Sunday 19.10.14 – Santiago, Chile.

What a great sleep! We are back in big rooms, with big beds, given our $50 buck upgrade to junior suite. We are on the 17 floor, looking out over the Costanera Centre, the highest building of the four in the centre – the Gran Torre Santiago is the tallest building in South America and second tallest in Southern Hemisphere.

Up at 8.45 – so a sleep in even in the old time zone. A beautiful shower too. Suzie’s cold continues and she is sounding terrible.

Late breaky then ventured out onto the Metro Santiago – Metrored train to Bella Artes, to have a wander. Pretty sure we turned the wrong way, the city was pretty dead and boring really. Eventually made it to Plaza de Armas, which is all behind hoardings, under reconstruction – it has been closed since January, was meant to be finished in March, still closed, now they are saying December (South American time again.)

The artist Inti Castro and some work a Bella Artes Metro
station. This is a traditional doll talisman, (Ekeko) he has added
many things to the doll, that mean stuff..but most is left
 up the interpretation of the viewer.

There was some sort of fun run going on and roads were closed for runners, cyclers, roller bladers etc. Also there were heaps of teams gathered in Plaza de Armas, associated with the Homeless World Cup, which is being played here in Santiago this week. Suzie returned to the hotel and I checked out a little more around the city. The Homeless World Cup was trying to hold a march around the Plaza, but it all seemed a little disorganised. I saw teams from Chile, India, Cambodia, England, Ireland, Denmark, Kyrgyzstan, Poland, Scotland, Switzerland, Wales. Australia was evidently here, but I didn’t see them. Lots of colour and stuff going on. There was a great drumming group playing.

Then I walked back to Bella Artes for lunch and to wait for the Tours for Tips free Wally walking tour at 3pm. Lunch in Parque Forestal, at Castilla Forestal. While sitting there, there were two earth tremors, the French people at the table next door were very animated about it. I thought a bus or truck had gone past and caused the terrace we were on to vibrate, but when it happened a second time it was obvious. Chile is one of the most seismic countries in the world and have tremors in the country daily.

The Wally tour was fabulous, Suzie did make it back for the tour, I thought she must have crashed back at the hotel, as the meeting time came and went. The tour started at 3.15 not 3.00 and Suzie caught us about 5 minutes after that, just getting started (she was waiting at the back of the Arts Museum, not the front.)

Matias (our Wally) brought the city to life with good stories and information about many things – including the architecture, the indigenous people – the Mapuche and politics of Allende and Pinochet, as well as the aristocracy etc especially evident in the exclusive Club la Union, which only allowed women in 2006 –and only because SHE was the president. Very interesting and well paced tour. The tour was full of Aussies, with an Italian, an Argentinean, Canadian and 3 Germans joining 10 Aussies.

Matias explaining something.

It was warm and thirsty work.

Inside the Cathedral in Plaza de
Armas. We were allowed to take
pics. There was a huge thing going
on. They were celebrating the 100th
anniversary of Schoenstatt, something
Catholic and German.

Stained glass, took the shot cos I could.
They don't have much glass, due to
earthquakes.

Mural in the Subway.

Not sure, think that I like the frame of the trees.

Another mural.

Following the tour we enjoyed a recommendation of Matias – Lecuma icecream from Rosa Heladero, then we walked to a bar he recommended to eat at The Clinic bar for Crab Pie and Maracuya Pisco!. 

Home via Metro, all good and very cheap, haven’t quite got our head around the Peso yet, we have monopoly money in our wallets, 20 000 peso notes, down to 10 peso coins…does your head in. A meal can be about 30 000peso for the two of us. It costs 1400 for two tickets on the metro. 

Home to bed, really tired but a little more awake after showers so a bit of facebook, emails etc, but too tired to blog. My left ear is really hating all the changes in altitude we have done – ouch!