Santiago Trip: Day 1-2: The Long Journey Down

Getting to Santiago was a nightmare. Stuck on the tarmac for two and a half hours in Newark, because of one day of torrential rain. The day started with a two-hour connection in Panama, one of the most convenient airports to transfer through - just walk from one gate to another. But as I sat on the tarmac, I saw what was supposed to be a lengthy, safe layover dwindle minute by minute down. A decent while in I knew it was gone. In the moment I acted out over test to friends and family - really in a way that was not becoming, but the real issue was the next flight from Panama City to Santiago was only the next day at noon - there was no morning flight. So instead of a redeye and getting to Santiago at 7am on Thursday, I would arrive at 8pm.

The flights themselves were fine, and my brief time in Panama City was fine as well - grabbing a Courtyard with one colleague (our other two were flying a different route but had the same issue happen to them, missing a connection in Bogota). The hotel was in a mall that had a sports bar still open, which helped grab some last minute munchies. 

Anyway, after it all, and a nice stay in Panama's large, beautiful airport, we were finally touching down in Santiago, a good 13 hours behind schedule. It was already a short trip, in what has become an annual tradition for the four of us, a ludicrous jaunt down to South America for my birthday. Granted, I'm not a big birthday guy, but its more just to travel to what is quickly becoming my favorite Continent to visit. In 2022, it was Lima. In 2023, Buenos Aires. In 2024, it is the last of the three great southern South American giants, with Santiago - a city I absolutely loved over 1.5 days in 2018. I have consistently ranked it in my Top-5 favorite cities. This trip was for many things, but part of it was to test if that was a ridiculous ranking, or deserved.

Anyway, sitting back in our AirBNB, about 24 hours into what will be a 72-hour visit, I have to say things are trending well. There's a level of cool, calmness and development in Santiago that is just a level above anything else I've experienced in South America. We could tell from the drive from the airport straight to our dinner at 99 Restaurante - who nicely accomodated the four of us midway through the normal 8pm set meal (we got there by 9). The lateness made the dinner a bit odd - with us getting food out of order, basically playing catchup in between live prepared main courses, but it was great all teh same.

99 Restaurante was a place I went to in 2018 with my parents. Back then it was a tweezery tasting menu spot. It still is in some ways, but lived a lifetime in between. It closed during Covid and only recently reopened as a small 20-seat restaurant isnide the glistening CV Galeria - an office building with a large open foyer and underground floors host8ing numerous bars. Just a spectacular spot visually. Instead of the more haute stuff 99 served in 2018, they reopened with a more narrow focus. Every three months they pick a part of Chile, serve wines and dishes featuring ingredients native to that region and cooked in the way the natives could make. It is refined cooking, still 8 courses, but with a more homely touch.

Here they were focusing on the Huasco Valley, an area to the North tucked away right before the Atacama desert hits hard. The wines were gerat. The food was better - with a mix of seafood, goat (from the meat to goat milk, goat cheese, goat milk curds, etc.). Chile is not as noted as Peru for cuisine, but much like Peru it has a whole host of climates and regions within its borders and our trip to Huasco was a nice one.

Still with bags we then went to our AirBNB in the heart of Barrio Bellavista, the main bohemian / bar area of Santiago. The heart of nightlife. It wasa a little barrio I loved in our one meal and after meal driks in 2018. Since then I've been to quite a few nice neighborhoods in South America, from the Recoleta in Buenos Aires and Barranco in Peru. Bellavista is right up there, a beautiful little 8x8 block of life.

To end our night, we went first to Bar SPoH, which is on the ground floor of Patio Bellavista, a cascading series of balconies of restaurants and bars, all with an open air patio in the middle. It;s a wonderful spot that had both the craft brewery (great Imperial Stout) and a cocktail bar named Red Luxury. Now, if there's anything a couple days in that I can say Chile is not great in is cocktails. Not that they're bad, but not to the level of say Carnaval in Lima - but the beer at Bar SPoH was fantastic, as was our experience at Club La Feria to end the night.

There are 4-5 different techno clubs in Bellavista, two of which we went to on Thursday Night. Club Ambar was a bit too "clubby" - with small tables mixed into the dance floor and more "scene" than "songs". Feria was the opposite. It isn't underground, with a high ceiling and two levels, but had great DJs, decently priced drinks (though oddly had run out of club soda...) and a good sized crowd for late on a Thursday. The best part was it was four blocks away from the AirBNB, and also past a few food carts that let us get the final snack before ending our adventurous, long trek to Santiago.