Remarkably unremarkable Santiago
Trip Start
Jun 14, 2009
1
40
49
Trip End
Dec 24, 2009
Santiago, Chile
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
We were heading to Santiago and our first taste of Chile. Chile is one of those anomalies in South America. People generally don`t know a hell of a lot about it, despite it being one of the wealthiest nations in all of South America. It doesn´t dress up in feathers and a bikini like Brazil, shouting "look at me, look at me", nor does it have any infamous qualities like that of Venezuela or Colombia. No, Chile is the quiet achiever amongst South American nations, silently getting on with things.
And two things it does get on with are strikingly similar to New Zealand: producing good quality wine and nominating woman to the helm of the nation (in Chile´s case Mrs. Michelle Bachelet). Since arriving in Chile Renee and I have seen political banners plastered everywhere. There is an election in early December and the race is a hotly contested one. My money is on Michelle Bachelet. Not only is her approval rating very high in the country, but she is both a pediatrician and a graduate of military studies. Does this bring to mind an army of killer AK47 wielding babies to anyone other than me?
I´m getting ahead of myself here. Before battling with killer infants we had Santiago to experience. The first impression was how striking the city looked. The city is surrounded by both the Andes Mountains and the Cordillera de la Costa range, and the city itself is huge. Thanks to three decades of uninterrupted economic growth Santiago is one of the most modern cities in South America and home to the majority of the population in Chile. This has meant, for the first time on this trip, a 21st century transportation system that includes an airport bus and wait for it, a subway system! This was much needed for Renee and I. As a result of (1) our adventures in South America ending in 4 weeks and (2) Ecuador having some of the best craft markets in South America Renee and I now resemble a backpack fashion show. We´re fully loaded when we´re on the move, with just legs and a head peaking out of multiple racksacks.
We headed to the "party" area of Santiago - Bellavista - where we were staying for the two nights we were in town. City planning in the area seems to have occurred with the following statement occurring more often than it needed to:
"Hey, what other buildings do we need in Santiago?"
"Dunno....ummmmm.....another University?"
"Yes!"
Chilean culture considers education, particularly higher education, as the way to a better live. As a result there are universities everywhere; we passed three on the two minute walk from the tube station to our hostel alone. As a result there are also students everywhere, and where there are students there are always countless cheap places to eat and drink. And by cheap I mean "you sit outside on a plastic stool and buy the beer by the litre" kind of establishment. Due to it also being one of Santiago´s oldest areas however, the outside plastic bars were uniquely mixed with insanely expensive restaurants ("Some Sushi for $40US Sir?").
Having made it to our eighth country in South America we thought we´d celebrate so we dropped the bags off at the hostel and joined in the fun (with the students, not the suits) by grabbing a table and indulging in a couple of beers outside. Because of the unique and vibrant mix it was a really interesting to sit back, relax and enjoy the walm evening weather and student antics. The next morning Renee and I did what we tend to do in cities: wander. With only a vague plan and a general strategy that included visiting museums and churches only if they hold something of interest to the two of us we set out, taking the metro to the west of the city and walking back through the middle to the east where we were staying.
Santiago is a remarkably unremarkable city. It´s clean, with good transport, modern shops, nice squares and large parks but there`s nothing that gives it a distinctive feel. Renee and I enjoyed wandering around for a good 4 hours taking the sights in but we were more overcome with the modernity of the city rather than the exceptional sights or things to do. We headed through the main business district, full of suits scoffing hot dogs loaded with condiments (the the equivalent of the English sandwich in Chile it seems) and visited the large Plaza de Armas, and a number of parks. We proceeded through town and back to, in our opinion, the nicest area of town, Bellavista.
Renee had felt the effects of the Chilean beer the night before so we opted for a more civilised dinner at one of the nicer sushi restaurants in the area. The next morning we awoke, packed (as we were leaving on the midnight bus down south) and headed out to get to the top of the nearby Cerro San Cristóbal hill. The peak is the second highest point in the city and was named by the Spanish conquistadors for St Christopher, in recognition of its use as a landmark. At the top we took in the great view of Santiago, planned out the next stages of our trip down south and walked through the hilly forest back into town.
Some more socialising amongst the students ensued, and before we knew it we were rushing to hail a cab to take us to the bus station. Santiago was a nice enough city, one that affords rich and poor alike good facilities and services, but for Renee and I it was just a city. We were keen to head down to the beginnings of Patagonia, a prospect that held greater excitement for us. So, with that in mind we boarded the overnight bus to Pucon.
As always, hope all is well. Love Renee and Eugene
