…Then it's not a real winter

Call me a nit-picker, but I'm getting a little sick of all these Cochabambinos bitching and moaning about how cold the "winter" is here. Having been raised in NW Connecticut, I have recently found myself saying things like "You babies wouldn't know winter if it hit you in the eye with an ice-scraper"…or something like that. 

In honor of that, I've decided to jot down a few of the ways that you can tell if your so-called "winter" is the real deal (head's up, Floridians: this one's gonna sting). 

- If this meme doesn't make sense to you...then it's not a real winter (and you need to spend more time on Youtube):

- If you've never been stuck in the house because the snow is too high to get the door open…then it's not a real winter.

- If you don't know what an ice-scraper is (and have at least one in your car)…then it's not a real winter.

- If you can leave laundry out on the line year-round…then it's not a real winter.

- If you can leave your windows open year-round…then it's not a real winter.

- If you can eat ice cream outside year-round…then it's not a real winter.

- If snow tires are non-existent where you live…then it's not a real winter.

- If you have to climb a mountain to see snow…then it's not a real winter.

- If you never see your breath EVER while outside (or inside)…then it's not a real winter.

- If your state/country doesn't have to pass laws about sand versus salt on the roads…then it's not a real winter.

- If you don't know how to make an at-home ice rink in your backyard…then it's not a real winter.

How We Traveled: Chile

Planning on traveling around South America? Check out our plane and bus itineraries from Chile to see if it's right for you.

Regarding flights, it should be noted that my travel buddy flew separately out of Santiago. Therefore, I have provided flight details and costs for both of our itineraries to help anyone planning a trip from within South America or to/from Europe. This information should give you a general sense of costs and times, varying by departure location. 

FLIGHTS:

Route: Santiago (Chile) --> La Paz (Bolivia)

Layover?: Yes, one layover in Iquique (Chile) - 3 hours

Airline: LAN

Duration: 2.5 Hours

Price: $225 (booking made on studentuniverse.com)

Route: London (England) --> Lima (Peru)

                                       +

            Santiago (Chile) --> London (England)

Layover?: Yes, one layover in Madrid (Spain)

Airline: British Airways/Iberia

Duration: 14 hours there / 16 hours back

Price: £1100 = $1677

BUSES:

**While in-country and crossing the Peru/Chile border we only took buses and colectivos. If you have plans to travel within Peru and/or Chile, remember that the distance between destinations can be very far and long. Prices range depending how nice your bus is - all of our buses were fairly high quality, so cheaper (read: less dependable) travel options are available.**

Route: Tacna (Peru) --> Arica (Chile)

Bus Company: **colectivo**

Duration: 2 Hours, including customs/border control

Price (per person): 3,500 pesos = $7

Extra Tax?: No

Overnight?: No

Route: Arica (Chile) --> Iquique (Chile)

Bus Company: Pullman Santa Rosa

Duration: 5 Hours

Price (per person): 7,500 pesos = $15

Extra Tax?: Yes, 200 pesos per person

Overnight?: No

Route: Iquique (Chile) --> La Serena (Chile)

Bus Company: Tur Bus

Duration: 17 Hours

Price (per person): 32,000 pesos = $62

Extra Tax?: No

Overnight?: Yes

Route: La Serena (Chile) --> Santiago (Chile)

Bus Company: Ciktur

Duration: 6.5 Hours

Price (per person): 8,000 pesos = $16

Extra Tax?: No

Overnight?: Yes

Where We Stayed: Chile

**Note: This information pertains to a double room with two beds for each accommodation; prices for singles and larger rooms will vary. 

Websites have been provided when possible.

The breakfast offered at each of these locations is what we called a "South American Breakfast" and is not as comprehensive as an English or American breakfast. Usually this included bread, jam and coffee/tea/juice. Additional foods varied between hostels and included yoghurt, eggs and ham.**

City: Arica (Chile)

Lodging: Hotel Raissa

Cost (per night): 24,000 pesos = $48

Number of Nights: 1

Amenities: Breakfast, Cable TV, Private Bathroom

Staff Spoke English?: No

Notes: The staff at Hotel Raissa were extremely nice and very helpful. However, the room and bathroom were very small and the hot water did not work; the water pressure was so-so. Considering we did not have this problem anywhere else, we counted this as a line in the Con Column. 

Hotel Raissa is about a ten-minute walk into the small town center, where shops and restaurants line either side of the bustling pedestrian street. Arica is not very touristy and not very large, but it is the first town across the Chilean border and a common overnight stop for travelers. 

Overall, this hotel is good for a place to crash for the night, but nothing special. 

City: Iquique (Chile)

Lodging: Hotel Las Dunas

Website: http://www.hotellasdunas.cl/
Cost (per night): 36,000 pesos = $72

Number of Nights: 1

Amenities: Breakfast, Wireless Internet, Cable TV, Private Bathroom, Hair Dryer 

Staff Spoke English?: No

Notes: There is nothing particularly wrong with Hotel Las Dunas: the room was clean, the staff was friendly and helpful, the shower had hot water and great pressure, the television worked and breakfast was easy and simple. However, this hotel is extremely overpriced. In general, Chile is not cheap and Las Dunas was no exception; for a three-star accommodation in a small, non-tourist town we paid the same price as our hotel in Santiago. We didn't book a hotel for Iquique ahead of time, but if we had we likely would have booked elsewhere. 

This part of town (and Iquique in general) isn't very nice - it's safe enough, but not beautiful. If you stay at Hotel Las Dunas or anywhere in the neighborhood, you can walk down to the water in about 15 minutes, and there you will find an industrial shipping area. If you follow the path along the coastline you find the commercial (read: pretty) beaches where locals hang out, swim and surf. There is no real "town center" in Iquique, but the main attractions and businesses follow the ocean coast, more or less.

However, Hotel Las Dunas is about five blocks from the Tur Bus station, which was very convenient; we skipped paying for a taxi and were able to carry our things easily from the hotel to the station. 

City: Santiago (Chile)

Lodging: Nomades Hostel

Website: http://nomadeshostel.cl/wp/
Cost (per night): $70

Number of Nights: 2 nights

Amenities: Breakfast, Wireless Internet, Cable TV, Private Bathroom

Staff Spoke English?: Yes

Notes: We arrived at Nomades Hostel at approximately 7 in the morning, straight off the bus from La Serena. Cold and exhausted, we were slightly peeved by the fact that the woman on night-duty failed to respond to our knocking and bell-ringing for a solid 20 minutes. However, after we were let in we were allowed to check-in and crash in our room hours earlier than anticipated. The owner later apologized for the inconvenience and he even prepared an extra portion of breakfast for us. 

Nomades Hostel is located away from the town center in a neighborhood called Bellavista. Despite multiple warnings that the area was dangerous or "not the nicest", we encountered no issues and never felt unsafe walking around at night. The walk into town is easy (about 45 minutes) and takes you past markets and parks, across the bridge and along the river. 

On your way into town you can stop by the Bellavista market square which houses an abundance of restaurants and small souvenir shops. A little further down the street (closer to the bridge) there is a second set of stalls where you can purchase gifts for friends and family. This area is a seven-minute walk from the hostel. 

The owner of Nomades answered all of our questions, sorted us out with a walking tour and arranged our early-morning cab pick-up on the day we flew out. The hostel has a communal kitchen which the staff encouraged us to use freely for whatever we needed. 

Photo Blog: Chile

A collection of highlights from the Chilean coast all the way down to Santiago!

$659 Chilean pesos for a kilo of red apples (manzanas rojas) in Arica.
The exchange rate in Chile is 500 pesos to the American dollar. 

One of the commercial beaches in Iquique with the city skyline behind it.
About a mile down the coast you'll find the less-pristine industrial shipyard beaches.

A tres leches (three milks) cone and a La Serena sunset. ¡Perfecto!

Street art in La Serena, It says "Neither their church nor their laws will
prevent homosexuals from loving each other. Wake up."

A view from Río Mapocho, a river that divides Santiago in two and is
decorated by an array of local street art. 

Here is a closer look at some street art along the river. The two signs say
"The awakening of the workers" and "The Age/The Century".

Men playing chess in Plaza de Armas in Santiago.

A colorful market stall selling an array of children's toys on the street
in Santiago.

Cracks left in a Santiago building by the 2010 earthquake. Smaller earthquakes
have become so common in Chile that they named a drink after them. The drink
is call terremoto; smaller versions are sold as 'aftershocks'. 

A view of the Andes Mountains (Los Andes) from Cousino Macul Viña,
a family-owned and operated vineyard outside of Santiago.

The empty grape vines at Concha y Toro Viña, which produces more wine than any other
South American vineyard. Its cellars are said to be haunted by el diablo - the devil.