Santiago Chile I arrived in Chile mid-afternoon and the airport Wifi wasn't working properly, but thankfully was able to pull up an Uber. The app was getting confused on the time as it stayed at 14 minutes but didn't move, so something wasn't right. I asked where the Ubers were (since I knew this was a thing at airports, you have to walk away from the taxis and arrival drop off areas) as it is still illegal in most of the South American countries. I walked to the area and this woman yelled my name. I was shocked that she knew who I was as I was looking for the license plate, my backpack fell off my roller and the guy yelled to me but I ignored him and then turned around to realize my bag had fallen. Sometimes you really can't ignore people trying get your attention when you think they're just trying to get you to take a taxi with them. Anyway, I asked the lady who she was and she explained that it was illegal for Ubers so she had to park in the parking area and her name was correct so I trusted it and had to sit in the front seat. I arrived to my hostel which was in a hopping spot, a lot of young people around. Thankfully my room was ready early and I was able to relax and go explore the rooftop which was freaking awesome. It had the best view of San Cristobal (Christ statue on top of the mountain overlooking Santiago) and then the view of the snowcapped mountains. It made me super happy to be able to sit in the sun on a rooftop with no distractions - being in the sun with the cool air was everything that afternoon. I finally showered and felt like a new person, talked to my mom for an hour and then went to grab some dinner close by. I ate outside at this restaurant surrounded by bars and lively people walking around. I ordered the empanadas which were fried but sooooo yummy with different stuffings inside each of them ranging from seafood to meats. Then I ordered the famous chorillana which was this huge bundle of French fries toped with beef and an egg. Totally a South American thing with these eggs! It was a nice night to relax and drink some Chilean wine and go to bed a bit early. I slept in and woke up just in time for breakfast, then walked to the San Cristobal funicular which is this elevator type train that takes you to the top of the mountain. It was a nice sunny day and I walked around and was inspired by the beauty of the crosses with the snow-capped mountains in the background and views of Santiago. I saw these signs for a drink called "moteconhuesillo" and was intrigued so I ordered one and sat and admired the views…this drink was soooooo delicious! One of my favorites and I wish I had ordered more while there but it was filled with corn topped with some sort of fruit inside. I then walked to the center of Santiago to the parks and barrios with graffiti spots that my friend Carito had told me to go to (she's from Santiago that I had met in La Paz). The parks were so beautiful, set in the middle of the city, with tons of young people hanging out, practicing dances, and just relaxing. It was a different life-style, very calming and nice to see. The park in the center (Cerro Santa Lucia) had an old palace and stunning views at the very top, with many couples walking or picnicing, so sweet. There were also tons of people in general in this city, lots of nicely dressed people and otherwise, not so nice, or homeless people. As well as a TON of graffiti, never seen so much! Markets on the sidewalk, similar to Ecuador and Peru. I then walked to get a SIM card, and then to the main plaza de Armas which had a ton of people walking around and such, got some ice cream like the locals and then walked to the Central Market that was filled with seafood! I got some Reineta fish and salsa that was delicious and tried my first native beer that was OK. I was super full afterwards and walked back to my hostel to do some sunset yoga that was absolutely stunning with the best views of the the Full Moon that was in play. I had planned to meet Carito at this Seafood restaurant that night so I showered and we met up and then went out for drinks afterwards. I tried the Chilean wine and Chupedejaiba (cheese cup with crab meat) as well as bucanero (differnet types of pastries) and borgona (strawberries with wine) soooo much food, then went back to my hostel a bit late. I slept in and didn't make it to breakfast but thankfully asked for a late check out as I had bought a bus to Valpariso that was leaving at 12:45pm. I left around 12pm and got to the station with only 10 minutes to get my ticket. It was quiet hectic and I was freaking out because I didn't want to miss the bus and there was a long line, but thankfully it moved quickly. I was confused by where to go to get the bus as I thought I had to scan my ticket to go outside but it was actually to go to the metro and this nice young female teenager tried explaining this to me. I got on the bus just in time and was on my way to Valpariso.