Well it has been a year since LA600 form Buenos Aires touched down in Santiago... 'home'. As the saying goes, "home is where the heart is", so you can probably imagine I didn't call it that for quite some time. Maybe if I moved from south-west Yemen it would have been different, but leaving one of the greatest cities in the world made the 'home' concept all the more tardy in arriving. Don't get me wrong, Santiago is a magic place, but anyone who thinks you can really live in a new city within the first six months is smoking his socks.
After a year I am probably in a position to comment on what it's like to live in Santiago, but somehow I feel it would still be pretty uninformed. One thing for sure is that it is quite the happening spot, the beginnings, but happening nonetheless. Even within the year development is evident, well infrastructurally, there is also a very visible emerging yuppie class that makes me think 'Hyde Park' (not the big green one...the one next to Saaandten doll). The yuppie is easily identified by the not so shy call "graaaaacias" normally by the lesser bejewelled jeep wielding santiaguina... smacks of sincerity.
This isn't really Chile though, if you are brave enough to catch a yellow micro you will see Chile. The real workers that seem to spend the commute as rest time in between being badgered by chocolate vendors, wannabe evangelist intestinal cleansing powder salesmen and the odd panpipe guitar duo. Every ride is worth your 380 pesos, money can't buy the adrenalin from being half a metre form another micro doing 80 km/h through the city, the other day we even had free entertainment from a nutta preaching against cleavage and condemning us evil doers to hell, looking around the faces on the bus I thought half of us were already there... aaah, just then another rush from a late braking manoeuvre.
I think it is safe to say Chile is one huge contradiction, every day brings along another set of conflicting truths. Although Chile isn't charming, its charm lies in this tension, to be found everywhere between rich and poor, north and south, poodle and pavement special.
It is difficult to generalise about the people, as with any nation. But hey, that's never stopped me before. In fact I think Chile is perhaps easier than most places, as the nation is pretty homogeneous. Oooops, I guess all those Spanish noses won't like me saying that, but the truth is just about everybody’s great grandfather thought that there was a certain something about their indigenous 'neighbour'. I have met some wonderful people, and I've bumped into a lot of crooks, generally though it seems the average guy in the street is just interested in getting by. There is most definitely a class structure in place and racism at work, apart from colour it seems to have to do with who hangs at Starbucks, is seen at the 'right' church or flashes his Mont Blanc pen. Gringo living in Santiago is hellava expensive for what it is, I guess this is how they hang onto their island of elite. The genuine salt of the earth type are to be found though, and I am very grateful to my Chileno friends who make the world of difference to my life here, I think they are special though.
The real kick I get from Chile is being just an earth tremor away from the great Andes, they really are spectacular. I get the feeling they have also played a huge part in this countries development, serving as a formidable barrier to the rest of the world. To be in the mountains is to feel the soul of South America, harsh, beautiful and ancient. I am amazed at how under utilised they are. Perhaps just as well, they are taken awfully for granted and the respect shown by locals can be counted in coke cans and plastic bags. Gratefully the population density, or lack of it, leaves much of the beauty untouched.
It has been a year that at times has felt like three, at others just a few months, either way an incredible experience. If you have the opportunity to visit Chile you must, it is a wonderful place. It is safe and easy going, well enough developed to cater to most needs, backwards enough to be quite quaint, and certainly foreign enough to be interesting. You will get ripped off, write it off to experience, at least you will also feel warm and welcome. In Santiago you will have to kick and scratch a bit to find the character, but it's there, bring boots. Do yourself a favour and take in the second most awesome mountains in the world, whether it's skiing, trekking or just a drive they will tickle something inside.
How's that sky for winter... today up at cerro San Critobal. Graaaacias
The highest peak is el plomo, the highest visible from Santiago, a beautiful winter's day, just begged for a bike ride to visit the virgin.
Best click on this one to make it worthwhile. The panorama from the road riding to cerro San Critobal. A stunning day for winter. Winters are normally plagued by horrendous pollution in Santiago. Stacks of people smoke here, I always joke that if they stopped smoking the pollution would clear up. Well, during the week a law was passed that prohibits smoking in public places, hmmm seems like I have proof ;) Well not actually, as it seems not well enforced, guess the police commissioner's wife's brother's cousin is the Lucky Strike agent in town, and they probably go to the same church.
No regrets, coming to Chile was a great move, full of wonderful experiences, and I'm sure it will only get better as I start to understand the people and get to know places. Who knows maybe one day I will actually be able to give you an informed opinion.
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