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Santiago es cerrado!
Entry 136 of 160 | show all | print this entry |
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The bus journey from Valparaiso to Santiago took about an hour and a half. As we sped along the motorway, we watched the sun set over the lush farmland - the difference in the scenery here from what we´ve got used to in Argentina is striking. Everywhere along the road they were advertising avocados, fresh fruit and vegetables for sale - things we´d almost forgotten existed during our time across the border.
As we drove into the city we couldn´t help but notice how quiet everywhere seemed and how many of the roads were very poorly lit. Admittedly we were both a little knocked by our experience at the hands of thieves in Mendoza and wandering around a new city in the dark with all our possessions wasn´t something we were relishing, especially as our new "guidebook" was less than comprehensive in its description of public transport options.
Fortunately the bus station we were deposited at was on the metro, which itself turned out to be quick, cheap and easy to navigate. We were checked into our new hostel in the trendy Bellavista area of town within the hour. Being in Chile of course we decided that what we wanted to eat was Thai food, so we found a nearby restaurant and ordered some Pollo Verde Curry. It was quite a surreal experience - especially when the waiter looked genuinely puzzled when Jim asked if they had any Thai beer.
We only really had one full day in Santiago and unfortunately we had to spend a large proportion of that trying to replace our guidebook to South American that was stolen in Mendoza. Jim had done some research on the internet and had found an English language bookshop but when we traipsed across town in the 35 degree heat we found it was closed down. Now this was a sight we were quickly getting used to. Because it was Easter Saturday - everything was closed. And we really do mean pretty much everything.
Realising we weren´t going to manage to buy a new book before our flight to Bogota the following day, we borrowed the two ancient South America guides our hostel had and tried to find somewhere to photocopy the Colombian chapters. Again this was easier said than done as all the copy shops were closed and any internet places that you might expect to have a copy were either closed too or the machine was broken.
We were fast running out of patience so we abandoned the copying plan for the time being and headed to the Plaza de Armas, the city´s main square, to do at least a little bit of sightseeing. After a spot of lunch in a faceless shopping arcade, we were walking down the street towards the square when we saw a young woman chasing a guy who´d obviously just stolen her bag.
The crowd quickly became aware of what was happening and several people tried to stop him. One woman succeeded in getting the girl´s bag back, but despite several rugby tackles and a few flying kicks to his stomach, the guy didn´t stop. It was really heartening to see that people were helping the girl, but it did make me feel quite angry and upset again about the evil thieves who´d swiped my bag in Mendoza. I´m slightly reassured though that they´re going to have so much bad karma coming their way.
The Plaza de Armas is described by our Fodor´s guide as the spiritual, social, political and commercial heart of Chile. The square houses the city´s cathedral, the current one was finished in 1789, after the previous three were destroyed by fire or earthquakes. The other grand buildings lining the square include the central post office, which is a beautiful white, ornate structure and the Edificio Comercial Edwards.
This old shopping emporium is just off the plaza on one corner. It´s notable because architect Eugenio Joannon sent the plans for his building to Paris where it was prefabricated in cast iron before being shipped to Santiago and constructed in 1893. Not the cheapest way to assemble a building I´d have thought, but it´s still there, looking grand, if empty and a little dusty nowadays.
After looking around a few more buildings near the plaza, including the Palacio de los Tribunales de Justicia, which saw huge demonstrations during dictator Augusto Pinochet´s rule, we resumed our hunt for copy shops. This really was easier said than done - being a Catholic country Chile embraces Easter big time. The opportunity to have a four day holiday and in many cases drink to excess (we´d already encountered quite a few inebriated souls on the streets both day and night) was just too much to resist.
We did eventually find an internet place with a photocopier that worked though and subjected the poor woman behind the desk to a lifetime of RSI, by getting her to breach copyright restrictions and print off over a hundred pages. At last we were armed for our arrival in Colombia. To celebrate our eventual success we got the metro back to our hostel, dumped our bags and walked the short distance to the Parque Metropolitano.
We weren´t alone - it seems the whole of Santiago and their children were already waiting in the queue for the funicular railway to the top of the Cerro San Christobal. We got in line too. It didn´t take too long to get to the top on the rickety old railway, but the real test came when we walked around the corner and saw the queue for the cable car ride. We decided it was worth waiting for, although it took so long that we missed most of the spectacular sunset.
You see one of the rare advantages of Santiago, and indeed the whole of Chile it seems, closing down for Easter was that the smog that normally envelopes the city and obscures the views of the surrounding Andes, had lifted. We had fantastically clear views of the snowcapped peaks in the distance, but by the time we got in our private cable car for the 2km ride across the park, it was too dark to take any good photographs. Nevermind, it just means that we´ll have to remember how beautiful it was.
By the time we´d returned on the cable car and then queued again for the last funicular down the hill it was nearly eight o´clock. We both weren´t feeling great so we plumped for a nice Italian meal and Pisco sours (we couldn´t leave Chile without at least trying one), before retiring to bed.
We needed to be at the airport quite early in the morning and as Jim was treating me to a business class airmiles flight, we wanted to make full use of the lounge before boarding. Gosh backpacking can be tough sometimes!
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