Barrio Brasil on a Sunday afternoon

On the day before I left Santiago for Portillo, I joined Stephanie for a ride on the Metro from Barrio Bellavista towards the West to check out Barrio Brasil. A wealthy Santiaguino from the Los Condes neighborhood in the West suggested I shouldn’t spend too much time in the neighborhoods in the East. He whispered to me: “it’s poor over there.” Stephanie and I went anyway. It was a Sunday afternoon and the streets felt a bit deserted. Perhaps people were cooking meals at home with family. After strolling around, buying some snacks at a local grocery store and scoping out a good café to enjoy a real coffee (the hostel offered Nescafé – …ick), we landed right on the edge of Plaza Brasil. I ordered café con leche (coffee with milk) that was super-strong, giving me a caffeine buzz for the rest of the afternoon.