Chile: is South America’s success story. A strong economy, endless sights to see, no significant crime issues, friendly people, and a stable government make it inevitable that it’s only a matter of time until the masses arrive. In fact, it’s already starting. In the words of one local, “Three years ago, nobody was here. Now, in the high season, it’s getting hard to find a room.” It is also one of the most oddly shaped countries in the world, often described as a “string bean” since it’s about 2700 miles long and 150 miles wide. Along the eastern side are the Andes Mountains; on the western side is the Pacific Ocean.

Congratulations to Michelle Bachelet who was recently elected the first woman president of Chile. She is a socialist and a single parent with a 12-year-old daughter and two other grown children. Interesting times are certainly ahead for the country. Call me what you want, but I believe there will finally be peace in the world when women are running it.

Santaigo: Aside from a monumental smog problem, Chile’s capital city is quite enjoyable. There are hills with great views, busy pedestrian promenades, and most importantly a Dunkin Donuts. Incidentally, the donuts are awesome, but the coffee is not the same as in the United States. For some odd reason, hot dogs are really popular here, but they taste like they haven’t been cooked. The places that sell them have very long lines. Two popular chains are Doggis and Schopdog.

Valparaiso: This city, located almost two hours from Santaigo, is a photographer’s dream. It is loaded with hills, and homes are painted in every possible color. I talked to a man painting a restaurant located on one of the hills. He explained that he was painting it green because the other buildings around it were not green. The most fascinating thing about this city is the fifteen funicular elevators that bring people up and down the hills.

While walking down a street looking for a place to stay, I heard the voices of two women screaming down at me. They wanted to know if I needed accommodation, because they had a few rooms for rent. A family of six lived upstairs, and the available rooms were downstairs. The location was phenomenal, and although the room was musty and overpriced, it was nice to meet a local family. Frankly, staying in guidebook hotels can be a bit of a letdown, because everybody goes to them, they’re occasionally sold out, and the staff is often bored and unimpressed with your arrival.

La Serena: A small city with a calm city center and a really pretty Japanese garden. After I arrived at the bus terminal, I wandered over to a hostel to see if they had any space. Nothing. While walking with all my stuff down a quiet street, a young guy appeared out of nowhere with a piece of paper showing pictures of a dorm room.

“Did you follow me here?” I asked quizzically.

“No, no, no!” he quickly replied with absolute sincerity.

This was one of those times when I briefly thought I could be facing some kind of robbery scam. But I took a look at the guy, and I talked to him, and I just knew it was going to be ok. It was pure gut instinct, which generally serves me well. The accommodation turned out to be one of the nicest places I’ve stayed on this entire trip. The price was so low, I didn’t think it was a fair deal for him, so I gave him extra money.

San Pedro de Atacama and the Valley of the Moon: The small town of San Pedro de Atacama is packed with foreigners, which is quite amazing considering what a pain it is to get there. Nearly everyone comes here to see the Valley of the Moon, the Tatia Geysers, and/or the Salt Flats in nearby Bolivia. San Pedro is the world's largest sustained oasis and is located in the the world's driest desert: the Atacama

For me, one of the best parts of traveling is seeing something that you would never see at home in a hundred years. For example:

Many businesses have large, poor quality signs at their entrance. They almost look like they came out of a gigantic printer in desperate need of a color-cartridge replacement. Also it’s very common for establishments to put their names in quotes…

Restaurante “Pedro Sanchez”
Hotel “Poncho Pronto”
Peluqueria “Cruz Verde”

Another amazing practice is the South American business model. It is not uncommon for dozens of stores in the exact same business to all be located on the same street, or the same adjoining streets, or even fill up an entire mall. I was inside a small mall in Valparaiso that had at least twenty hair salons. If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. I met a traveler who was an international business major, and she explained it’s just part of the culture. All these businesses are family owned, she said, and the families who own them are able to keep their head above water, but that’s about it.

Message for fellow travelers: When using an Internet cafe, always log out of everything. I went to check my email, and my computer had a previous user’s Yahoo! email account and banking information still open. The person was either a man or a woman, because he/she had one of those sexually ambiguous names along with a last name that was tragically vulgar. I’m a nosy guy with a ton of free time, so I went through everything. Inside his/her inbox was enough information to destroy his/her life. If I were a hacker or an evil person, I could have done a lot of damage, but I’m not, so I sent an email from him/herself to him/herself politely reminding him/her to always log out. I signed it, “a friend.”

Buscapades: Want adventure during your travels? Always take the bus.