Arriving late into town, we checked into hostel Dominical in buzzy Bella Vista. Run by great guys, it's got a communal vibe we like. Sitting beneath Cerro San Cristobal, Bella Vista is the bohemian ‘Latin Quarter’ full of cafes, bars and trinket sellers. If you climb the cerro (hill) which I did out jogging one morning, the views of the city and Andee's are amazing.
We spent a few days exploring the capital (before heading off to live on the beach for the month) and came back to the city before heading home for October in England! Here’s our top three picks from our time in Santiago...
The Mercado Central is an incredible fish market in a beautiful sprawling colonial building. It’s super popular for lunch and packed full of great restaurants. Ones up front are touristy but if you head to the little hidden gems out back (like we did) you can have a seafood feast with some chilled vino blanco for a bargain. Granted, its not glam but it was delicious. Chile has to be our favourite destination for food in South America. Every type of seafood, fruit and veg can be bought at the ferrias (markets) and it’s fresh, delicious and usually organic - lots of farmers can‘t afford to do it any other way!
I wouldn’t have missed visiting Pablo Neruda’s casa, La Cascona. We made a little day trip with a fun Canadian chick Aisha from our hostel and took a guided tour of the house. Pablo’s poetry and works are national treasures, as is the man himself! Latin America’s most famous writer, Pablo had three houses but La Cascona was built as a city hide away for himself and his lover, Matilde (who later become his third wife). The house has been beautifully restored following it’s destruction during the Pinochet regime and is built like you are aboard a ship. It’s packed full of fun and fabulous furniture and things from around the world. You get a taste of Pablo, politics, history and all things in between! (We weren't allowed to take pics inside though)
Finally, we got lucky with a sunny spring day to visit Santiago’s oldest vineyard, Cousino Macul and it was a magical day out. Just outside the city central, Macul is owned by an millionaire mining family and produces pretty special grapes. Happily for us it’s more of a hobby than a business, so they sell very-good-vino at not-so-good vino prices. We jumped on the super modern metro and had a great tasting and tour joining in with the Caterpillar corporate day out (must still be money in mining!). We made the group jealous with our travelling stories and enjoyed 'sampling' cab sav in the cellars. The Cab Sav Reserva is pretty special, so watch out for it! http://www.cousinomacul.com/home.html
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