Last Day

Saturday February 29, 2020

Santiago, Chile

We're not leaving for the airport until about 5pm so we have some time today to do some more exploration in the city.  We got some ideas yesterday from the gal at the Tourist Information Centre, so off we went before it got too hot.  Another clear sky day that would get well over 30C before it was done.

Joan, Jill and I set out along the Rio Mapocho which runs through the city and which is not far from our hostel.  I'm not sure whether Mapocho has any translation but perhaps "barely there" would be appropriate.  Joan and I walked part of this yesterday on our way home but we'll venture further today.  Today's route took us close to Plaza Italia, which apparently has been ground zero for all the protests and riots which have been happening here since October 18th.  As we approached the area we could certainly see the increase in graffiti and general damage and destruction (which I didn't take pictures of).  Apparently a major metro (subway) station has been destroyed and is not operational.  The smell of fire was still in the air and a lot of clean-up crews were busy.  Friday nights are the worst time, so I'm assuming there was lots of action last night.  We found it odd that there didn't seem to be any traffic lights once we got into that district.  Upon further inspection, they have all been destroyed.  I'm not sure who is manning the intersections but non-uniformed men in yellow vests, t-shirts, shorts, and whistles are in every intersection keeping traffic flowing smoothly.  They also carry cups or tin cans to collect tips from the motorists so presumably they're not being paid for their services.  There didn't appear to be any protesters there when we first walked by but on our return journey there were protesters and police - and tear gas.  At the first hint of trouble we moved over to the other side of the river.  As we moved away from the trouble there were some people going the other way, some wearing gas masks or carrying shields so they were obviously going to join the fracas.

Our first stop this morning was the Cerro Santa Lucia.  Another beautiful park-on-a-hill.  "There are more than 60 hectares of gardens, fountains, and a statuary.  From the summit, approached by meandering footpaths, there are stupendous views of the Andes (on a clear day) and panoramas of the city and Cerro San Cristobal."  There was lots to see in a relatively small area, and some good viewpoints over parts of the city.

One interesting thing we saw over and over again in our time here.  Sprinklers are running constantly in an effort to keep things green, I guess.  There is also a small army of people employed to use hoses to water trees and grass.  To me, it seems like a waste of valuable water resources.  It would be interesting to get local opinions.

We split up after the Cerro San Lucia.  Joan went to an art museum, Jill headed back to the hostel and I carried on to the downtown area and the Plaza de Armas, the main square of Santiago.  It is the centrepiece of the initial layout of Santiago and as such I expected to see a lot of old architecture close by.  There were certainly some historic buildings including the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago, the Central Post Office building, Palacio de la Real Audiencia de Santiago, and the local government building, but by and large the surrounding area had many pedestrian shopping streets with modern buildings.  The Museum of Pre Columbian Art is also close by.  Anyway - an interesting area with lots of trees and seating in the square.  A good lunch spot.

I then went to the Mercado Central, largely a big fish market but also with lots of restaurants.  I think I preferred the vibe of the market in Puerto Montt - more fresh fruit and veggies as well as fish, and fewer restaurants with workers trying to entice you in.

It was getting hot by now, so time to head home.  I found Joan also heading home right around where the protests were flaring up so we walked the rest of the way together.  Probably a bit safer......

Back to the hostel, another lunch, journal, shower, and wait for Uber to arrive.  Barb had done a much shorter walk today in the area where we had had dinner a couple of times and she also encountered protesters.  So - maybe wise to stay in and just get to the airport.

Everything went smoothly in getting to the airport.  Jill and Barb were on a flight directly to Toronto.  Joan and I were going via Houston.  We were supposed to leave later but apparently there was a snow storm in Toronto which delayed the other flight.  I think in the end we all got back to Calgary around the same time.  Joan treated me to lounge stops in both Santiago and Houston so we arrived home well fed and watered.

A bit of a post-script on the COVID-19.  When we left in January most of the cases were still in China.  We were aware of it throughout our trip through on-line news sources but were not particularly concerned.  On our flight home (and on Barb's Antarctic cruise) you were not welcome if you had travelled to China in the last 14 days.  Almost immediately after we arrived home there were more and more cases in Canada.  Within 2 weeks almost all non-essential services had shut down, schools were closed and I was only able to visit Mom for about another week (after having been screened for fever at the front desk).  As I finish typing up this blog in mid-April we're still in stay-at-home except for the odd grocery trip mode.  The number of cases and deaths are still rising, and we have not yet reached the peak.  Oh well - at least I'm able to stay at home to finish typing this up!