ChIle on Strike - Santiago ...and only two weeks until we fly home

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Our trip was sadly drawing to an end. We had been travelling for five and half months, and with only a fortnight left in South America before returning home, our holiday budget purse was almost empty! In fact we knew we would be raiding our savings just to get through the next two weeks. We were very excited though to be flying over the Andes to Santiago in Chile and were glad to board our flight after waiting for over three hours at the airport in Montevideo. However half an hour into the flight we wished that we were still on solid ground as the plane flew through a fierce thunderstorm. We were surrounded by flashes of lightning,the plane was bouncing around badly and we could hear ice crashing onto the skin of the plane. It was a very terrifying experience and not one we wish to repeat again.....

Eventually the storm passed and we were rewarded with absolutely stunning views of the snow covered Andes below. Row after row of rugged peaks and deep snow with a tiny black ribbon of road twisting between them - we instantly decided that we wanted to drive along that road over the Andes so instantly planned to cross from Santiago by bus back to the Argentina and the city of Mendoza before we left for home. Upon arrival in Santiago the capital city of Chile and fifth largest city in South America, we caught a taxi to our guest house, Hostal Rio Amazonas, conveniently located close to the centre of the city. Santiago has a spectacular skyline as the snow capped mountains literally surround the city and appear to loom over the buildings. It was very impressive!

It is always an exciting feeling to arrive somewhere new so after settling in we left the guesthouse to explore the surrounding area. We were close to the Mapacho River which flows through the city centre and we were to discover the Barrio Bellavista was a five minute stroll from our guesthouse on the other side of the river. This is a bohemian and very trendy neighbourhood full of restaurants, boutiques and galleries where we spent most evenings. The river was edged with a narrow forest park which made for an enjoyable walk each day. We walked along the main street parallel to the river for half a dozen blocks until we reached the Plaza de Armas, the main plaza of the capital. We had read about the student protests in Chile and as we walked to the plaza we saw evidence of them everywhere. One university or school was locked and the metal fence surrounding it was supporting piles of desks and chairs, presumably from the classrooms. We passed another which was strung with placards and covered in graffiti and had students protesting on the footpath outside. There was actually a lot of graffitti everywhere and a few local residents actually apologised for it. They are all very supportive of the students cause but obviously unhappy about the graffitti slogans which covered everything from buildings, footpaths and bus shelters. Even outside our guesthouse the road was stained with evidence of tyres having been burnt as a form of protest. For the previous six months hundreds of schools and universities had been taken over by teenage students. Despite Government warnings that tens of thousands of students would be forced to repeat their entire school year the students are continuing to demand that the government stop financially supporting for-profit educational institutions and lower interest rates on student loans. The price of attending schools has increased to an extent that only the wealthy could now afford to go. The protests had started peacefully with mass kiss-ins and colourful carnival style marches but had recently became much less peaceful.

Upon our arrival in the plaza we saw yet another protest - this one a large group of students dancing. Over the next few days we realised that the city centre was the scene of constant demonstrations. There were many people enjoying the sunny weather - food sellers, tourists crowded around the entrances of government buildings and the main Cathedral which circled the plaza, lots of families, groups of elderly men playing chess on card tables set up on one side of the plaza and street artists. We spent the remainder of the day just wandering the streets. At one stage we stood listening to a group of musicians, obviously well known in the capital as the large audience they had attracted were singing along and madly taking photos. The group was singing in front of a large banner hanging from the branch of a bank. The banner read 'Chile on Strike.' Even their form of protest was interrupted by another group of students, dressed as Roman soldiers, singing and dancing down the pedestrian only street!

That evening we wandered across the bridge into the Bellavista area for a meal. It was very busy with tourists and locals. The streets were lined with people selling craft items from blankets on the footpaths. We ate in a trendy restaurant, one of many similar, in a large complex which was buzzing with music and noise as people enjoyed an evening meal and browsed the many shops also housed within. We spent most evenings there for the rest of our time in Santiago - the food was great as was the atmosphere.

Next morning we went looking for a flea market we had heard about but couldn't find it. However we enjoyed wandering the back streets of the city centre, particularly some of the residential areas, and we ended up again - though not planned - back on the main plaza. We used the opportunity to visit the Cathedral and ate lunch in a local market area just across the river. We then ventured onto the underground and caught the metro to the last station where we visited Pueblito Los Dominicos, a large craft market On the edge of the city. It was a great way to spend the afternoon - many of the items on sale were of a high quality, there was lots of traditional music being played, and the whole site was overlooked by magnificent snow capped peaks. We were much closer to the there than in the city centre... A meal in the Bellavista ended another great day.

The next day started with a cup of coffee at an outdoor table on the main plaza before we visited the Museum of Pre Columbian Art. A fascinating collection and I particularly enjoyed the textiles on display. Some of the oldest textiles I've ever seen and most in surprisingly good condition. It turned into a real tourist day as we explored the area close to the museum - we passed the Justice Courts, the theatre and explored the museum/cultural centre underneath the Palace de Moneda (the original mint building). Outside this people was a large square which was covered in sleeping dogs - Santiago has a large population of street dogs (it was one of the things we first noticed during our city walks)- and many were enjoying the warmth of the square that day. This square had also had a constant parade of students running around it as a show of protest - that day there was only a solitary runner though. From there we set off to stand underneath the large flagpoles which we could see from most points in the central city. After admiring the flags from the base of the poles we headed back to the hotel, passing another banner strung school and buying some buttons from the students in support of their cause. We spent an hour in Cerro Santa Lucia, a park which covered a small hill, and afforded a great view of the city skyline and the amazing mountains. It was an interesting little park, winding staircase to the summit and topped with a mustard coloured small fort in the Italian style. It is one of two hills in the city and we had yet to explore the other one.

Next day was a public holiday so any plans we had made had to be abandoned as everything was shut! A quiet day though we did find a lot of the shops and cafes in the Bellavista area were open. We spent some time buying presents and admiring the lovely silver and lapis lazuli jewellery on display. Next day we left by bus for the port city of Valparasio though we were to return to the city for a few more days just prior to flying home to Australia.

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Photos

Mother cat with babies
Container on display in the Pre Columbian Arts Musem