Having arrived in Santiago, Chile from Melbourne, I have two full days in Santiago before heading to Buenos Aires, and then Ushuaia, Argentina.
Monday February 26, 2018
Sleep has been a challenge with noise from the nearby Bellavista nightclubs filtering into my room at The Aubrey. It is 2pm before I finally surface and get started for the day. It is a beautiful, clear skied sunny afternoon in Santiago of about 30 degrees. I have no plans other than to wander along the Mapocho River toward Vitacura in search of something to eat. The Mapocho is a similar dirty brown to Melbourne’s Yarra, but runs through concrete channels rather than being a natural wide watercourse.
The Aviation Memorial is a popular spot with running fountains and some shady trees and seating providing some respite from the afternoon sun.
After a brief stop for some lunch at Costanera Sur, I’ve wandered as far as Parque Bicentenario, one of my favourite parks in Santiago. Located in the wealthy district of Vitacura in Santiago, it has one of the most visible municipal council presences I’ve ever seen. Park rangers on motorcycles patrol the park, with officers in vans patrolling other areas in vans. There are also multiple sentry posts dotted around the entrances to the park, of which I’ve only ever seen one unmanned.
I ‘discovered’ this park in a trip in 2010, and have revisited it every time since. It is a fantastic example of what can be achieved in a park to support the needs of local residents. I remember being impressed on my last visit 6 years ago now that the council had implemented a dog agility park for the many dog owners that utilise the park. This has now been relocated closer to the main park entrance. It has the basic equipment needed to run agility courses, and I also notice that the municipality is running free dog training courses in the park. Group personal fitness training is also happening in designated areas of the park, with trainers barking out ‘vamos! Uno dos tres…’ at their clients as they run laps, perform pull ups and other mat exercises.
This is a huge park, with extensive lawns, planted areas, ponds housing swans and flamingos, and also houses the municipal building or town hall. In winter it must be spectacular with views to the snow-covered Andes. At sunset in summer, there are good views of the Vitacura skyline at sunset.
The downside of Parque Bicentenario is that it is a 20 minute walk to the nearest metro station. It’s getting dark as I emerge from the Jumbo supermarket in the basement of Costanera Centre. The supermarket is your typical large Western supermarket, with everything needed for a picnic dinner, or anything else. The only difference is working out the local processes for loose items, such as bread rolls. A couple of moments of observation reveals that you select and bag your rolls in plastic bags, then take them to be weighed and labelled by a staff member who is busy working two scales at once. The other noticeable difference is that the supermarket still employs packing staff at the check-outs! Santiago has transformed to a city where most things can be paid for by card, so when my purchases total 15 pesos, and I hand the checkout assistant a 20 peso note, there is a scramble for enough change in coins.
Since my last visit (or the last time I took the subway/Metro train line), Santiago has introduced a smartcard for public transport, called the BiP! Card. The card is easily purchased through vending machines at train stations and costs 1550 Chilean pesos. A one-way fare is 630 pesos, so an additional 2000 pesos will get me three train trips, which should be enough for tonight and tomorrow. The vending machines also accept American Express without any difficulty.
Los Leones is the nearest metro stop to the supermarket, and it is about 5 stops away from Baquedano, which is the nearest to Bellavista. After a 20km walk this afternoon, I think I’ve earnt a train ride back to the hotel.
All up, 21.24km today and 29,751 steps.
Santiago Tuesday February 27, 2018
Another warm, clear, sunny day in Santiago, with a top temperature of about 30 degrees Celsius. It is far too nice to be indoors, so today’s plan is to wander around Las Condes. A train ride of about 11 stops from Baquedano to Manquehue station drops me in the combined business and residential district, home to LATAM airlines, Deloitte and others. My plan is to wander through this leafy suburb towards Parque Araucano. Close to main roads, the buildings are twenty stories plus, whereas the smaller streets and side streets have a combination of small houses and apartment towers. The streets are busy with office workers on their lunch break, as is Parque Araucano.
Parque Araucano is another substantial park, with large open areas, tennis and basket ball courts, skateboard ramps etc. It is also popular with dog walkers, picnickers, and visitors to the small rose garden. There is plenty of shady seats under the large established trees.
The bike-sharing schemes are also well-established here in Santiago, with Bici Las Condes appearing to be a municipal initiative.
Across the road is the Parque Arauco shopping centre, spread over three floors, with all the usual brands. It is also a useful place to stop for a coffee or cold drink.
Las Condes is another wealthy district of Santiago, home to a quite odd shopping street called Avenida Alonso de Cordova, lined with small purpose built boutiques, leading down to Parque Bicentenario. Home to Hermes and other luxury brands, it is a strange architectural mix of small one or two story buildings interspersed with the occasional church or café. How they make any money is beyond me as everytime I’ve walked down this street, the boutiques are virtually deserted. Perhaps they are busy later in the evenings. Starbucks is also a ubiquitous presence in Santiago, and there are a few of their cafes scattered along the street. In terms of money invested in the building and garden, Hermes is the hands-down winner, with a Japanese-inspired garden at the entrance to the boutique.
I find myself once again at Parque Bicentenario for a picnic dinner, facilitated by the market umbrellas and deck chairs kindly provided by the council. The municipality is housed in a low-rise modern building, which is also home to a theatre, ensuring good usage of the area. There also seems to be plentiful parking, and even the workers’ sheds are green with hanging gardens on the outside.
Just as I am finishing dinner, a team of council workers arrive to pack up the umbrellas and deckchairs, so they are only available until just before sunset. It’s another active early evening in the park for the fitness conscious locals as well.
Another short day in which I’ve covered a lot of distance – 19.28km and 27,000 steps.
