Hello Chile! A brand new continent. A brand new culture. Yet another absolutely different reality to encounter. Chile is a particularly interesting country in this area, because it is slightly different than the rest of Latin America. It is the most developed and the richest country of the continent, with the most stable economy and it is also most likely to be the safect (well, until recently when massive riots had place in the capital literally two weeks after our departure). Spanish the language spoken in Chile with a quirky, fast-paced accent. Chileans speaking english is not a common occurance, sadly, so I think that a basic knowledge of spanish made our stay much more enjoyable.
Chile's uniqueness is due to it's geography. Deserts, Andes, Islands, Antarctica. Chile has it all. I don't think there is such another country in the World. It is basically shaped in a line that stretches on the Pacific Coast through the entire continent, from the border with Peru all the way down to Cape Horn in the south. From the east the border runs along the Andes. Chile has a coastline of 4,3000 km! So because of that it has nearly all climate zones within its borders. It is a real treat for nature lovers with two specially attractive destinations - the Atacama desert and Patagonia.
The descent in Santiago was one of the most jaw-dropping experiences I have had in my life. It all happened over the tops of the Andes during the late golden hour, covering the peaks with intensive orange light. I was so hyptotized by this spectacle, I couldn't stop looking out of the window (or to put my camera down). It really made up for all the inconveniences I went through during the flight.
Santiago de Chile is the capital of the country, and one of the largest urban settlement in South America. It sits in a valley surrounded by mountains, so it has an exceptionally picturesque setting. River Mapocho flows through, however it is so dried out that calling it a river is an exagerration...
The skyline is formed by a grid of high rise buildings and a few stand-alone hills, all of which are exposed on the background of massive Andes mountains.
Santiago went through a quite rough history. It has been the capital since the colonial times, when it was raised in 1541. During its colonial times it faced a number of disasters, including earthquakes, smallpox epidemies, floods, uprisings and raids of native tribes (Mapuches mostly). But against all odds, the city continued growing. When it established independace in 1810 many military actions took place, but also that was the period when most of the government buildings were raised. As I remember from the history of Chile, there were many revolts while trying to overcome the spanish rule and then later with the tyranny of dictator Pinochet by the cusp of XXth century. Santiago has seen a lot.
The core of the city is an area of neo-classical buildings from the XIXth century, the architecture has strong connections with Spanish styles. I will get to that later, though.
My first enconter with Santiago was in a bohemian district of Bellavista, this is where we booked our accomodation without knowing what exactly this area was. Almost completely taken over by artists and party-souls Bellavista is the heart of Santiago's nightlife. Exploding with colours and street art at day, and with music by night. I must admit that it was loud, but when we sat down in one of the bars and atteded a live rock concert while having a beer - I did really enjoy the atmosphere.
As we headed off in the direction of the historic centre, we climbed the hill of Santa Lucia. I really enjoyed this place, this was a hill popping out of nowhere covered in trees. small buildings, fancy staircases, sculptures, fountains and a viewing terrace on top. It gave a nice first overview of what's Santiago is like.
I was very excited about the panorama of Andes, but sadly due to the amount of air pollution not much could be seen.
And then we continued to walk around the central part, trying to get to Armas square.
Exactly as in Spain or other european countries - we stumbled upon a Mercado! A large, historic markethall. The one in Santiago was not very large but quite fancy, apart from selling fish, shrimps etc. there was a big area of nicely looking restaurants. Everything was decorated in national symbols and flags.
We were extremely lucky. We arrived to Santiago one day before The Independance Day, on 18th September. This is essentially the most important celebration of Chile, commemorating establishing independance from the Spanish rule in 1810. On this day a number of different celebrations is provided. To start with, there is a miliraty parade through the heart of the city, and I think that some people that took part in it were some big officials of the country.
Most of the centre was closed off for this occasion, but eventually we found a spot from which we could see the parade. We stood among chilenos dressed up in traditional outfits.
Not all parts of Santiago are resembling the european or american world. We walked through districts that looked stereotypically latino. Rows of colourful and slightly neglected two-storey buildings with flags popping out, and natives gathered in group in front of them was something that I expected of latin america.
Okay, now. Taking part in the celebrations of the independance day was something that I am really glad I experienced there. It was so... differend than I am used to, when it comes to national holidays. So positive, so gleeful! The parade is one thing, but in the whole country smaller parties called Fondas are held. Fondas are essentially about drinking, dancing, dressing up in traditional outfits and celebrating the beauty of chilean culture altogether.
The biggest Fonda was happening in O'Higgins park in Santiago. The area of this party was enormous, the whole park was closed off and used for celebration. There were a few different stages, anuncountable number of food stalls, dance halls, activities for adults and kids. Just have a look how remarkable that was!
Only at the end of this day we arrived to Plaza de Armas. Most of major latin cities have their own Plaza de Armas. In santiago it is a large square with important facilities located around it - the cathedral, the national post office building, museums. In the centre there is a park of palm trees.
We basically visited Santiago twice - before and after going to Atacama. On the second round we took it slightly slower, but we visited the places that we missed out on the first day.
Starting with the Museum of Arts, through Armas, Cathedral and many more.
On Plaza de Armas - surprise! Again there was a group of dancing people in local outfits.
A very precious life-hack that we discovered was to go enjoy a meal at a local mercado. No, not at the one that I showed before - but on a truly local mercado, one with fruits and vegetables. Tourists usually don't know about this, but on the first floor there were a few cheap local restaurants. The food was absolutely marvellous and the portions were too big for me to eat. This was also possibly the best seafood I ever had, all the elements were just so large and perfectly fresh.
We passed Bellavista again, finding even more unique street art.
Cerro San Christobal was another must-see point. It is a high hill that can be ascended and descended with cool means of transport. On the top of it apart from a cool viewpoint there is a catholic shrine and a sanctuary.
As our last major sight in Santiago we attended SkyCostanera skyscraper to see the sunset from the top. SkyCostanera is the highest building in Chile but also in the whole South America! Maybe comparing to some Asian super-cities its height was not impressive, but while seen next to small buildings of Santiago - it was. I was not expecting that on the viewing terrace there would be a live music performance and free wine tasting included in the price. That was great!
Going on top was not the cheapest, but it was totally worth it.
The day of our departure was also devoted to strolling around Santiago. At that point I didn't really pay that much attention, but caught a few more shots to share.
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