Burner Billy Adventures: Santiago and La Serena - Meeting new peeps

After our lovely stay in Valpo, we set off to the big city of Santiago. Now, most people try to steer away from big cities during their travel, but when I got to Santiago, I felt a little bit at home. Public transportation, wall street lifestyle, micro-neighborhoods, and museums for days (Anne, right up your alley) made me feel like I was back in San Francisco. At first I enjoyed it, wondering the endless city streets and viewing the different lifestyle, but towards the end, it seemed a little claustrophobic, like I needed to get ready for work or be doing something to make money...and that's where anxiety kicks in. NO thanks for me. Not when I am traveling. And that was important lesson learned for really my first adventure of traveling on my own....don't get trapped back into your normal ways

Aside from the big city, a few things stand out for me in going to Santiago...and one of them was a big step into my adventure. I really enjoyed hiking up the San Cristobal mountain, checking out the neighborhoods of Bella Vista and Bella Artes, and the castle on Cerro Santa Lucia. Our tour 4 tips was really cool to understand the history of the city, and our visit to the human rights museum really solidified our learning experience of Chilean history. BUT, the best part of the visit to Santiago was meeting my future traveling mates, Charlotte and Marjanneke at La Casa Roja (which by the way was your typical hostel, BUT had a sweet swimming pool and bar in large back yard. Highly recommend it if you want to meet people and be in a cool part of town..Barrio Brazil. Good find Jess). Meeting these girls would setup my adventure to come in La Serena and San Pedro.