Santiago de Chile and the Andes in the background
OK, Santiago may not be the most exciting city in South America, but I can attest it is possible to have fun there. A possibility is to go to La Piojera, a typical bar where people of all ages dance 'la cueca', and kill their Saturday afternoons drinking Terremotos (literally 'earthquake', a local cocktail made of the cheapest possible kind of white wine, fernet-branca and pinapple ice cream). If it doesn't sound like it would turn out as a good drink... well... it doesn't. But you would be missing the point: the essential is that you can meet real locals at the bar and practice your spanish with them. While they may initially seem a little colder than their Argentines neighbours, Chileans are very proud of their country and really make efforts so visitors can get the best experience here. For instance, Hugo, whom I met at the bar, was the one who told me that there is no better day to go up Cerro San Cristobal - the highest hill in Santiago - than a day after heavy rain because the humidity makes the smog, which bathes the city most of the time, dissapear for a while. So I woke up early the next day after the rain, and climbed the 6 km road to the top to find out he was right: here was Santiago, almost clearly visible up to the Andes.
Drinking Terremotos at La Piojera, Santiago de Chile
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