My time in Santiago was broken up into two chunks, so I decided to write just one blog about my entire experience at the end of it. Currently, I'm sitting on flight 2 of 4 on my way home to the United States. Seems as good a time as any.
I was in Santiago from July 13th to the 16th, and then the 19th to today, the 24th. I stayed with my aunt/mom's cousin, Rebecca, and Gonzalo, and their newborn son Martin. It was really nice to have a home base during my time in Santiago. Becca and Gonzalo both work in tourism, and therefore know a lot about good places to visit, fun activities, and public transit. And the food wasn't half bad either ;) I really enjoyed getting to know them and the extended Chilean family. I can't thank them enough. Hopefully when Martin is older they can come visit D.C. and I will show them around.
As for being a tourist, Santiago admittedly doesn't have much to offer on the surface. Yes, it's the capital city, so it has government buildings and a decent amount of history. It is definitely filled with museums of all types, but I for one can't spend a whole week in museums. Better to pick a few good ones and use the rest of your time in a different manner. If you take a look at other blogs out there, you can't get a good feel for what is worth visiting and what's not. The title of this post comes from the fact that many people I encountered, including the family I stayed with, were amazed at the way I was able to use the public transportation system to my advantage. I was able to do pretty much everything I wanted without having to use taxis, colectivos, or renting a car (one exception was in Casablanca but I think I could've done it without the colectivo).
One thing I will recommend in going on a bike tour with La Bicicleta Verde. I did their afternoon "Parks and Politics" tour, which ended up being 3 hours in the freezing cold rain, but I learned a lot about the city and it really got me oriented to the different neighborhoods that surround the city center. I was also introduced to the history of Chile, most importantly the effects the "golpe militar" of 1973 had on the capital.
Other places I visited/wandered around in are:
Plaza de Armas
El Palacio de la Moneda* (I highly recommend going on a tour, must be prearranged online)
Cerro Santa Lucia*
Parque Forestal
Mercado Central* (delicious seafood, look for the inexpensive lunch stalls on the side away from the river)
Barrio Bellavista
Cerro San Cristobal (not as unsafe as they might say, especially if you team up with some other tourists to walk around)
La Chascona, house of Pablo Neruda
Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos*
Museo Nacional de la Historia Natural
M100 cultural center
A public library
Reserva Natural Aguas de Ramon (11 km of walking and trekking! if you don't go here, trek somewhere)
Viña Santa Rita (see the separate blog post on this one)
Centro Cultural La Moneda
Barrio Lastarria
Calle San Diego* (good if you're looking to pick up a new book to read)
Mercado Artesanal Santa Lucia
I starred my favorites on the list, things I consider to be must see.
I also learned some fun new vocabulary in Chile, despite most of the people eating at least the last syllable of every word. Things like "po" at the end of a sentence, "huevando" being the equivalent of the Ecuadorian "chendo", and many others that I can't spell. Miraculously, I could understand most Chileans on the second repetition of what they were trying to say. I even managed to convince the people there I was Chilean on a few occasions. My spanish was good enough at this point that I got a few, "Pero es chilena, no?" (But, you're Chilean, right?), which made me swell with pride. I was also made fun of (in the nicest way possible) because of the very Spain Spanish way I would pronounce words like "gracias". Hopefully I will be able to keep this up now that I'm heading back to the states.
Overall, I really enjoyed Santiago, and Chile as a whole. I'm already planning to come back when it's summer in the southern hemisphere, regardless of how far off that trip will be. I know there is so much more to see in this beautiful country.
Books I read:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Game by Terry Schott
Inside Out Girl by Tish Cohen
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
I was in Santiago from July 13th to the 16th, and then the 19th to today, the 24th. I stayed with my aunt/mom's cousin, Rebecca, and Gonzalo, and their newborn son Martin. It was really nice to have a home base during my time in Santiago. Becca and Gonzalo both work in tourism, and therefore know a lot about good places to visit, fun activities, and public transit. And the food wasn't half bad either ;) I really enjoyed getting to know them and the extended Chilean family. I can't thank them enough. Hopefully when Martin is older they can come visit D.C. and I will show them around.
As for being a tourist, Santiago admittedly doesn't have much to offer on the surface. Yes, it's the capital city, so it has government buildings and a decent amount of history. It is definitely filled with museums of all types, but I for one can't spend a whole week in museums. Better to pick a few good ones and use the rest of your time in a different manner. If you take a look at other blogs out there, you can't get a good feel for what is worth visiting and what's not. The title of this post comes from the fact that many people I encountered, including the family I stayed with, were amazed at the way I was able to use the public transportation system to my advantage. I was able to do pretty much everything I wanted without having to use taxis, colectivos, or renting a car (one exception was in Casablanca but I think I could've done it without the colectivo).
One thing I will recommend in going on a bike tour with La Bicicleta Verde. I did their afternoon "Parks and Politics" tour, which ended up being 3 hours in the freezing cold rain, but I learned a lot about the city and it really got me oriented to the different neighborhoods that surround the city center. I was also introduced to the history of Chile, most importantly the effects the "golpe militar" of 1973 had on the capital.
Other places I visited/wandered around in are:
Plaza de Armas
El Palacio de la Moneda* (I highly recommend going on a tour, must be prearranged online)
Cerro Santa Lucia*
Parque Forestal
Mercado Central* (delicious seafood, look for the inexpensive lunch stalls on the side away from the river)
Barrio Bellavista
Cerro San Cristobal (not as unsafe as they might say, especially if you team up with some other tourists to walk around)
La Chascona, house of Pablo Neruda
Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos*
Museo Nacional de la Historia Natural
M100 cultural center
A public library
Reserva Natural Aguas de Ramon (11 km of walking and trekking! if you don't go here, trek somewhere)
Viña Santa Rita (see the separate blog post on this one)
Centro Cultural La Moneda
Barrio Lastarria
Calle San Diego* (good if you're looking to pick up a new book to read)
Mercado Artesanal Santa Lucia
I starred my favorites on the list, things I consider to be must see.
I also learned some fun new vocabulary in Chile, despite most of the people eating at least the last syllable of every word. Things like "po" at the end of a sentence, "huevando" being the equivalent of the Ecuadorian "chendo", and many others that I can't spell. Miraculously, I could understand most Chileans on the second repetition of what they were trying to say. I even managed to convince the people there I was Chilean on a few occasions. My spanish was good enough at this point that I got a few, "Pero es chilena, no?" (But, you're Chilean, right?), which made me swell with pride. I was also made fun of (in the nicest way possible) because of the very Spain Spanish way I would pronounce words like "gracias". Hopefully I will be able to keep this up now that I'm heading back to the states.
Overall, I really enjoyed Santiago, and Chile as a whole. I'm already planning to come back when it's summer in the southern hemisphere, regardless of how far off that trip will be. I know there is so much more to see in this beautiful country.
Books I read:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Game by Terry Schott
Inside Out Girl by Tish Cohen
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
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