Sunny Santiago

Our stay in Santiago was far too short, but we have had a wonderful visit.

Ruben, our driver

In retrospect, we haven’t done a great job of organizing our South American travel.  We should have been more mindful of the weather.  When we arrived in Santiago on 3 February, we should have headed to the Lake region of Chile.  Following our cruise and upon our arrival in Buenos Aires on 29 February, we should have gone south to El Calafate and Fitzroy.  That way we would have had a better chance to enjoy these beautiful areas before the weather becomes too cold.  By the time we return to Buenos Aires following our visit to Peru (3-21 March) and Ecuador (21 March- 5 April) I think it will be too cold to visit Southern Chile and Argentina.  Oh well.  I guess that means we will have to come back again. (Oh, hurt me!)  Moreover, hopefully we will do a better job when we set up the rest of our travels in Europe.

We arrived after midnight on Thursday, February 1, to be greeted by Ruben, our taxi driver and a friend of Ignacio’s, the owner of Providencia B&B.  It was so nice not to have to hassle arranging transportation.  We were so fortunate to have Ruben drive us; he is such a kind and friendly man.

On Friday, after a good rest, a delicious breakfast, and the pleasure of meeting our hosts Ignacio, his wife Sylvia and fellow travelers Alfonso and Ainhoa from Spain, we headed downtown.  Unfortunately we missed the city tour.  So we decided to wander around on our own.

Santiago from San Cristobal Hill

Santiago was founded in the late 1600s.  However, unlike Argentina, Bolivia and Peru that had large mineral deposits, Chile was not mineral rich.  Moreover, although it was claimed by Spain, Chile was less molested by the Spanish.  In fact, it was a sparsely populated region.  Even today, one third of the country’s population of 4 million lives in the greater Santiago area.  As with much of South American, Chile did not become an independent country until 1810.

Downtown Santiago

We arrived at the Plaza des Armes, the city center.  The city center is lovely with a church that dated back to the 17th century.  We had hoped to find a free city tour (tips only—usually delivered by students like the tours they have in many European cities) but we had missed it.  So we wandered down the pedestrian street instead.  It was pleasant and not too crowded.  We walked to the Presidential palace where Allende’s life ended.

The Opera House

A highlight of our city tour was our decision to take a tour of the Santiago Opera House.  It was magnificent and the tour superb.  The theatre looked very much like Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC.  The theatre was constructed in the 1860s, in the early days of Chile’s independence.  It was modeled after the theatre in Paris.  Many of the statues were brought from France.  It was explained to us that the President’s box and that of Santiago’s mayor were located to the direct left and right of the stage so that the audience could see them.  This was so that the people would know who the President was and feel that the President was one of them, not a distant ruler as the Spanish viceroys had been.  Since we now have television, it is no longer necessary for the President to be seen by the public in this manner.  Today, when the President visits the theatre, she sits in a box at the back where she has a superior view.  (Yes, the President is a woman.  She succeeded her husband after his death.)  We were fascinated by the behind-the-scene tour we had of the workshops and stage.  We learned that Chile is one of the few countries that employs a full-time staff who construct scenery and make costumes.  Their skills are so sought after that many countries worldwide will borrow their sets and costumes.

Although we had taken the very modern and well-maintained subway into the city center, we decided to walk back to the B&B.   On the way home we happened upon a Picasso exhibit in the national telephone office.  What great good luck.  It was a fabulous exhibition of about 60 of his drawings.

The following day we walked to San Cristobal hill through the colorful Bellavista neighborhood.

Bellavista

 The view from San Cristobal hill was grand but what I enjoyed even more was the Santiago zoo.   Although it is an old zoo, the animals looked healthy.  We had a blast.  The giraffe licked our hands.  The monkeys howled.  The maras (a cross between a rabbit and a dear) were adorable.  We saw penguins, chinchillas, condors, llamas, iguanas, and even three white tigers!

Her tongue was like sandpaper

Mara: a cross between a rabbit and a deer

A penny for your thoughts

What did you say?  

Gonzalo and Catalina 

In December, while we were in Ubud, Bali, we met a young couple from Chile who were on their honeymoon.  We started talking to them and found out that Catalina and Gonzalo were traveling to Cambodia.  We told them we would be visiting Chile in February.  So we shared travel information and exchanged emails.  Subsequently, I asked Gonzalo if I could have my medication sent to his Chilean address.  He agreed.  They invited us to their beautiful new home.  They had just received some new furniture that is lovely.  Not only did we have the pleasure of getting to spend some time with Catalina and Gonzalo but we also got to meet Catalina’s three sisters, a family friend and her Dad.  It was a particular treat to feel like we were part of a Chilean family.

With our new-found Chilean family!

We are sad to leave Santiago so soon after we arrived but it is time to go on to Peru.  We have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  We look forward to a future visit.

I loved this sign from the zoo:
Something to think about!