Traveling to South America, Chile and Argentina.

Getting around. The objective of this blog is to share with you my travel experiences and how to get around with  a shoe string budget. One of the trickiest part about backpacking is finding cheap transportation from one city to another and determining what the routes are. You usually only find this information out when you arrive at the destination.

My trip to South America is one month starting out in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay , Falkland Island and back to Chile.  Bought a round trip Air ticket from Expedia.com. Be careful with buying international air ticket from Airfare.com because the don’t send you an email when airlines don’t confirm the purchase. I initially bought it from them only to find out two weeks later that I don’t have an air ticket. Luckily I double checked.

Santiago, Chile

Background

Chile is one of the economically thriving countries in Latin America. It is divided from Argentina by the Andes Mountain. Making the country shaped like a reversed thin pyramid. In fact, the average latitudinal distance from east to west is around 150 miles. Technically you only have to travel a maximum of 150 miles to reach Argentina. You can pretty much see the Andes mountains from anywhere in the country.

In the north are desserts. The South is made up of literally thousands of islands making up the straight of Magellan and beagle channel. Due to the weather extremities, one third of its population resides in Santiago, Chile.

This is a very safe city. In fact safer than Italy or Barcelona, where I was pick pocketed. Rules are even stricter than the U.S. The fine for picking a flower is USD $500.

Arriving in the Airport

When you are there, you feel like you are in Europe.  The subways are way better and cleaner than New York city J. Arriving to the Airport, make sure you don’t bring in any fruits or dairy products.  They have plenty of dogs looking for just that. I was hounded by one. Luckily I declared the Brazilian apples. Otherwise the fines are pretty steep.

In the airport you will see Tourist information Kiosk. Make sure you get a map from them. They have the best maps. It contains map of the subway system and recommended sightseeing sights.  Subways cost 380 Chilean Pesos (CP) during regular hours and 420 Chilean Pesos (CP) during rush hours. Equivalent to around USD$1. This is the best way to get around the city.  The person in the information desk also speaks English and can answer any travel questions.

To get from the Airport to the city, there are three ways. Taxi Cab, Tur Bus or Bus Service. Taxi Cab goes for CP 18,000 (USD$ 40).  They take credit card if purchased before you exit the airport.  Tur Bus offer the best rate, CP 1,500 (USD $2). It takes you to the bus station which is at “University de Santiago subway station”. You can take the subway to your hotel from there for around USD $1. Below is a subway map.

SubWay Map

What to See

Old part of the city. (See map below for sight seeing spots).

Take the red line subway to Moneda station. Walk across the street to see “Placio De La Moneda”. Go Along Moneda. There is a TGI Fridays and Ruby Tuesdays over there. Walk towards Ahumada because that’s a beautiful pedestrian street. Take that street all the way to the end, Mercado Central (Beautiful fish market where there are restaurants that can cook fresh catches). Along the way, you will run into a lot of the important sights such as Plasza  de Armas and Metropolitan Church. Coming back, I recommend taking Estado street towards the U. De Chile Subway station. 

If you still feel like walking, check out Site #3. That’s the San Francisco Church. Walk South on Seranno Street, you will experience cobble stone street, similar to the Latin Quarters in Europe. This also happens to be where a lot of the hostels are located.

If you still feel like walking, walk toards Cerro Santa Lucia. It’s a beautiful park! Across it, at #36. you will find giftshops selling items such as Yerba, Bombrilla, leather items Chilean copper crafts etc.

Wow. That’s a a lot of walking. If you have another full day to spend, Cerro San Cristobal is a beautiful place to visit.  This is a park with a large statue of Mother Mary on top. When you are up there, you will get a beautiful view to of Snatiago. They have a tram which will take you to the top. Cable car rides are also available to take you to the otherrside of the park.  You can take the red line to Estacion Baquedano and cross the river toward Barrio Bellavista. You will find a lot of arts and crafts in this neighborhoods especially at a place called Patio Bellavista.  This neighborhood also happens to be where Paublo Neruda, a famous South Amerian poet, lives.

If you have more time to spend in Santiago, check out the malls. Mall Parque Arauco, Alto Las Condes, Mall Panoramico. You will need to take a cab to get there from down town. However, there is a free shuttle going to Mall Parque Arauco curculing numerous hotels. So you might want to check with your hotel if this bus stops by. These are some that I can remember, Sheraton Four Points, Radisson, Intercontinental.. Mostly in the Lass Condes Area.

Over all Santiago is a very safe place to visit. The subway system is great. Always on time and the cheapest way to get around. The Santiago is also centrally situatuated on the International bus route  if you want to go to Argentina or Peru.

Traveling to Mendoza Argentina  from Santiago

The busses in this part of South America are the best busses in the world. They offer “camas” which mens the chair reclines almost 180 degrees. Semi-camma recline but not ass much.  The bus I took to Mendoza, Argentina was through a company called TurBus. I took the red subway line to “Universidad de Santiago” and right outside are booths where you can buy tickets. The fare was round $20 one way to Mendoza. This is also where you can take buses to the Airport.

Mendoza is an eight hour ride going trough the Andes Mountains. It’s literally hours and hours of mountain view. Almost like going hiking up the mountains but without having to walk. Magnificent views. You will see mountains of all kinds of colors.  I loved it so much, I went on this rout multiple times.

Mendoza, Argentina

Mendoza is the wine Region of Argentina similar to Napa Valley, California where you can visit vineyards and wine taste. If you are not into that, there is sking, white water rafting, canoeing, off road biking or just shopping (Leather Items are cheap).

Cab rides are cheap and the best way to get around. An average fare from one place to another is around USD$3.00.

Down town is walkable.

Traveling from Mendoza  to Buenos Aires, Argentina via bus

There are a number of bus companies going from Mendoza to Buenos Aires. They all run at around the same price, USD$60 one way  plus or minus. Travel time is around fourteen hours so they offer busses which chairs that reclines almost horizontal called “camas”. I took the semi-camas. A overnight bus with a company called Andesmar. It left at 8:00 pm arrived at Buenos Aires at 11:00 pm. Dinner and breakfast was servered as well as a movie. It was a great experience. The bus was a double decker and very spacious.

There is only one bus station in Mendoza and bus tickets can be purchased there. There are a lot of bus companies with ticket boots in the station so you can shop around to look for something you like. Bus will take you to Retiro station in Buenos Aires.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

The main bus station in Buenos Aires is called Retiro Station. Cab rides from the station to hotel averages around USD$6. The city has a Metro and it’s a pretty good way to get around as well.

Buenos Aires is broken up into different neighborhoods.

Puerto Madera – Up and coming area close to the cost with a lot of new developments.

La Boca – Where El Caminito is at. Artsy place where you will find tango dancers dancing in the street.

San Thelmo – Antique Store Area.

Calle Florida – Beautiful  pedestrian street for shopping

Recolecta – Cemetery where Evita is buried. Upscale shops

Palermo – Evita Museum. And a large park.

Below is a map of Buenos Aires. Like any other big cities there are plenty to do here so make sure you spend some time in this city.

Happy Traveling!