21 June - Santiago
Made it to the Southern Hemisphere! This trip was organized by Mario, my Chilean friend who lives in Washington. I've actually spent two summers with him - once for the Shakespeare NEH in Delaware and Stratford-Upon-Avon, and again for the Fulbright in India. Gotta love these teacher connections!! Also on the trip are Stacey (who was also an India Fulbright Fellow), Gayle (a teacher friend of Mario's), and Mario's son Victor.
I met Stacey at SFO and we flew together to Chile via Mexico City. We both happened to treat ourselves to first class tickets, so it was altogether a comfortable and enjoyable trip - it definitely makes these long international flights bearable!! As Stacey says, we don't have kids or a family to pay for, so why not?! We're now at the hotel near the airport in Santiago - even though it's not even 7PM back home, we're both in bed already (there's a 3 hour time difference). Hopefully we'll be able to connect with Mario and Victor tomorrow, and tour downtown Santiago!
22 June - Santiago
A gorgeous day in Santiago!! We slept amazingly well - I fully expected to wake up early since I slept a lot on the plane, but I actually got up at 8:30 (which, I guess for CA time is 5:30 so not too bad). We took and Uber downtown to meet Mario - got there a little late but so did he, and it was such a relief to see him walking down the street towards us!! He and his son Victor had been here since Thursday (even though they were supposed to fly out on Monday, but American Airlines messed them up and couldn't get them out for several days). Victor is really nice, but much quieter than his dad - as he says, when Mario is around, he just sits back and listens.
We met at the Palacio de la Moneda, where the President of Chile resides. There's a big plaza outside with lots of guards, and we didn't go inside. From there, we walked to the Plaza de Armas - the main square in the downtown area. We stopped to see the monument to the Indigenous Peoples (a beautiful but slightly disturbing statue with what looks like a decapitated head).
The Metropolitan Cathedral is also in the square, and we stopped in for a moment but there was a Mass going on so we quickly left. Next was the statue of Don Pedro de Valdivia, who founded Santiago back in 1541.
From the Plaza, we walked past the Central Market and over the Rio Mapocho to Vega Central, the giant main market. We walked first through the flower market, then into Vega to see all the fresh fruits and vegetables. We bought a 1/4 kilo of queso chanco, a Chilean cheese, because Mario said he loved it and we had to try. It really was delicious!
We also had to try their fresh fruit juice - and Mario and Victor suggested lúcuma - a popular Chilean fruit that looks a lot like an orange avocado. We had it with milk and almonds (which ended up being a mix of almonds and walnuts), and it was good (but really just tasted like nuts to me).
We slowly made our way through the Bellavista (bohemian, artsy district) to the Pío Nono Funicular station and went up to the top of Cerro San Cristóbal. It's a big hill in the middle of Santiago with a great view of the entire city (and the Andes Mountains behind it). The only bad thing is that there is a lot of haze and smog trapped in the valley between the Andes and the parallel Chilean Coastal Range, so you can see a thick layer blanketing the entire city. At the top of Cerro San Cristóbal you're slightly above it, so you can look down and see the layer.
We took the Funicular to the Summit station, then transferred to the Telefonia - a gondola that goes North-east across the top of the mountain. It gave a nice view of the tallest skyscraper in South America, as well as the Andes. We basically took it to the end then hopped right back on to go back to the Summit Station.
At the summit, there's a small park and a Virgin Mary statue. Chile is an extremely Catholic country (with churches in every neighborhood), and the area around the summit has lots of statues and monuments dedicated to different saints, priests, and others. It was visited by Pope John Paul II, and there are signs everywhere in his memory.
Since we were hungry, we rode the funicular back down and walked quickly back to the Mercado Central, the main market across the river.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's basically a combination fresh-fish market with farmers-market-style restaurants in the center. The building is really cool - looks a bit like an old train station - and we wandered through until we picked a restaurant that looked good - Donde Augusto. We had fish soup and seafood platter, plus empanadas. Some of the seafood was a bit strange tasting for me, but the empanadas were delicious.
Even though that was supposed to be lunch, it was 5PM when we walked back outside - and it was starting to get dark. So we wandered around looking at the nightlife and at the pedestrian streets (which were much busier in the evening than during the day).
There had been a Pride Parade in Santiago that day, and lots of people with pride flags were walking around - we're sad we missed it! But we did get in a bit of window shopping (Mario finally found the flag of the indigenous people where he's from), then Stacey and I took and Uber back to our hotel. Gayle gets in really late tonight (her flight was delayed so she doesn't arrive until 2:30AM!).
23 June – Santiago
In the morning, we met up with Gayle (who made it in at 2:30 in the morning!!) and went to El Museo de las Memoria y los Derechos Humans (Museum of Memory and Human Rights). It told the history of the Chilean coup d’etat of September 11, 1973 when the military overthrew the socialist president Salvador Allende. Essentially, Allende’s government was socialist (nearing communist), and the United States actively supported his overthrow. Afterwards, a military junta took power led by the Army commander in chief Augusto Pinochet, who severely limited any opposition and committed serious human rights violations. Thousands were arrested, tortured, and disappeared between 1973 and 1990.
From the museum, we found our way to the Cementerio General de Santiago – magnificent and fascinating cemetary dating back to 1821, spanning over 200 acres in the middle of town. It’s a huge place filled with statues, mausoleums, and sculptures, including the burial sites of almost all of Chile’s former presidents.
Some areas have what look like apartment complexes, filled with tombs; some areas are neighborhoods of giant mausoleums; and some are expansive fields with simple crosses or even dug up plots. We saw the memorials for Salvador Allende, who committed suicide during the 1973 coup d’etat; the mausoleum for presidents Pedro Montt (1906-1910) and Anibal Pinto Garmendia (1876-1881), and the memorial for folk singer Violeta Parra.
One of the places mentioned in the museum was Patio 29, the plot in the General Cemetary of Santiago where mass burials of anonymous political prisoners took place. They estimate around 200 bodies were buried there, and it became a symbol of the human rights violations committed during the coup. It’s a somber and bleak memorial, with many of the crosses tagged with flyers asking “Dónde están?” – “Where are they?”
We left the cemetery passing through some of the mausoleum “apartments,” then went to lunch at a local café – Mario and Victor introduced us to churrasco palta – a roast beef sandwich with avocado. Delicious! Their friend Daniel, a doctor who goes to Nigeria w/ Victor, drove us (more like racecar sped us) back to our hotel to pick up our luggage, then we went straight to the airport for our flight to Arica. We'll meet up with Mario and Victor again tomorrow for some museum visits, before our flight out to Arica!
Made it to the Southern Hemisphere! This trip was organized by Mario, my Chilean friend who lives in Washington. I've actually spent two summers with him - once for the Shakespeare NEH in Delaware and Stratford-Upon-Avon, and again for the Fulbright in India. Gotta love these teacher connections!! Also on the trip are Stacey (who was also an India Fulbright Fellow), Gayle (a teacher friend of Mario's), and Mario's son Victor.
I met Stacey at SFO and we flew together to Chile via Mexico City. We both happened to treat ourselves to first class tickets, so it was altogether a comfortable and enjoyable trip - it definitely makes these long international flights bearable!! As Stacey says, we don't have kids or a family to pay for, so why not?! We're now at the hotel near the airport in Santiago - even though it's not even 7PM back home, we're both in bed already (there's a 3 hour time difference). Hopefully we'll be able to connect with Mario and Victor tomorrow, and tour downtown Santiago!22 June - Santiago
A gorgeous day in Santiago!! We slept amazingly well - I fully expected to wake up early since I slept a lot on the plane, but I actually got up at 8:30 (which, I guess for CA time is 5:30 so not too bad). We took and Uber downtown to meet Mario - got there a little late but so did he, and it was such a relief to see him walking down the street towards us!! He and his son Victor had been here since Thursday (even though they were supposed to fly out on Monday, but American Airlines messed them up and couldn't get them out for several days). Victor is really nice, but much quieter than his dad - as he says, when Mario is around, he just sits back and listens.
 |
| Monument to Indigenous Peoples |
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| La Moneda |
The Metropolitan Cathedral is also in the square, and we stopped in for a moment but there was a Mass going on so we quickly left. Next was the statue of Don Pedro de Valdivia, who founded Santiago back in 1541. |
| In the Plaza de Armas |
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| Crossing Rio Mapocho |
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| Flower Market |
From the Plaza, we walked past the Central Market and over the Rio Mapocho to Vega Central, the giant main market. We walked first through the flower market, then into Vega to see all the fresh fruits and vegetables. We bought a 1/4 kilo of queso chanco, a Chilean cheese, because Mario said he loved it and we had to try. It really was delicious!
 |
| In Vega Market |
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| Santiago is full of street art - murals and statues |
We slowly made our way through the Bellavista (bohemian, artsy district) to the Pío Nono Funicular station and went up to the top of Cerro San Cristóbal. It's a big hill in the middle of Santiago with a great view of the entire city (and the Andes Mountains behind it). The only bad thing is that there is a lot of haze and smog trapped in the valley between the Andes and the parallel Chilean Coastal Range, so you can see a thick layer blanketing the entire city. At the top of Cerro San Cristóbal you're slightly above it, so you can look down and see the layer.
We took the Funicular to the Summit station, then transferred to the Telefonia - a gondola that goes North-east across the top of the mountain. It gave a nice view of the tallest skyscraper in South America, as well as the Andes. We basically took it to the end then hopped right back on to go back to the Summit Station.
At the summit, there's a small park and a Virgin Mary statue. Chile is an extremely Catholic country (with churches in every neighborhood), and the area around the summit has lots of statues and monuments dedicated to different saints, priests, and others. It was visited by Pope John Paul II, and there are signs everywhere in his memory. |
| In Mercado Central |
Since we were hungry, we rode the funicular back down and walked quickly back to the Mercado Central, the main market across the river.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but it's basically a combination fresh-fish market with farmers-market-style restaurants in the center. The building is really cool - looks a bit like an old train station - and we wandered through until we picked a restaurant that looked good - Donde Augusto. We had fish soup and seafood platter, plus empanadas. Some of the seafood was a bit strange tasting for me, but the empanadas were delicious.
Even though that was supposed to be lunch, it was 5PM when we walked back outside - and it was starting to get dark. So we wandered around looking at the nightlife and at the pedestrian streets (which were much busier in the evening than during the day). |
| Street cake! Cake! On the street! |
23 June – Santiago
In the morning, we met up with Gayle (who made it in at 2:30 in the morning!!) and went to El Museo de las Memoria y los Derechos Humans (Museum of Memory and Human Rights). It told the history of the Chilean coup d’etat of September 11, 1973 when the military overthrew the socialist president Salvador Allende. Essentially, Allende’s government was socialist (nearing communist), and the United States actively supported his overthrow. Afterwards, a military junta took power led by the Army commander in chief Augusto Pinochet, who severely limited any opposition and committed serious human rights violations. Thousands were arrested, tortured, and disappeared between 1973 and 1990. 
From the museum, we found our way to the Cementerio General de Santiago – magnificent and fascinating cemetary dating back to 1821, spanning over 200 acres in the middle of town. It’s a huge place filled with statues, mausoleums, and sculptures, including the burial sites of almost all of Chile’s former presidents. 
Some areas have what look like apartment complexes, filled with tombs; some areas are neighborhoods of giant mausoleums; and some are expansive fields with simple crosses or even dug up plots. We saw the memorials for Salvador Allende, who committed suicide during the 1973 coup d’etat; the mausoleum for presidents Pedro Montt (1906-1910) and Anibal Pinto Garmendia (1876-1881), and the memorial for folk singer Violeta Parra.
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| Tomb of President Pedro Mott |
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| Tomb of President Salvador Allende |
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| Patio 29 |
One of the places mentioned in the museum was Patio 29, the plot in the General Cemetary of Santiago where mass burials of anonymous political prisoners took place. They estimate around 200 bodies were buried there, and it became a symbol of the human rights violations committed during the coup. It’s a somber and bleak memorial, with many of the crosses tagged with flyers asking “Dónde están?” – “Where are they?” 
We left the cemetery passing through some of the mausoleum “apartments,” then went to lunch at a local café – Mario and Victor introduced us to churrasco palta – a roast beef sandwich with avocado. Delicious! Their friend Daniel, a doctor who goes to Nigeria w/ Victor, drove us (more like racecar sped us) back to our hotel to pick up our luggage, then we went straight to the airport for our flight to Arica. We'll meet up with Mario and Victor again tomorrow for some museum visits, before our flight out to Arica!
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