Santiago: History and culture

We’ll, Uber has made it to Santiago, Chile. Apparently it is illegal, so when you are dropped at the airport (as we learned at the end of the day), if the police ask, you need to tell them that you are traveling with “mi amiga.” But, it is crazy how inexpensive the rides are, especially as cabs are rather scarce in the am. And, there is no Lyft in Chile, we started our day by grabbing a ride with the evil Uber.

Once again, we found the streets empty as we drove through town before 10 am. After a brief stroll in a rather sad looking park, we went to visit the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, which was only opened in 2000. The museum is devoted to human rights abuses, primarily during the Pinochet years.

Although Pinochet has been gone since 1990, his specter and the horrific activities of his junta hang heavily over this country. The museum doesn’t address the reasons that Pinochet took over, but instead focuses on the cruelty of his regime during which almost 40,000 people were tortured and nearly 4000 people were “disappeared.” The numbers were so large that it impacted everyone. Two stories —

Carolina, our guide from yesterday, told us that she was a child when Pinochet was in power. On her street was a torture house (although she didn’t understand that until she was an adult, of course). There were many attempts to free prisoners inside, which resulted in gun fights in the street, during which her mother insisted that they stay inside and away from the windows.

The Canadian that we met yesterday also told us about her mother’s efforts to return in the mid-80s. In the mid-70s, Pinochet barred people who had fled after Allende died from returning to the country. This caused an international sensation, as it violated a variety of international laws and treaties. Then in the mid 1980s, Pinochet allowed people to return, and he published a “list” of 1500 people who were allowed to return. The mother of the Canadian planned to return, and boarded a plane with her child. Somehow her father discovered that she wasn’t on the “list,” and sent word that she had to disembark, which she did — a message that undoubtedly saved her life. The “list” was displayed in the museum. So crazy to see the list, after having heard the story about a woman that I met.

Honestly, the exhibits are depressing, and disturbing, and a chilling reminder of how quickly a country can move from an democracy to a dictatorship. Given the current political climate in the US, it was pretty upsetting. But, I’m glad we went.

Next, we took in a little art at the Fine Art Museum. There was a cool exhibit about literature and art, but the rest was “lost in translation.” The real treat was the beautiful Beaux Arts building.

Next stop was Pablo Neruda’s house — La Chascona, which is the nickname for the mistress for whom he built the house. As you’d imagine, the house is super quirky, with three separate wings that are not connected, requiring you to walk outside to go from the dining room, to the living room, etc. Before we got to Santiago, I only knew Neruda as a Nobel prize winning poet, but didn’t understand his role in the political history of Chile. In his 20s, he was an attaché who was first posted in Rangun, Burma, and later throughout the world. In his 60s, he was an elected senator, and then was in Allende’s government. He died soon after Allende, and there is a hot dispute about whether he died of the cancer from which he was already suffering, or was “helped” along with some type of poison that was administered when he went to the hospital. Honestly, there is so much to learn about the rest of the world!

Before leaving Santiago, we stopped at Restaurant Galindo, which is known for a traditional dish called Pastel de Choclo. Before you get too excited, it is a savory dish, not a dessert. It is essentially a Chilean meat dish with ground beef, onions, olives and a hard boiled egg, topped with a corn masa (like polenta). I can see how it would be good on a cold winter night, but on a hot Sunday afternoon, it was only ok. But, you gotta try the local dishes!

So, we’re now off to the Atacama Desert.Read more