Santiago -Great Wine and Great Views

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Santiago - Great Wine and Great Views

It’s my third time here in Chile’s capital. The first time I thought it was stinky, the second time I discovered the wine and this time I liked it. I am glad to be back and ready to take advantage of my previous experiences and discoveries.


Every time we visited Santiago we stayed in the same place - Plaza de Armas. We rarely repeat an old experience, but sometimes familiarity can be welcoming. The Hostel we stayed at on the 6th floor overlooking the city’s main plaza has a view second to none and helped me absorb the cities vibe.

Unlike a lot of the Spanish style plaza’s I have seen recently travelling around South America, Santiago’s is full of tall palm trees, seats to enjoy the shade, it has a pagoda, a water fountain, a plenitude of performers, artists, protesters, chess players, children, dogs, and watchers - like me.

We did something similar in a small town called Salento, Colombia with a coffee: Set ourselves up in a coffee shop for the afternoon- just watching, listening and smelling the place. Trying to get a sense of what goes on, rather than racing through and having a few photos to recall your visit. (Some of you may remember the picture of the milkman in Salento!)

Here in Santiago we poured ourselves a glass of wine and looked out the window from our castle tower, aka the hostel. There is so much going on it really does boggle your mind and require a good few hours just to get started. Amongst the hustle, a man I had seen on our other two visits is playing a drum on his back, and still attracting crowds and spinning up a storm. There is a conflict of sound systems when a preacher and another talker set up close to each other. Children dunk their heads in the fountains. Dogs gather as packs and sniff each other. Old men recline on benches. Through it all I can hear the vibration of a living city.

Exploring cities is great - here in Santiago you can take a stroll down the high street, buy an ice cream and head up to Darwin Park for a view over the city then walk to Parke O’Higgins and stroll along the river. It is good to know that after a full day wandering you can be sure to find a nice bottle of wine at a very good price. And you if you are wine lover, be sure to catch the train out to the Concha Y Toro vineyard - the tour is informative and fun while the courtyard is a lovely place to pass the afternoon while enjoying wine from the cellar and a portion or two of cheese.

If you are a bit of a hippy, in either your fashion tastes or your philosophies then think about putting Santiago on your next itinerary. It is a bit of a Mecca really. You can sit in one of the parks reading whilst a capoeira group practices nearby and lovers make out on the grass. It’s all very laid back and quite bohemian. Don’t be fooled by this impression that it is by any means safe. Heading down some of the back streets you will see poverty and filth that makes you ache inside. That said I didn’t feel any less safe here than I have in any other ‘international city’. Having been on the road for 3 months now it is becoming second nature to notice the guy behind me crossing the road or to see the couple up ahead looking in a shop window. We all have to be wise and alert when in a foreign environment.

Having given Santiago a chance, it went from a dirty smelly city I loathed; to one where I felt relaxed. Drinking wine and watching the daily world unfold from my tower, I am reminded that one should never judge a book by its cover.

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