Santiago - Day 2 (Of couse this grill is clean!)

Back in Santiago after three days on Easter Island, we set out today to visit some of the well-known and hidden gems of Santiago. From one of the oldest cathedrals in South America to a market that seems like a carnival side show, we set out early in the morning and didn't come back to the hotel until the sun set.

Our first stop for the morning was the historic Plaza de Armas, the historic city square of Santiago. Located within the square bordered by Bandera, Merced, Monjitas, and San Antonio streets, Plaza de Armas is a beautiful square that houses the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago and the National History Museum of Chile. Originally built in 1541, it is one of the oldest squares in South America. Inside the Metropolitan Cathedral you will find a stunning cathedral built in the mid-18th Century that could hold its own with most of the nicest European cathedrals.  In the heart of the square is a statue dedicated to the most famous, and possibly first of all the caudillos, Simón Bolívar. Bolívar is the father of about half the nations in South America, he found himself as the president of Bolivia (guess where that name came from), Colombia, and Peru at the same time. Check out the maps that are built into the sidewalks that show you the evolution of the city over several centuries.Don't be scared away by the vagrants lying around, and you can't miss them, but there are quite a few police officers patrolling the square. 

From the square we went for adventure as we wandered from the most tourist centered area of the historic downtown and walked to a spot usually only seen by actual Santiago residents. The La Vega Market, opened in 1895 (and it shows), is a more than 200,000 square foot market that is home to thousands of shoppers daily looking for everything from fresh meat, vegetables, and spices. After you get past the normal items you find more interesting items like pigs heads, entire shops of Styrofoam plates, and knock off underwear. The paths between the vendors are a log jam of people dragging shopping carts, hand trucks, and several decided to drive their motorcycles down the aisles. Go outside and find people who didn't want to pay to sell in the market hocking old shoes, door knobs, and bootlegged DVD's (apparently those still exist down here).  And if you're hungry, why not buy something from your local grill master cooking what I can only assume is well refrigerated meat on his top flight grill.

 

From the market we walked to the Metro station and rode it to the end for a completely different shopping experience. Getting off at the Los Dominicos station we visited the Centro Artesanal Pueblito Los Dominicos, or Los Dominicos Village, for short.  A true artists village located on the grounds of the San Vicente Ferrer Church, the market is home to nearly a hundred independent shops selling everything from handmade carvings, jewelry, garments, and paintings. Make sure you don't miss the back half of the market. There is an entire section we almost missed because we didn't walk through an narrow alleyway, and I think that most of the other people in the village missed it too because we were the only people who were back there for quite a while. While the prices might be high for some items, we did find some great deals too.

The best part of the day may have been us wandering the streets looking for dinner as we somehow passed through the red light district. Cornered between two establishments who employed underdressed young women, we found Lung Fung Chinese restaurant.  We walked to what we thought was the door, but we're pointed down a flight of stairs to a completely dark doorway the opened to a long forgotten restaurant run by women who looked like they needed to be in a German beer hall more than a Chinese restaurant. The mood was unique, with likely two light bulbs on in the entire place. After realizing we weren't going to be murdered, we enjoyed an awesome dinner and some of the best service we've had the entire trip. That may be because we were the only people in there all night, but they took care of us nicely.

One big tip to rap it up for the night is to take care of yourself when you are traveling in a foreign country. As always, don't attract attention to yourself by turning in circles with multiple maps looking completely lost. If you need to check for directions, and that is completely fine, step into a church or convenience store so the pickpockets strolling the streets don't get their eyes on you. Santiago has a bad reputation as a home of petty thieves, and I don't doubt that, but with some planning, and proper clothing or bags that allow you to secure your goods you can get around the city very safely with all you valuables in tact.