Chile
We arrived late at night after a 5 hour flight from Bogotá.
The Hyatt is a massive upgrade after three weeks of 2-3 star accommodation.
I have booked a walking tour of the city as our introduction to Santiago. Three hours with a really good guide who shows us the few remaining old buildings in the centre. ( most were destroyed by earthquakes) He also tells us the local history and lots of political stuff which is super interesting.
Santiago is a massive modern city of 8 million people. Over 20% are recent migrants from the oppressive regime in Venezuela and from crime and violence in Peru, Ecuador and Columbia. This has put a huge strain on the country and much of the centre of the city has been abandoned by businesses and residents who have moved out to escape the issues that these migrants have bought with them.
After the tour we had lunch in a swanky ( air conditioned!) restaurant.
After lunch an Uber out to take a cable car to the top of a hill for a view of the Andes. Sorry didn’t take any photos of the actual Andes.
Santiago is extremely modern compared to Columbia. Clean, organised, high rise and expensive. Prices are similar to those in the uk.
On day 2 we head for the museum of Pre Columbian Arts.
Super interesting with beautiful, intact ceramics and textiles.
The large wooden carvings were used as headstones on graves. A great idea.
All of central and South America was covered in this compact and well curated museum . With lots of information in English.
This beautiful drum was another highlight for me along with woven bands.
After the museum we stopped for coffee because it looked like a nice shaded local type place. It took a while to notice the unusual waitresses!
The metro system was good, trains every 2 minutes. Easy to buy tickets and got us around very cheaply.
