Oh, cuán lejos llegarás!

That's how the book "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" is translated in Spanish :) Actually, that literally means "Oh, How Far You'll Go!", but whatever. I saw it at Barnes & Noble a couple of weekends ago; it's one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books, and it was cool to see the Spanish version of it. Anyway, tonight I was thinking of the places I've been in Santiago and in Chile, and the places I still want to go. I haven't really been outside of Santiago that much - I've been to Viña, Valpo, El Tabo, a retreat/camp place called Pintué (GORGEOUS countryside), Portillo (ski resort), and Chillán (que fome). Now, where I'd LIKE to go, is a completely different story. Maybe I should just make a list:

- Algarrobo: beach town just a little bit south of Valpo. I absolutely love the beach, and I've heard that Algarrobo is gorgeous, and really nice, so I'd like to visit.
- San Pedro de Atacama: wayyyyy up north... geyser fields, old salt mines, Valle de la Luna... what's not to love? ;)
- Torres del Paine: wayyyyy down south... breathtaking views and great hiking.
- Valdivia: something about it just intrigues me... it has a big German influence, in the architecture, food and overall culture, which I think is really cool. And it just looks beautiful. ;)
- Isla de Chiloé: a completely distinct culture, a different dialect of Spanish, rich history of song and dance.

There are a lot more, but that's a bit of a start! Sadly, I don't know when I'll have the money to actually travel to all of these places... it cost me enough just for the ticket back to Santiago in August! But maybe someday...

For now, I'll just be in Santiago. And here is my list of favorite places in the city:

- Bellavista: awesome by day, PELIGROSO by night. Seriously. I went to a Chilean friend's birthday party at a club called Rockola one night, and was told to get a taxi literally right when I stepped out the door. I was warned NOT to walk down the street any farther than I had to. It's so crazy because Bellavista by day is one of my favorite places to be, I love the Bohemian vibe of it.

- San Cristobal: I think part of the reason I love it so much is that one of the best days I spent in Santiago was when Diego took me on a picnic here. It was really cute actually, he had gotten up extra early to go to Lider and buy everything necessary for the picnic... he had bought this really amazing bread, jamon y queso, drinks, and chocolate pudding for dessert. ;) But besides that, San Cristobal is just a really good place to go for a bike/hike/whatever, with spectacular views at the top.

- Parque Arauco: geez, this mall is nice. I'm fine with just going to Plaza Vespucio or La Florida, but every once in awhile it's nice to go to Parque Arauco... it's like the Beverly Hills of malls in Santiago... or at least to me. ;)

- UVA!!! This place deserves a blog entry to itself. This bar/restaurant we discovered one night by pure accident. I had gone with Diego, his brother, and one of our friends to what we thought was going to be a birthday party at a salsa place... only plans got confused, and the birthday boy didn't show up. So instead of just going back home, we walked up to Plaza Ñuñoa and were just walking on Irarrazaval and saw this place called Uva. Looking in the windows, it didn't seem too crowded, and we were hungry, so we went in... Best.Decision.Ever. We ordered this big plate that had a bunch of different cheeses and sauteed mushrooms - I think it was $6 mil, which wasn't too bad since we split it 4 ways. It was delicious! But besides good food, Uva also has really good amaretto sours, which is my favorite drink. AND a really cool atmosphere, as well as very attentive servers. Overall, one of my favorite places to go out with Diego or some friends and just get a drink and relax. Can't wait to go back in August!

There are more places in Santiago that I like, but that will have to wait for another day because I need my beauty sleep. ;) Chao!