City of Gay

Trip Start Sep 01, 2005

Trip End May 11, 2006

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Where I stayed

La Casa Roja

(Santiago hotels)

Flag of Chile Santiago, Chile
Sunday, December 11, 2005

So Paraguay, Trinidad & Tobago, and Sweden is the way it going to be. Unless we screw up massively we should be able to finish top, Sweden being the most difficult team. Presuming Germanay finish top of their group then we wont have to play them, early on anyway. *Hopes*. Looks like the Aussies should be able to make second in their group, which means they'll probably get France at the next stage, unlucky! I don't know why but I really want them to make it through.

Anyway, I arrived in Santiago yesterday. Crossing the border took an age, we had to wait there about 2 hours. The border is high up (above the snow line) in the Andes in the middle of the nowhere. Before crossing over into Chile we passed through some beautiful countryside and I kind of felt I'd missed out of some of Argentina, having only been in large cities (which were all beautiful in their own way). I definitely want to come back to South American (when my Spanish is a bit better) and spend longer here; travel down south into Patagonia.

Santiago is rubbish, Chile is crap, and I hate all Chilean people. OK, it's not that bad. I actually really like it here. Santiago is a pretty city, very picturesque, with lots of green open spaces and grand old buildings; much like Buenos Aires in a way, but I think Mauricio will be pleased to hear I think the people are nicer. I'm not a fan or the Argies. It's a very modern clean city and obviously wealthy as there are many large sky scrapers. It's comparatively expensive here; I think Chile is the most expensive country in South America.

Cerro Santa Lucia1

I was quite surprised to find out they don't all live in huts. Maybe just Mauricio.

One of my favorite things about the city is Cerro Santa Lucia, which is a large hill / rock formation over 600m high stuck right in the middle of the city. It was at the foot of this hill that Santiago was officially founded by Pedro de Valdivia, on February 12, 1541. For the first three centuries of the city's development the hill was left untouched. Now it is covered in lush forest, ornate monuments and buildings, fountains, and brightly coloured flowers. It rises up very steeply and is probably no more than a few hundred metres wide. The whole thing is kept green and colourful by sprinklers that shoot out of the side of the hill, watering everything and anyone below. The hill is covered with steep windy paths and spiraling staircases, on every turn you come across a new building, clinging to the rock. Great views of the city from all sides.

In the absence of my camera I have to add pictures from the internet. I can't wait to get it fixed.

I'm staying in a very nice hostel called La Casa Roja (The Red House) in an area called Barrio Brasil, about a 20 minutes (very hot) walk from the centre. The building is very high ceilinged and the dorm rooms are all situated off light corridors that surround the two open squares in the middle of the building. We have a large kitchen, garden, TV, and internet, and dog. On Friday the hostel had a BBQ and I sat and chatted with some French and Dutch people. They bored me so I didn't stay very long.

Yesterday I was sat in a Cafe drinking beer on Plaza de Armas when some Punks (and I don't me punks as in a "eh you punks" Robert Deniro sort of way but as in actual Punks) came over and asked for some of my beer, I said they could finish the bottle (a litre bottle naturally), then the police came over and proceeded to beat them. Hmmm interesting. I thought about getting involved but then decided against it.

Today is polling day and Michelle Bachelet is expected to become the first female leader. Everything is supposed to be shut today but so far it doesn't seem to be that way.