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No amount of words can ever describe the perfect trip to Chile over Thanksgiving Break. Absolutely fell in love with the country in only 6 days. I’ll visit again before I leave South America; but first, let me share why it was the best trip I’ve taken so far in my life.
My friend and I left Buenos Aires in the early morning of Thanksgiving Thursday, and arrived in Santiago, Chile early afternoon. Right away, we noticed a place we would dine at three times: Taco Bell. Yes, Chile had Taco Bell! Argentina had deprived me of their delicious burritos; automatic win for Chile. After a quick snack, we got comfortable in our very artsy hostel. There was writing on every wall, and a chill vibe to the people. We roamed the city for their Night of the Museums (during the day we saw all the street art), saw a free play, took a free walking tour, and found out that Nuts4Nuts is actually from Chile! Mind officially blown. We dined at this mouth-watering restaurant called, “Como Agua Para Chocolate,” inspired by the book, and I’m craving their Tres Leches dessert now. On the following night, we kept it classy with Pizza Hut (double win! Finally some real pizza!).
After two days in Santiago, we headed to Valparaiso. My friend and I were bummed because we didn’t get the same hostel; but that feeling disappeared when we were invited to the most delicious meal ever. One of the owners of the hostel I was staying at was a gourmet chef and invited us to dinner with his friends. One of these friends was a tattoo artist… oh yes. I have a new tattoo on my back. It says “My life belongs to me, no matter where I am.” It’s my favorite quote by Stella Adler (the studio I’m in at NYU), and it describes how I feel about traveling. The tattoo place knew a hair salon for cheap, and now half of my head is shaved… Chile officially left its mark on me.
While on the beach of Viña del Mar we ran into our waiter from Pizza Hut! That was a huge surprise since we were two hours outside of Santiago, in a city we did not plan to be in! In Valparaiso, we walked up so many hills, visited Pablo Neruda’s house, and ate fresh fruits & veggies along with scrumptious seafood. I guess I should also mention we saw “Breaking Dawn Part II” to kill some time before the tattoos, and there is no shame behind this.
We headed back to Santiago on the fifth night to catch out flight the next day. And as it was our first meal, Taco Bell was also our last in Chile. Honestly, Chile was incredible. It was a mixture of NYC, LA, and San Francisco, and a bit of New Orleans. Everyone should visit!
And if nothing else convinces you, this should: they had milkshakes (!!!) and a place call “New York Bagels!” Need I type anymore?