Habla no espanol

Sunday, Jan 4th

I made it! Well, at least to Santiago, Chile, which was a welcoming destination after 24 hours of traveling. As I felt the plane descending, I opened my weary eyes to see the grandiose Andes Mountains. The view took my breath away. Maybe it was because I was getting a chance to look at the longest and one of the highest mountain ranges in the world.

****How long is the Andes Mountain Range?****
**** Can you name all the countries that the Andes Mountains are located?****

My first impressions of Santiago: clean , friendly, trendy and safe. Everywhere I looked I saw tall, newly renovated or newly built apartment and business buildings. Tucked away between these buildings are quaint neighborhoods. The pace is relaxed and all seem to be taking advantage of the gorgeous, sunny, warm Sunday morning.

****Santiago is surrounded by two Mountain ranges. Can you name them?****

I arrived at my hotel, the Grand Hyatt and was a little overwhelmed. My history of traveling was always on a budget and staying at some sketchy hostels, certainly never one with a spa, three restaurants, a pool and a doorman. This hotel was certainly a nice surprise. I was exhausted not having slept really at all on the plane and having traveled for a day but I knew I only had a limited time here so I needed to try to take advantage of the full day. After a nice shower, I changed into clothes appropriate for 80 degree weather (luckily I had a set in my carry on since the airline had lost my luggage and didn't expect it until 9pm that evening) and checked my Lonely Planet Guide to figure out what I should check out first. There is so much to see in this city so I felt a little lost. After exchanging my money into the Chilean pesos, I asked the nice doorman (who spoke English-thank goodness) where he suggested I go for good local food (I was starving), scenery and sights. first he began to suggest the humongous mall just down the road with a Starbucks, but I quickly explained to him I wanted to experience Santiago not American culture.

Side Note:
American fast food is everywhere, from Dunkin Donuts and Mc Donald's to TGI Fridays and Showcase Cinemas.

Jaime (the doorman) chuckled, then suggested Bario Bellavista and explained to me how and where to catch the metro. Off I went!

The Metro was really nice. Not the gloomy sometimes scary environment you get in the Boston T or NYC but bright, friendly, clean, cheap and very easy to understand, even to us non spanish speaking visitors. Many stations have resturants, grocery stores and banks located in the terminals. I hopped onto the red line and got off at the Bellavista station, located west of the hotel heading towards the center of the city.

Side Note:
Not speaking a word of Spanish made me feel like an outsider. Generally I like to try and blend into the local culture, but this was difficult when I was required to communicate. I have found myself to smile alot and use the few words and phrases I know: si, no, gracias, bien, no comprendo, lo siento, buenos dias, buenos noches, hablo usted ingles?, adios and hola. I am a bit embarrassed at my ignorance and vow to take spanish when I return to the states.

The Bellavista is known to be one of Santiago's liveliest neighborhoods, especially by night. It has lovely quiet backstreets filled with cafes, restaurants, clubs and shops. I was hungry so I went to the first small local joint I could find. I asked, in my broken Spanish, what the waiter usually ordered and requested that. I got what was equivalent to a steak and cheese paninni with hot sauce. It was delicious and cheap.








I checked my map and realized I had to cross the Mapocho River which splits Santiago in half. It is extremely polluted. It hasn't been until recently that the Chilean government has required no dumping of sewage and waste into the rivers. From what I understand and the look of the river it is not well enforced.

****Where does the Mapocho River originate?***

Then I walked around the market. The market was filled with small outdoor stands containing locally made goods. Everything from Alpaca made clothes to copper jewelry (Chile's main export is copper). I decided to wait to purchase anything since I planned on visiting Santiago's largest market on Monday.

****Can you name the blue gem that traditional Chilean jewelry is made from?****

I continued down some of the quaint side streets where I found a book store I needed to pick up a book on the birds of Santiago and was successful. It is in Spanish but has decent pictures so it has been helpful. Then I headed towards the park, Parque Metropolitano, to catch the funicular (a gondola) up to the statue of the Vigen de la Inmaculada Concepcion. The funicular has several stops along the way including: the zoo, Jardin Zoologico, Terraza Bellavista (over look and where Pope John Paul the II gave mass in 1984), the Piscinia Tupahue which is known to be the greatest swimming pool setting anywhere and the Jardin Botanico Mapulemu (botanical gardens).

Now I wish I could tell you about all of these sites, but I cannot. In my jet lagged state I failed to truly prepare myself for the sun, heat and my fatigue and had quickly become dehydrated. Having walked for three hours already and looking at the line which was a good hour long to get onto the funicular, I decided it would be best for me to head back to the hotel. So, I took some pictures from the base of the park and headed out.

On my way back I picked up some snack food (for the winery tour the next day) and lots of bottled water. Back at the hotel, I showered and watch tv while trying to force myself to stay awake until my lost luggage arrived at 8:30pm. Then I fell into a deep slumber, dreaming of my winery tour happening in the morning.




For a brief description of Chilean and Santiago history check this link:
http://www.santiago.cl/chilefacts/history.htm