Brad and I made a getaway last weekend to Santiago, Chile. We left bright and early on Friday morning (7:30 a.m.) and arrived at around 2:30 p.m. It’s only supposed to take 6 hours, but in addition to the one-hour time difference, passing through customs is a bit cumbersome. As an aside, it’s a very scenic bus ride if you manage the windy roads. I myself am very prone to motion sickness.
We showed up at the fantastic Andes Hostel (I’m a pro at booking good hostels at this point), get settled and I whisk Brad off to a free walking tour with Free Tour Santiago. I love free walking tours (they’re not really free b/c you should really tip) because the tour guides are always young, they save you time trying to orient yourself with the city and they give you interesting facts and history without putting you to sleep.
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Chile
10. Mapuches: Indigenous tribe that still lives in Chile today. Like the majority of indigenous South American tribes, they were massacred by Spanish settlers. However, Mapuche populations still exist today and are still struggling to maintain their land.
The stone monument (on the left below) is in Chile’s main square, the Plaza de Armas, to commemorate lost Mapuche lives. The billboard painting below is of the Congress building with a river of Mapuche blood flowing towards it.
9. The Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas has been burned down twice by Mapuche tribes and damaged by several earthquakes.
8. The Old Congress building was moved to Valparaiso (140 km west) to encourage businesses and people to move outside the capital, as the majority of Chile lives in Santiago. However, instead of the Congressmen moving to Valparaiso, they just commute there and waste gas.
Interesting note: One of Chile’s former presidents, Salvador Allende, was found dead in his office during a military coup on September 11, 1973. He is going to be examined this coming week to decide whether it was a suicide or murder.
7. La Chascona, Nobel laureate Pablo Neurada’s Santiago Residence, is a must-see site. It’s designed like a ship since the writer loved the sea so much, and the hour-long guided tour is full of juicy gossip and details from his life.
6. They have a river in the middle of the city called Mapuche river. It has a trickle of water at best and is full of trash and litter. Clans of people actually live down here on the banks. One of the more well-known clans is the Chuck Norris group. No explanation given.
5. An Exxon CEO wanted their building to look like a cellphone. Although it’s a great landmark to figure out where you are, obviously he wasn’t aware how fast cellphones would evolve. This has no resemblance to an iPhone.
4. Santiago has a Mercado Central (Central Market) with lots of fresh fish and good seafood eateries. Two things you must order: paila marina, which is a seafood broth full of clams, shrimp, mussels, etc. The paila marina was served so hot that the soup was boiling when it got to our table and I burned my arm when I brushed the bowl. The crab chowder, or chupe de jaivas, was very nice.
3. Cerro Santa Lucia is a small park on a hill in the middle of the city. You can climb up stone stairs for a great view of the city. Apparently, there are also sword fights here from time to time. (Read: Role Models)
2. Santiago has two of the best (and by best, I mean most unhealthy) street foods I’ve eaten: chorrillana and as italiano. I’ve never seen Brad so happy.
Fries with onions, beef and fried eggs
Chilean version of the Philly cheese steak + guacamole + flavored mayonnaise
1. And finally, you didn’t know that Chile has banned nuclear power since the crisis in Japan. Now their Congress has approved the construction of several dams in the southern region in Chile, Patagonia. More than 30,000 Chileans protested on Friday night against these dams. I’m sure you’ll be able to find me and Brad in a YouTube video wandering around trying to figure out how to get back to our hostel through the mass of people.
