TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this document without a fee, provided that the person conspicuously and appropriately publishes on each copy the appropriate copyright notice and these terms and conditions for copying, distribution, and modifications. Changing this document or charging a fee for distribution or using this document for a financial profit is not allowed. Including this document in a publication that is for sale is not permitted.

This document solely expresses the author's current opinions. It in no way expresses the opinion of any other legal entity. This document does not claim to be correct, complete, or factual. Reading it is at your own risk.

Copyright © 2007 by Manfred P.. All rights reserved.

Jan 2, 2007 - Jan 5, 2007

Santiago

Filling an Empty Mind, Filling an Empty Stomach

Keywords: Chile, Santiago de Chile, Mercado Central, La Vega, Plaza de Armas, Santa Lucia, Mapocho, Bellavista, Pablo Neruda Museum, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

Coming to Chile was an afterthought, a stop on the way to and from Aconcagua. All the preparation and focus went into Aconcagua, and the preparation for Chile was literally zero. Typically I study the places a bit before I visit them, read about them and even make plans on what to visit, in short I normally come prepared when I am going on vacation to a far-away country. This time I am completely and utterly unprepared.

I have an empty mind, I don't expect anything, I have no prejudices and I am open to whatever may come. The minibus drives on route 60 from the border post at Los Libertadores to Santiago de Chile. Route 60 connects the two capitals of the two neighboring countries Chile and Argentina. As has to be expected there is lots of traffic on this route. Trucks are rolling to and from without pause; especially since the train tracks have been abandoned years ago. Both road and train tracks are a feat of engineering. The road is high in the Andes and reaches at least 3400 meters of elevation. It twists itself in hair-pin turns up the steep mountain slopes, up to the ski resorts and up to the border with Argentine. The last piece connecting both countries is a tunnel, the tunnel colorfully called “Los Libertadores” (The Liberators). It is cold up here even in the midst of summer. The immigration procedure and inspection is indoors in a giant shed that provides protection from the snow and winds in winter. The immigration process is slow. The Chileans take the inspection seriously. All luggage must be taken off the bus, x-rayed and be placed on the bus again. This takes one to two hours. From here to Santiago de Chile it is all downhill and you can only hope that the bus has good brakes. The slope off the road is breathtaking. So are the maneuvers by the minibus to overtake slow trucks.

Eventually the environment surrounding the road turns from snow-covered mountains and brown rocks into rolling hills. The color changes gradually from dusty brown to lively green. Vineyards start showing up. They are large and a single vineyard can follow the road for various kilometers. Judging by the number of vineyards along route 60 there must be lots of wine in Chile. Later the vineyards mix with equally large fruit-tree plantations. There is lots of scenery bordering the road. There are plenty of trees and an abundance of green, but the soil is constantly in a brown color. There is no grass, except where specifically planted. This strikes me as curious. Dry soil but green vegetation.

At first look, Chile seems quite advanced, very similar to Argentina. It seems far ahead of other nearby countries like Peru or Bolivia. That has pros and cons. From a tourist perspective, there are a lot of “disadvantages” to being advanced. It typically means that there is less folklore, fewer colorful dresses, and the country is more like the first-world countries in European or the US. Where is the charm if the people dress and act like Europeans? In Santiago the locals dress well, they talk on their cell phones, the ads and billboards are from multinational companies like Movistar, Endesa and Repsol. It feels like Spain. And as a tourist this is a pity. The population is all white with Caucasian features and I have not seen any indigenous people, Indians or mestizos in the capital. All of this makes the destination less different, less exotic, less attractive, and less exciting.

Everything is very clean in the city, the streets are without rubbish, the shops are tidy and well organized, even the parks and green areas are well taken care off, watered, and with the trees cut. The city makes a more than tidy impression and the summer sun dips the country in a warm and bright light. Everything is running smoothly. There is public transport and a subway. This is not what you envision when you think about South America in general. For my taste, I miss the exotic spice of indigenous markets, the crowded chaotic streets and the need to improvise when things do not work as planned or are not on time. I will have to travel to poorer countries again to find these peculiar traits.

My unprofessional opinion about Santiago de Chile is quickly summarized in a Top-8 list.

# 1: Santa Lucia

We started our exploration of the city in the center. The main boulevard – about 5 lanes in each direction – is Avenida Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins which once again reminds of the liberation. The place I liked most by far is the hill Santa Lucia. It is a park in the center that is home to two palaces, a Japanese garden and a view tower. With its 50 meters the hill is tall enough to provide a vantage point with a view of the city into all directions. In the background, but near distance, are the Andes. Santa Lucia is like an island of peace in the city. There are plenty of benches to sit and rest for a while. Water fountains add idyllic entertainment or you can watch the hustle on Avenida Libertador B. O'Higgins from a bird's perspective.

# 2: Mapocho Train Station

Mapocho is the main river that flows through Santiago. In winter time (June/July) it can swell to its rim. In summer time it carries brown, muddy and smelly water into the Pacific. Mapocho is also the name of a train station, or to be precise a former train station. A lot of train tracks have been decommissioned for cost savings reasons. The same fate happened to the Mapocho train station. Instead of letting it fall into disrepair it was converted into an event center. The venue seems interesting. This is the first train station I see that acts as a concert hall. I simply liked the building, a mix of old and new (the giant sliding doors on the back seem to be new) and I like the idea of train-station-turns-cultural-event-center. At the entrance is a long poem by Pablo Neruda about Mapocho Station.

# 3: Bellavista Neighborhood

Bellavista is called the artists' neighborhood. I cannot vouch for that, I have not met an artist there, but it is certainly a neighborhood of Bohemian looks that is now full of restaurants and bars. If you want to go out for lunch or dinner in a relaxed neighborhood, this is for you. Bellavista is a bit upscale and its charm lies in the simple one and two-story houses that are painted in a wild and pleasing mix of pastel colors. At the end of Bellavista, where the San Cristobal Park starts, is the house – and now museum – of Pablo Neruda, Chile's best known poet. Pablo Neruda died approximately 25 years ago but his popularity in his home country is still unmatched. He remains as famous as an NFL star in Los Angeles or a soccer star in Madrid.

# 4: La Vega Market

Crossing the river at the La Paz (Peace) bridge we first stumbled upon the flower market. A solemn atmosphere resides at his market. Sweet and fragrant smell fills the air. Bright colors of the flowers, especially yellow and white, are visually surrounding me. People talk at a hushed volume. It is because half of the flowers and arrangements sold here are funeral bouquets.

Behind the flower market starts La Vega, the biggest fruit and vegetable market you can imagine. In size it will be difficult to find a comparable market anywhere in the world. It is truly big. While the main staples are fruit and vegetable, La Vega sells about anything: meat, poultry, fish, bread, detergents, packaging material, pet food, etc. Sprinkled in between all these shops are restaurants and food stalls. Most is sold in bulk to whole sellers, but plenty of stores sell by the kilo. If you wand to fill your stomach, there is plenty of opportunity here. I ate so much at La Vega that I fell sick with stomach pain. Note that it was not the quality but the quantity that caused my stomachache. An unusual but very tasty drink is Mote – made from boiled wheat with fruit juice and sometimes with apricot slices (Mote con Huesillos). Also available here are Hurritas – the traditional Chilean dish made from corn. Hurritas are very similar to Mexican Tomales. The presentation and packaging in corn leaves is identical and the taste is very similar too.

# 5: Lastarria Neighborhood

In Lastarria, to be precise in the street Merced, my brother bought the best strudel he had for years. He said it was extraordinarily delicious, a feast for the taste buds. Being Austrian my brother understands strudels. As a result, his claim is most likely justified. It was a small bakery and confectionary with different strudels in the shop window, located in the middle between side streets Victoria Subercaseaux and Jose V. Lastarria. My brother tried the cherry strudel – a delicacy. According to my brother it is worth walking for kilometers to enjoy one of these strudels.

# 6: Central Station

Central Station is a beautiful, classical old iron structure, possibly a hundred years old. The open entrance is flanked by tall palm trees that seem to flourish in the bright summer sun. The building is spacious and inviting. There are few trains though leaving from here. Part of the train station has been converted into a shopping mall.

East of the Central Station I have seen ambulant sales people for the first time. Along streets like Salvador Sanfuentes is a lot of activity. The streets are filled with shops selling junk made in China, from plastic toys to bags and tools.

# 7: Central Market (Mercado Central)

The Central Market when I saw it on the map, created images in my mind of crowded aisles, small food stalls filled to the brim, exotic fruits, and indigenous people selling their handicrafts. The reality was quite different: no crowded aisles, no small food stalls filled to the brim, no exotic fruits, and no indigenous people selling their handicrafts. Instead it is an upscale, quiet, clean, and well organized fish and fruit market with focus on restaurants specializing in seafood. All the restaurant owners employed their charm to convince us to eat at their place. Some even spoke German to us. The whole market had a very touristy flair: Few stalls, few people and more for looks than anything else. The market for the locals is without doubt La Vega.

# 8: Plaza de Armas

This main square I have only added as a warning. We met a lot of very nice people all over Santiago. The Chileans were friendlier than average people. We had nice chats with store owners, talked about strudels and his home town with the chef baker, people tried to help us with a broken public phone, they gave us courteous directions, they gave us advice to protect us, etc. We only had positive encounters with Chileans – except when we got to the Plaza de Armas. Apparently here are several people that “live” on tourists. They play the same game. They strike up a conversation with you; usually under some pretext like an invitation to a concert. After they have conversed for a while eventually their real purpose surfaces; unavoidably they want money for their sick kid, etc. I am not a fan of these games and as it happened twice within 20 minutes I renamed the square to “tourist trap”. Anyway, this is a absolute minor thing. Two people in a big city like Santiago asking peacefully for money are not even an inconvenience. We felt quite safe and enjoyed our tourism at all moments.
    

These copyright notice and legal disclaimers apply to all pages of this Web site.