We were only in Chile for one night, so didn't have much time to wander around the city. It took us a while to find the hostel, but fortunately my friend's Spanish eventually led to a passing van-driver ripping out a page of his address book. In terms of sights, it was pretty much just the funicular up the hill to see a huge statue of Mary. There was also a pleasant park, with another large statue, this time with a more revolutionary theme. If I remember rightly, it was something to do with Simón Bolívar (1783-1830), a major figure in South American history.
The main excitement happened without us, while we were drinking with various people staying at the same hostel. There was an international football match that night, between Chile and Brazil. It resulted in a draw, which for some reason caused a huge riot. When the few travelers who had ventured outside got back, one of them was missing part of his ear along with his wallet, and they were all reeking of tear gas. I hate to think what would have happened if one of the teams had lost!
< New Zealand ::: Ecuador >
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