During our free walking tour of Valparaiso

My best friend came to visit last month! My roommate from USC, Gaby, is studying abroad in Sao Paulo right now and she visited me in Santiago for a week and a half.
The first weekend she was here, we went to the winery Concha y Toro, about an hour outside of downtown Santiago. I loved the winery tour, but we didn't get to tour the vineyard because it was down-pouring. The next day, school was cancelled because of all the flooding around Santiago, so it was nice just hanging out and not having to stress about school or work.

A drenched tour of Concha y Toro winery

While she was here, we did basically all the touristy things you can think of in Santiago. We went to Cerro San Cristobal, the zoo, Patio Bellavista, discotecas in Bellavista, Santa Lucia artisan shops, museums, and even a day trip to Valparaiso.

At the Santiago Zoo on Cerro San Cristobal

It was fun to go to new places in Santiago, but the best part of it was just hanging out with Gab. It was really nice to have another familiar face in Santiago. The hardest part of being in the IBA program is missing everyone at USC for two semesters, so I definitely needed this visit. Also, it's a once in a lifetime experience that I get to explore some of South America with my best friend.

Less than a month until I can visit her in Sao Paulo!