#Santiago Chile - thoughts - observations

Santiago is massive. 6 million people. For some reason it does not feel like it. I am only here for a short time. I regret it. It has so much of interest. My thoughts are jumbled so I will set them down in no particular order.

Before I do so I would like to acknowledge - first the Eco Hostel - a really nice place to stay and secondly Free Walks Santiago - our guide Franco - really gave us so much in 4 hours. Brilliant.

• The people in SA are short. I am tall by Chilean standards!
• While Santiago feels cosmopolitan there is no evidence of multi culteralism. I have not seem one person in muslim dress in the one month I have been in S America.
• Santiago is flat. The traffic is reasonable and modern but as you will see in the the photos air pollution is still high.
• Chile is doing OK. Copper mining is its major earner. It is now overtaking Argentina economically.
• Downtown and central Santiago has some rough edges but it is great to move around. Lots of plazas and pedestrian areas. Cars do not dominate.
• Chileans work hard. They look tired. I have been told the constant concern about earthquakes and tsunami hangs over them although they are well prepared apparently.
• They have an obesity problem too. Maybe economic wealth is a factor. Their food is a factor!
• Chilean food is on the whole basic. Meat dominates. They have a major sweet tooth. Cakes. Chocolates. Beer with fanta!
• Typical dish being eaten everywhere. Chips covered in slices of meat or fried chicken. Fried onions. Fried eggs. Often with rice and bread rolls and a jug of ribena type drink. Very cheap.
• Chile has a very up and down history in the 20th century. President Allende elected by the people. Loved by many. Hated by many. Overthrown by a military junta led by Pinochet. Nixon involved concerned Chile was going to become a Cuba.
•  A film called No nominated at the Oscars about bringing down Pinochet. I want to see.
• Their revolutionaries sound so much more attractive than our leftwing politicians!
• Pinochet let the UK use bases in Chile to attack Argentina during the Falklands war. Very bad relations with Argentina as a result. Thatcher indebted to Pinochet helped him in exile when the rest if the world wanted to try him for war crimes. Not our greatest moment.
• Chile suffers from the haves and have nots. Not a unique problem of course but a very real division expressed passionately by our guide.
• They are football crazy. They speak Spanish. Two nights running I have watched the Champions League semis. Each semi involved a Spanish team. The whole bar cheering for the German and Italian teams - not the Spanish! It says a lot.
• Santiago claims to have the best sea food in the world. It is not directly on the Pacific coast but comes to Santiago quickly. I spent some time in a fish market fish restaurant. The wine is so cheap too. Dinner cost 8000 Chilean pesos. Otherwise £8!
• Legs Coffee. Chile is not good for coffee apparently. Some years ago some one decided to try and make drinking coffee more attractive. The formula. Small stand up tables or narrow counters. Coffee served by girls in the shortest skirts possible. An unbelievable sight but in the main tasteful. The girls pamper the men if they want it and get tipped well. This is mainstream Santiago and only in business hours. A more recent development is coffee houses (not alcohol) with blacked out windows where the waitresses have very little on. Same rules. Business hours only. Amazing what some guys need.
• Shown the house of Pablo Neruda - Chilean Nobel prize winner for poetry. He is one of their greatest heroes. He wrote an ode to conger eel soup which I had in the market out of respect. Something else to google when I have the time.
• June - Chile hosts the Copa America cup. I liked Peru but I am supporting Chile!!

A few photos :-

Apparently Santiago's most hated building. Yes built by a Spanish mobile phone company to look like a mobile phone!

The Spanish conquer. No reins. Represents no control.

The magnificent Santiago Cathedral. Apparently the Catholic Church is losing membership massively now.

Allende loved by many. Hated by the right wing. Fights every Sept 11th.

Presidential Palace where Allende committed suicide under attack from Pinochet's military junta.

The Chilean flag. 1/3 rd the size of a football pitch. 

Above Santiago at San Cristobel.

Looking down on Santiago from San Cristobal. Evident smog but a big factor is the errupting volcano in the south of Chile.

Chilling

Useful to speak different languages

The end of a lovely day. Fantastic sea food served cold with squeezed lemon and bread to mop it up. Chilean chilled white wine. Go for it Dave - you only live once! The bowl was massive including razor clams and oysters. On a par with Armona and that is saying something.

A sad selfie watching the football. I am supporting the Spanish team - Barcelona. All the Spanish speaking Chilean's supporting Bayern Munich. A mad world!