SANTIAGO, Chile—Greetings from Santiago, a beautiful city nestled against the Andes, with the views of Salt Lake and the smog of Shanghai.
We stayed at the DoubleTree Kennedy, in a district named for the American President, where we enjoyed below average check-in cookies but an above average breakfast buffet.
Much like Argentina, Chile’s exchange rate with the U.S. dollar is nearly 1,000-to-1. So though I paid $7,000 for an old fashioned, my cocktail was refreshingly economical.
I took a hike with my companions up San Cristobal to the statue of the Immaculate Conception. The top of the hill, 863 meters above sea level, also features a stone chapel and an amphitheater for Masses.
For dinner, we took advantage of a unique opportunity and ate at Chili’s, which tasted just like an American Chili’s minus the ranch, which they clearly had just made from sour cream and a couple spices. My friend ordered a Triple Dipper, which is also the nickname of this South American trip in which we hit Buenos Aires, Santiago, and Quito.
Steve Miller's Writing Portfolio 