Hello everybody, today I will take you for a trip to the capital city of Chile - Santiago
In Santiago and surrounding areas lives over 7 million people, nearly 40% of all Chileans. It’s an enormous city divided between different districts and each district is like a totally separate town.
Basic information:
| Location | Santiago de Chile, Chile |
|---|---|
| Attractions | ✦✦✦✧✧ |
| Cost | ✦✦✦✦✧ |
| Language | Spanish |
Location
The city's location provides an excellent climate and access to many attractions within a two-hour drive. From the east side, there are the Andes, along with the nearby Mount Aconcagua - South America's highest peak. When the air is not polluted, mountain peaks cover the sky, providing scenic views. To the west, within a few hundred kilometers, there is the Pacific coast with the beautiful, colorful town of Valparaiso, which is the Mecca of many travelers. Although the cold currents from Antarctica do not allow swimming in the water, the Chilean coast is perfect for windsurfing. Residents of the capital also like to visit the coastal town of Reñaca, which has dunes for sandboarding.
This location of the city has its advantages and disadvantages - on the one hand, thanks to the cold currents from the ocean, in Santiago it is slightly cooler in summer than in Mendoza, located from the other side of Andes and on the other hand, the amount of rainfall is distributed less evenly. The location in the valley doesn't allow to ventilate the city. The wind is weak here, and air pollution remains a fairly significant problem.
How to get to Santiago
Easiest by plane. The airport in Santiago is quite large, it offers connections with almost all capitals of South America as well as with the United States, Australia, and Europe. If you come to Santiago by plane, watch out for pickpockets at the airport.
Remember to go to the city from the airport by one of the reputable transport companies or by taxi. Do not get into the car of the person who says he is a taxi driver, but his car is not marked in any way. You can also use Uber, as it's safe and quite popular there
International bus connections are possible too: you can come to Santiago from Peru, Lima, but the journey takes a lot of time. From Argentina, you can easily get to Santiago from Mendoza. It takes more time than flight, but if you will choose this form of travel, you will be rewarded with the marvelous Andes landscapes which will accompany you most of the time.
Tips:
watch out for thieves
Unfortunately, this happens often, especially in places with many foreigners, such as the Bellavista district and in the poorer parts of the city. You will surely notice from day one that Chile, as an ultra-capitalist country, is full of disproportion - some parts of the city look fabulous and modern, others are very poor. There are many homeless people in the streets, and houses and apartments are often surrounded by tall fences, barbed wire, or live wire nets. Chile is not the most dangerous place in South America, but the risk of pickpocketing is quite high here and the police usually do not help. In some cases, policemen even have a deal with criminals, guaranteeing their safety in return for a small fee.
So how can you avoid theft?
- don't carry all the money with you
- do not use your phone on the street or in the subway, unless it's absolutely necessary
- keep the backpack in the front, not on your back
- do not visit some areas of the city after the sunset
- remember that foreigners and drunk people are the most common victims of pickpockets. If you know Spanish, communicate with your friends in that language
- watch out for the locals being too friendly. If a newly met person hugs you on the street, they are probably taking your wallet out of your pocket
- the known method of pickpockets from Bellavista is a method of theft "by bird". A stranger comes up to you saying that a bird has just shit on your sweatshirt or backpack, offers to help with wiping, in the meantime taking your phone and valuables out of your pocket
- often thieves act in two: one person is asking for the time, and the other one robs you from behind
- be careful when you check-in at the hostel. Never leave the backpack unattended, especially if there are a lot of people around
- if you fall victim to a pickpocket, try not to worry too much about it. It happened. Don't let it spoil your fun.
- if you fall victim to the attack, never play a hero. Cooperate with the criminal and give them whatever they demand
Watch out for gringo tax
Chile is a very expensive country. Often the prices of products here are higher than in Western Europe. It is difficult to know when we overpay, and unfortunately overpaying happens. If you are insecure, do not speak Spanish, and look like a typical tourist - there is a high risk that you will be charged Gringo Tax. I lived in Chile for two years and in the first three months I overpaid many times - it's inevitable. If you are not sure if the price for the product is fair, check the prices in other places before buying, when getting into a taxi, ask about the estimated cost of the course in advance, and in the restaurant make sure that you know the price of the ordered food and that there will be no additional costs when paying the bills.
Learn basic Spanish before arrival
In hostels, hotels, and more expensive restaurants, communication in English should be easy. Many museums also offer English-speaking guides. However, to make local friends or even go shopping stress-free, you will need basic Spanish as most Chileans do not speak English.
I have one more bad news: even if you speak Spanish, there is a great risk that communicating with others will cause you a lot of trouble. The Chilean version of the Castilian language is very distinctive.
Buy food at street market
Buying food in supermarkets is often more expensive. If you want to buy food relatively cheaply, go to one of the street markets. Every day they take place in other districts of the city, or even within one district but on several different streets. In addition, you have at your disposal two large markets that you can visit every day: BioBio, where you will find not only food but everything else you want (it will describe it in the article about Santiago attractions) and La Vega in the city center. The most economical restaurants in Santiago are also located on the first floor of the building in La Vega. They may look quite unattractive but I recommend you break and try because the food is excellent there.
Prepare for earthquakes
Chile is located in one of the most seismically active areas on Earth. Minor earthquakes happen here very often. If the earth shakes while you are in Santiago, don't panic. If it is a minor shock, pause for a moment, and wait for it to stop. In the event of major earthquakes, leave the building if possible (absolutely do not use the elevator!) And if you cannot do it, open the door to prevent it from jamming and go under the table or hide in another place that would provide you a shelter.
Chile has very modern technology that prevents buildings from collapsing in the event of most earthquakes. You will see that Chileans themselves do not seem to respond to most seismic movements. However, you should always be careful, because from time to time earthquakes reach very dangerous levels. The last time it happened was in 2010 when a magnitude 8.8 destroyed a lot of buildings and killed 525 people in 30 seconds
Avoid visiting some places after dark
I mentioned this when was writing about security. As a general rule, the further northwest from Plaza de Armas, the richer and safer are the neighborhoods. The further south-east, the poorer the parts of the city. Unfortunately, the city is very divided.
While in Las Condes it is safe on the streets at night, in Ñuñoa, which is a middle-class district, you already have to watch out for pickpockets and prostitutes, who can be aggressive sometimes, and in poor Los Cerillos a tourist at night may even risk losing their life
Buy some travel insurance
Not only because it is always worth being insured, but also because private health care is very expensive there. The cost of a one-hour consultation at Clinica Alemana, one of the few clinics where some of the staff speaks English, is $ 100.
Try local food
Taste local cuisine that is rich in a variety of fish and seafood, including cochayuyo, typical seaweed from Chile, and ceviche (at this point, the Peruvians are planning my murder and shouting that ceviche is a Peruvian dish. Chileans think otherwise though).
It is worth trying Chilean empanadas that will satisfy even the greatest hunger, traditional corn humitas, or completo Italiano - a hot dog with tomato, mayonnaise, and avocado. Speaking about avocado, you can find them in many dishes. Along with cilantro, they seem to be the national favorite additions.
Other recommendable meals and ingredients include:
cazuela, Chilean broth
lomito, pork chop
mote con huesillo, a refreshing drink with peach and wheat
chirimoya, an oriental white fruit with a yogurt flavor. Perfect for a smoothie
pastel de choclo, made from specially processed corn
pisco, traditional alcohol. It tastes best with Coca-Cola
Learn cueca
Traditional Chilean dance. You can find couples dancing the cueca in the most touristic places, at all festivals and during national holidays. If you expect Latin rhythms similar to samba, you will be surprised. Chileans have much more German cultural influence, the cueca is more like flirting of a cowboy with a handkerchief in his hand. A very interesting cultural experience that you cannot miss while in Chile. Who knows, maybe you'll like it enough to try to learn the steps yourself?
Read about the mapuche culture
Mapuche culture is much more present in the Araucania region, and the Mapuche themselves are a discriminated group in Chile, so in Santiago, you won't learn much about them from museums. However, you will find information, among others, in the Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino or in the Museo Historico Nacional. I advise you to visit these places but expand your knowledge with books and the Internet.
Pay attention to the dogs
While being in Santiago, you will definitely notice tens of dogs on the streets. It's urban folklore and an attraction in itself. Do not be afraid, the dogs are not dangerous, the inhabitants of the city feed and take care of them. If you watch the dogs carefully, you will notice that they learned how to cross the street in the green light, and some even use public transport! For some unknown reason, dogs hate taxis, and you may notice them chasing after those cars, barking loudly.
One of the street dogs became a national hero and pop culture figure: the Negro Matapacos, a black dog with a red bandana tied around his neck, which during student protests in 2011 attacked policemen who used force against protesters. The dog remains an immortal symbol of the fight against oppression and injustice of the authorities, and his photos and graphics appear at every protest organized by Chileans.
Enjoy artistas semaforas and street art
Street art is present almost on every corner. It is worth going for a walk around the city and paying attention to the amazing graffiti. If you are interested in this art form, I also recommend visiting the Museo a Cielo Abierto, which is quite far from the center but has a good connection to the metro network. However, don't stay there too long after dark.
Apart from the paintings on the walls, it is worth paying attention to the artistas semaforas. They are the street performers who present their skills during short shows at the intersections of the largest streets, making drivers more pleasant while waiting for the green light. They can be acrobats, singers, jugglers (sometimes juggling even such dangerous objects as machetes or burned torches), dancers, and many, many others.
Chinchineros
This is probably my favorite element of Chilean culture. Artists performing a characteristic dance, largely relying on very fast turns around each other and in the meantime playing the drums placed on their backs. Sometimes you can find them in the Bellavista district in the evenings, and they will certainly be present in the most important places during national holidays and other major cultural events.
To become a Chinchineros, you need to attend a special school - there is only one such school in the world, and it is very difficult to get there. Most of the artists start at a very young age and are trained throughout their lives.
Chinchineros are highly valued and respected artists and their social standing are very high.
Gay friendly, foreigner friendly
Despite all the problems with pickpockets or the risk of paying a higher amount for some products (gringo tax), the Chilean people are very friendly with foreigners, especially those coming from Europe and North America. You can be sure that you will be warmly welcomed and when you need help, there will always be someone to support you.
The country is also gay friendly, although transphobia unfortunately it still a big problem. A lot has started to change in recent years, so Chile is moving in the right direction, becoming an increasingly open and tolerant society.
All the photos included in the post belong to me.
Thank you for reading,
@ papi.mati