23/2 Walking tours

Thursday 23 February  Santiago

We headed down and bought breakfast. I had bacon and scrambled egg on toast and extra toast and marmalade with juice for less than $4. The laggards struggled down just before lunch ended at 11am. David didn’t make it until much later, when they had to check out to change hotels. Richard was waiting outside and complained that “David did come out but then he went back inside” -  which would have been particularly distressing for him! (Small Gay joke there)

I logged on and completed the online visa exemption process for the USA (ESTA), so we are all ready to move on from Lima to USA and Europe.

We headed off across town and settled in a park to eat our favourite avocado baguettes, while we watched a large contingent of riot police forming ranks, complete with transport and horses and dogs. After a while, they broke up in small groups and wandered off. Round about then, I decided I really didn’t want to spend 4 hours on a Santiago walking tour so I returned to the hostel, blogged and researched cruises.

J did the walking tour which went past all the attractions of downtown – and there aren’t that many really.  I think that the most interesting thing was the ‘coffee with legs’ coffee shops.  Chile make terrible coffee and some bright spark came up with an inspired idea that if you use girls in skimpy outfits to sell the coffee, people didn’t mind so what it tastes like.  Since then coffee shops have flourished and luckily they now import coffee from around the world, so you can now get a good cup of coffee.  There are also a number of street dogs, seemingly in pretty good condition.  They are owned by the people of Santiago, who provide money for them to be vaccinated and fed.  In winter you would see each and every one of them in a nice warm coat.  Nice touch.  The city itself has been rebuilt several times after devastating earthquakes so it is quite modern in appearance.  Doesn’t have the same feel to it as Buenos Aires, but that is what makes it different.  Has a vibrant bar and restaurant scene.

Pedro de Valdivia - represtenting the Spanish on one side of the main square

Mapocho Indian - cracked face representing the struggles they went through

Presidential Palace

The farewell dinner was just down the road. Large facility with heaps of locals, many celebrating birthdays – hence repeated Happy Birthdays in Spanish.

The pack came home at about 2.30 and then the bulk at 5.45. Not a good night for sleep with the creeeeeeaking floorboards and the endless LOUD music from cars parked at the filling station over the road.