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Santiago de Chile |
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Because Myke and I had such a great time in Argentina in March, the plan was that he would organize a Welsh group that would follow our March itinerary and I would gather a group from Houston that would fly to Santiago. The two groups would merge in Puerto Varas for the Lake Crossing. Unfortunately the Welsh group did not happen so Myke joined us in Santiago.
We arrived in Santiago de Chile at 8:20AM, right on schedule, cleared customs and was met by Jorge, our driver/guide who would chauffer us around for the next few days. Today was a free day and we were delivered to the Panamericana Hotel in the Providencia District of Santiago. It is centrally located on a quiet side street. Myke's plane arrived about an hour after ours but he was bushed and spent much of the day catching up on his sleep.
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Late October is early spring in Santiago and the spring flowers were in abundant bloom in the little parks around this neighborhood. These are a few of the parks and buildings around our Hotel.
We walked the neighborhood and vicinity of our hotel and found an immense Sunday buffet at Gatsby's right around the corner fron the Panamericana. Even if we only took a teaspoon of everything to sample it, we would have been stuffed half way through. There was abundant variety from the salad offerings meat, fish and shellfish galore and a decadent offering of desserts.
Dick and I continued exploring after lunch noting the incredible number of yellow buses running on Providencia Avenue. There must have been at least 10 yellow buses between each red light. We discovered that these are privately owned buses and operate much like taxis except on fixed routes. So the buses race up and down the Avenues trying to be the first at a stop to pick up the most fares rather than stick to a schedule like buses we are accustomed to in the States.
| While meandering we stopped on park benches to people watch. I noticed that several couples along the way were massaging each other. One woman sat on a low stool with her head between her knees while her husband bent over her from the front. His stomach and chest pressing her shoulders downward and paddling her lower back. She was groaning with delight. Another site were two college age guys rolling about under a statue like they were engaged in a friendly rassling match. Upon closer inspection they were also bending and stretching to the max with the aid of each others weight to achieve maximum effect. |  |
When we returned from our outing, we decided to stop at Loma's, an outdoor cafe near our hotel, for a drink before taking a short nap. Dick is a connoiseur of Old Fashioneds. Since it is hard to find a bartender in the states who even knows what they are, he decided that finding one in Santiago would be impossible. Boy, was he surprised! Not only did the waiter know exactly what he wanted, he brought Dick the perfect Old Fashioned. Dick likes his on the sweet side and usually requests it be made with Southern Comfort. This one was made with Jack Daniels. Sometimes Dick adds extra sweetner to the Southern Comfort. This one had its straw nestled into a sugar cube at the bottom of the glass. He was in heaven.
While we were sipping our cocktails and complimenting Javier, our waiter over the perfect Old Fashioneds, Cliff and Linda came wandering by and joined us. After a bit Myke also joined the group. We had found the ideal spot to congregate and could always count on meeting here if no previous plans were made.
That evening dinner was prearranged at the hotel. Myke had forgotten to mention that he is vegetarian but they had no trouble substituting his Pork Loin for extra plants. We lingered over coffee and dessert before retiring. Our first day settling in was peaceful, relaxing and the weather couldn't have been better.
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The following morning we met for breakfast in the hotel. We were all most impressed with the strawberries. They were dark red, plump and sweet. It was like we had never tasted a strawberry before. We decimated them. Later, Jorge, our driver/guide picked us up for a morning tour of the City. We stopped at the Metrolitan Cathedral. Built in 1540 this is the oldest cathedral in the city. It is right next to a glass and steel skyscrpare making for a marked contrast of old and new.
We also stopped at the Presidential Palace for the Changing of the Guard. A highlight was the view from Cerro San Crystobal where a statue of the Immaculate Conception looks down over the city. We could see this statue from our hotel room.
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A cable car also carries people up this mountain withing the city. Outdoor Cafe's and gift shops skirt the terrace below the statue. It is still quite a climb to the top but well worth the effort. Spring flowers were in bloom on the final ascent to the top making this one of the most colorful stops on our morning adventure. |
Later we made the obligatory shopping stop at a jewelry store that specialized in Lapus Lazuli and were introduced to the national drink of Chile, the Pisco Sour. We would have many adventures with the Pisco Sour in the days to come. Afterwards Jorge dropped us at the Mercado Central where we enjoyed a lunch of abalone, salmon and sea bass. We explored the market and were amazed to find that those to-die-for strawberries were only 2 pesos kilo (about 60 cents a crate).
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Instead of following the group back to the hotel, I went to St. Lucia, the hill where the City of Santiago was founded. There is a park at the base of the hill with a museum and grand staircases leading up through lush gardens. This higher you climb, the more uneven and less grand the stairs become. They are narrow slippery from wear and quite steep, but this did not disuade me from making it to the top where a small chapel and original fortress walls still stand.
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My reward for the climb were grand views of Santiago. On such a clear day both the coastal range and the Andes were visible. We could not have asked for more perfect weather.
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After my walk, I was out of sync with the others who had already napped and freshened up. They were heading out again when I returned. No Problema. When I was ready I simply headed for Lomas where the others soon gathered for Cervesa, Old Fashioneds and Pisco Sours. We drank ourselves silly. Javier brought us complimentary plates of french fries to enjoy with our drinks and we ordered Hamburgers for dinner to go with them. We spent three hours at this al fresco dinner capping off this balmy Chilean night with wine and ice cream for dessert.
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