of Santiago we decided to head to the beach town of Viña del Mar with some friends to top up our Milky Bar kid tans.
Viña del Mar
We arrived early afternoon in Viña and headed straight to the beach which was lovely. Once a bit roasted we made a move for the water, but it was absolutely freezing. Limping back to the towels and smuggling some serious raisins, we decided it was time to have a look around the town and grab some local food. We had some Chilean pino empanadas which were decent but not as good as our own homemade ones. We ended our rehab that night with a few scoops chillaxing under the stars.
Viña del Mar
We arrived early afternoon in Viña and headed straight to the beach which was lovely. Once a bit roasted we made a move for the water, but it was absolutely freezing. Limping back to the towels and smuggling some serious raisins, we decided it was time to have a look around the town and grab some local food. We had some Chilean pino empanadas which were decent but not as good as our own homemade ones. We ended our rehab that night with a few scoops chillaxing under the stars.
The next day was almost a mirror of the first. After a bit of early afternoon beach action we resorted to some steak and mash while streaming the first game of the O’Neill/Keane era. We had a few drinks with some fellow travellers and had an interesting conversation with an Australian guy who was convinced 9/11 was a cover-up and also was adamant to know where Switzerland during WWII. Feigned interest quickly ended up with us heading to bed.
Early the next morning we went straight to the bus station and reserved tickets for that night to the island of Chiloe in Southern Chile. With a few hours to spare we did what only we knew best and cooked up a spag bol while watching Ireland getting smashed by Australia in the rugby. With full bellies we headed off for the bus.
Early the next morning we went straight to the bus station and reserved tickets for that night to the island of Chiloe in Southern Chile. With a few hours to spare we did what only we knew best and cooked up a spag bol while watching Ireland getting smashed by Australia in the rugby. With full bellies we headed off for the bus.
Chiloe
Our journey to Chiloe involved a stop off in Puerto Mont for a couple of hours and then another bus/boat across the sea to the island. It beat our last bus on a boat experience in Bolivia and I am glad to say there were no lads with buckets this time. After a nice crossing we hopped off the bus in a small fishing town called Ancud which is easily the most remote place we have been so far. The hostel was also the closest we have ever had to travel as it was literally a 4 second walk across the road. The town was absolutely dead as the Chilean presidential election were taking place that day so it was a bit eerie. After the long journey we took it fairly easy and reserved a Penguin trip the following morning through the hostel. We also decided to give our famous dish a knock for a few nights and cooked up some serious burritos.
Our journey to Chiloe involved a stop off in Puerto Mont for a couple of hours and then another bus/boat across the sea to the island. It beat our last bus on a boat experience in Bolivia and I am glad to say there were no lads with buckets this time. After a nice crossing we hopped off the bus in a small fishing town called Ancud which is easily the most remote place we have been so far. The hostel was also the closest we have ever had to travel as it was literally a 4 second walk across the road. The town was absolutely dead as the Chilean presidential election were taking place that day so it was a bit eerie. After the long journey we took it fairly easy and reserved a Penguin trip the following morning through the hostel. We also decided to give our famous dish a knock for a few nights and cooked up some serious burritos.
I'm a happy camper! We were up early the next day to get the tour which firstly took us across the beautiful countryside of Chiloe which is very similar to the west of Ireland. After an hour drive we arrived on the beach, where the boat was waiting for us. To ensure we didn’t get wet, we were rolled out to the boat on a cart. Serious service! The tour itself was very good and we got to see the two main penguins in the region, but no dancing unfortunately. We got back to the city late afternoon and finished off a walking tour which was done in about 1 hour and then went back to the hostel for some food and a mega-sleep.
Galway
The next day we headed back to Puerto Mont at around 11am with the plan of going straight to the town of Pucon, but had to kill 6 hours until the next bus. We headed towards the Tourist information desk where the lady kindly told me that they couldn’t give us any information as they were on strike. Grand. There was not a whole lot going on in the Puerto Mont so we were straight back to the Peso Saver Menu. After walking around for a few hours we headed back and grabbed the evening bus to Pucon which would last 6 hours.
Pucon
We arrived pretty late in Pucon but walked the few blocks to our hostel. After dropping the bags we went straight for some food and back within half an hour for a bit of a sleep. Pucon is a picturesque town located beside a huge lake and is famous as a ski destination during winter season and also its volcano which sits menacingly in the background.
The next day, after having some brekkie, we grabbed a local bus and jumped off at some waterfalls about 30 minutes outside the town which were very impressive. After some Indiana Jones style jumping of fences which said no entry we got a bird-eye view and some snaps. We headed outside after and waited for the bus to take us to the large lake another 20 minutes down the road. With no bus in sight we twice hitchhiked our way down the road and spent an hour or so chillaxed by the lake.
Pucon
We arrived pretty late in Pucon but walked the few blocks to our hostel. After dropping the bags we went straight for some food and back within half an hour for a bit of a sleep. Pucon is a picturesque town located beside a huge lake and is famous as a ski destination during winter season and also its volcano which sits menacingly in the background.
The next day, after having some brekkie, we grabbed a local bus and jumped off at some waterfalls about 30 minutes outside the town which were very impressive. After some Indiana Jones style jumping of fences which said no entry we got a bird-eye view and some snaps. We headed outside after and waited for the bus to take us to the large lake another 20 minutes down the road. With no bus in sight we twice hitchhiked our way down the road and spent an hour or so chillaxed by the lake.
Stressful day at the office
We jumped on the bus afterwards and went back to the hostel where we first reserved the volcano trek for the next morning and then got some drinks in for the afternoon sun. As you can tell it was not the ideal preparation for a 6 hour trek through snow. But we did have the brainwave of marketing the drink as Scoopazade once we return to Ireland. We just need to sign Ronan O’Gara up for the ads. “When I’m in the last 10 minutes of Coppers, I just know Scoopazade has what it takes to pull me through”.
Needless to say the idea didn’t really match reality as we had about 4 hours sleep and then began the trek at 7am. And it was tough. After an initial 1 hour trek up the mountain on hard land, we threw on the snow gear and trekked on with pick axe in hand. Tom Crean-esque some might say. On the way up, with sleep deprivation setting in I was unable to look neither up nor down the mountain with fear of falling all the way to the bottom. After 3 breaks, we made the final ascent to the summit and arrived just after midday, where we munched some sambos, danced some Irish dancing and downed a can of beer in celebrations. And the views from top were amazing when not blocked out by the smoking volcano. And then came the fun part. We were given little sledges for sliding down the volcano which great craic and took about an hour in total to descend. Some serious speed and air time was had. That night, with some sweet facial sun burn, we hopped on the bus back to Santiago as Kev’s flight to New Zealand was in 2 days’ time. But what a few days in Pucon!
Scoops!
Santiago
We arrived in Santiago mid-morning and headed to the hostel to have some breakfast before checking in. Afterwards we went into the city centre to record some Irish dancing in the main plaza and then on the way back got a few hair-cuts from a 90 year old man, who I must say still had the skills! The hostel luckily had a swimming pool so we spent the evening chilling with a couple of beers to celebrate the 6 months on Latin America. A celebratory spag bol was had and was then followed by the first ever Wirld vote off. Kev headed off during an emotional goodbye at the hostel mid-afternoon the next day, so a sombre mood set in at The Wirld HQ and Chris and I just did a few lengths in the 3 metre pool before hitting the hay.
We were up early the next day however to see the Ireland – New Zealand which was an absolute heartbreaker and put us in a foul mood for the day. Only one thing for a mood like that: spag bol!
The next day we checked out and did some planning for New Zealand before heading off to Pichilemu with a friend from Paraguay for a few days. After much time wasting we finally got on the bus at 6 in the evening and we were on the way to the famous surf town of Pichilemu.
We arrived in Santiago mid-morning and headed to the hostel to have some breakfast before checking in. Afterwards we went into the city centre to record some Irish dancing in the main plaza and then on the way back got a few hair-cuts from a 90 year old man, who I must say still had the skills! The hostel luckily had a swimming pool so we spent the evening chilling with a couple of beers to celebrate the 6 months on Latin America. A celebratory spag bol was had and was then followed by the first ever Wirld vote off. Kev headed off during an emotional goodbye at the hostel mid-afternoon the next day, so a sombre mood set in at The Wirld HQ and Chris and I just did a few lengths in the 3 metre pool before hitting the hay.
We were up early the next day however to see the Ireland – New Zealand which was an absolute heartbreaker and put us in a foul mood for the day. Only one thing for a mood like that: spag bol!
The next day we checked out and did some planning for New Zealand before heading off to Pichilemu with a friend from Paraguay for a few days. After much time wasting we finally got on the bus at 6 in the evening and we were on the way to the famous surf town of Pichilemu.
Tis a fine container! Pichilemu
We arrived in Pichilemu at around 10pm at night in the middle of absolutely nowhere, but were lucky enough to get a taxi immediately and told the main man the way to go. Unfortunately the driver then told us that he had actually just borrowed his uncles taxi so didn’t really have a clue where we were going. Some lad! Eventually we found the hostel which was a cool Eco-lodge, made of refurbished shipping containers. We were absolutely starving but as the town was so small and the hostel so isolated, the only option was a bowl of rice from someone’s left over dinner. Delish! Like a scene out of Into The Wild!
We arrived in Pichilemu at around 10pm at night in the middle of absolutely nowhere, but were lucky enough to get a taxi immediately and told the main man the way to go. Unfortunately the driver then told us that he had actually just borrowed his uncles taxi so didn’t really have a clue where we were going. Some lad! Eventually we found the hostel which was a cool Eco-lodge, made of refurbished shipping containers. We were absolutely starving but as the town was so small and the hostel so isolated, the only option was a bowl of rice from someone’s left over dinner. Delish! Like a scene out of Into The Wild!
After a great night’s sleep (hostel was incredibly warm) we headed to the nearest beach for some potential surfing. However when we arrived it was freezing and the beach no really ideal for sunbathing due to the wind. We hopped in taxi and went to the nearest supermarket to get some food and take out some much needed dinero. However, there was some maintenance guy on the machine who said he would be done in 5mins. Queue 1 hour later and two very angry Irish men still waiting to get some cash as it was the only ATM in the whole town. At one stage the maintenance guy went to his tool kit for what we thought would be some much needed tool, but no, picked up his sunglasses instead and popped them on top of his head and returned to work. Oh and I forgot to mention the ATM was indoors. We Christian Bale’d on the ATM and headed to the hostel again for a quick run followed by some much needed food. We taxied it back to the supermarket and luckily got some cash out. That evening we had a couple of beers and decided it would be best if we headed back up to Viña del Mar to get some hot weather and beach before this leg of our trip comes to an end.
Viña del Mar (again)
We zig-zagged our way up to Viña del Mar the following morning via Santiago and arrived mid-afternoon to some sweltering heat and rocked up to the hostel to check in and stuff the bellies with some homemade tacos. That evening was pretty boring and even mature, some might say as we did some logistical work for New Zealand and began booking our buses and boats for the coming month. After 20 minutes of booking we had to quit amid a frantic sweat, during what must have been the nearest thing to work we have done in 6 months.
We zig-zagged our way up to Viña del Mar the following morning via Santiago and arrived mid-afternoon to some sweltering heat and rocked up to the hostel to check in and stuff the bellies with some homemade tacos. That evening was pretty boring and even mature, some might say as we did some logistical work for New Zealand and began booking our buses and boats for the coming month. After 20 minutes of booking we had to quit amid a frantic sweat, during what must have been the nearest thing to work we have done in 6 months.
Valparaiso The next morning we were up early to finish off the bookings and then took the metro to the next town over called Valparaiso which is a beautiful port town that has brightly painted houses dotted all along its hilly coastline. The town is also famous for its mural filled walls and is seriously impressive. Beats the graffiti under the bridges on the M50. After an hour or so walking around the town, we headed back to Viña and, after some quick lunch, strolled down to the beach to get some last minute tannage on. As per usual, it didn’t go too much to plan and we returned to the hostel like lobsters in the early evening to demolish our favourite dish and end the day with some beers and a very competitive game of Uno. And they say travelling is living on the edge!
With the sun burn well on the way to becoming St Tropez, we grabbed the bus the next morning back to Santiago to ensure we made it back in time for our flight on the Saturday.
With the sun burn well on the way to becoming St Tropez, we grabbed the bus the next morning back to Santiago to ensure we made it back in time for our flight on the Saturday.
20,000km by road Santiago
After a quick bus back to Santiago we hopped on the metro and headed straight to our hostel in the trendy Bellavista part of the town. On the way we stopped off at one of the famous “Coffee with legs” cafes which are dotted around the city. Basically chicks in miniskirts serve coffee to seedy men. Class! With little over 24 hours left in Santiago, there was not a whole lot left to do apart from have a few celebratory scoops on the terrace while soaking up the last few rays of sunshine. Fittingly, we arose the next day with groggy heads, ending just as we had started Latin America. After a shower, pack of the bag and a leaving spag bol it was time to head to the airport and bring an end to what has been 6 amazing months.
Chile has been a real gem in South America. One of the most developed countries in the continent, it is a must see if down south as it has virtually everything you could want. Thanks to all the locals we met who let us know a little more about the real Chile along the journey. Off to New Zealand next for Christmas. Hope Santa delivers to hostels!
The Lads.
After a quick bus back to Santiago we hopped on the metro and headed straight to our hostel in the trendy Bellavista part of the town. On the way we stopped off at one of the famous “Coffee with legs” cafes which are dotted around the city. Basically chicks in miniskirts serve coffee to seedy men. Class! With little over 24 hours left in Santiago, there was not a whole lot left to do apart from have a few celebratory scoops on the terrace while soaking up the last few rays of sunshine. Fittingly, we arose the next day with groggy heads, ending just as we had started Latin America. After a shower, pack of the bag and a leaving spag bol it was time to head to the airport and bring an end to what has been 6 amazing months.
Chile has been a real gem in South America. One of the most developed countries in the continent, it is a must see if down south as it has virtually everything you could want. Thanks to all the locals we met who let us know a little more about the real Chile along the journey. Off to New Zealand next for Christmas. Hope Santa delivers to hostels!
The Lads.
