I'm combing the last two days since my sister and I are no longer in Antarctica or with our tour group. I didn't get the chance to spend enough time in Santiago and hope to go back soon.
17 November 2026
Santiago, Chile
20:12
C.C. and I slept late and enjoyed breakfast in the club lounge. There was a small miscommunication with our tour, but we started out around 10:20. Our driver, Mo, took us all around the city starting at one of the large parks where we saw black neck swans. Santiago is very clean and well kept with lots of parks. We saw the tallest building in South America called the Gran Torre Santiago. It was hard to miss from anywhere in the city.
Mo told us the history of Santiago - mostly the recent history during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and the growth once Chile returned to a democracy. Roughly a third of Chile's population live in Santiago. They have a thriving financial district and a lot of new architecture.
I think my favorite area was the art district, Barrio Bellavista. An art show was going on outside and its where Pablo Neruda lived. We saw his house (now a museum), but it wasn't open to visit. It sits at the front of San Cristóbal Hill. There is a fine arts school nearby. Plaza Camilo Mori often has music and theater shows outside in the summer. One of the funniest street art displays we saw was a huge Olaf from Frozen on the outside of a ski rental building.
Mo explained that Pablo Neruda has become a controversial figure in recent years - especially among women - due to his poor treatment of his ill daughter and that he confessed to raping a woman in Sri Lanka. He died at the very beginning of Pinochet's reign.
We passed by the Plaza de Armas and the National Church. We did stop to go inside the church. A service was going on, but we were still allowed to walk around and see the small chapel on the side. They offered virtual candles for 48 hours.
Mo also told us a bit about Rapa Nui as it's properly called (Easter Island is it's colonized name). The island is now semi autonomous and requires special permits to visit.
C.C. and I returned to the hotel around 14:20. We had lunch at Senso - the Italian Mediterranean restaurant at the hotel. The pasta was very good, but C.C. wasn't feeling well. We rested in the room after lunch.
We had tea and desserts in the club lounge, then walked to the huge nearby mall to see the first IKEA in Chile. They have more locations now. C.C. and I walked through and took some pictures. Prices varied on what was or wasn't more expansive than in the U.S. We walked a bit around the mall - it was odd seeing spring and summer clothes out amongst the Christmas decorations.
We had dinner on the club floor instead of going out. There was plenty of small plate food. We had an early night. C.C. got us a late checkout tomorrow. We plan to leave our bags at the hotel while we visit a few sites around the city. C.C. got us lunch reservations at a place Mo recommended.
18 November 2026
Chilean International Airport, Signature Lounge
Santiago, Chile
21:05
It took us forever to check-in and get our checked luggage situated.
We had a lazy morning. I spent an hour by the pool reading. C.C. enjoyed time in the room. C.C. requested a late checkout, so we stayed until our lunch reservations at La Calma at 14:00. Mo said that John Travolta had been there twice on his last visit to Santiago.
The restaurant was small, but beautiful. We started with scallops and they gave us a ton of bread. C.C. had the king crab pasta while I tried mullet (Lisa), an oiler fish fillet. I also tried their mocktail, La Virgin, while C.C. enjoyed her wine.
Around 15:00 we caught an Uber to see the National Fine Arts Museum. It was celebrating 145 years of operation. It’s not a large museum, but it has a really cool collection of mostly Chilean art. Many of the older works are well produced reproductions, but their contemporary art is out of this world.
As we entered, we were greeted by the piece Mamita Montana - which was huge. We also saw works by a Chilean woman who grew up in exile with her family in Sweden during Pinochet's reign. There were also multiple art house movies going on in several rooms. I especially liked the videos of letters spelling out "racism" being destroyed. The second floor had pieces from Chile's different art movements. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything precolonial.
We left the museum and went back to IKEA for C.C. She wanted to buy a Christmas wreath that they aren't selling in the States. We shared a toffee tart cake at the restaurant to kill some time. We also stopped at H&M. C.C. had me buy some nice summer pants and a Jaws shirt to go with my hat. She also got a shirt with a French cafe on it.
As we left the shopping mall area, we stopped for a hot dog at the fast food place, Doggis in the food court. Santiago has a huge hot dog culture. I got a Dinamico - it has tomatoes, avocado, and major on it. C.C. and I shared the Fanta and fries. It was good.
Dogs in general seem to be popular in Santiago. People bring them everywhere - including the mall.
We went back to the hotel to get our luggage and get on an Uber to the airport. There have been people outside the hotel, waiting for a celebrity. Based on outfits and recent performance schedules, we think Oasis was staying at the same hotel as us. Sadly, C.C. had no idea who Oasis was.
At the airport was a huge line to check-in. When C.C. mentioned her status, the crew directed her to a special lounge where we could check-in. It took a while to ensure our bags would make it to the final destinations. I managed to grab a pin for me and a few extra presents before going through security.
We are currently in the lounge having food and drinks. C.C. had a nice shower. I'm about to change into my flight clothes.
This has been a great adventure and I'm glad I got to share it with my sister.
Until the next post.
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