We boarded our 11-hour flight from Auckland to Santiago on Monday at 4.10 PM. Now, flying from New Zealand to Chile is very strange, because you're traveling back in time - we arrived the same day at 11.30 AM. This also makes for a LONG day, which takes me back to my first jetlag when I flew from Los Angeles to Amsterdam with Anna and Derek in the summer of 2003. I've pretty much been walking around in a fog for two days. Flying over a neverending expanse of water didn't do much for my nerves, so instead of sleeping, I watched no less than 5 movies and a documentary about Easter Island.
The hostel that we had booked months ago back in the Netherlands had for still unclear reasons ceased to be and we were referred to another hostel in the neighborhood of Barrio Brasil called Princesa Insolente. This hostel is a real gem - our dorm rooms surround a cute little patio, the walls are painted with funky trees in bright colors and there is always Latin music playing in the background. We sleep in a big room with 8 others on the thickest mattrasses I've seen during this trip and they are so comfortable. The internet is free, the WiFi is fast, and breakfast is served with fresh eggs. I could stay a little while longer!
When we arrived on Monday we were obviously exhausted and we spent most of the time bathing in our own drool on the couches. We woke up just long enough to buy groceries and make ourselves a meal before crashing into bed.
Today I was still extremely tired and since we only had the one day here, we decided to go on a free walking tour. The first time we did a free walking tour was in Sydney and I can truly recommend it - you only have to pay the tour guide tips (if you pay at all), the tour is usually guided by a local who knows the inns and outs of their city (where to find good local restaurants, where to score cheap drinks, where the best clubs are et cetera) and you get to see a variety of the city's sights on foot. Best of all, for me today, was the fact that I could just listen to our beautiful Chilean guide Daniela from Spicy Chile without having to design my own itinerary, read in our Lonely Planet, or think at all.
We ended our tour by riding up the summit of Cerro San Cristóbal by furnicular for a panoramic view of the city flanked in the east by the Andes. It's beautiful, isn't it? The locals like to say: "God is everywhere, but his office is in Santiago." The weather here this time of year doesn't suck either.
Afterwards we had dinner in hip Barrio Bellavista at Galindo for a typical Chilean meal. Although the food that we had was good, there is not a lot of choice for us vegetarians. I'm sure it will be okay, though. Whenever I'm having a hard time, I always remember this quote by Jonathan Safran Foer from Eating Animals and feel better instantly:
"Two friends are ordering lunch. One says, 'I'm in the mood for a burger,' and orders it. The other says, 'I'm in the mood for a burger,' but remembers that there are things more important to him than what he is in the mood for at any given moment, and orders somethings else."
This one by Darcy Cosper also helps me a lot:
"Principles don't mean anything if you abondon them when they become inconvenient or uncomfortable."
You can clearly see, though, how jetlagged I am.
Tomorrow we're off to Easter Island but I don't really feel like it. I'm still so tired and don't want to get up early to catch some plane. I definitely don't feel like sitting in an airplane, over yet more water, for 5 more hours. But, most of all, I just can't wait to see my friends. But I really shouldn't act so silly - we're talking about EASTER ISLAND for God's sake!
If you'd like to see more pictures of our world trip, check out our picture gallery here!
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