Chilly in Chile - why you so cool Santiago?
After sweating it out in the Amazon humidity, Santiago's crisp air and panoramic skyline of snow capped mountains could not have come at a better time. Jenna and I spent three days in Chile's capital city, staying at the cozy Santiago Backpackers Hostel and exploring its neighborhoods by foot, bike and metro. For not having heard much about Santiago beforehand, we were both surprised by the instant affinity we felt for its people, pedestrian-friendly streets and cheesy empanadas.
Parque Forestal runs alongside the main river with over 40km of walking and biking paths
The first morning, we joined a walking tour called Tours 4 Tips to meet some folks and get a feel for what Santiago was all about. Along the way we stopped at crowded Sunday markets, each separated into different culinary categories: seafood, meat, produce, breads, etc.
The central fish market
Got carrots?
This guy knows how to sell you his strawberries. The sweetest ever!
The master sopapilla maker
Sopapillas: hot fried dough with salsa picante
Vincent, our fabulous Tour 4 Tips guide
We also passed by the Cementerio General, the biggest cemetery I've ever been to and one of the largest in all of Latin America. Sprawling for blocks and blocks, it felt more like a strange suburban neighborhood than a cemetery with every income level represented by the size and grandeur of the paid-for plot.
Nearly 2 million burials are estimated to be in this cemetery, including the iconic Salvador Allende
Obviously had to check those bike paths out
In one of the neighborhoods, Bellavista, there is a small mountain you can walk, drive or gondola up to visit the Virgin Mary and get some pretty amazing views of all of Santiago
Views going up San Cristóbal Hill
One of our last stops in Santiago was the Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos, a museum dedicated to remembering the tragedy and loss that Chile experienced while under the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. After the 1973 coup that overthrew President Salvador Allende, Pinochet and his military junta ruled the country with force until stepping down in 1990. Still so recent in Chile's history, I found the photos and video footage to be quite heavy reminders of what was happening outside on the streets of Santiago not too long ago.
