Filed under: Santiago
Have seen some rather interesting things while living here … here are just a few. (Please add to the list!)
- Sand is to snow in TO as sawdust is to rain in Santiago.
- It rains a lot in Santiago during its winter months … yet, not one pair of rubber rainboots are sold anywhere. Leather boots are the in thing.
- It´s pouring outside and you forgot your umbrella? Don´t fret … people selling umbrellas magically appear at every street corner and metro station when it rains.
- Spring brings beautiful trees blooming with flowers of different sizes and colours.
- There are more dogs in Santiago streets than there are squirrels in Kingston, ON.
- Unlike the squirrels in Kingston, the dogs in Santiago have street smarts. They abide by the traffic lights, walk along sidewalks, and can be seen visiting and chatting with neighbouring house dogs through the gate.
- Every house in Santiago is enclosed behind locked gates.
- Public libraries in Santiago are … wait, what public libraries?
- Okay, occasionally one may find a mini-library stand in a metro (subway) station.
- The key to travelling on the bus or metro is the BIP! card, which is rechargeable and scanned at the entrance. Buses don´t accept change, and if you don´t have a card for the metro a metro ticket can be bought at the booth.
- Santiago takes really good care of their metro system. The metro trains are faster, cleaner and quieter than the subway trains in TO. Cleaners can always be seen cleaning the train at the final stop, sweeping the stairs of the station, and shining the hand-rails. There are even mini-flat screen tvs in their newer trains.
- Some of the newer metro trains in Santiago are just one big train … you can literally get on at the front of the train and walk all the way to the end of the train. This would be handy in case, you know, you need to look for someone …
- One can always expect to be privately entertained at their car window when stopping at a red light by colourful characters: buskers juggling bricks while standing on giant cylinders; ¨grocers¨ walking up to windows selling bags of beans and strawberries; men/women/children selling all sorts of random things: flowers, chocolates, popsicles, cell phone chargers for automobiles, flags; squeegee boys; beggers (children, mothers holding babies, the old, the blind, the handicapped, the strange … anyone).
- Couples make-out everywhere. Let me rephrase that, couples can be seen and heard making-out all the time everywhere. At a bus stop, in the subway train, on the sidewalk, at a park bench, in the mall, etc. And, all types of couples too: the young, the old, the casual, the office workers …
- Squeezing your partner´s butt cheek in public is considered inappropriate.
Happy 2009! We spent new years at Viña. The 30 minute fireworks show by the beach was an amazing sight to see! Happy New Years to all my family and friends! Miss you lots <3
A few weeks ago, Pablo took me paddle boating at Intercommunal Park in La Reina, Santiago. It brought back childhood memories of paddle boating at Ontario Place (in Toronto, Canada). It was great fun! We fed ducks which ate from our hands, enjoyed the sunshine, and got some leg exercise … well, at least Pablo did as I took quite a few breaks to take pics. 
Here’s a video that Pablo made of the weekend to share with you!
Dec 6-8: It was another long weekend which meant — beach time! Saturday I had to work until 2 pm so we stayed in Santiago to do some Christmas shopping and hang out with Pablo’s friends at a restobar called Ebano: Cocino Soul (a pretty classy place with delicious sandwiches and fresh fruit juices, for the non-alcoholic drinkers). Sunday morning we departed for Viña del Mar, a modern beach city located on the coast of the Pacific ocean. Viña is bigger than Algorrobo and smaller than Santiago, and it’s my favourite place to visit thus far. With it’s many fancy little restaurants, souvenir shops, puppet shows, street entertainment, 2-4 person bikes, new apartments, and a beautiful beach, it is no wonder that Viña is such a popular tourist attraction (and raved about in my Chile travel guide). Although foreigners are easily spotted wherever you go, the city is still small enough for visitors to enjoy a peaceful and restful weekend. Some highlights: a new apartment with a palm tree growing in the middle of it, churros!, huge waves, people swimming in the fountain, climbing a giant tree, sunset at the beach, “the giant pineapple”.
September 18th is Chile’s National Day. The Chileans really know how to have big parties with lots of food, wine and dancing: and Sept. 18th is definitely one of the biggest celebrations of the year for it’s celebrated for an entire week! Many fondas (which are like Toronto’s CNE) are found throughout the country. Asados (BBQs) are also a big thing during the long weekend. I went to four BBQs on one weekend. Mmm … meat. On Sept 20th, we were invited to a BBQ in el campo (the countryside) in a district called Curico. On the farm was a giant turkey that relentlessly “gobble gobble gobble-d” the whole time we were there. (When asked why the turkey was so angry, we were told that he was a peaceful turkey when he first arrived … until he discovered that all the chickens kept stealing his food!) There were two horses that belonged to Pablo’s father on the farm: mother and son. The younger horse occasionally rolled on the ground whenever he wanted attention. There was a rooster who was strutting through the apple orchard. A cute little pig in the pen. And, of course, a lot of chickens running around in circles. The BBQ was prepared on a homemade BBQ contraption (half an aluminium barrel with a metal rack on top). The view was amazing. Now, enough with the words … enjoy the pictures
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Freshly fried churros! Yum!
As most of my closest friends know, I don’t usually eat desserts or sweets. Well, friends, I have some news for you. Since I’ve started living here in Santiago, sweets and desserts have become a growing addiction for me. One of the main reasons for why all the desserts here are just so tasty is because they’re not too sweet and they come in a variety of textures for the tastebuds to enjoy. For example, the churros are are one of my many favourites. Churros are made of deep fried dough that are cut into sticks and sprinkled with powdered sugar. They can also come filled with Chilean caramel called “manjar” or chocolate, but I think that the original ones are the best. Churros are made fresh at tiny shops or stands, where customers are always guaranteed to receive them hot and crunchy. Yum!
Now, I’m not a bug fan but I have to admit I became rather curious about them when I found out that the jellybean sized bulbs I felt while scratching Pablo’s dogs were not tangled hair balls but little blood-sucking insects living on his pets. They’re called ticks, and they are quite common here in Chile. Let me tell you, for those of you who’ve never seen ticks before, they’re not as small as their name may suggest. Take a look at the picture I took. See those brown bugs? Yes, those are ticks. See the gray and tan bean-like things next to them? Wish they were beans but, yep, those are ticks too. They usually live outdoors and are commonly found with it’s head burrowed under the skin of outdoor pets (i.e. dogs). It seems that the only way to get rid of them (without medicating the dogs) is to groom the dogs regularly and pick the ticks off of their skin with a tweezer and then burn them (the ticks, not the dogs). Have I said too much?
Pablo giving Patotas and Rosita a shower.
Back in September, on the weekend of the 14th-16th, Pablo’s parents invited me to go to the beach with them for the weekend. With the Pacific bordering the western coast of Chile, there are many beaches for people to enjoy. We went to Algorrobo, about 1.5 hours drive away from Santiago. Since it wasn’t peak beach season (summer comes at the end of November), there weren’t many people sunbathing on the beach just yet. Still, the beach town was a beautiful place to spend a relaxing weekend.
Hardware store
Along the boardwalk were tiny grocery stores, hardware stores, convenience stores, and video arcades. There were a few places for eating, but many people who went to the beach either owned or rented property where they can sleep and cook meals for their friends and family.
Seafood
A 15 minute walk away from the beach were seafood shops. There I saw oysters, clams, muscles, JUMBO muscles, shrimp, fish, and even sea urchins!
Sea urchins are a delicacy in Chile. They are shaped like small tongues and are served raw with olive oil, cilantro, lemon juice and chopped onions. Sea urchins have a strong and unique flavour that takes a bit of getting use to. What surprised me was its texture … they melt in the mouth like butter! Whether it’s eaten like salad or spread over bread, it’s definitely something that everyone should try when visiting Chile.
Pablo & parents walking along the beach, followed by a local furry friend.
On Saturday, October 18, I trekked 27 km over the Andes mountains with Pablo, his uncle and two aunts. This annual pilgrimage is a huge event with hundreds of people coming from cities outside of Santiago. To some people, it’s a religious event that is done with friends, classmates or family. To others, it’s an act of thanksgiving or apology to God. And still to others, it’s a symbol of rededication to their faith. Whatever the reason, the 27 km was not a stroll around the park. Hiking up to the peak took a sweaty and dehydrating 5 hours — and it was worth it all. At the top of the mountain stood a great cross. As we got closer, people began to shouting for joy, running to hug, kiss and touch the cross, and leaving mementos as proof that they were there. Another 3 hour hike down ended at the sanctuary of Santa Teresa de los Andes, the first female saint of Chile. There was mass and worship at the sanctuary welcoming the weary walkers. If asked if I would go again, I would say Yes! in an instant (especially if I’ll be in the good company of my pololo). Yes, I admit I was grumpy, dehydrated, sore and tired after this first walk — but I would do it again because it is an incredible experience.
During the walk, there were 13 rest stops where worship groups were singing about their faith and encouraging us to keep walking. At each stop, there were reminders of the meaning of Catholic (and Christian) faith:
la humanidad necesita liberación = humanity needs liberation
la humanidad necesita esperanza = humanity needs hope
el Espíritu Santo te impulsa a la misión = the Holy Spirit prompts you to the mission
evangeliza siempre = always evangelize
A short post about a big thank you to mi pololo (Chilean term for “my boyfriend”) for the love, care, help, patience, laughs, burps *ahem*, disagreements, agreements, food!, thoughtfulness, and a great experience thus far. Pablo, thank you for welcoming me into your family and friends.
Mi guapo pololo: Pablo!
