Exploring a city – Finding new places in Santiago!

One of the things that annoyed me the last time I was visiting Santiago, was the lack of good cafe’s (like Starbucks) to work from in the center. The only place I found out there was a Starbucks was in Providencia, which is a bit a way from the the center.

This time I started to look at Foursquare, which has this neat function called “Explore”; which gives me a easy way to see nearby places. Furthermore it groups places like “Coffee Shops”, “Nightlife” or “Pubs” if you are looking for a place to enjoy a pint. This is the function that let me to find the Starbucks close to my hotel, that I would otherwise never have found – which is currently my second office, in lack of better places with WiFi connection and coffee.

So even though you are located in South America, where the usage of these Apps probably are small in relations to the US or Europe, it is actually very useful. With the location features (instantly find a route with your phone) and the comments on different places, you easily find and discover new places in the city, that you would otherwise never have seen. I have tried out a few just based on the recommendations on Foursquare.

It also shows that even in South America, local businesses should integrate to these new social media apps. There seems to exist a few specials here (both in Lima and in Santiago), but there is still a long way to go. Lets hope for a more connected future in South America, as smartphones and 3G gets more and more spread out in these countries.

Opportunities in Chile
Monday the 14th of March I will jump on a plane to Santiago de Chile. Hopefully I will find an apartment within maximum a few weeks, and I will be living in Santiago for at least 6 months. Santiago is a buzzing city if you hear the rumors, and though also a lot more expensive than Lima, it is a developed city with South America’s most extensive and modern metro system.

Besides the infrastructure which is much more orderly in Santiago, it also seems like a promising city based on the local tech startup scene and investment offers. Start-Up Chile sounds very interesting, but it also sounds as a promising city for a startup culture, and the aspect of getting in touch and networking with other startups, developers and investors. Not to forget that thanks to the working holiday visa it seems like it is pretty easy getting a 12-month residency visa, when coming from Denmark.

2 years in Lima, Peru…

It is hard to believe that it is almost 2 years ago since I came to Peru for the first time. The time has been flying by, and though the things did not go exactly the way I wanted, the last couple of years have been a great experience. I have learned a lot about the culture and working with people here in Peru (as well as the rest of South America), and it has been a great time living in Lima. It is really a city that you will both love and hate.

I have experienced so many things here in Lima the last 2 years, and somehow the city will always be in my heart. While I am selling the last of my stuff and preparing for the 14th of March, I will try to enjoy a bit of the summer and the company of the many great friends I have made here. It is not easy to digg up the roots and start all over in a new country, but it will be an exciting challenge. A big thanks go out to all great people I have met, who have supported and helped me during my time in Lima.

Thats also means that I have now made a website for Hostal Nuevo Amanecer.

I’ve pretty much just rested, all the time I’ve been here in San Pedro. The first couple of days, I where sleeping all day. Since then I’ve gotten a little better, but still coughing alot.

Sebastian trying to make a 360

I went sandboarding with Sebastian, a friend I met here last time, at saturday, and went out drinking a couple of beers with him after – but besides then, I havent really done anything. Just relaxing and trying to get off the cold.
It was my plan to go to the Cejas yesterday with Odile, but she had to work – today I wanted to go to the Lagoons, but I’m not sure I can do that now, as its getting a little late. Tomorrow I’m proberly going to the Puritama hot springs with Sebastian – and hopefully some girls we met, when they were looking for a hostal.

Wedneysday I’m leaving for Bolivia, taking a 3-day trip to Uyuni. From Uyuni I’ll be taking a bus friday night to Sucre, where I’ll be spending the next month learning spanish..