Lizadee

I just visited Chile in November and had an amazing time. The climate was very similar to LA in May/June, and there’s even a little bit of smog – so I felt right at home! The whole country is mountains and ocean, which makes for some amazing views! While there is plenty to do in Santiago (don’t leave without visiting Bellvista or riding the teleferico in the city’s Metropolitan Park), I would reccommend spending a few days outside of the city to get better idea of the different people and culture in different zones. We drove up north, through the beach cities (Valparaiso, Vina del Mar, Zapallar, Cachagua, La Serena) to Valle del Elqui where we stayed a night. Valle is a small town in the middle of the mountains with some of the most beautiful views (see photo). It’s a little bit of a hippie town – there are a lot of palm, tarot and chakra readers.

I loved it so much I’ve been looking for jobs in Chile ever since I came home!

• Eat an alfajore
• Drink a pisco sour, a cafe helado and try some local wine