Someone wearing a tuxedo t-shirt approached us on our first day here with a flyer for a summer concert series here in Viña. Soon, we began noticing signs for the series everywhere. So this evening we forked over the CLP$3,000 (or USD$6) to see the Santiago Philharmonic Orchestra at Quinta Vergara, the city’s big outdoor amphitheater. Neither Chris nor I...
After smuggling Holly onto the two-hour (and very comfortable) bus ride, we arrived in Viña del Mar yesterday. Viña del Mar is the town just north of Valparaíso and is famous for its annual music festival held every year in February since 1960. (Follow along on Twitter: @ElFestival) We are renting a room from the friend of a friend we met in La Paz...
We learned five new things about Chile today, so we thought we’d pass them on. They’re from an excellent free walking tour in Santiago that we highly recommend. The same company offers a walking tour in Valparaíso which we plan on checking out. Before I share, let me tell you what you’re seeing in the photo above. These two street dogs met up with our group...
This installment of Travel Tip Tuesday is about technology and what to bring with you when you are traveling. One of the questions we hear often is, “Oh, did you bring iPads?” We thought carefully about what technology we really needed, so here’s a little about our thought process. Ultimately, we went with our laptops and iPhones to cover all our needs. We have...
The deliciousness above is a calzón roto, which tastes a little like a chewy donut and is finished with powdered sugar. Notice the artful twist? The perfect accompaniment to your Nescafé. Other baked goods common in Chile are empanadas de pino, filled with ground beef, hard-boiled egg and an olive. There are delicious sandwich rolls that also have a good chew, as well as...
It is nice being in a new city and being able to play tourist. Check out these flying dogs! Yesterday, I had a great conversation with a friend Carolyn and her boyfriend who are doing a leap year of their own — which they have dubbed World Tour 2014. (Way to go!) It was an exhilarating conversation both because I love being able to...
We made it to the cheese zone… I mean, Chile! This photo is from the cheese section of the market a couple blocks from our apartment. It’s summer here and roughly 80 degrees in Santiago. We stick out like sore thumbs — Chris because he’s clearly Caucasian and me because my clothing is 100 times less sexy than every other woman’s. Holly is less...
¡Feliz año nuevo! Tomorrow, we fly to Santiago. To bid adios to the first country in our leap year, we said farewell with tacos al pastor. Also, our Airbnb host Rodrigo stopped by with a gift of tequila and mezcal. We’ll spend one week in Santiago before hopping on a bus to Viña del Mar, just north of Valparaíso. Our plan is to stay...
Announcing: Travel Tip Tuesdays! We thought we’d start a new tradition for the new year with a new travel tip every Tuesday. Now that we’re pros at being full-time travelers, we wanted to share the love and hopefully inspire you to do some traveling yourself! This week’s tip: what to do with your passport and other important documentation while traveling. Why does this matter?...
Have I mentioned that it’s stressful to bring pets across international borders? Well, it is. Today we got (almost) all the documentation we needed to bring Holly from Mexico to Chile. I say almost because we still have one more step. For the sake of posterity and any other person who wants to travel with their dog, here’s how to get a pet export...
One of the best things about Mexico City is the food. And as I mentioned in previous posts, you can get great food for cheap while traveling full time. In fact, some of the best food we’ve had has come from small, no-name places around the neighborhood rather than big restaurants. Take this bakery across from Mercado Medellin called La Espiga. Not only do they...
We went full-on tourist and followed some Lonely Planet recommendations. The main event was Plaza Garibaldi, where mariachi bands roam and which Lonely Planet describes as “notoriously seedy” but is also the recipient of “a recent makeover.” They also call it one of their top choices when visiting Mexico City, so we decided to make a night of it. Here’s a quick video so you...