I arrived in Santiago a few days early last month (August 2008) to enjoy the city prior to a three-week business trip throughout Chile and Peru.  I spent the first day recovering from my overnight flight from New York City and discovered La Bicicleta Verde while browsing online for interesting things to do in Santiago.   

With all due respect to the wonderful historical and cultural landmarks in Chile and elsewhere, I’ve had my share of museums and churches in my travels around theworld.  Is it just me, or do they all look alike after a while? 

Why wander around aimlessly, guidebook and map in hand?  Why sit on a double-decker tour bus with some guide yelling at you through a loudspeaker?  When you go on a tour “package” do you feel like you’re the one being “packaged?”   

No, I wanted to feel Santiago and experience it from an insider’s perspective.  I had already walked around parts of the city and now it was time for La Bicicleta Verde.     

My guide was Rodolfo, an engaging young man with strong feelings for his native Santiago and a sincere interest in his clients and their backgrounds.  His English was perfect, which was good news since my Spanish is essentially useless.   

Since it was just the two of us, we decided to forego the company’s trademark green bicycles and rode Trek mountain bikes up San Cristobal Hill.  We talked while sipping a local drink at the summit and looking at city below.  

I learned a lot about Chile and, as is often the case when talking with foreigners, also learned something about myself and my own country.          

We stopped at Pablo Neruda’s house and rode through Barrio Bellavista.   I told Rodolfo that Bellavista and its bustling street life reminded me of Greenwich Village in New York City.   

We wove our way through a large, covered marketplace and stopped at a little lunch stand, where we had Italiano sandwiches (so-called because the colors of the Italian flag are represented by the ketchup, mayonnaise and guacamole toppings).  Rodolfo laughed when I said we called these sandwiches “hot dogs” in the US.   

When I got back home, I told a street vendor in the Little Italy section of New York that if he added a little guacamole his hot dogs would be Italianos.  He laughed, too.  New Yorkers are always thinking about business, and I suspect that he’s since added guacamole to his hot dogs and is now marketing them as Italianos. 

After our tour and at Rodolfo’s suggestion, I walked across the river, past the museum and up Santa Lucia Hill.  This was an extremely easy and short climb.  The Fort at the summit was fascinating and offered a nice view of the city.  Afterwards, I walked back to Bellavista and had dinner at a restaurant that Rodolfo had recommended.   

I then took the subway back to my hotel at the other end of the city.  It had been a great day and one that I will not soon forget. 

I highly recommend La Bicicleta Verde.  It is a well-run, reasonably priced and responsible outfit under the command of Peter Lewis, a transplanted American (“American” as in from the USA, that is).  They will customize your tour based on the number of clients, their fitness levels and their interests.  La Bicicleta Verde will provide helmets and water and has different bikes to suit your skills and comfort.     

You’ll avoid heavy traffic on your tour and will travel along quaint streets where your safety and security is assured.  La Bicicleta Verde is easily accessible by subway.  It is in the safe downtown area overlooking the river that runs through the center of Santiago. 

By the way, I went skiing at Valle Nevado the next day and had a magnificent time, except that I missed the personal interaction and camaraderie that I had on my bike tour…. 
 

Steve Powell

New York NY USA 

September 2008