Back in Santiago

After returning on a 7-hour bus through the mountains from Argentina, we packed in a ton of activities in Santiago. We headed to Lastarria, a nice neighborhood/barrio in Santiago, and ate a nice dinner at Sur Patagonica. I tried the signature “Pisco Sour” drink, the liquor of Chile, and Elizabeth and I shared potato gnocchi and empanaditas de mariscos, which are seafood empanadas. I rarely eat seafood, but this was the most phenomenal meal I’ve eaten in awhile. We continued to explore the area and stopped at a nearby bar called Berri to drink its signature drink, blue berri margaritas. Pretty full day for a Monday!

Tuesday, we pretty much hit every area of downtown Santiago in 12 hours. Chile has a rich history under the dictatorship of Pinochet after an attack on September 11, 1973, with political genocide and a crazy government until 1990. A few years ago, former president Michelle Bachelet ordered the opening of a Museo de La Memoria y Derechos Humanos, Museum of Memory & Human Rights, to commemorate this period and all those lost. The museum is very well-done and I learned a lot, ending with the excitement of the No! movement. A documentary was just done on this and aired at the True/False Film Fest, so maybe I can even catch it at the Rag Tag theater back at Mizzou.

From the museum, we paddle boated at Parque Quinta Normal, a beautiful park near the metro/subway. Lunch “promociones” are huge here, so we had to get our good food at lunch prices. The Bellas Artes area of town has some great lunch deals, so we stopped there and got a soup/salad, bread, soda, tortilla española (or other meal), mashed potatoes and dessert for $7! I’m still shocked.

Our next stop was La Moneda, the Chilean version of the White House. There’s a Centro Cultural inside to visit, and it was cool to see Elizabeth point out places in the Moneda where she has reported for The Santiago Times, her internship here. Our last metro/Subway ride of the day was toward Paseo Ahumada and Paseo Fuente, two long stretches downtown with good shopping. Since summer is ending here, we got some great deals on wedges and sundresses! Shoes were running for nearly $6; it’s great to be somewhere where the exchange rate is in your favor. Many trip advisor-type websites had recommended trying a drink called “El Terremoto” at “La Piojera,” a gringo establishment in the downtown Santiago area. For those of you non-Spanish speakers, that means trying out an “earthquake” alcoholic beverage at a restaurant called “lice.” Sounds appealing, right?

The restaurant reminds me of Dick’s Last Resort in the States--somewhere you just have to go for the experience, but where nothing is good about the food, people or environment. We practiced our Spanish and hung out with some Chileans at the bar, and enjoyed watching Santiago craze over Chile winning the Chile-Uruguay fútbol/soccer game!

Wednesday morning, I was pretty exhausted from the past two days but still needed to do something. While laying out at the apartment’s pool downstairs, I met a fellow American and UC-San Diego student. Part of the travel experience is bonding with strangers! We had both studied abroad, were the same age and were visiting friends in Santiago. We hung out at the pool, took a break for lunch, I checked out an artisan Feria Santa Lucia downtown for a bit and then we met up to climb Cerro San Cristobal, a huge hill in the middle of the city with a beautiful view. Pictures to come.

To end most of the Santiago experience, Elizabeth, Alicia and I reunited at Patio Bellavista - an adorable patio full of restaurants and bars contained in a mall-type atmosphere - and had another authentic meal. Pictures to come of all of this.

Takeaway of the day: Santiago has plenty of things to do, and you can squeeze a lot into each day in the city!

I’ll finish my trip by heading to Valparaiso, Viña del Mar and Reñaca on the coast of the Pacific Ocean, which is crazy because Chile is an hour ahead of the Eastern time zones like New York because of its geographical location! Thanks for reading about my experience and I promise, photos will make it more exciting.