| Product: |
Santiago de Chile |
| Date: |
19/09/02 (585 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: A relatively gentle introduction to South America.
Disadvantages: For such a big city it lacks a little in visitor attractions.
Santiago is a little out of sync with the continent in finds itself in. Most South American cities are known for their bustle and ability to scare the living daylights out of freshly arrived travellers, yet Chile's capital has a somewhat restrained and openly friendly atmosphere. Just as well too, because we arrived in the city with barely a word of Spanish and nothing in the way of accommodation booked.
Santiago's population of 6 million people is sprawled over a huge geographical area split into 32 districts called comunas. Paradoxically the city centre remains quite accessible by foot and you could easily avoid using the bus system (which is a little hard to fathom anyway) or the metro for your stay in the city.
Santiago is dwarfed by the snow capped climes of the Andes (only 25 miles away) making for some spectacular photos on a clear day. Access to the world renowned Chilean ski fields is easy with the best (Farrelones) only an hours drive from downtown. Its geography means that the climate can be cool and damp during the winter but summertime often brings sapping heat and lung clogging smog. The pacific is only 65 miles away so the nearby coastal towns of Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar often teem with weekenders during December and January.
The impact of several historical figures can still be felt throughout the city. The civic centre is the Plaza De Armas and has a huge monument to the city's founder Pedro De Valdiva. The main thoroughfare Av. Liberator General O'Higgins (more commonly known as Alameda) is named after the first leader of the Chilean Republic in the early 19th century. Bernardo O'Higgins was half Irish and his indelible mark can be seen in Santiago and right throughout the country.
Thankfully the legacy of Chile's dictator Augusto Pinochet's evil regime (1973 - 1988) is not as obvious. The Chileans by their nature are a g
ood humoured people and the atrocities that their country has had to withstand from its own has not knocked their spirit. We met one friendly old man who had no English, we had little Spanish, who spoke about Pinochet with a glaze in his eyes. The very fact that he was willing to talk to foreigners about the most despicable Chilean ever was enlightening. We were touched and truly felt as if he was sharing his pain with us.
ACCOMMODATION
Trying to pre-book accommodation on the internet for Santiago is a near futile exercise if you are operating on a small budget. Most cheaper places that offer a reservation service tend to fill up weeks in advance. Fortunately when you arrive there is a good selection of city centre places that generally have a few beds to spare. Barrio Brazil is a noted area for cheap stays and the lively area of Bellavista is also worth a try if there is nothing going in town.
Santiago has 3 standards of accommodation to choose from. At the top end there is a huge range of multi-star hotels. The most celubrious of these can be found in the upmarket comuna of Providencia not too far from downtown. A little cheaper but still beyond most budgets is the familiar bed and breakfast style of accommodation. The most popular option for backpackers, however, are the Residentials (or Casas depending on style adopted by the owners, Casas being rooms let out in a home environment) which are a cross between a hostel and a budget hotel.
We had been given several recommendations for Residential Londres on the calle (street) Londres. This Residential has a huge respect amongst travellers so we weren't too hopeful of getting a bed without first booking ahead. Luckily there was a double room available which could be because August is low season.
Residential Londres is situated in the tiny comuna of Barrio Paris Londres right
in the centre of town. It is old and grand (even the graffiti outside fails to take from its charm). The manager has a decent grasp of English and has a generous smile as you fumble around with your newly acquired dictionary. Rooms are available from $6,500 (pesos are denoted by a dollar sign, $6,500 is worth around 10 euro) per person which is by no means cheap but Santiago is a little more expensive than other South American cities.
We took an ensuite double for $15,000 which had a lovely polished wooden floor and a really high ceiling which meant you could ignore the crumbling paint. The best thing about it though was the huge windows that looked out on calle Londres. There were flowers in bloom on the window sill which added to the allure.
Residential Londres is quoted as being the best budget option in the whole of the city by both the Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide. It is easy to see why. Security is excellent, in order to get in you must buzz reception from downstairs and access to the main building is via the reception desk. There is a safety deposit box for valuables and the curfew of 2 am aims and succeeds in keeping the noise levels down.
Facilities available include a good second hand travel book shelf. We bought a slightly battered Rough Guide to Chile for just $3,500. Considering the lack of English language titles that are available in the country this was a steal. Incidentally this was the first time we deviated from the Lonely Planets tight hold and we were glad we did. The Rough Guide titles have a measurably easy writing style while the Lonely Planet often reads like a periodical.
Residencial Londres has a huge television room with antique sofas and cable (only 3 gringo speaking channels out of 34 however!). Each day our room was tidied (no matter what time we got up) and replenished with the essentials like toilet roll and fresh drinking water. Sp
eaking of which, the shower poured forth giants sprays of hot water, something you can't take for granted in Chile.
TRANSPORT
One thing Chile excels at is its long distance buses. Their punctuality, levels of comfort and value for money makes touring as near a joy as you can get in a country that is 4,000 kilometres in length. The biggest companies are Tur-Bus and Pullman who offer a pretty much identical service. We plumped for Tur-Bus because their buses had a nicer colour scheme (lush green versus pansy pink!). Other companies worth nvestiagating are Geminis and Bus Frontera.
The Airport to Santiago downtown route (20 kilometres) is also hotly contested. There are desks within the arrivals terminal that sell the various bus operators tickets. We again chose Tur-Bus because they had the most frequent service and at $1,200 (just 2 euro) they were really cheap. A taxi plying the same route costs up to 20 US dollars. Most airport buses stop at the Alameda near downtown within easy access of a lot of the city's accommodation..
Santiago has a easy to follow metro system. There are only 3 lines though it's likely you'll only ever need to use Line 1 that stretches the length of Alameda. A one way ticket costs the same ($290) whether your destination is 1 or 10 stops away. If you use the metro a lot it makes sense to get a discounted 10 trip ticket. The metro is particularly useful if you are heading for the main bus station as the Universidad De Santiago stop is right beside it. The trains are clean, safe and like the inter city buses run like clockwork.
ATTRACTIONS
A good place to get a few helpful maps of the city is the Officina De Turismo on calle Mercado. The staff don't speak much English but they ply you with plenty of maps and visitor guides once you give the ri
ght signals (a lost look works best for us!). For some reason the main tourist office, Senatur, is situated out in Providencia (where the high rollers stay) so you'd be best served getting as much information from the Officina De Turismo as you can.
Cerro (hill) Santa Lucia near the Universidad Catolica contains one of the city's best lookouts and is great for finding your bearings. This landscaped hill is situated just off the Alameda and has a spiral stepway to the top. On the way up there are plenty of fountains and landscaped gardens to admire and there is even a lift all the way (it was closed when we were there) if you are feeling lazy. As you approach the steepest point there is a small laneway to the Vicuna McKenna chapel in honour of Cerro Santa Lucia's founder. The views are spectacular from above and you get to appreciate how huge the city is, extending almost as far as the towering Andes 25 miles away.
The best place to get a sense of how Santiago operates is to head to the Plaza De Armas which marks not only the centre of the city but the country as a whole. The Plaza is a huge square where you can witness the full gambit of eclectic Chilean lifestyles. A mime artist parodies every passer by and thus enthrals a huge crowd, in the bandstand the cunning and ambitious play chess against each other while in one of the sadder sights you'll see in town (yet sneakily hilarious) a man with a beat up camera waits for anyone desperate enough to sit on his dilapidated miniature wooden pony.
At first the stares (at the obvious gringo's) can be a little unsettling. Chileans are adept at people watching and are not afraid to carry on doing so even when your eyes meet. The trick is to not take it personally, people who look different always get the most attention. Within 5 minutes of entering the Plaza de Armas we had been approached by 2 sets of people. Each cast a scrap of p
aper into our hands containing poetry in Spanish and English. The ploy was a scheme to sever a dollar or two from our wallets by pulling on our heartstrings. We didn't fall for the poor student story or the poet who gave all his profits to down syndrome children. Maybe we are just cynical but our travels have brought us into contact with every schemer imaginable so we always bemoan our lack of funds in these situations.
If its museums and architecture you are after then Santiago does not disappoint. The most imposing church Cathedral Metropolitana is situated in the Plaza De Armas and is open every day. One minute you can be in the thick of the action in Armas and within seconds of entering the church be taken aback by the eerie silence of this colossal building. Of particular note inside are the ceiling murals which have that aged beauty about them that suggest that this place has seen Santiago mature through the ages.
The oldest building in Santiago is the Inglesia De San Francisco. This church has withstood 3 of the cities worst earthquakes over its 400 plus years existence. You can find it in Barrio Paris Londres and like Cathedral Metropolitana it is a great place to escape from the furore of the city. Biblioteca Nacional.is another imposing building just off Cerro Santa Lucia. It has exhibitions that are open to the public all year round and its free internet usage comes in handy for penny pinchers like ourselves.
Barrio Brasil Plaza in the north west of town is much heralded as one of the city's bohemian centres but we found it to be a little lifeless. It's reputation is built on the party tendencies of the students from the nearby universities. I guess like most of Santiago things don't really hot up until midnight so our mid evening excursion was probably a mite premature.
By far and away the best attraction in Santiago is Cerro San Cristobal. Li
ke Cerro Santa Lucio, the top of Cerro San Cristobal offers some of the best views of the surrounding city and countryside. What sets Cerro San Cristobal apart though is the fact that the hill in question is actually a section of the Andes that juts into town. It also has a height advantage and a transport system called a funicular that ferries tourists up and down. A funicular looks most like an underground coal trolley but has the power to ascend up near vertical climbs. At the top there is a restaurant, a huge statue of the virgin Mary and some incredible lookout areas. We arrived there at dusk and were struck by the beauty of the city and its surroundings. There was a thin layer of fog covering rooftops in the distance and little flickers of neon marked out the moving vehicles.The trip on the funicular costs $1,200 return and can be found at the end of Pio Nono in Barrio Bellavista.
SHOPPING
Prepare yourself for a new experience when you go shopping in Santiago. The complicated process involved can be illustrated by what I had to go through to buy a South American adapter for my cd player. There are 3 steps in total to buying anything electrical. First you must indicate what item you wish to procure for which you get a ticket. You then present your ticket for inspection to a cashier (in my case the cashier could not read the writing of the person who I had indicated my preferences to which lead to more comedic adventures) who takes your money and then hands the ticket to a third person who returns to the items location and finally hands it to the cashier who then passes the goods to you. Incredibly longwinded (but so close to the Argos approach don't you think!) but rewarding in a new experience type of way. When a similar procedure is applied 2 minutes later when purchasing an ice-cream you start to wonder about the logic involved.
Santiago is stuffed full of shoppi
ng streets, the main ones being the pedestrian malls of Paseo Huefanos, Ahumada and Estado. Here you'll find arcades, souvenir shops and food halls that you would see in any city. Santiago even boasts several huge shopping malls in the expensive touristy enclave of Providencia. There are labels a plenty but no indication whatsoever that you are in an exotic foreign country.
For something a little more Chilean you should visit the Mercado Central which is a traditional fish market. There is lots to see and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables to mix in with the fish if you are in the mood. The building itself was constructed in England and moved piece by piece to Santiago in the mid nineteen century. As you can imagine it is now showing a little bit of wear and tear but the frenetic comings and goings inside are a joy to watch. The fishy smell is a little overpowering at first but within seconds of entering the fish mongers are willingly describing their interesting wares. The sea urchins resemble rolled up hedgehogs and the barnacles on offer looked like leftovers from a rockery project.
EATING & DRINKING
Santiago is a great place for cheap grub. If you're sick of cutting corners with self catering (after 6 months of Australia and New Zealand we were), Santiago offers umpteen ways to dine well at a fraction of the cost of back home. The city's streets are lined with fast food joints. All the usual suspects are present as well as some South American versions such as Platter, Lomiton and Burger Max. The latter grouping offers meal deals that include a pot of the locally brewed Cristal beer which is strong but addictive (hick).
There are a huge number of delicatessen style places that serve inexpensive lunches and sandwiches. The southern wing of the Plaza De Armas alone has enough places to keep you going for a week. The most celebrated of
these is Chez Henry but there are numerous others (mostly indistinguishable from each other) that offer huge main meals for as little as $1000. Prepare your guts for Elvis style fatty deposits though. Most of the cheaper food on offer is fried, best to switch to a salad every other day to avoid premature seizures.
For something a little different you should visit the Mercado Central which is a huge fish market a few minutes walk from Plaza De Armas. Donde Augusto is one of the bigger restaurants in the market and it is also one of the few in Santiago that offers English menus. The touts who sell you the meal are ridiculously charming and before you know it you are ordering from your freshly prepared table. We got a shock at the prices (which are nonetheless the cheapest in the city), but before we had a chance to make our usual excuses and leave we were chomping into some fresh circular buns. We finally pipped for the cheapest thing on the menu, the rather vague 'fried fish with side order' at $2,900. Within minutes we were served up 2 huge platters that neither of us could vanquish. At the end we were full even if some alien noises were beginning to hatch from our stomachs. Outside of the eating side of things the pleasant decor and the several wandering minstrels that inevitably waved huge empty caps in our direction added to the sense that we had readily fallen into a tourist trap. In the end we were glad we pushed the boat out for a change but from then on we promised to paddle nearer shore.
Mall De Centro on Paseo Puento near Mercado Central is a run of the mill department store but has a good food hall on the 3rd floor. There are plenty of fast food outlets but others like Platter have a more varied menu. There are also buffet style stalls that sell beer to help digestion and hide the sometimes bland taste.
ENTERTAINMENT
Nightlife in San
tiago is at a standstill during the week and even at weekends nothing really happens until well after midnight. The most celebrated area of town for booze and clubs is calle Pio Nono which forms the spine of the Bellavista comuna. There is plenty of live music on offer with Jazz and Rock bands being the most popular. There are also quite a few salsa clubs but these tend to be a little expensive. Providencia has the glitziest of clubs, with Barrio Brazil offering up a more relaxed and cheaper version of the same thing.
MISCELLANEOUS
There are quite a few internet cafes spread around the city centre. Our favourite was Sonnett Internet on calle Londres on the bottom floor of a run down building. They only have about 6 machines which have seen better days but the speed of their lines more than makes up for this. The owner is very friendly and also speaks good English (a rarity).
Arriving in South America can be a daunting prospect. Arriving with little or no Spanish makes the task even harder. Thankfully Chileans are very patient with gringo's who have pigeon Spanish and even encourage your sometimes pathetic efforts. If you are determined you can pick it up surprisingly quickly. Getting classes before you arrive would be useful but Santiago like many South American cities offers classes for beginners. We spotted such a class next door to Sonnett Internet on calle Londres but we were too mean to enrol (and anyway where's the excitement if you know the language).
One of the most off-putting aspects of planning a trip in South America is the potential danger aspect. Thankfully Chile is regarded as one of the most tourist friendly countries on the continent. It's police are not corrupted and the rate of crime against tourists is very low. We felt quite safe at all times during our stay in Santiago, although we made a big effort to not stand out fr
om the crowd. The main areas for muggings and pickpockets tend be around calle San Antonia in the city centre and Bellavista at night when drunken tourists make the thief's job easier.
Santiago suffers frequent shudders from earthquakes although many seem to be low end tremors. It is funny reading the tourist guides that advise that you head straight for the nearest doorway if you are indoors when the earthquake hits as it is the strongest part of any structure. A bit frightening but the danger is minimal.
Football is huge in the city and possessing a similar love for the game gets you new friends quickly. Coming from the airport it is astonishing to see the miles and miles of football pitches in various stages of disrepair. Cola Cola are the towns biggest team but Chileans have a healthy regard for European football and cable TV often screens some of the bigger games.
WHERE TO NEXT?
Valparaiso sits on the Chilean coast about one and a half hours from Santiago. Soaked in charm or dilapidation depending on your point of view it makes for a pleasant stopover on the way to such backpackers haunts as San Pedro De Atacama, La Serena and Arica. Much of the town is situated on the hills surrounding Chile's busiest port. There is a strong navy presence in town but the biggest drawcard are the ascensores that climb the hills to the quaint residential areas overhead.
Many of the houses have a distinct European feel to them and are brightly coloured bringing the hills to life. Once you take an ascensore you are transported to a maze of cobblestone pathways and tiny cafes with superb views of the port and town below. The Brighton B&B has some of the best views and even you can't afford to stay there a coffee on their cliff top veranda is a must.
In 1996 the crumbling ascensores were designated funds by
the world heritage organisation for their maintenance. Most of the 15 ascensores were almost beyond use but this international funding has ensured their longevity even if they still feel that they could fall apart at any minute.
For an excellent budget choise accommodation in Valparaiso you should check out El Rincon Hostal on Av Argentina within a couple of yards of ascensore Polanca. It has ensuite double rooms with cable TV for 15,000 pesos. The hospitality afforded by the hosts is second to none and on 2 separate occasions they even drove us into town indicating interesting points of interest along the way. The best thing, however, about El Rincon Hostal is its location near the bus terminal.
Santiago comes a little bit as a surprise. It has a relaxed feel and its people are friendly and enjoy the good things in life. As you leave the city centre avenues and new skyscrapers you get a sight of the other side of life in the capital. These areas are run down but never sink to the level of shantytowns that you see in other Latin American capitals.
As a first stop in South America Santiago is ideal for breaking you in. Apart from the obvious language barrier most things are as you would expect them to be back home. In all three of four days is enough to get an appreciation of how the city ticks and prepares you well for further adventures in the countries barren north or its lush green south.
Summary:
|
|
