A Few Highlights From Chile

So I found out that trying to start a new job abroad is quite complicated! The process of getting a visa for my job in Chile has turned out to be much longer and more complex than I imagined it would be. When I booked my flight to Santiago, my plan was to stay out there long-term, but unfortunately it was necessary for me to fly back to the UK to sort out the visa. Obviously that wasn't great for either my bank balance or the environment. Now I'm hoping I can get things sorted so I can go back and start my job as soon as possible, but it's a little unclear what's going to happen over the coming weeks and months, due to the coronavirus situation causing lots of flights to be cancelled.

Although I only had a very short amount of time in Chile, it was so nice to be there with my boyfriend again. We visited lots of places around Región Metropolitana and also managed to fit in a trip to a few places along the coast (I'll be writing about that next). I was lucky to find a great value place to stay with amazing views over the city and a really nice swimming pool.

One day, we took a trip to Chicureo, a town to the north of Santiago. Here you can find Laguna Piedra Roja, an artificial lagoon next to a shopping mall. It's a very upmarket area and looks more like the United States than Latin America. Unfortunately, swimming isn't allowed in the lagoon, but it's a really scenic place.

We stayed in the Ñuñoa commune of Santiago, a part of the city I'd never been to before, but which I liked a lot. One of the most interesting things to see there is Santiago Central Mosque. It really stands out from the other buildings in the area.

Another place I'd never visited before was Centro Cultural La Moneda, a museum inside La Moneda palace. It has many art exhibitions and shops selling interesting books and food. When we were there, an event was taking place to celebrate relations between Chile and Guatemala. There were these colourful carpets on the floor that were actually made out of sand!

On our way back to the car after visiting La Moneda, we passed through Barrio Concha y Toro, a very pretty and photogenic part of the city.

On my last day, we went to El Mundo de Dalí, Santiago's cat café! It's located in Barrio Italia, which is a great area for shops and restaurants. This was definitely one of my favourite parts of my time in Chile. The café has great vegan food and drinks, and the cats were so lovely!

Overall, I had a fantastic six days spending time with my boyfriend and his family and friends. Next I'll be blogging about our trip to Viña del Mar, Reñaca and Concón!