We found Victor on the Internet and I am so glad we did. In a building across from Santa Lucia park, in downtown Santiago, Victor owns/lets 8 apartments. There are amazing views from our balcony! He has allowed us to book for our different intervals and more importantly, maintain a duffel in the building when we are gone. That duffel allows us to choose clothes for each segment, for backpacker clothes in Bolivia, for the very cold of Patagonia to the very warm temperatures we will encounter in our South American summer. Much less the formal nights for the Christmas and New Year holidays onboard ship.
We found concerts in the park and a wonderful museum of pre-Columbian art on our own in Santiago, along with learning their subway system. We found an operator who used e-bikes to lead tours of the city park system. We loved every minute of the tour because when it was hilly you had additional assistance in climbing. We saw the city from the highest point, where there is a statue to the Virgin Mary. We bicycled through the sculpture parks, and the city park busy with families on a Sunday afternoon. We travelled 17 miles and were not exhausted at all. This could be life changing. We had some long rides in mind (Spain, Germany, France) but hesitated with the wear and tear factor. This is a game changer.