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15/4- Through the Andes
We jump on the bus early in the morning headed for Chile again and we were so happy to see that we did actually have the panorama seats. We have heard a lot of people talk about how beautiful the drive was. They were correct. We both slept the first hour but after that the landscape changed constantly with some rocks even my father would find interesting. Snow capped mountains, winding roads climbing up to the hilltop Immigration point. We had a different experience on this bus trip for a few other reasons. We were sitting surrounded by an intrepid tour group, which had two main effects, the ecstatically happy drunk Aussie chica sitting behind us and the translation by their tour guide. First the Aussie, getting on the bus explaining about how lucky the older guy she chose to sit next to was, but after this the constant laughing and apologizing. It was funny, sometimes annoying but overall a funny time. The second part was the tour guide. Sarah and I know when we need to get on or off, we get by well but to know what is yelled out at us was interesting.... A quick low indecipherable moan from the driver who was walking off the bus.... He actually said you only require your documents, bags and scanning was later.
The Chilean side of the Andes were under repair and it was slow with a very crazy road. This was partly captured in the picture of the hairpin road that's uploaded in the Santiago folder.
We grabbed the Santiago metro for the first time and checked into Hostel Don Santiago, a quiet and very friendly hostel in Barrio Brazil region of Santiago. We had a look around plaza Brazil and took in the interesting architecture and graffiti. This area is quieter, a little more alternative and in parts a student type area. It has lots of bars restaurants and cafes to choose from.... Saying that we got a few items and made a picnic of on the floor of the hostel with some cheap malbec we had been carrying. It was really funny as Sarah and I; English and Aussie were sitting in Chile, drinking Argentinean wine with the hostel worker (once a kiwi) listening to his favorite band the Hilltop Hoods who are Australian.
The only downside that I wasn't going to say is the toilets don't flush very well and Sarah was very lucky.... Almost every time there was a little surprise waiting for her!!
16/4 Free walking Tour
We heard about a group that run free walking tours of the city (where you tip at the end) and all the reviews were very positive. We were hesitant at first but thought we'd give it a try, it's free anyway. We met up with Johnny the scot that runs the morning tours and joined a large group. Johnny was really knowledgeable about Santiago and was also great with the political history of the city and it's people. He started from the founders and the indigenous and went to current day. All through tour he spoke of interesting presidents and how it all related to what we walked by. The best part of the tour was that he explains things you would struggle to find out otherwise and gave funny and interesting information. The first thing you notice when you walk around Santiago is the number of street dogs; and that they are well cared for. They are very tame and people take care of the dogs to the level that if one is injured they have a group to help them (the phone number is on their collars). Some dogs even have home made or bought coats!! On top of this we had a tour dog or a few for dogs, which at many different points stopped and lay down while we talked or ate lunch and then hopped up and continued with us after.
Next, he explained about coffee with legs, unique to Santiago. Coffee was not very popular as Chileans don't historically drink it, so to get people into coffee a few people decided to put good looking ladies in tight, short skirts behind a thin or see through bar. This still exists and it was nicknamed 'café con piernas' or coffee with legs. This was taken to the next level with the magic minute, where for one minute every day the blinds are bought down, doors locked and it's naked coffee for a minute. This has been cracked down on but it's said a few places still do it!!
Johnny had done his research (not for magic minute, this is the next topic!) and a big part of the tour was his favorite Chileans through history. These included the 'nuts4nuts' millionaire, the famous poet and politician Pablo Naurda and female poet Gabriela Mistral (the later two are noble prize winners).
The nuts4nuts man began by selling coated and roasted nuts in Santiago. However people didn't catch on and he failed. So he took it to the US and was a big success. They say if it works in the US then people here will want it so he came back and is now everywhere. Self made millionaire. The translation does not work as smoothly in Spanish, nuts quatro nuts and when someone tried to copy the idea they chose made nuts5nuts. Almost but no. The two Noble prizewinners will be talked about later as we have planned to visit sites dedicated to them.
The final part of the tour was really useful as he was able to recommend good authentic Chilean dishes, places for this Chilean food, local drinks and hidden secrets, all that we took advantage of. We had our first Pisco sour (national cocktail), our first pastel do chocolo (sweet corn based pie) and our search for the insane cocktail called torremoto (or earthquake in Spanish). It's over half a liter of bad fortified white wine, a shot or more of digestive and pineapple ice-cream!! It's said when you stand up it feels like an earthquake just occurred. There are smaller ones for after called aftershocks.
After the tour finished we went out for lunch with an English couple (Ian and Laura) and headed up Cerro San Christobel to the Mary statue that is located on the top (and with a great view). After this, we walked to a very famous Chilean bar La Piojera to try the famous Terremoto. Fortunately for our livers and sobriety it was closed for a private function. We headed to an Irish bar instead and ate a famous meal, which is a mountain of chips with egg, onion and beef on it with gravy over the entire thing. It was a great tasting heart attack called Chorrillana. A few beers later or Piscos and we headed home a little worse for wear
17/4 The Gam
Hmmm, we were a little slower than other days; we headed out to pickup the bits to make fajitas for lunch. Made for a great meal. In the afternoon I headed out for a walk around Concha y Toro while Sarah talked with the family. We both enjoyed our times. The area I walked around are old style architecture with a few amazing courtyards that only open to walking traffic. In one region there were police on every corner, which I found out later, there was a student protest. I just thought maybe it was a dangerous area I didn't know about and walked faster. We decided not to waste the day and headed out to a museum and art gallery known as the GAM, Gabrela Mistral art complex. After walking around the building, we struggled to find how to get in and where the hell we we're ment to go once we were in. After this small hiccough, we enjoyed it. The native art was interesting and it included demonstration videos as to how they are produced. The art in the hallways were very different, but intriguing, some consisting of body parts.
On the walk home we stopped at actual department stores, the first ones in a long time. There were brands we knew at good prices (in Argentina there is a big tax on imports and department stores don't exist or are very expensive). After a few shops I found a nice shirt. It was so cheap and nice that Sarah was sizing them up to possibly get one too. After the days events we were tired and hungry so we went to this little shop that produces empanadas while you wait. 20cm long and whatever you want in it. It was great, maybe mum and dad will taste these little gems when they arrive. Later on was the swap of roles, I talked to Mum and Gran on Skype while Sarah filled her time. I got the outline of Mum and Dads trip to South America... Not long now. Finally, the end of a dusty day and bedtime.
18/4 Chiles history
This is the last morning we have planned in Santiago and there is one main attraction to see, 'Museo de la Memoria y Los Derechos Humanos' or the museum of human rights violations. This sounds like a weird place to be an attraction and it is a little bit odd. It's an attraction like the killing fields of Cambodia, informative and interesting but not for the lighthearted. It's a museum to remember the disappeared, tortured and other human rights violations, which occurred during the dictatorship.
The museum begins with an explanation on how the military coup occurred, the outlawing of media, assassination of other political leaders, changing his own party and creating the dictatorship, all the way to banning groups of 6 people or more from meeting. The rooms continued with how news leaked out from the regimes activities and the breadcrumbs used by the families off the missing. It also illustrates how human rights violations were covered up both locally and internationally. In one section, an entire inside wall, the faces of the missing filled up the 5-story space and the youngest proven and known person was 9 years old. An intense part of the museum was the explanation of methods of capture and torture, and of terrorism. It was confronting how recent all of this occurred. There was a live video of a student getting shot on the street, it was harrowing. Hard to believe this happened so recently.
The final part of the museum explains that this history is not something Chile is ashamed of, it's part of the history and it's a celebration of an uprising. This museum is here so everyone knows and no one forgets, so this never happens again and also so people know they have the power.
The park across the way is nice and open and good for clearing your head. Lots of dogs running around, even a puppy.
After all this we decided to get an empanada from our favorite place. When we arrived Ian and Laura from two nights earlier. Another set of great empanadas down, chatting to the English couple, nice and light. We then headed off to get a bus to Valparaiso. While we were sitting on the bus waiting (in the front vista seats), a little dog walked around following people and laying in the sun or shade. It would get ideas to go over to people that bent over or that went low enough. We watched the cute scruffy guy for about ten minutes. Just before the bus pulled out we saw it run inquisitively over to a couple. It was only after this we realized that she had pulled a very small kitten from her bag. No dinner this time for the little guy.
After leaving we noticed the bus in front of us had an odd symbol in its features panel (its in the photos), air-con, reclining seats and it doesn't roll over??
We arrived and made our way to the new place, Alojamaento Ely. Private room and cable for less than a dorm... Winning!
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