LeftWithLouie

Living life out of a bag began again a little over a week ago. In the lead up to a trip, I always get over-excited only to come crashing back to earth when I arrive and remember that I don’t speak the language and have no idea where I am going.

After a gruelling flight from Sydney, we arrived in Santiago. Within the first half a day, I had managed to get myself ripped off by a taxi driver and harassed by not one but two aggressive homeless men for change. My well rehearsed explanation that I don’t speak Spanish seems to be treated with suspicion as one of the homeless men pointed out that with my dark eyes and hair, I do indeed look Spanish. Homeless man-1, Louie-0.

After overcoming these confrontations, my time in Santiago and down the coast from the capital have been really enjoyable. We visited the coastal town of Pichilemu- home of the famous Punta de Lobos surf break. While I did manage to get in a surf at this spot with its cactus lined cliffs, I also discovered what could possibly be world-famous Empanadas at a little store simply named Casa de Empanadas (House of Empanadas). For a couple of bucks, I was given an Empanada that required two hands to hold. Once I had bitten into the casing, the steaming beef, cheese and onion was enough to warm anyone up on a cold Chilean night.

Besides meandering through the city and taking a lot of photos, I struggle to pinpoint any major achievements of this first week away from home. That will all change next week though when we embark on a month-long overland trip from Santiago through Patagonia to the very southern most tip of South America. But until then, I hope you enjoy some of the photos from my time in Chile so far.

Safe travels.