Besides Gin, Coffee is my favorite drink; luckily, I drink more Coffee than Gin. I encountered famous coffee countries like Colombia and Bolivia during my world trip. But Vietnam smashed it; I learned so many new types of coffee, so many new tastes, and so many new ways to serve it.
Surprisingly, all coffees, like a cappuccino, can be ordered hot or cold, even those you won’t imagine drinking cold.
It was a cultural shock to go from Chile to Japan, and I immediately got a second one from Japan to Vietnam. Vietnam has something special: remarkable nature, even more excellent food, a fantastic coffee culture, and very friendly and serving people. But for sure, there is no light without dark… but let’s start from the beginning.
The beginning and the end of my trip to Japan was Tokyo. A kind of city that is rare. It’s big and shiny, blinking everywhere, with craziness at every corner, but on the other hand, it’s full of religious shrines and temples and organized like a German bureaucracy.
Osaka was the most Western city. It is known as the “Nations Kitchen “of Japan. This is because it has historically been a significant city for trade and commerce and is home to a wide variety of delicious food. No wonder I took a food tour here again. I will explain the food I experienced in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto to keep all Japanese food together.
As the former capital of Japan, Kyoto is full of historical sites and UNESCO world heritages. I took the Shinkansen train from Tokyo, and after exactly 2 hours and 13 minutes, I arrived as scheduled in Kyoto.
Kyoto and its historical sites were definitely among my highlights in Japan.
Kyoto is famous for its old town, so walking around is strongly recommended. For all Starbucks lovers: It’s the first Starbucks in a traditional Japanese house called a machiya. But I also walked around and tested local sweets; it was worth it!
As the concept of having a hub worked out very well with Buenos Aires, I did it again with Santiago de Chile. Over four weeks, I was flying in and out. My trips from here have been to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Valparaiso, and Patagonia. As I was always returning to the same hotel, it was easy to leave my luggage there only to take what I needed.
When entering the airport to head to Easter Island, you already feel something special will happen. Even if it’s still Chile (the only existing flight is going from Santiago de Chile), you have to pass special customs. You need an ESTA-like VISA, you need approval, and you pass an extra security just for flying to Easter Island. But it’s worth it that five days have been one of the highlights of my world trip! But let’s start with some basics.
Two hours bus ride from Santiago, you can visit the small town of Valparaíso. Some agencies are even offering day tours to Valparaíso. I decided to stay for four days in this lovely little town. Valparaíso bursts with vibrant energy, its colorful houses cascading down steep hills like a whimsical tumble of Legos. You can take a ride on the historic funiculars, soak in the bohemian vibes of Cerro Alegre, and admire the UNESCO-protected architecture, a legacy of the city’s 19th-century maritime boom.
One of the biggest attractions in Patagonia is Torres del Paine, where Torres is “Towers” in Spanish and “Paine” means blue in an old local dialect. So “Blue Towers”
The name comes from three prominent “towers”, stone pinnacles, in the middle of the massive mountain. Still, that national park has so much more: lakes, glaciers, lodges, ice, sun, animals, and, in general, a beautiful landscape.
Going to Patagonia, you have two options to enter on the Chile side: Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales. Both have an airport, and a convenient bus connection between these two exists.
I flew from Santiago to Punta Arenas, and after four days, I took a bus to Puerto Natales and left from that airport after five more days.