Rancagua - Santiago – 92 km
Santiago (population around six million) was one of the most convenient capital
cities to pedal into. Next to the highway, a service road led straight into the city
centre. Ernest knew precisely where to go, as he flew into Santiago from Australia
a few months prior. All this made riding to Hostel Chile Inn comfortable - where
Ernest stayed before heading south.
Barrio Brazil, a district close to the city centre and within comfortable walking
distance of almost everything, housed a few hostels. The underground metro
railway station was barely 100 metres from the door and made for easy exploring.
The metro could take you practically anywhere in the city and was reasonably
inexpensively.
Our hostel was one of the many old three-storey buildings in the area. Nearly all
of these buildings came with soaring ceilings and huge rooms. I understood these
were former grand homes, generally with upper decks and ground-floor
courtyards. The staff at the hostel was super hospitable and invited all to a free
barbeque on the deck. We danced the Macarena till the wee morning hours with
the staff and a broad mixture of guests (Italians, Germans, Brazilians,
Venezuelans, Mexicans, and Chileans).
The subsequent days were spent wandering around town, enjoying the novelty of
taking the underground and the funicular up the San Cristobal hill. Besides a
statue of the Virgin Mary, the viewpoint offered panoramic vistas of the
surrounding areas.
My laptop gave me endless trouble, and I handed it in to be repaired, but on
receiving it found it still faulty. I took the computer to a more reliable store and
was told it would only be ready on the Monday. Upon receiving it, I found it only
spoke Spanish. After rushed last-minute shopping, we were all set for our final
stretch in Chile before heading over the Andes to Argentina.