Santiago, Chile

I've only got 3 days in Santiago. My real purpose on this trip was to get to Argentina but it was a lot cheaper to fly here and then on to Paraguay and then to Southern Argentina instead of flying directly to Southern Argentina. So I get to see a lot more for a lot less. It pays to shop around.

My first impression is that this is a clean and efficient city. There's a great subway and bus system. A lot of the museums are free and of good quality. I'm staying at a B&B and have met a few other foreigners, including a Ukrainian woman living in Germany now.

It's spring here in late November and that makes for a very comfortable time. The days are warm and sunny and the nights are cool. I'm staying in a neighborhood called Barrio Brasil.

After checking in, my first stop was the nearby Human Rights museum which told of the horrors of the Pinochet regime starting in 1973. He formed a coup with the help of the CIA and the then-current president Salvador Allende decided to kill himself in the Presidential Palace instead of being taken prisoner and being tortured. He saw the writing on the wall. Unfortunately, thousands of leftists, liberals and students were not so lucky.

Many of them were taken to the football stadium on the southeast side of town. I'd heard about this in writing and song since I was a young man and I had to see the stadium.

In a bizarre coincidence, there was a concert last night for Iron Maiden. They've been rocking for almost 50 years and are still quite popular. Inside the gates I saw thousands and thousands of 20-30 somethings all wearing black clothes and Iron Maiden t-shirts. They were waiting 6 to 8 hours early to get in.

I have to say Santiago seems like a young town. I've been to multiple neighborhoods with that Metro pass and there's a lot of 20 and 30-year-olds out and about. It's very vibrant. Lots of people just sit in the grass in the park with their friends and smoke a joint or have a beer or 3.

I've put on a lot of miles checking out different neighborhoods: Barrio Brasil, Plaza Italia, Lastarria, etc.. Now that I know the way of the land, I'm looking forward to showing Deanne around when we come back in late January.

More photos and videos are here.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/PshGtuLdRC3szMv99Läs mer