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Published: October 27th 2006
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Santiago public transport
Both eco-friendly and good for its patrons cardiovascular health Kriss:
Santiago smells of exhaust gases and vanilla! The first is due to the population of 4+ million and the numerous cars/buses to take this lot around the town. The second one is mostly produced by the Crazy4Nuts or Nuts4Nuts trolleys on every street-corner... 😊
It has been nice to be in a big town again - to feel the pulse of life around us, people being busy or having fun. Chileans are quite amorous, kissing couples of all ages are not a rare sight here - but so far it's never been out-of-control snogging / making out, like you can see in Europe. "Love is in the air"!
I must also point out that the selection of fresh, seasonal vegetables and fruits in this country has been warmly welcomed by our digestive systems. Green, ripe avocados, red, juicy strawberries sold from fruit barrows by tanned old men on the streets - 3kg for 1GBP!
I have this impression that Chileans like to wear uniforms - mostly, it falls down to overcoats of different colour, for example the fruit merchants wear blue coats, the car park security personnel wear white and street shop attendants wear blue and white checked
Either this is a shoe shine stall,
or the bloke sitting down is really supple coats!
We've also noticed that both the Argentine and the Chileans are not shy with staring. I would even call it "eyeing". We are obviously a bit "different" with our massive bike and roll bags etc., but boy, do they look at us! And if you look back, they don't turn their eyes away. In Argentina it usually lead to a lenghty conversation with the individual about the bike, trip and places to see; in Chile they tend to just keep looking at you. Nick is a bit more mediterranean-looking and only stands out by wearing his camera, rug-sack and a safari hat. I cannot blend in at all... I can be as casual-looking as you wish but I still get either petition collectors, beggars or English-speaking locals sellling/telling me things! I've decided not to pay attention to this as I am different to them and therefore they do have a valid reason for staring. 😉
Lastly, I have been asked to tell more about the masculine population in Chile and Argentina (I apologise, Nick) and I will update you with pleasure 😊 It ¡s easy to rest your eyes on the alpha males in this part of
the world. Firstly, they tend to have thick black hair that is usually quite long (either a waist-hugging bob - a bit like the native indians used to wear it, or if they've lost their hair in the front, a fluffy bit at the base of the head) and they somehow still manage to look cool with that sort of friseur 😊 In addition, their olive skin and fiery black eyes compliment the overall image. They tend to be about my height and not very bulky but their stunning white smiles that they share with ease make up for it 😉
I must say that the girls are not bad either, but I wouldn't want steal the pleasure from Nick to tell you more about the local ladies.
Like Nick, I am also getting the feeling of itchy feet after these few days of "civilisation" and I look forward to the meals out of tin cans and crackly-joint nights in the tent. We have not long to wait as we are heading off on Friday, towards the wilderness!
Nick:
We’ve been in Santiago for two days now. The first was lost in a swirl of glass ordering
Cityscapes, mountain peaks,
...and a thick blanket of hydrocarbons: Welcome to the Santiago skyline. and bike delivering, but our second was ours to spend as we pleased. Following a lazy morning in the hotel and some cable TV (Sub-titles and not dubbed: the English language!!) we went out, had a brunch and then walked. We went through the centre and wandered over the tree covered hillock in the city centre known as Cerro de Santa Lucia, before walking on to the funicular train up the side of the Cerro San Cristobal, a steep and high mount that Kristina reliably informs me is actually part of the Andean range. Once at the top we felt, acutely, what we had already noticed before: the sun beats down rather hard in this part of the world and Kristina, wrapped in a scarf and other bits was starting to look thoroughly Tuareg. We walked around, took in the stunning views of Santiago and the Andes in the background, all the while through an impressive blanket of smog. It’s a thick beige/brown layer about 200m above the city and it is THICK! Think enough to obscure huge, snow-clad mountains! We then took advantage of our cable car ticket and took that to the far end of the Cerro. On
Considering the choice...
...you'll be glad to know these places are open late so you don't have to rush your choice! the way we marveled at the view, and I marveled at Kristina’s inability to deal with heights from the confines of the bubble-car. So I took full advantage of the little lever that allows you to open the doors by 20cm whilst 30m in the air!! I shouldn’t laugh as any whiff of heights on cliff tops or buildings and I’m a nervous wreck, but this time I was not, so I teased instead: what a pleasant human being I am!
We traveled down the bottom station, made use of the drink kiosk whose biggest novelty factor was the exorbitant prices that they charged, made use of the pretty unpleasant toilets in the park area ( it seems, judging by the floor, when toilet roll runs out, then newspaper is fair game…). With that treat out of the way, we climbed back into the cable car, rejoined the summit and walked back to the funicular, only to be passed by a cavalcade of 30 bike police (two on big BMW tourers: the instructors or officers, the ladies on big scooters, and all the show-off guys on their crazy moto-crossers.) Cool to see them ride past, embarrassing to see one stall
If a bird....
... flew into the side of a cable car, this is what it would see, before it slid off! and have to push start the bike and annoyingly close to a prize winning photo when 3 of them almost had a pile-up just ahead of us. So close yet so far. Just goes to show that dispensing justice and show-boating don’t mix!
Right, onto important things: I'm not about to be outdone by the other half, so: Chilean Ladies!! What to tell you, my male readers? Firstly, on the whole they are very attractive, with long dark hair, big dark eyes, flawless cmplexions, pleasant (read fantastic) figures and a fun-loving skip in their step. I should say, particularly in Mendoza, that the same could be said of their Argentine cousins! Unfortunately, I suspect my unkept beard, walking boots and dodgy zip-down khaki shorts do not match the well kept dress sense of their male compatriots. Ho-hum, I shall just pass by in anonymity...sniff.
Hang on! Unnoticed means I can stare and not get slapped: woo-hoo!!
On our third, and final, day in Santiago we had another nice lazy morning in before having lunch for breakfast. We then walked into town and visited a pretty good museum of the art of the indigenous civilizations that occupied the central
Right, you lot!
When I start counting, you ride off and hide, and me and the Sarge will come looking for you!! See? The Law can be fun, too and southern Americas before Columbus stuck his oar in. Very impressive stuff, albeit sometimes a bit gruesome.
Once back in the open we made tracks to pick up the bike complete with new tyre. We spent quite a while in the dealership. Long enough to see that my particular credit card was the wrong type of Visa, in much the same way that trains are late due to the wrong type of snow….
So a week’s worth of cash came off the bank account instead of the good old credit company. Annoying!
Still, the dealership were nice, even gave us a discount, and that would not happen in Europe, as well as free tie down webbing! I love freebies! The old tyre still had some life in it and it irks me to through stuff out that still have use, so we will send it to Jorge at La Posta (the site of our first lodgings, 4 weeks ago), as he may well find a buyer wanting as cheap rear to get them another 500 miles down the road! Unfortunately, I failed to get yet more “Changing Rooms” inspirations from Pablo Neruda’s Santiago home as we did not have time to visit it.
Tomorrow, it will be time to leave and I feel very ready for that. It has been pleasant here, despite the arrival, but all very predictable and I am looking forward to having unexpected sights and fresh tarmac roads to carve our name across on the way down South. We expect the first stop to be Curicó, 120 miles away, but if the place is not so inviting, we may carry on. The urge to move is definitely upon me!
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Mandy G
non-member comment
Well hello
Hi both, Jo H told me about your blog so I googled you and here you are! Sounds like quite the adventure, I had no idea you were planning something so bold. Love the pics and look forward to reading more. Stay safe and have fun. Mandy x