February 1st, 2008 - Santiago

Reputation Reprisal

With a full night's sleep, in an actually very comfortable bunk-bed, the city had every opportunity to adjust initial impressions, without the bias of sleep depravation.  It was still HOT outside, even in the morning hours.  Armed with three liters of water in the daypack I was ready to follow the "locals" lead by walking in the shady patches.

Taking the subway four stops West to the Pedro de Valdivia stop, I had left the rough edges of the Down Town District and emerged in the Providencia District, complete with the first smatterings of an urban single family dwelling neighborhood.  Each property's defense system meant business, with a minimum of barbed wire or steel spikes, and may accompanied by electric fence toppings.

Someone either had a sense of humor or the "real menace" was sleeping in the shade of a tree away from the gate, because the only voice to be heard over the gate was the laughable, juxtaposed to the warning sign, yip of a lapdog.

The goal for the day, in preparation for climbing Mt. Aconcagua, was to climb as many of the hills in the area as possible over the course of the day.  The Parque Metropolitano is home to three.  (The Rio Mapocho, along with the Parque Metropolitano divide the city.)

After two hours of climbing two of the three hills, about 880 Meters each, the furthest West vantage point of the city provided smoggy views of the Andes Mountain Range.  On  a clear day this city could be absolutely stunning!  Looking to the right side of the divided city you will find the wealthy part of town, complete with the Club de Golf Los Leones (the green spot, lower right).  The broad urban expanse, held in cheque by surrounding mountains, really reminded me of Los Angeles.

On the other side of the hill there are tightly packed tenement buildings and the almost perpetual wail of sirens.  The visual differentiation is stark.  Social classes are not exactly friendly here.  The local Down Town residents asked me, "Why would you want to go to Las Condes where all the rich people are?"  The contempt is hardly veiled.

At the Eastern most edge of the Pargue Metropolitano is the Cerro San Cristobal, with a bleach white statue of the Virgin Marie topping the crest.  Two liters into my water stash, the heat of the day (95 F) didn't seem as harsh as yesterday.  The catch is that the sun is piercing and even through multiple applications of sunscreen I can feel a scorching "red neck" building.

Somehow, I prefer this rendition, of a simply robed Mary, to yesterday's ornate Catedral Nacional version.

Descending the slope, in the direction of the zoo, drops one right out into the self-described Bohemian District of town, known as Bellavista.  The colorful streets are packed with restaurants catering to the many local and tourist visitors.

At two thirty in the afternoon, this quarter chicken, rice, and drink for the equivalent of $3 USD or 1,500 Pesos was a welcome hunger fix (eaten at a "standing counter" on the street).

After almost six hours of walking and hiking, these benches were super appealing, but after a quick check they were so filthy from the overflowing transient population that I dug a little deeper to trudge my way back to the Hostel (the same remaining distance as was ridden in the morning sub-way).

The Ecohostel is proving to be a great oasis.  The shaded patios provided for a welcome rest spot to catch up with other travelers.  The remaining, fourth and smallest, hill of the day was Cerro Santa Lucia.  This comparatively diminutive park houses many interesting architectural structures, providing a much closer viewing platform of the city and the surrounding Andes (when the smog has lifted). 

Sorry, yep, more food.  These appear to be cactus pears.  I'm looking forward to seeing more interesting culinary varieties once the mountains and countryside become a realized destination.

Maybe I was in need of sleep or possibly an outdoor fix, because despite the typical city filth and smog Santiago is beginning to grow on me.  I would love to see this city in all her glory, on a clear day with the snow-capped Andes ringing on three sides.