In case you missed it, I finally ventured out of North America! Last November, I put my passport to use to travel to South America. And here’s how it went.
Pilot
Phone – charged. Headphones – charged. Compression socks – on. Without selecting our seats, we got extremely lucky with seats right across the aisle from each other. I was ready for the 9.5-hour flight to Santiago.
If you’re going anywhere on the west coast of South America, chances are high you’ll be flying in and out of Santiago. Our itinerary was essentially built around Santiago for that reason. It was one full day in Santiago, 3 nights in Mendoza, flying back to Santiago for a night, then turning around and flying to Puerto Natales to explore Patagonia and Torres del Paine.
Hello Sunny Santiago
Only 12 hours later, after an unfortunate medical emergency that took a little over 2 hours to take off, we landed in Santiago, Chile. Customs were a breeze, and within hours of arrival, we were ready to hit the town.
It was maybe 10 in the morning by the time we got checked into our place. We swapped our flying clothes out for some sundresses and ventured for some food. I think I was actively saying “Wow what a beautiful day – look how many people are out and about!” when a man on a motorcycle noomed onto the sidewalk and snatched Ads’ phone out of her hands. Within the first two hours of our trip.
The jet lag wore off really quickly.
The shock was one thing – for your phone to be ripped out of your hand. It was another that all of our confirmations/reservations were on there. It was the last thing that I had been planning on a digital detox, and I had not set up my phone to be used internationally. All that to say – we were stuck.
We went back to the hotel so I could connect to the wifi and she could get her iPad to clean her phone off. They were kind enough to connect us with the police, whom we spent the next few hours searching around the city following her phone’s location – thanks, Find My Friends. Not only did the police take a serious interest in finding it, but one of the girls from the hotel climbed into the cop car with us to translate, yet we had no luck.
Drinking Our Way Through Malbec Mendoza
That was the plan, anyway.
After an iffy start to our trip, we were very excited to find ourselves in Mendoza, Argentina. The first thing on the agenda was a cooking class, which I was very excited for, considering a cooking class was on my 30 Before 30 list and I love empanadas. Then we were going to ride the culinary high around the wineries on a Michelin-rated food tour.
The Local Cooking Class
The cooking class was incredible. Argentina is known for having some of the best beef in the world, and we got our fix with 4 different kinds of empanadas, a perfectly cooked steak, chimichurri, traditional cookies, and our first few tastes of the local Malbecs.
We met the most incredible people at this class. Our chefs were siblings who had wanted to meet new people, and we were joined by three other people from Germany – a brother and sister, and another woman who was meeting with her friends in Patagonia.
Get to the Wine
All I can say about the wineries is… wow. They were stunning. Surrounded by grapes, then surrounded by mountains in every direction, it was an actual dream.
Tasting for 2! We were all in. The food was out of this world. Michelin is a little out of my price range in the states, so you know we had to take advantage.
That being said, there were some issues.
After returning to our digs post cooking class, it started. My stomach was in shambles. I spent the night curled up against the toilet. Could it be food poisoning? Was my stomach upset from my antibiotics?
So we thought! Except it lasted for 3 full days. I couldn’t be further than 3 minutes away from the bathroom at all times. As you can imagine, this made the food and wine tastings a little less than enjoyable. Note to self – don’t drink the water, even if everyone else is.
Even if I wasn’t able to enjoy the food and wine, I was still able to appreciate the views. And one thing I can say about Argentina – the people were so very kind. I had expressed to a server at one of our tastings that I was unable to eat and wouldn’t be participating. He provided me with a small steak, plain rice, and endless tea and juice – free of charge. It meant everything to me in that moment.
Get Me to Patagonia
Needless to say, after a series of unfortunate events, we were ready for the most exciting part of the trip: Patagonia.
Because this part of the world was basically untouched until recent years, it was a bit of a trek to access. We flew into Puerto Natales, then took a shuttle all the way down to Torres del Paine. This was the greatest decision of the entire trip, and our hotel was out of this world; with views beyond belief, a lamb roast, wild horses, and access to the trails we were headed to.
I had wanted to see Patagonia for years, and I was so excited! I was a little nervous at the time I agreed to the 13-mile hike to the Base of the Horns, but I was a whole different level of nervous when I hadn’t been able to keep any food down the days prior.
I felt a great sense of relief when we did a test hike on the first day there. I can honestly say I had never seen anything like it. The native plants, the turquoise waters, the variation in rock formations—it was all incredible. The short 3-mile loop restored my confidence in the 13-mile trek we had the next day.
The Hike
The hike to the horns is something I will never forget. We were met with three other groups: a group of women from the northeast who were friends/family, a couple from New York, and a man joined by his 78-year-old grandfather from Argentina (put a pin in this).
Naturally, we were sorted into two different groups as everyone set their own pace. We were joined in the first group with the group of women. It was such a unique experience going from complete strangers to each other’s cheerleaders within a day’s work. By the last and most difficult stretch of the hike, the energy and support of the group were the only things that got us to the top.
Remember when I mentioned the 78-year-old man from Argentina? That altered my brain chemistry. When their group arrived to the top, he had apologized to everyone for taking so long. Meanwhile, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to make it up to the top. It was truly inspirational to see someone of that age be in such phenomenal shape, and it made me rethink my entire life.
In Summary
In summary, this trip had a lot of highs, both in spirit and elevation. But dang, the lows were low. Even with so much preparation, we still went through so many unfortunate challenges on this trip. But like all things, it made us value the highs so much more.
We also met some of the most extraordinary people from all over the world. I highly recommend this trip for anyone who is looking for a little solitude with remarkable scenery (and maybe some malbec).
Key Takeaways
- Bring an old phone and purchase a SIM card to carry around with you. Leave your actual phone at the hotel.
- Don’t drink local water – ever.
- Compression socks are a game-changer for long flights.
- Create a spreadsheet with all your reservations, confirmation codes, dates, and addresses. Share it with everyone on the trip.
- Guided hikes are the way to go.
- Test your gear before leaving.
- Prioritize active trips now and take care of your body so you can do cool stuff when you’re older.
- Hiking poles make all the difference.
- Local cooking classes are an extraordinary way to meet people,
- Check embassy site on cities before visiting.
Shut Up Madi 
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