Things that have not been so good on the trip
Lost my brand new really cool gloves.
Lost my really cool glasses
Left cash card in bank machine

We flew out from Lima, missing out on Pisco Sour day where they fill a fountain with pisco, to Santiago.  As we landed the contrast between Santiago and Lima was striking, the cacophony of horns had disappeared, people drove safely, and used indicators.   The city had a cleaner more modern feel, the people looked more European and the city felt more familiar.  The craziness of Lima was well and truly left behind, and I missed it.  Santiago was just a bit dull, there were some beautiful buildings but nothing gripping.  The time we spent there was fun, the hostel fantastic, but the city disappointingly anodyne.

The hostel we stayed in, La Casa Roja, was great fun.  Built in an old colonial building with high ceilings, it has a pool, a swim up bar and a massive kitchen which anyone can use.  Through the hostel we did white water rafting, went on an alternative city tour and had a BBQ.  All of which were great fun.  

The rafting was a blast, after putting on our wet suits, see pictures, and after the briefest of safety instructions we were let lose on the river.  It was pretty easy stuff, but highly recommendable.  The rest of the day we sat by the pool, relaxing and having a few beers.

The next day we did the legendary 'alternative city tour'.  It would include earthquakes, coffee and late night swimming and would be the best day in Santiago.  Bizarrely in Santiago they have a thing called coffee with legs, it was started in the fifties by an enterprising chap to sell more coffee.  It involves the staff (women) wearing short skirts and serving coffee.  They are everywhere and the more upmarket ones are frequented by women and men alike. But this being an alternative tour we went into one of the coffee houses with blacked out windows, where the pretence of a skirt had been dropped, literally and figuratively. We were served, admittedly lovely coffee, by lovely girls in little more than bikinis.  It was one of the greatest coffees I've ever had.  Starbucks and other coffee houses don't compare.  Funniest moment while we were in there was a man who 'accidentally' dropped his lighter on the floor.  He made no attempt to pick it up and it was eventually returned to him, elaborately, for a tip and a peck on the cheek.  There is no alcohol served in these bars, and close at the end of office hours.  Possibly a business opportunity for Elliot.

We then went to a market, and then on to a local traditional Chilean bar.  During the tour we had got talking to an Aussie couple, Ryan and Lisa, this would be the beginning of the end of my Oakleys.  La Piojera is a traditional Chilean bar and it was ram packed with locals enjoying the two traditional drinks there the chicha and the tremador. The tremador, or earthquake, is fortified wine with a layer of jagermeister and a pineapple ice cream on top.  You mix in the ice cream and it tastes fine, the first one went down easily and Ryan and I tried another, which also went down far too easily.  It is called the earthquake in honour of the earthquakes, obviously, and because after two you feel the earth moving.  Not wanting to stop there Ryan and I tried the chicha, which was like a snakebite.  The tour leader then decided that we should all leave, and he wouldn't let us stay to savour our drink.  He claimed that it gets to dangerous for gringos after a certain time.  Ryan and I had to skull our chichas in one (took me four goes, Ryan did it in one).  Apparently we got a tube back to the hostel. I do then remember the beers, a litre for two pounds, a trip to the pizza house and more beers.  We then started to throw people in to the pool, starting with someone who's birthday it was, then Lisa number two and then an unsuspecting yank.  All good clean fun.  It is hard to say where my glasses were lost but somewhere between the earthquakes and swimming they went AWOL.

The next day we woke up with sore heads.  

In the afternoon we went on a free walking tour of Santiago.  As Lisa said there is a reason it was free, it was f***ing dull.  Four hours touring Santiago is not a good idea, in the baking afternoon sun it was an atrocious idea.  We started off as a fivesome and ended up with just Lisa and I and the tour guide.  The other three having left as soon as they could.  Alberto, the guide, was full of enthusiasm but he was painfully boring and after you hear the story of Allende and Pinochet there is really nothing more to see.  Do not do any tour of Santiago, read about the history and move on.

The food is abysmal, traditional dishes include a hot dog with guacamole, and a corn pie, like a shepherds pie but made with mashed corn. 

We had fun in santiago but the city itself wasn't great.  Now it was time to leave Santiago on our next organised tour.