Crossing into Chile brought us into my eighth and final country in South America. It was tiresome too - the customs checks are nearly of Australian proportions. It wasnt helped by a guy trying to bring a suitcase full of cigarettes with him.

We made our way to the Barrio Bellavista area where our arrival at the hostel had a feeling of deja vu about it - another crap hostel. We were arriving two hours later than planned but the guy at the desk said our beds weren't available and that we should go to the sister hostel - so they'd given away our beds. Luckily the sister hostel, La Chimba, wasn't far away and the staff there were sound.

After some forty winks all round (it had been an overnight bus), we took off to explore the city, it being Jimmy's last day.

Out first significant sight was the Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral, a large cultural centre named after the first Latin American winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, for her poetry. The site is also known for being a legislative building during the Pinochet dictatorship and was a hideous reminder of the brutal period, until it was destroyed by a fire in 2006.

Leaving there, Callanan had a mini disaster - his flip flop broke. The four of us spent about fifteen minutes trying to fix it, attempting to drill holes through the sole with keys and pens, but to no avail. We did get plenty of inquisitive looks though!

We did explore Cerro Santa Lucia, a lovely little hill in the centre of Santiago. Historically it was a fort, being one of the highest points in the city, but it was transformed into a landscaped park in the 19th century, with a castle, a chapel and many fountains. Nowadays it's a little hotspot for teenage couples to meet up, as they cant in their own homes, owing to the conservative nature of Chilean culture. Every corner we turned we were bumping into another lip locked couple.

Our final major spot was the Plaza de Armas, the central spot of nearly every South American town and city. Santiago's doesn't disappoint - it's a hub of statues, palm trees, fountains, people and shows, bustling at nearly every hour of the day. Several notable museums dot it's circumference, although we didn't visit any, as does the cathedral, which spans an entire block.

We hit a bar on the way back to the hostel. With several universities in Santiago and three within minutes of Bellavista, it's hard not to end up in a student bar, as we did. When we walked in there was Metallica playing, so we thought it was a heavy metal bar, but over a few beers we were treated to plenty of what can only be described as Chilean folk and country songs. Several had the entire bar singing along to the chorus, much in the spirit of many an Irish pub singalong.

It being Jimmy's last night, it was obvious what was on the cards for his last supper - steak and wine. We got a recommendation for a good place to eat, but the wait was an hour. Luckily the Bellavista neighbourhood is jam packed with restaurants and bars, so a few doors down we lucked out with some delicious steak.

Jimmy's last night wasn't a complete success. Although in bed early, he and the rest of the room, including me, were subjected to the worst snoring I've ever heard. This is not an exaggeration. The whole room was awake for most of the night, with one guy resorting to sleeping on the couch.