Bus-capades. That’s how I would describe trying to get from the Uyuni Salt Flat back to Peru. The jeep driver told me if I went back to Uyuni, I would be stuck by the roadblock for possibly several days. There was no solution in sight and I was obviously going to miss my scheduled trip to Sucre. He suggested I go through Chile to get back to La Paz and finally to Cusco. Lasting over 2 ½ days, it ended up being the longest bus trip of my life.
NOTE: Döner House has moved to outside the Escuela Militar metro station in Las Condes.
Just a couple blocks from my flat in Santiago, I found a Turkish restaurant, Döner House. I was really excited to find it because I was really missing Turkish cuisine. The owner, Özcan, is also a friendly guy. He’s originally from Istanbul and we had some good conversations about that city and Turkish football. It was also very nice to be able to speak and practice my Turkish in Chile.
I took the 405 bus that runs along Alameda, and a half hour later, I found myself in Vitacura. This posh area is home to some of Santiago’s wealthiest citizens. With tree-lined streets, large homes behind high walls, and lots of small art galleries, I felt like I was in Southern California. I love Southern California, but I don’t mean that positively.
The “village” of Los Dominicos is located in the Las Condes area of Santiago, Chile. You can get there by taking the red line to the very last metro stop.
Las Condes is an area to the east of the historic city center of Santiago. It’s one of several districts collectively known as Santiago Oriente.
Providencia is an area located east of the historic city center of Santiago. It’s one of several districts collectively known as Santiago Oriente.
Across Alameda from Palacio de La Moneda in Santiago, Chile, is Plaza Bulnes. It’s easily noticeable thanks to the massive Chilean flag that flies there.
One of the most recognizable buildings in Santiago is Palacio de La Moneda. It’s the presidential headquarters of Chile, and was built between 1784-1799 by the Spanish as a mint.
