Kelvin and I just started our first international trip away from two kids. We previously left Iver (then two and a half) with Kelvin's parents in 2017 to go to Iceland with Kat and Eddie (which was awesome!), and then did a three-day getaway to Arizona and Utah this past summer, but this was the longest we'd planned to be away, in order to do a "bucket list item" trip to Patagonia (which seemed like it'd be impossible with children in tow).
There is definitely a little bit of mom guilt, as watching our two little ones isn't a walk in a park (at least for us!). There was also a bit of late flight/travel anxiety which is unusual for me (...what if we crash in the Andes and leave our kids orphans for what was elective travel; we will also be "off the grid" without electricity or Wifi for a few days), but I know that having such breaks from parenthood is so important for my (our) mental health and our bonding as a couple. Traveling with children is very low on my list of fun things to do-- I seem to hanve even lost some appetite for travel in general these days (due to how much advance planning, coordinating, and energy it takes), but I was really looking forward to this trip, knowing that the kids were in great hands with K's parents and family and we could actually have something that amounted to a true "vacation".
We had a 10-hour late afternoon flight from LA to get to Santiago, Chile (country #62 for me!), landing at 7 a.m. All went smoothly (some movie-watching, some sleep, bags arrived, and our airport hotel even let us do early check in for free!) and we had the whole sunny day to enjoy the capital city.
We rode the airport bus downtown and headed to the Plaza de Armas for a walking tour.
The walking tour guide, Leon, took us by many of the central Santiago landmarks, including the former hall of Congress (now located in the city of Valparaiso) and the Presidential Palace (with statue of former socialist president, Salvador Allende) in the plaza in front.
We walked by the Opera house, which has performances that run for a mere $7 (and even cheaper if you're a student or youth!).
After the tour, we wandered to the Mercado Central and the less touristy market La Vega across the Río Mapocho.
We enjoyed a lovely seafood lunch (ceviche for me!) and toasted with Pisco.
(Leon had told us that Chilean food is not that impressive, and suggested we choose Peruvian options instead!)
He did tell us about the Chilean "Piscola," a mixed drink combining Pisco liqueur with either coke (negra) or sprite (blanca), but we didn't get a chance to try it.
We then wandered back to the foot of Cerro San Cristobal (named by the Spanish conquistadors that founded the city) which includes one of the largest public parks in South America.
Because we were pretty tired from the previous walking and the 90-degree heat, we opted to take the funicular up to the top rather than doing the 60-min uphill hike (with much more hiking to come on this trip!).
The hilltop has, in addition to 360-degree city views, a sanctuary dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and a 22-meter-tall statue of the Virgin Mary.
We enjoyed a Chilean special drink, mote con huesillo, a nectar-like non-alcoholic beverage made with dried peaches, sugar, cinnamon, and mixed with cooked husked wheat, before descending the hill back to town. (The price of 1000 Chilean pesos amounts to about $1.25).
The city was really easy to navigate and it was a lovely (hot!) first day in the country.. we're on to the (cooler) south (and little to no connectivity) next!
There is definitely a little bit of mom guilt, as watching our two little ones isn't a walk in a park (at least for us!). There was also a bit of late flight/travel anxiety which is unusual for me (...what if we crash in the Andes and leave our kids orphans for what was elective travel; we will also be "off the grid" without electricity or Wifi for a few days), but I know that having such breaks from parenthood is so important for my (our) mental health and our bonding as a couple. Traveling with children is very low on my list of fun things to do-- I seem to hanve even lost some appetite for travel in general these days (due to how much advance planning, coordinating, and energy it takes), but I was really looking forward to this trip, knowing that the kids were in great hands with K's parents and family and we could actually have something that amounted to a true "vacation".
We had a 10-hour late afternoon flight from LA to get to Santiago, Chile (country #62 for me!), landing at 7 a.m. All went smoothly (some movie-watching, some sleep, bags arrived, and our airport hotel even let us do early check in for free!) and we had the whole sunny day to enjoy the capital city.
We rode the airport bus downtown and headed to the Plaza de Armas for a walking tour.
Cathedral
The walking tour guide, Leon, took us by many of the central Santiago landmarks, including the former hall of Congress (now located in the city of Valparaiso) and the Presidential Palace (with statue of former socialist president, Salvador Allende) in the plaza in front.
We walked by the Opera house, which has performances that run for a mere $7 (and even cheaper if you're a student or youth!).
The Financial District ("Nueva York" of Santiago)
We wandered through a few different barrios or neighborhoods including Bellavista, and he pointed out lots of (recent) graffiti painted by protesters who are objecting to abuses of police and government, among other things. It was sad to see much of downtown discolored by the violence (traffic lights broken, monuments defaced, park benches moved to form barricades) but especially sad to hear of all the casualties and injuries sustained (it was too early in the day for us to be at all unsafe walking around the city, he assured us).
City sign which made us think of our oldest
After the tour, we wandered to the Mercado Central and the less touristy market La Vega across the Río Mapocho.
The cats apparently are like "employees" of the market, scaring away the mice
We enjoyed a lovely seafood lunch (ceviche for me!) and toasted with Pisco.
(Leon had told us that Chilean food is not that impressive, and suggested we choose Peruvian options instead!)
He did tell us about the Chilean "Piscola," a mixed drink combining Pisco liqueur with either coke (negra) or sprite (blanca), but we didn't get a chance to try it.
We then wandered back to the foot of Cerro San Cristobal (named by the Spanish conquistadors that founded the city) which includes one of the largest public parks in South America.
Because we were pretty tired from the previous walking and the 90-degree heat, we opted to take the funicular up to the top rather than doing the 60-min uphill hike (with much more hiking to come on this trip!).
We enjoyed a Chilean special drink, mote con huesillo, a nectar-like non-alcoholic beverage made with dried peaches, sugar, cinnamon, and mixed with cooked husked wheat, before descending the hill back to town. (The price of 1000 Chilean pesos amounts to about $1.25).
The city was really easy to navigate and it was a lovely (hot!) first day in the country.. we're on to the (cooler) south (and little to no connectivity) next!
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