The Andes Hostel:
A community of its own
By: Thomas Joa
Photos: Amy Sullivan
From behind the front desk, Raniro Lago see’s the diverse group of guests who pass through the Andes Hostel each day.
The Andes Hostel is just one of over 100 hostels located in Santiago, Chile.The Hostel is located at Monjitas 506, right across the street from the Bellas ArtesMetro Station. On the building behind the station are two giant murals painted by Chilean muralist Inti. The hostel itself is blue and has two Chilean Flags hanging from the building. It sticks out from the other buildings on the street which makes it easy for travelers and taxis to locate.
These murals, done by Chilean street artist Inti, can be seen from thedownstairs window of the hostel. There is a lot of street art all over the Bellas Artesarea.
The Andes Hostel is a place for travelers from all over the world to stay for cheap, as low as $20 a night, and experience the city. From the art to the restaurants and parks, Belles Artes is an area meant to show people the culture and history of Santiago. What makes the Andes Hostel different from others is that it reflects the culture of the Chilean people.
“They are so open minded as people, especially when you are from abroad,”Andrea Overbye says. “People are really welcoming and helpful and they are always smiling. It is pretty cool.”
Overbye, 19, is from Aalborg Denmark and studied in Santiago in 2013 and 2014. She stayed at the Andes Hostel during a visit to Chile in July 2015. Overbyesays she really liked the area during her exchange program and it was a major reason she chose to stay at the hostel during her next visit.
“Bellas Artes is my favorite area,” Overbye says. “It is a really nice place if you don’t know Chile and you want to know Santiago and want to be laid back.”
Overbye says she had a great experience at the hostel and a main reason for that was the environment she was in. She says that everyone she met was nice andshe enjoyed being able to have genuine conversations with the staff and the otherguests at the hostel.
Overbye says, “As a Danish person, it is pretty awesome because everyone is like hey where are you from and they are interested in you as a person.”
It felt like a family gathering.”
Overbye is one of many people who said they had a great experience at the hostel. Kristen Fowler a junior English major at the University of Alabama also stayed in the hostel in July 2015 during a study aboard program. Fowler says that everyone she met was very helpful in getting her acclimated to the country.
“It was my first time leaving the country and they were all super understanding of that,” Fowler says.
Fowler says her experience was a positive one and that she felt like she made a lot of new friends. She says that people liked to congregate in the community areas like the lobby and the kitchen, which made it very easy to meet people. She says that everyone was very open with each other and that the staff was very friendly and helpful.
“You walk in and you make friends with the front desk people,” Fowler says.“If the people there know the city they take you out with them and if they don’t you all go out and make mistakes and experience it together.”
The dining room in the basement of the hostel is a good place for people to meet. There is breakfast and hot coffee in the mornings and the kitchen is available for personal use in the afternoons.
Fowler says she really enjoyed the community feel to the hostel and it made her feel comfortable early during her stay. She says that she never felt out of place during her stay and often looked forward to just returning to the hostel after a dayout in the city.
“It was really homey,” Fowler says. “It was nice to get back and even if there were random people down in the lobby you could go down and have a conversation with them. It felt like a family gathering.”
The front entrance of the Andes Hostel depicts scenes of comradery. Guest who walk through the glass doors often find these kinds of connection with the strangers they meet there.
Lago, a native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, says he has been working at the Andes Hostel for about five weeks and has noticed that it is different from the other hostels he has worked at. Lago says that he used to work at a hostel in New Zealand where people worked to pay their way and most of the residents were in their 20s and 30s. He says the Andes Hostel is different from that because their guests come from every demographic. Lago says that he enjoys working at hostels because they are a great way experience different cultures.
“I like dealing with different people and speaking new languages,” Lago says.“It’s nice working with diverse people.”
Lago says that he feels the area around the hostel is a great place for visitors to stay. He says that it is a central area and that there is easy access to the metro, restaurants and parks. Lago says the hostel and the area around it are a great place to visit because a traveler can do everything on every possible budget.