Back in Santiago

The new year has begun, the book of 2014 is still in its introductory phase and the vast pages of adventures yet to come. After a wonderful Christmas holiday with my family back in Sweden, I am back in Santiago to prepare for my trip down to La Patagonia. Although it is very exciting to be back, there are a few things I´m already struggling with.

Very much like Buenos Aires (Argentina), there is an enourmous heat wave that stays in this city for the better part of the summer. Unlike Montevideo (Uruguay), there is no beach or water to cool off. I think at this point, I´d prefer the cold weather in Sweden.

The beautiful Chilean police

I learned from a friend that there is a beer festival in Santiago starting in a few days. As if that would not be enough, there is also a Jazz event that will be open for a few days. My original plan was to touch down, get my things ready, and get the #$%& out of dodge. But...

..it looks like I can take a few days to deal with my troubled back, make the needed purchases, and enjoy some of the summer festivities here in Santiago before I head south! I will keep you posted on my ideas for the trip.

http://www.bierfest-santiago.cl/

18th of September & el T-E-R-R-E-M-O-T-O! (Earthquake)

For about a month, it has been a common conversational topic, the grand fiesta of Chile on the 18th of September! Just last weekend, I went out to experience what no one should miss before leaving Santiago, to drink the infamous Terremoto (in English, "earthquake"), which apparently is super popular during this week of celebration! La Piojera and El Hoyo are two popular places that serve this national drink.

La Piojera, received its name by a Chilean President who called it Piojera (in English "a place of lice") as he was not very found of it, and so it became known as just that. It lies right next to the metro stop, Cal y Canto. It offers really hearty and tasty Chilean "home cooking", and the notorious Terremoto in the bar. When we were in the middle of enjoying our meals when an older gentleman entered the salon with his guitar and started to play the cueca. After a song or two, people stood up from their tables to join the music in the traditional dance! - Veery neat!

What happened after my first Terremoto yet makes me laugh out loud. The Chilean people I have gotten to know, perhaps more calm, reserved, and careful than their neighbours Argentina, were mostly unable to walk straight, many being led out (or carried), and the majority at a noticeable level of intoxication! My friends told me it is usually not this roudy, but then again, the 18th is just around the corner.

In the end, the majority was happily enjoying their Terremotos, despite what seemed to have been a big earthquake.

There were tables filled with empty cups of El Terremoto

So, this is what happened the weekend before the 18th, Im expecting nothing less on THE day! ;)

Lets bring on the big celebration Chile!

Chi-Chi-Chi Le-Le-Le  Vamo Chile!!






If you are interested, please read more about famous La Piojera and its competition El Hoyo, follow the link:
http://bearshapedsphere.blogspot.com/2010/08/el-hoyo-vs-la-piojera-two-traditional.html

A day of tourism in Santiago!

Santiago is a metropolitan city with a lot of very distinct neighbourhoods, all with their own charms and "onda" (Spanish word for "energy"). Therefore, it is a good idea to have at least some idea of what you will be seeing, and that you see the things you are interested in! I do recommend taking a tour to find the true "onda" of Santiago, but I will also highlight a few stops that you cannot miss!

The city tours of Santiago
These are offered in English and are well-informed! The bike tour offers you a nice bike ride that will take you around the most essential building and neighbourhoods at a comfortable pace. The free tour starts at Plaza de Armas, and will take you on a 4 hr tour around Santiago to see all of the highlights!
http://www.biketours.cl/
http://www.freetoursantiago.cl/when_where.html

Moreover, at Trip Advicor I found plenty of different tours of Santiago and its surrounding. There is definitely no reason to wander around aimlessly, check them out to see if any of them suits your interests!
http://www.tripadvisor.com.ar/Attractions-g294305-Activities-c25-Santiago_Santiago_Metropolitan_Region.html

Here are some examples I found interesting:
http://horseridingchile.com/
http://www.chileofftrack.com/

Los Barrios:
There is a lot to see in the various neighbourhoods in Santiago. I recommend turning to one of the city tours. I worked most of the time I spent in Santiago, and therefore cannot tell you enough.

Los cerros; Santa Lucia & San Cristóbal

As opposed to running up, even if the view is stunning on a clear day,
there is a mechanical lift-system at the base of San Cristóbal in Bellavista

The Virgin Carmen

Stellar view from the top at sunset

View from the run up San Cristóbal

Cerro de Santa Lucia

Santa Lucia lies conveniently close, and does not require a full work-out to reach the top. From there, you are rewarded with a stunning view of the city, the mountains,  and perhaps a sunset (especially on a clear day!).  There is a little park on the way up, where you can enjoy an ice-cream and relax in the afternoon to an amazing outlook of Santiago. 

La Moneda, the castle 

Plaza de Armas -  The Cathedral
You also find the National Museum,
and lots of shops around the plaza

Plaza de Armas offers culturally the gran Cathedral, the National Museum, and the many activities that take place in the amiable square. There are artists selling their paintings, standing as statues, fountains and lots of birds. Also, it is surrounded by a shopping district where no traffic enters, and offer everything from trendy clothing and cheap markets selling electronics, cloths, hats, to restaurants, american food-chains, and cafeterias. 

Here you will also find the free city tour!

- It is a good place to start the day! :D

Don´t forget to check out Barrio Bellavista y Manuel Montt for a good evening/night out! - You will find more information in my
post "The must-see Nightlife and the culinary experiences in Santiago"
http://motorbiketoursa.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-must-see-nightlife-and-culinary_10.html

Chilean artisanal beers

After having discovered the hidden gem in Chile, the artisanal beer culture, I had to find out more! Cervecería Nacional has always been the ideal place for me to better familiarize myself with the passionate beer entrepreneurs of Chile. Although this place lies a bit removed from the centre, there is really no problem to safely and comfortably find your way there.  

For any beer enthusiast, and for all others really, the menu offers a great selection of breweries and types of beer that exist here in Chile. The names of the beers are as crafty as the beers themselves, and none of them that we drank left us disappointed. - Make it a norm, to always order different beers within the group, as to try a greater variety. After two-three beers, we felt ready to move on as many of the beers have up to 10% alc. To accompany the beers, food is also offered. We ordered a pizza with jalapeños and lots of cheese to somewhat balance with the beers! 

I definitely recommend to pass by when visiting Santiago. I´m a huge fan of sharing some quality beers with good friends, over some story telling and a healthy round of laughs!   

First round: Politik Kills, Kaf Blue & a Belgium Ale
 (all of them really good in their respective category)

Upon requesting "the beer I can´t leave without drinking", a Barley Wine I strongly recommend.
I believe it was a Rothhammer, the one they have on tap! - Among my friends, the absolute favorite!

¡Saludos po´weon! (like they say it here in Chile, cheers bud!)

Cerveceria Nacional:

http://cervecerianacional.cl/

Directions:

https://maps.google.cl/maps?saddr=Quinta+Normal&daddr=Compa%C3%B1%C3%ADa+de+Jes%C3%BAs+2858,+Santiago,+Regi%C3%B3n+Metropolitana&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=-33.440797,-70.676406&spn=0.002238,0.005284&sll=-33.440975,-70.677653&sspn=0.004476,0.010568&geocode=FQO9Af4dhoHJ-w%3BFeq6Af4dN5bJ-yl3FqsoUsRiljH2QSBn82vhWA&dirflg=w&mra=dme&mrsp=0&sz=17&t=m&z=18

The must-see Nightlife and the culinary experiences in Santiago

Although you may encounter Santiago very Europeanized; cold, commercial focused, big-city atmosphere, there are still some Latin roots to be found! It takes time to truly get a good picture of Santiago because all the neighbourhoods breaths a very different vibe. If you are limited by time, there should be no excuse to not visit Bellavista and Manuel Montt!

Gulden Draak, a Belgian favo.

As I was looking for bartender and waiter jobs when I first arrived, I found plenty of opportunities along the street Manuel Montt. This zone has grown to become a thriving, and diverse culinary centre in Santiago, and offers a great variety of cuisine, pubs, and a stunning selection of craft beers from around the world. The street has attracted professional and enthusiastic entrepreneurs to share their passion for food and drinks, and have thus built up a family friendly, artisanal neighbourhood of cuisine and beverages! And conveniently, at night the area transforms into a very popular nightclub scene! (Be sure to check out the Peruvian cuisine!)

Bellavista is another centre of food, drinks and dance, though with more of an artistic and underground culture feel! Pío Nono and Constitución are the two main streets of the neighbourhood packed with bars, restaurants, and nightclubs (leading up from Plaza Italia). The patios fill up with people enjoying just a beer or two in the afternoon, more so during the evening, and peaks around midnight when the nightclubs fill up!

Keep your eyes open for quality street performers!

But the real charm of Bellavista lies in the shadows of its popular radiance, in the calm and old-fashion local bars, which transcends in their cultural heritage and atmosphere. One I visited recently, endorses the acoustic music from the era of the dictatorship, when this type of folklore was band. The atmosphere takes you far away from the popular scene, and lets you recognize and appreciate a culturally very different scene in Santiago. And the "after" (as they also call it here in Chile) we headed for, lied hidden behind what appeared to be just a normal residence door a few blocks from the main street. But after ringing the door bell, it opened up to a thriving party atmosphere early in the morning!

We ran into a Metal concert !,,!_

Graffiti decorated streets

It is a tremndous advantage to go out with a local Chilean to truly find the best places in town. Still causion is always adviced due to their sometimes dubious and greedy character! ;)

Hope you all have a stellar time! XD

Big weekend in Santiago

Unlike the Argentinians and Uruguayans, but like most of the world, people mostly go out dancing until 3-4 am. For my colleagues and I at California Cantina who get off work at 3 am, only "afters" are available for the weekend party. Yet, last Friday I had the night off, therefore we completed the full Chilean check-list with;

1) "Previa" (pre-drinks) Lots of their (acclaimed) national drink Pisco mixed with soda! (Picture to the left). As a "gringo", I´m not even qualified for the DJ position, as Cumbia and Reggaeton dominated the previa.

2) "El baile" (dance club) I am surprised by the extent of electronic music that is played, but they seem to really like it!! Latin tunes you need to look for in the city! 

3) "El After" (after party) For those who hasn´t had enough just yet! (And those working until 3am) They can be hard to find, so find yourself a local who knows where one is! Generally fills up at 5-6ish. 

Chilean karaoke and dance!

4) And then; "El After After" (at someone´s house) Generally not recommended for those working the next day (I´m not sure how some of my friends managed with the Saturday shift!) We picked up boxes of Budweiser and enjoyed the morning sun at my friends house. At some later point, the mic and amplifier were taken out, and the group joined together for some karaoke and dance to Chilean Cumbia. - Not bad Chile!! When the hunger started to kick in, I found my way home in the afternoon for some food and a good nap!

See you again soon Peter!

After a few hours of good rest, I´m up again! A good friend of mine is throwing a fare-well party, which you should not miss! So, after a quick shower, some food on the run, and the next case of beers in hand, I´m ready for the next stop! The party proved to be a success as many close friends showed up! As I was one of the firsts ones to arrive, I witnessed all the Chileans arrive with their precious Pisco in hand. Amazing snack food was prepared and a bond fire lit in the backyard. The stereo music was in the early hours replaced by acoustic as the few of us remaining gathered around the fire.

Bondfire & Acoustic music!!

I was offered a couch, and enjoyed a well deserved rest! - Luckily not all the weekends are as "big" as this one!