30 January 2015 11am, Santiago, Chile the day I went to the Human Rights Museum was the day my political view changed forever. In the space of 2 hours I’d developed a real appreciation of democracy and an urge to fight to protect human rights like never before. BRIEF FACTS ABOUT THE MILITARY DICTATORSHIP ACCORDING TO THE HUMAN RIGHTS’ MUSEUM During the dictatorship laws were passed which banned other political parties from forming,the government was reorganised and civil servants were made redundant. Many people who opposed the dictatorship were jailed in very bad conditions after being interrogated and tortured. Prisons and detention centres were set up in schools and public buildings which were loaned out from people in favour of the dictatorship. The press was under heavy censorship, all books were burned and trade unions were ... read more

Chile has very little Spanish influence apart from the language but has far more British, German and French influence. Several gifts in the form of statues were given to Chile and are now situated in Parque Forestal to celebrate its’ 100 years of independence. The Americans sent a statue of Abraham Lincoln’s head, the French sent a statue with a fountain where lots of kids swim in in the summer months, the Italians sent a statue which is in Plaza Italia and the British sent two gifts, one was a clocktower but both were sent to Valparaiso which is where the British settled. I will visit that place next. In terms of food Germany had most influence on food in Chile as they had arrived in Chile long before the other countries – they brought bratwurst, ... read more

We visited the Presidential Palace or as it is also called Palacio Moneda because they still make Chile’s peso coins here. The president doesn’t live in the palace but lives in his own house alongside the rest of the population. Outside the palace there are statues of Chile’s presidents. It was in 1970 that Chile elected its’ first socialist president Salvador Allende. He struggled to maintain his position because he wanted to go about things in a peaceful way but he faced heavy international pressure from extreme left and right wing groups. Fidel Castro who was beginning his revolution in Cuba about then, wanted Allende to make reforms in a more extreme way and become part of the revolution. On the other hand the American President Nixon refused to finance Chile if Allende took sides with ... read more

INFORMATION ABOUT SANTIAGO AND CHILE Along with Japan, Chile is the country with the most seismic activity in the world. In 1960 it had an earthquake measuring 9.5 on the Richter scale which destroyed most of the buildings in Santiago. It is the South American country with the least resources, unlike many others it doesn’t have gold or anything to sell of worth, it has a big copper industry and like Argentina it is self-sufficient in wine-making and olive oil production. The flag is red, white and blue with a star. The red stands for the blood of the Mapuche tribe (I’ll explain later), the white stands for the snow on the mountains and the blue stands for the ocean and the sky, the star suggests a united country although Chile is actually a very divided ... read more

This morning I climbed up San Cristobal - a famous viewpoint looking out over the whole of Santiago and the Andes mountains. It’s a dusty, steep climb with very little shade and takes about an hour and a half. It was difficult in 32 degrees but with regular breaks and the incentive of needing to get down the mountain before 3pm for a ‘Menu del Dia’ in a restaurant in Bellavista (the neighbourhood at the foothills of the climb) helped me make it to the statue of the Virgin (a giant white statue of Mary which can be seen high up on the mountain from Santiago) At the top there were several statues of religious figures and beautiful gardens which were really peaceful. I visited the nearby area Bellavista which is a short walk from my ... read more