Aneya: Santiago: Make Out City!

I'm not even kidding. Everywhere you look, people are making out. Waiting for the bus, on the subway, rolling around the grass in the park, in restaurants, in line for the bathroom. It's insane! Screw Paris, Santiago is the real city of love! Latin Americans are known for being passionate people, but I wasn't expecting all this. It reminds me of Paris actually, where you will, undoubtedly, see couples kissing in the streets, the romanticism of the city of lights overtaking them. But that's Paris, that's what you're supposed to do there.

I can't imagine how unbelievably hot these people must be, after a makeout session in 90 degree heat! Ahh, mais, c'est l'amour, the heat does nothing to stop these people from showing their love. It's sweet, really.

People here are definitely more affectionate than Americans (not that that's hard. The only people less affectionate than us are the British) When greeting someone, it's traditional to kiss them once on the cheek (I've seen many guys doing this, which reminds me of the double "bisous" in France. I'm sure Americans would be horrified by the sight of this.)

Families here are also very affectionate, showering their children with hugs and kisses galore. The children here are all so beautiful, and well behaved. The parents seem to give their children plenty of freedom, and yet they don't seem to go too crazy (unless you count swimming in a fountain crazy. Which it kind of is.)

In any case, Santiago is a city filled with people just bursting to show their love for one another. And I kind of like that. (As long as both people are moderately attractive. Otherwise, get a room.)

- Aneya

Aneya & Lauren: It´s hot.

Lauren: Really hot. The heat here is incredible. Like, carry-your-water-bottle-everywhere, can´t-eat-your-ice-cream-before-it-melts, sleep-on-top-of-the-covers, cold showers and 90+ degrees hot. Which makes walking everwhere even more exhausting -- especially when you´re apartment hunting.


Daniela has been amazing taking us everywhere, helping us look for apartments, and making sure we´re not getting ripped off, introducing us to very cool, nice people. With this heat, however, we wake up late, take hour+ siestas, and always wear sleeveless shirts and dresses. Our days are very short, because we get so tired. We never leave the hostel without a bottle of ice water, which we refill everywhere.


Wearing a light cardigan would be inconcievable right now. We step out of the shower, and are instantly dry.

Aneya: Only Lauren would think about wearing a cardigan! But really, she´s not kidding about this. My hair dried in 2.5 seconds when I stepped out of the shower, and I have a LOT of hair.


Lauren: The subways are crowded, and not air-conditioned, which makes them hot, cramped places filled with sweaty people. On the positive side, they are fast, frequent, and clean, but hot.


Aneya: The subways remind me of those in Europe, which are always completely packed and stuffy. We have to remind ourselves NEVER to go during rush hour again, I literally felt like a sardine, pressed against random people, their pits in my face, my hair, presumably, in theirs.

Yesterday, after a grueling day of apartment hunting, Lauren and I decided we deserved some ice cream. So we went to one of the ubiquitous stands, in one of the many parks here, and got us a popsicle. Lounging on the grass felt ridiculously good, but not as good as what the children were doing in front of us. Several kids (and some adults) were bathing in the fountain! In the middle of the park! We couldn´t believe our eyes! The kids were in full on bathing suits, diving into this fountain. One man even appeared to be washing his hair. What a life!

But really, the heat here is intense! It really quite jarring when we first arrived, especially since I was wearing a hoodie and jeans from the flight (Lauren, smarty pants that she is, had brought a change of clothes in her enormous carry on....you know, the one filled with "ground") so that first morning, walking around the packed, pulsating, hot city, I felt like I was gonna die. Or at least faint dramatically. But I did neither, thank god. I just sulked a bit, until we were back in hostel, where I could change and shower. I´m not even bothering to put on makeup anymore, it just sweats right off. I know, me. Sans makeup. Who would have thought? Oh Santiago, you´re changing me already!