El Segundo Día: la llegada

Today was our first full day in Viña del Mar. We were all pretty groggy from the long flight, but seeing Jorge smiling and waiting for us at the airport definitely brightened my morning. He also introduced us to two Chilean students named Tomás and Marcelo, who were very friendly and welcoming. We asked them some questions about their schooling process, nightlife in Chile, as well as general Chilean culture. Then after going through the stressful process known as immigration and customs, we boarded the bus bound for our hotel. It was so cool to see all of the amazing scenery on the ride. I didn’t know that Chile would be so mountainous.

Once we dropped our stuff off at the hotel, we headed out for some much needed lunch. Those croissants on the plane definitely did not fill us up. We went to a delicious Mexican restaurant named Tiki Taco. Lots of people ordered tacos and enchiladas, all of which looked amazing. I ordered a dish called Seviche, which was a citrus-seafood mix, and tasted delightful. I am so glad that Viña del Mar is on the coast, as it makes for great seafood! After finishing lunch we went for a walk along the beach and took pictures by the rocks.  The area reminded me a bit of Miami. There were lots of street performers, as well as small artesian vendors.

I especially liked the puppet show performers, since it reminded me of the videos we used to watch in my Spanish class.

It’s now almost 7 in the evening, but feels like much later after such a long day of travel. I think tonight we’ll pick up some snacks and maybe get ice cream by the beach. I can already tell It’s going to be tough to leave this place in 2 weeks. Maybe I’ll pick up a few real estate magazines while I’m at the store…