My Experience In Santiago Chile: Backstage With Guns And Roses, Beautiful Women and Diving With Jelly Fish

“Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses nature leads, or you shall learn nothing”

-Thomas Henry Huxley  (English Biologist)

My Experience In Chile And Lessons On Preconceived Notions

Chile was a very nice surprise indeed…

My initial plans for Chile were to visit an old friend for a few days and then continue into Argentina to travel around Patagonia.

After two months in Peru I had heard my fair share of horror stories regarding Chile and it’s unwelcoming culture. And honestly. I wasn’t feeling too keen on spending much time there.

I was told, amongst other things, that Chileans had a lack of patience for people who didn’t speak Spanish and more or less a collective arrogance towards foreign travelers in general…

Chile is also known to be much more overpriced compared to other countries in South America and in some cases even more than the United States. Which after living in Peru where a meal at a restaurant can cost less than a few dollars, going back to inflated prices didn’t sound too appealing.

I will say however, it’s funny how one adapts to things, because after two months in Peru even a $3 taxi ride sounded expensive. And it oddly became a common practice to seek out two or three taxis just to save a dollar if the price wasn’t right. (In most parts of Peru you agree on a price before you get in the cab.)

But nonetheless, I decided to engage Chile with my best charm to see where it would get me. And not to my surprise, like magic, one of the best periods of my life began to unfold…

Although obvious, it became very clear to me during my time in Chile that other peoples experiences have nothing to do with my own. And how I experience life is a direct result of how I project myself and choose to handle the things that happen to me, whether good or bad.

I have also come to realize that most people just aren’t very good at thinking outside the box and implementing ideas to change their situation into something more positive.

The first part of my plan upon arriving in Chile was to simply smile when I interacted with people and always tried to be my most pleasant self. I have found this one practice alone will ensure you good Karma and good experiences everywhere you go.

In regards to the cost of things, I quickly remedied the situation by renting a studio apartment instead of staying in overpriced hostels every night. I also had a kitchen in my studio so now I could buy my own food and cook at home. Something I actually prefer anyways. This alone saved me hundreds of dollars.

I also became quite adamant on learning the public transit system instead of taking taxis, which turned out to be a very cool, very urban experience.

In fact, I have come to really appreciate the big city lifestyle of living without a car and walking everywhere. It’s healthier, it’s cheaper and you get to become a part of the place your living in. Like Norm on Cheers but in Spanish and…well…not in a bar.

I also found that after a nearly two months of more or less backpacking around Peru, I had an underlying urge to settle somewhere and get back to a routine. I ended up getting a month long membership at a nearby gym, complete with a personal trainer, for less than half what it would have cost me in the States.

I also enrolled in another Spanish language program near my apartment which gave me something constructive to do early in the mornings.

As a result of doing these things, my days became full and my friends became many.

Still, one of my favorite memories of Santiago is waking up, having coffee at the Starbucks located beneath my apartment, taking the subway to school and then getting tortured at the gym by my trainer afterwords. When I finished at the gym, I would return home, work online for four or five hours and then take the subway again to meet friends for a few drinks somewhere in the city. Just living in the heart of it all made life exciting.

I also experienced the 8.8 earthquake that hit Santiago on February 27. I was at a popular night club when the massive quake hit. It was a very interesting thing to witness. I made video of that experience that can be seen here.

In regards to the culture of the city, there is definitely a classy feel about Santiago and it’s no doubt a place known for its chic restaurants, upscale lounges and beautiful women. I have never seen such a dense populous of nightclubs and bars nearly full to capacity every night of the week. People just love to eat, drink, be merry and beautiful in Santiago.

On the last weekend of my time in there, I was out with some lady friends and I had the opportunity to meet the band Guns and Roses. We were in the lounge at the “W” hotel having a few cocktails and realized they were sitting at a table about ten feet from us. I walked over (with a smile) and introduced myself. They were very welcoming and even offered for my friends and I to join them. After a few hours they were getting ready to leave, but not before offering us back stage passes for the next nights concert. It turned out to be the perfect end to my time in Santiago and thus the theme of the video I made.

I used the song November Rain because as I was leaving Santiago this song was a perfect reflection to how I was feeling. I was very sad to leave the city and the friends I had made there. There was a big part of me that even wanted to call Chile home for awhile, still does in fact. But like the song says, “nothing last’s forever” and it’s now time to move on. The page is turning to the next chapter of my life and I can’t wait to see what it says.

What was an experience in your life that turned out to be completely different than someone told you to expect?

Tagged as: digital nomad, freedom architect, Language learning, Learning Spanish in South America, lifestyle design, mobile lifestyle design, south america travel blog, travel blog, travel diary, travel journals, travel writer, work and travel

About The Author of This Blog

Hi, I’m Nate Bunger and the writer and entrepreneur behind this blog.

Over the past several years I've created, managed and sold several different businesses despite never finishing high school, making myself more or less financially free by the age of 25.

I used the realization that we can do anything in life if we are simply willing to set goals, find the answers we seek and never stop until we achieve what we set out for.

I currently teach people how to get clear on their purpose, create habits for massive change and bring their deepest desires into reality.

I operate my business from a Mac laptop while traveling around the world…My dream :)

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