Jaunted

Matt Ridgeway, a UK expat who blogs about cities, culture and architecture for Corrugated City, finally arrived with his girlfriend and fellow blogger, Allie. With jetlag still fogging up our brains, we debated on getting a double shot espresso or keeping it zen à la green tea.

I soon found out that there might be a reason why Starbucks hasn’t taken over the coffee culture here--there is none. Caffeine freaks drink Nescafe, which is actually roasted at a local facility and can be found at most restaurants/cafes and carts around town. While there are spots that offer more high-end coffee drinks, Allie is quick to note that since moving here she doesn’t drink as much coffee, simply because Chileans don’t know how to make it properly and it usually ends up sucking! Now that we’ve settled that debate, we’ll let the espresso wars continue between Paris and Italy.

Our second caffeine culture shock came when we discovered that you can’t take anything to go. Say what??? That’s right folks, seems a no "to go" obsession is directly correlated with how calm a city is. We had to confront the fact that we would not be sipping a nice, cold, iced green tea while walking along the winding roads with the Chilean sun beaming down on us. Unlike us hectic Americans, if you’re running late here and need that instant upper, you actually stop, sit down, get your fix and just be well...more late.

So what if Starbucks moved in on Valpo’s laid back territory? After a day liberated from our safety cup, we realized this just might be the one town Starbucks wouldn’t be able to get going on its terms.

UK expat and blogger Matt Ridgeway with his girlfriend and fellow blogger, Allie.

Other reliable spots for caffeine fixes are cafes in Barrio Puerto. Here are the Italian chain Segafredo and Lord Byron cafes.

A wilder alternative is the eclectic boutique/cafe, Paradernalika, on Cerro Alegre.

Related Stories:
· Chile Travel Stories [Jaunted]
· Shira in Chile [Jaunted]