Fun and Laughter in Santiago…

Waving a street map of Santiago under my nose, Brita suggested we take a walk into town…

I looked from her face to my bike and back to her face again, trying to ascertain if she was joking or not… She wasn’t…!! This was a girl who enjoyed lugging an 18 kg backpack on mountain trails around the world…!! Walking was no joking matter to her…!!

“Why would we want to do such a silly thing when we have two perfectly good bikes standing right here…?? I asked, horrified at the prospect of a long walk in the hot sun… “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out on foot in this weather…!!”

Santiago with the Andes as a backdrop... I would be crossing those in a few days time...!! Photo Wikipedia.

Chilean Empanadas, a bread-like dumpling, rather heavy on the stomach...!!

My protests fell on deaf ears, and a short while later, I found myself tramping the hot streets of Santiago, on a walk that was supposed to last “ONLY half an hour”, according to Brita…!!

After listening to me grumbling behind them as we walked, she finally turned to me with a smile, and said,

“Turn around…!!”

I perked up at the thought of returning to the shady spot in the courtyard of Patio Suizo, and immediately pivoted on my heel… But I was sadly mistaken if I thought we were heading back…

“See…!!” she said loudly, “You’re getting a square arse from sitting on that bike all day…!! You need exercise, so stop complaining and keep walking…!!”

Properly chastised, I kept my grumbling to myself for the rest of the walk through the winding streets and large city parks in 36 degree heat, until mercifully, our guide called a halt outside a quaint little sidewalk cafe, where we sat down to have a late lunch… And a beer or two of course…!!

Michel and I had teased Brita about getting us all lost, as we jinked left and right on many side streets, but I must say, she led us unerringly in the direction where she had wanted to go…!!

Two huge salads, washed down with Kross beer... Good stuff...!! The salads, I mean...!!

We ordered a variety of empenadas, a local pie-like dish, but with a lot less filling in them… The two huge salads that we had also ordered more than made up for the “heaviness” created by the doughy starter…!!

We then headed for the bustling Plaza de Armas, a large central square, where hundreds of both local and tourist folk were gathered…

The locals sat on benches in the sun, while the tourists lined up to visit the impressive Cathedral that stands on one corner of the Plaza… While Brita went to the post office to send a parcel home, Michel and I wandered around taking a few photos and soaking in the atmosphere…

The Santiago Post Office... Now that's what I call a Post Office...!!

The statue of Conquistador Pedro Gutierrez de Valdivia, founder of the city in 1541, stands in the Plaza de Almas... Modern day Conquistador Ronaldu Remeiro Goncalves-Borrageiro, founder of nothing in particular, stands below him...

The Cathedral itself was a surprise… From out on the square it did not look all that impressive… No soaring spires etc… But once we entered it, and walked down the wide central aisle, under a beautifully decorated arched ceiling, the beauty of this church impressed us all…

The Metropolitan Cathedral in the late afternoon, was still attracting dozens of visitors... Photo by Michel.

The ultra modern headquarters of a local bank, stand next to the Metropolitan Cathedral, which dates back to 1551...

Pavement artist, Plaza de Almas, Santiago...

We wandered down both sides of the wide hall, peeking into the many alcoves and private chapels that line the walls…

Under the main altar is a large vault like area, where previous bishps and consignores have been interned…

An elaborate naietivity scene had been constructed close to the main altar… It was the size of a medium sized cave, but was still dwarfed by the huge columns that support the high ceilings of the cathedral…

The confessionals are not as private as the many I have had to visit in my time, and parishioners basically kneel in full view of the congregation, while the priest takes their confession, looking out over their heads at the congregation beyond…!!

There was no Mass being offered at the time we were there, however, dozens of worshippers were seated in the long pews, either reading their bibles or just taking in the peace and quiet of this grand old church…

Brita stands in awe of the beautiful domed ceiling of the Metropolitan Cathedral...

The casually attired, new Bishop of Santiago, prepares to receive confessions...

Outside the Cathedral, the "Bishop" was taken into custody.. Apparently for his own good...!! Photo by Brita

The bustling pedestrian shopping area of Santiago, Plaza de Armas, was thronged with shoppers...

Lamp posts decorated for the Festive Season...

We then wandered down the busy shopping streets of downtown Santiago…

Two pedestrian walkways run parallel to each other, where high fashion boutique stand shoulder to shoulder in places, and out in front of them, hawkers ply their trade, selling everything under the sun…

Literally and figuratively…!!

They compete with each other by shouting out the names of the things they are selling in a high pitched monotones, which had us all laughing and trying to emulate them…

Nothing like confusing the opposition…!!

Brita popped in an out of a variety of shoe shops, hoping to find a pair of high heel shoes to wear out to dinner on New Year’s Eve, which left Michel and I out on the pavement, people-watching…

Of special interest to Michel and I, were the many hawkers selling women’s underwear in every conceivable shape and size, but all in bright yellow…!!

We discovered that here in Chile, it is believed that if you wear yellow underwear on New Years Eve, and get to make love, you will have good luck in the coming year…!!

I like some of these Chilean traditions…!! Long may they survive…!!

We had huge fun interacting with the locals, taking the mickey out of some, while being made fun of by others…

I was struck by the friendliness of the Chilean people, or at least all those we came into contact with… None of them took any joke we made to heart, but would immediately join in the fun and make wisecracks of their own…

And as you can see by the accompanying photos, we all had a lot of fun…!!

Yellow underwear are a big hit this time of year in Chile...!!

Michel chose the less revealing pair... Being the adventurer that I am, I was feeling a lot more daring...!! Photo by Brita

I'm not too discerning... I mingle with tourists and locals alike...!! This Chinese Auntie wanted payment for her photo...!!

GB finds his calling a street vendor in Santiago... Photo by Brita

We had no idea what she was selling, but whatever it was, we figured it was worth a closer look...!! Photo by Brita

"Why the sudden interest in wedding dresses, Ronnie...??", asked Brita... "Well... You see it all started in Bali...!!"

Meeting and greeting the locals, like this waiter at the fish market, was the order of the afternoon...!!

The local fish market was a thing to see…!! And smell…!!

In some areas you needed a strong stomach to weather the storm of pungent smells that assails your nostrils..And you better keep your mouth closed, because after a while, you can taste it too…!!

We watched guys splitting shellfish without even looking down at their hands…!!

At the speed they were working, I would have been minus a few fingers in the first hour of work…!! The market was filled with little restaurants, serving a bewildering variety of fish dishes, many of which I did not recognize… If ever I ordered a meal here, I would follow the waiter back into the kitchen to make sure I got what I ordered…!!

There was also some haggling for fish thrown into the day's festivities...!!

After an epic walk, we sat down to have a drink, Brita looking as sprightly as when we had set out...!!

Brita ordered a door-stopper of chocolate cake... Michel and I had to help her finish it...!!

By early evening, Brita finally allowed us to turn for home, and after another long walk, still in temperatures of around 30 degrees, I was relieved to finally see the gates of Patio Suizo open up before me…!!

Michel and I had however convinced her to stop on two occasions; once to get something strong to drink, and the next was for coffee, where she ordered a huge slice of chocolate cake…

It was hard to believe that they served such large pieces, either that or it was the last piece left over from yesterday’s bake, and they were eager to get rid of it… We haven’t worked that one out yet…!!

Michel summed our day up very aptly afterward, while we were sharing a bottle of wine, or another G & T, when he said;

“Today has been a very memorable day…!! But if I was riding with you,” he said pointing in my direction, “my stomach muscles would have been finished by now…!!”

He then suggested that I hurry down to Ushuaia and make my way back up the continent to try and meet him and Brita either in Peru, Ecuador or Colombia…!! So my brand of humour can’t be that bad after all…!!

I doubted very much If I could do that, but I have to admit, that since hooking up a day or two ago, we have had a good many laughs and enjoyed each others company immensely…!!

And the New Years Eve party still lay ahead…!!

©GBWT 2011