I arrived in Santiago from Mendoza late in the afternoon.
Bus Ride from Mendoza
The bus ride from Mendoza across the Andes was spectacular. Shortly after crossing the border with Chile, the road drops down amazingly steep section. There are 27 very sharp switch backs. This would be so much fun on a bicycle and even better on a motorbike.
Freelance Journalist
I caught the metro from the bus station to the centre of Santiago and checked into my hostel.
I then headed out to look for something to eat. I asked female a passer-by for directions. She turned out to an English freelance journalist. She took me a street that was full of very good restaurants and trendy bars.
She told me that she had come to Santiago for three months over five years ago. She had never intended to stay for so long, but had really enjoyed living there and had established a good little business as a travel writer and a food and wine critic. In our brief time together she gave me lots of advice on what to do in Santiago and in my travels north.
Walking Tour
Next morning I took a working tour. The tour took in the main sights in the centre of the city. This included that Presidential Palace which was is infamous for the military coup which the democratically elected socialist President Salvador Allende’s government was overthrown by the military lead by General Pinochet. More on that below.
The tour passed through the main shopping and business area.
Very Interesting Coffee Shops
One of the more interesting aspects of Santiago is the coffee shops. The guide explained that sometime ago a number of coffee shops were opened by women. To attract customers, they employed attractive girls as waitresses. This resulted in these places becoming very popular with men.
The existing coffee shops were challenged. They decided to fight back with a similar approach. They employed girls wear skimpy clothes. These coffee shops are only allowed in the main CBD area and can only operate between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
I have include a Wikipedia link to information on these places below.
University Area
An interesting area is around one of the university campuses over the river from the main part of town. This area was initially developed when the slums close to the CBD were demolished at time that the centenary of the establishment of the city was being celebrated. The poor people move across the city. It is now a trendy area with lots of bars and restaurants.
Haircut
After being on the road for two months, I was in need of a haircut. The receptionist at the hotel directed me to a building nearby that had “many hair dressers”. They were not wrong. There were at least four floors of men’s and women’s hair dressers. I have never seen that before. A very friendly women cut my hair and chatted to me in Spanish. I had no idea what she was saying, but the haircut was good.
Memory Museum
On the last day I took the Metro to the Memory Museum. Actually the Metro is really good.
The museum has been to establish to remember the atrocities of the Pinochet regime. It is really good that this exists. It is very well done. It provides and lot of information of the coup which resulted in the overthrow of the Allende government its replacement by the military dictator General Augusto Pinochet. What followed was simply appalling in terms of human rights abuses, including the torture and murder of opponents to the regime.
Flickr Link
https://www.flickr.com/photos/twwilko_photos/sets/72157652163526595
Coffee with legs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caf%C3%A9_con_piernas
Link to Information on the Coup
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Chilean_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat
The Memory Museum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Memory_and_Human_Rights
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