Last weekend, four of us went to Santiago for the weekend, taking the bus from Viña del Mar and coming back on the Sunday.
The day started early at 08:30 when we all met at Viña del Mar Bus Terminal and set off for Santiago. The bus took a little longer than expected, taking two hours instead of the projected hour and a half, we slept most of the way. After taking an erratically driven taxi from the bus station in Central Santiago, we arrived at Cerro San Cristobal for some fantastic views of the city. We took the cable car up the hill and took the funicular railway back down, both offering different views of the city. Once up the hill, we realised just how vast and expansive Santiago is, with the city stretching to as far as the eye could see. At the top of the hill, there is a statue of the Virgin Mary with a chapel inside, which reminded me of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.
After taking the funicular back down, we arrived at our hostel which was very nice as we had our own private room with two bunks beds, the room looking like the set for an Ikea advert. I was on the top bunk however, which did not have boards at the side to stop you falling off so I was very thankful there was not an earthquake during the night! Arguably the best thing about the room was that there was heating, a rare occurence in Chilean accommodation.
After checking in at our hostel, we went to a market to eat some seafood. After an injury sustained by one of our group due to an uncovered manhole, we decided to return to the hostel and enjoy our free bottle of wine on the terrace at the hostel. However on the way back to our hostel, we had to dodge a slightly awkward situation when in the middle of one Santiago pedestrianised shopping streets, an elderly woman threw a chair at a man in the street.
The next morning, we set off and went to Pablo Neruda’s Santiago residence, La Chascona. It was a little different to his house in Valpo, with the house in Santiago being more spacious and with more places to enjoy the nice weather. However, I preferred his house in Valpo as the house in Santiago did not offer any good views like his house in Valpo which overlooks the sea.
Our next port of call was the Human Rights Museum in Santiago. The museum told the story of the 1973 Chilean Coup d’État and the crimes committed by Pinochet’s regime up until its collapse in 1990. The most harrowing part of the entire museum was on the top floor, where all the faces of the victims of the regime on the wall, making you realise that the victims of the regime weren’t just numbers, but real people.
Before taking the bus back to Viña, we decided to go to a seafood restaurant near the Museum which was recommended to us by one of our taxi drivers. The restaurant was by far one of the most bizarre, yet wonderful, restaurants I have ever been to in my life. The entire restaurant had a maritime/naval theme, with decorations including naval memorabilia from Chile and around the world to a whale’s skeleton on the ceiling and the waiters dressed in naval uniforms. The food was some of the best seafood I have ever tasted and it was a great way to round off a successful trip to the capital.
Hugh's Voyages and Discoveries 