Siete Dias In Santiago

The Palacio de Moneda.

So, my first few days in a new country, a new city where everyone speaks really strangely! Ok, they still speak Spanish, but every Spanish speaker knows the Chileans have a very distinct dialect, with a lot of slang. For example, from the airport to my hostel in the car, my friend kept saying "taco!" This means the same in English (the Mexican dish), but it is also how you show your frustration in a traffic jam. Something I didn't expect though was the cost of things here - a little more than I had thought. Firstly, I was hit up with a $120 receprocity fee to get into the country - just because I was Australian. The Americans also have to pay, the Canadians and the Mexicans (only $24 for these guys)... no mention of Kiwis or Brits, who get in scott-free. Beer and coffee is also not as cheap as I had thought, food either - in some cases more expensive than Spain, but you earn less here. Sometimes the supermarket can be more expensive that in Sydney - but the wine is cheap, starting from around 1800 pesos ($3.60). The hunt is always on to find the cheapest beer as well - so far it's 1900 ($3.80) pesos for about 500ml.

A good (cheap) bar on the artistic side of town, Bellavista.

Guarding the Palacio de Moneda.

A Carabinero - Chile's police.

My first day in the city was not entirely wasted. but I didn't really do anything - I was still affected by jet lag and the whole coming from the future. Tuesday I hit the streets though, after just 2 hours of sleep at night. I was told that I have to walk up (which now I realise is more of a climb!) San Cristobal Hill, where you get panoramic views of Santiago. This is true - a good view of the city, but it was hot and quite polluted, so a little difficult to get that great picture that you see when you first google image Santiago. On the way up, I picked up stray dogs along the way - all it took was a kind look, and they were yours! Apparantly, the best un-polluted views are on weekends (as nobody really drives anywhere on weekends), after some rain (which doesn't happen in Summer) and windy days or Winter. Damn. I'm not comlaining - I got up there before the buses full of retired American tourists arrived, got plenty of walking in, and was basically left alone to enjoy the walk (apart from the dogs, but they were cool).

Mary on top of San Cristobal.

A 'completo' hotdog!

The famous Diet Coke break.

I have been busy this past week (and have managed to get over my jet lag and sleep normally after 3 days of 2-3 hours a night). I did a free walking tour of the city, which I highly recommend! It is free, but they encourage you to tip the guide as they don't get paid (so they say) and it also helps to print maps and things. I did tip the guy 2000 pesos ($4), which is not much, but good for a 'free' tour I think. He took us all around the centre of the city, explaining the history and small snippets that you just wouldn't get any other way - worth it! Along the walk, we saw places that you just wouldn't find otherwise. A picada is a Chilean word for 'small and good,' as is used for their equivilent of Tapas bars - they call them Pica bars (because picada is too long), and one famous one is opposite the Opera House. The guy who owned it was about to close it down as business wasn't going so well. One day, Bill Clinton came in for a Diet Coke... well you can imagine, they guy's business soon perked up, and renamed it 'El Pica De Clinton' and even saved that Coke can and glass! There are pics of Bill everywhere, and it keeps the tourists coming in too! I wonder if Monica ever visited...

The view of the city from San Cristobal.

Ole!!

San Cristobal and my new dog.

The city was founded in February 1541 by Spaniard Pedro de Valdivia, and was originally 8 blocks north-south and 10 blocks east-west of buildings, as well as the main plaza, the Governor's house and a cathedral. It was, however, completely burnt down in September of that year by the warriors of the Mapuche people, who were indigenous to the area. The town was defended by the garrison of 55 soldiers, and survived to be rebuilt by Valdivia. What would be his downfall however was his 'little native boy,' Lautaro. This boy was captured during a battle with the Mapuche, and was raised as Spanish, learning the language, how to ride a horse and fight. Valdivia kept him as his personal groom, but the boy stayed true to his people and in 1533 captured his boss and gave him up to his death. There are many stories about his death, but the most probably one is that he was killed by the Mapuche, then his heart was ripped out of his chest and Lautaro ate it - the warrior's belief that this would allow you to absorb your enemy's power. The statue of Valdivia in Plaza de Armas shoes his horse without any reins - possibly representing his lack of control over Chile.

Founder of Santiago - Pedro de Valdivia - with his unreined horse.

'4 boys playing,' a gift from Argentina. The fountain shows the relationship
between Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru.
I don't think they are playing.

The city flourished, and in 1810 Chile declared it's independence from Spain. Of course the Spanish weren't impressed and took back control in 1814. After this, the Andean Army was formed in Argentina and cross the Andes, finally pushing the Spanish out by 1818. Another big date in Chilean history is September 11, 1973 - the military coup and the start of the Pinochet dictatorship. Before this, there was a government run by a man called Savadore Allendre. As elected President in 1970, he tried to fix the unemployment problems in the country, nationalise many industries including mines, banks and utilities, and even tried to redistribute wealth in the country more equally - he was basically a big old Socialist. He did many things to improve the country - building large numbers of houses for the people, free milk for children in rural areas, part-time workers gained social security and diplomatic relations with Cuba were reopened. He was good for the country in my opinion, but many people didn't like him, such as the wealthy, and the Americans (cose he's a Commie see?!). The military coup was aided my the Nixon administration. Early on the 11th, the Palacio de Moneda (The Presidential Palace) was bombed by planes, tanks moved in, and a big street fight ensured. A bullet hole can still be seen on a statue in the square in front of the palace - bullet holes on the buildings have been removed. Pinochet said that 'it was his duty to the Chilean people to rescue the country.' The Museum of Memories is the place to discover all of this, but it is very emotional.

A bullet 'tear' mark from September 11 1973.

Ex-President Allindre.

1/4 of a football field in size!

The day after, the 12th of September, 72 people were killed by the new administration - and that was only the beginning - at least 2,115 people were killed and 27,265 people tortured. One man who went missing on the 12th was Victor Jara, a well-known Chilean teacher, poet, singer-songwriter and political activist. He was taken the Chile Stadium, along with thousands of others, and was shot and dumped there. The stadium has since been renamed in his honour. Thousand of Chileans fled as soon as possible to escape persecution. In 1980, a plebiscite was approved (only the 'government' voting of course), and Pinochete became President. . Elections were to be held every 8 years, and Pinochet lost it in 1988 and Chile was finally allowed to recovers its culture and arts back, as well as it's freedom. Pinochete, however, was never trialed for his crimes against the Chilean people, as he had created a law when he was President that any person that had ever held the office and then was no longer President, would go back to his or her last position - this case he became the head of the Army again - a hard man to touch. He died in 2006.

The Musuem of Memories - the place to go to learn about September 11 1973.

Show shining a bargain at $1.

A Michelada in progress.

On a brighter note, but still interesting and cultural, I have tried a few of the local 'treats.' The first one I would like to mention is the cafes called 'cafe con piernes,' which translates to 'coffee with legs.' Basically, a hooters for coffee, but with legs. The idea behind this is for men to come and relax, have a (crappy) cheap coffee, and take their mind of their problems at work - thus you find these bars in the Downtown area of the city, and usually full of suits. The one I went into was slighly less savoury than your main street bars - blacked out front windows, fluro lights inside, and girls not just showing their legs, but tiny bikinis. I met a lovely young girl called Camilla, whose dream it is to go to Australia - not to study or work as a waitress in a real cafe, but to be a stripper in Kings Cross in Sydney - you go girl! Chase your dream! I also tried a 'completo,' which is the Chilean hotdog - they love them here! So many varieties, but most of them with avocado (and if you don't like this fruit, don't tell anyone or they'll call immigration). Another was a 'michelada' - a beer with lemon juice (like a shandy), but then with salt around the rim of the glass, and a dash of Tabasco on top to take your mind off the salty beer - very refreshing!

Plaza Italia and the suburb of Providencia.

I have seen quite a bit here so far. The main neighbourhoods are Downtown, Providencia, Bellavista and Les Condes. I have spent most of my time in Providencia and Downtown, where most of the things to see and do are. Bellavista was originally a place where the artists and bohemians were forced to move - as it was across from the river from the 'good' part of the city, and the wealthy didn't want these 'hippies' to live anywhere near them. Now, it has most of the city's bars, clubs and restaurants, as well as the Zoo and San Crostobal. Providencia is a lovely area - tree-lined residential area with large houses and cool apartments, close to the new business centre and the Gran Torre Santiago which is busy and business-like. The zoo is also worth a look - it only costs $3000 pesos ($6AUD) - it's quite small and nowhere near as big or amazing as Taronga Zoo in Sydney, but you can see Llamas!! Next stop for me before I start working is Valparaiso and Viña del Mar - beach time!!

The Gran Torre Santiago - tallest building in Latin America and 2nd tallest in the South Hermisphere (The Q1 on the Gold Coast has that title!)