Santiago, Chile (2009)

After the bulk of our Chilean holiday in the Atacama desert and Easter Island, we spent a few days around Santiago—particularly the nearby beach towns of Valparaíso and Viña del Mar. We didn’t actually do a whole lot in Santiago, but we did get a chance to hang out with a local—Paulina, who is the girlfriend of Carmel’s cousin, Ari.

Meeting Paulina for drinks at the bar where she met Ari.

Carmel and Paulina.

We checked out the Cultural Center, which was a nice place to stay out of the rain.

We also passed by a different kind of cultural center, which are the coffee shops otherwise known as Coffee with Legs.

Carmel and Paulina in a picture that is supposed to resemble a shot with Paulina and Carmel’s sister, Talia, when Talia visited.

We checked out the central market for Chile’s renowned seafood.

After making a few laps and fending off dozens of hawkers, we settled on this table.

Plaza de Armas. Every Latin American city’s got to have one.

We climbed Santa Lucia hill to check out the view.

The grounds of Santa Lucia hill were a nice peaceful oasis in the middle of the bustling city.

View of the built up Santiago.