Ceviche, Sours and Scams in Santiago and Valpo

Chile, the most European country of South America - that's what I'd always read. Isabel Allende, whose books I read as a teenager, had described Santiago as being like London, the people bustling around in business suits, always on time and always polite. So I hardly expect to be scammed the moment I arrive in Santiago, but that's exactly what happens.

It's my first time ever in Chile, after a decade or so of South American stays, so I'm really excited about getting to know a new country. Perhaps it's because of this excitement and false sense of security about Chile that I completely uncharacteristically let my guard down and decide to follow the man who says "Taxi?" as soon as I step out of the arrival gates. There's no sign of the official taxi stand and he is holding an official sign, so I presume it'll be ok. 

As the taxi man leads me out into a car park and makes me wait a moment for a non-standard-looking taxi to pull up beside me, I begin to have my reservations, but I already feel committed. As soon as I'm in the car and listening to the driver 'negotiating' a price with his boss over the phone, I know something is up. But with my lack of confidence with Chilean Spanish and my complete absence of research into a typical taxi price to the centre, I'm powerless to argue. 

We pull up at Hostel Los Andes and he charges me 35,000 pesos. That's about £45. I pay it, because I have to. I then check into the hostel and gingerly ask the staff what a typical fare from the airport would be, and my heart sinks when he tells me it's 12,000 to 18,000 pesos. Not a penny more. That'll certainly teach me...

Hostel Los Andes is a really cool backpackers' hostel on Monjitas, right next to the Bellas Artes subway stop. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Santiago as it's a great place to meet people with a colourful social area and it's five minutes' walk from the main square, Plaza de Armas.

Mural outside Bellas Artes station and opposite Hostel Los Andes

Fortunately, I have a friend in Santiago, so no sooner have I arrived than I am treated to splendid views of the Plaza de Armas from his perfectly located apartment balcony. 

Plaza de Armas from above

Next up, he takes me on a hike up to the top of Cerro San Cristóbal, a big hill 300m above Santiago with views over the entire city. It's the second-highest point in Santiago, after Cerro Renca. Usually, I'm told, it's smoggy and difficult to see the view, but on certain days you can see the mountains. I don't think we've done too badly.

We stop at the top to look at the statue of the Virgin Mary and sup a typical drink called Mote con Huesillo - it's a liquid made of cooked, dried peaches and stewed corn. Very sweet and not exactly my cup of tea, but interesting all the same!

View from the top of Cerro San Cristóbal

After half an hour of people-watching (the top of Cerro San Cristóbal is a great spot for young couples seeking to make out away from their parents' homes!), we take the funicular railcar back down to the bottom of the mountain and head for an evening of pisco sours - the very typical Chilean alcoholic drink (originally from Peru, though the two countries argue over who invented it) made of pisco, lime, syrup and egg whites. In Buenos Aires, they're drunk from a cocktail glass but in Chile, it seems, it's champagne glasses all the way!

On Saturday, I intend to get up early to catch a bus to Valparaíso but in reality end up getting up so late as to have to wait an hour for a coach as the whole of Santiago attempts to decamp to the coast for the weekend. I make friends with a guy from the hostel and we make this trip together, which is handy as I intend to get the last bus back in the evening and could do with some company.

The first shock of Valparaíso - affectionately known as Valpo - is it's COLD. We leave Santiago wearing beach clothes because it's boiling hot, and on the coast it's about 15 degrees colder and everyone is wearing coats. I feel like a tool. 

We go straight to the market on Av. Uruguay con Brasil, as my friend has recommended this for a fish lunch. The market isn't quite what we expected - full of cats and dogs just roaming around and sitting among the fruit and veg (I'm fine with this but thousands wouldn't be!). Upstairs is the restaurant level and we're immediately bombarded with offers from different restaurants for their set-menu lunches.

Inside the market - how many cats can you see?!

We have a very standard, pretty unsatisfying fish lunch and then are wholly and utterly scammed with the price on paying the bill. Once again, I've let my guard down in Chile - the scamming capital of South America, it seems - and I will definitely not do it again!

After about an hour of confusedly walking around a very run-down, dilapidated area of Valparaíso and feeling extremely shortchanged, we eventually take a street-side elevator and wind up in the right part of down, amid beautiful winding streets lined with pretty, colourful houses, cute little coffee shops and views over the city. This part of Valpo is well-worth a visit, but I don't think I'd ever need to spend more than a day here.

Dogs in Valparaíso

Finally, determined to see as much of Chile as possible in two days, the pair of us jump on a rickety bus to Viña del Mar, just up the coast. Again, we don't really know where to go, so we just wander along the beach before settling down for a dinner of ceviche, lemon pie and a few more pisco sours.

My first Chilean ceviche

On my final day back in Santiago, I set out for a bit of exploration and wander around a few of the main tourist attractions - the beautiful Cerro Santa Lucía park, where President Sebastian Piñera is currently doing a speech, so I have to wait an hour to enter, and the Museo de Bellas Artes. 

Cerro Santa Lucía

My final stop is lunch, with a glass of Carmenere wine, before I head to the airport - this time in a pre-booked taxi with the fare agreed in advance. Chile, you will NOT scam me again!

Time for one last pisco sour? Actually, I had a coffee. - bar in Santiago airport