Strolls, jogs, rides and hikes

The best way to know a city is to go for a run in it. While I did try to eke out a run in every city I was in but combatting the forces of extreme cold, late night sleeps, early-morning buses meant that there were places I just couldn't.

Chile is a heaven for nature lovers. Almost all the cities I stayed in, had national parks and/or trails and nature walks in or near them. And the benevolent and thoughtful roads, having a dedicated cycling lane in almost all the cities, small and big, I stayed in.

Staying healthy and working your body out has always been a challenge while I am travelling. Chile was a bigger challenge, with its beers, the vines, hefty fried empanadas, the sauce-laden completos, and the endless pit of papa fritas on the sides of hamburgers. And to imagine this onslaught of this food for 5 weeks straight. The thought made me get up from my cozy and warm beds and haul my caboose out on the streets in the cold.

Santiago Marathon

One of the best atmospheres I have ever run in, Maraton de Santiago was a treat. Running through the metropolis' streets - historic and modern alike - as Santiaguinos cheered our hoards.

I have written a much more detailed race report, because it deserves one(link). 

City Runs

Morning runs through the cities were surreal. Be it the ninos sauntering about to their schools, or the young adults going picking themselves up after a night of partying or having animated drunk conversations about life, the universe and everything, or not taking the cosmic hint and still partying like no tomorrow (Looking at you, Arica), or people commuting to or going about their daily work, setting up their shops, or navigating traffic, or trooping to their place of work with their cappuccinos, or the slow, relaxed ambling of the morning walkers - these early morning runs were where I felt the pulse of the city best.

Hikes

Chile's national parks are a treasure. I wish I had the time to explore more of the country's well-preserved nature - the calming glacial lakes, the gigantic volcanos, the rivers and the forests with a colourplay so vibrant, you could stop and look at it for hours.

I did a day hike through the Parque Nacional Huerquehue near Pucon, then another in the famous Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine and then a small trek called the Cerro Banderas(Strava Link) in the city of Puerto Williams (the most beautiful of them all!) 

Cycling

I could rave about the cycling culture in Chile without and end, but I could only manage one cycling outing - in Pucon, to a lake and back to the city. Probably outside of Santiago and Valparaiso, cycling is a great way to get around the city and the explore the environs and nature outside the city on your own.

Walking in Calles-Sin-Salidas

There is always something interesting going on in the streets. Aimless wandering through the streets and the avenues would always throw up something. An sassy sign-board with a wordplay, a nice mural, a giant graffiti on the building side-wall, a friendly street dog, a nice place to eat and other miscellaneous, mildly interesting observations. I have a separate post on these put-a-smile-on-your-face snippets that I bumped into in the streets of Chile. (Blog Post)