As you fly into Santiago from Buenos Aires, one thing immediately captivates your heart as you gaze out of the window at 34,000 feet. The beautiful Andes! As you start entering Chile, you spot this narrow and long mountain range that stretches for 1000's of kilometres, up and down the South American west coast. And when you land in Santiago ... it's still the Andes that captivate you. The peaks reach up to 4000 m above the Chilean capital. Stunning, impressive, overwhelming. This is Chile ... full of natural beauty.
Chile is a narrow sliver of a country, approximately 4300 km long and on average about 175 km wide. With Ecuador, it's the only South American country that doesn't border on to the gigantic Brazil. The north has one of the driest deserts in the world - the Atacama, the central area is where the fertile plains for farming and vine growing are located and the south is the land of Tierra del Fuego ... the treacherous and wild Patagonia. And don't forget that Easter Island, located some 3700km from the coastline, also belongs to Chile.
We came to Chile after stopping first in Rio and Buenos Aires. As we drove from the airport, you could notice the contrast between these three very different South American cities. Rio is a melange between African and European influences, BA is very European and Santiago felt very South American. It's a bit of a stereotype, but as I was walking around Santiago, I came across the typical male image of a South American: chocolate skin, thick black long hair pulled back in a pony-tail. You can definitely see the native Indian influcence. Very different from Rio and BA.
Invariably, one ends up comparing the main South American cities: Rio, Buenos Aires and Santiago. The Chilean capital, with a population of 6 million (Chile has 15 million in total), is noticeably less refined than BA and lacks the energy of Rio. In 2 days you can see most of the city sights. However, it's a great starting point to discover the stunning natural beauty of this country. And that is why I want to come back. From Easter Island to the 7 lake district, to the wineries, skiing, coastal towns, Cape Horn ... I've still got lots to discover in this South American gem.
After three days in Santiago, you also quickly notice that the capital, and Chile for that matter, is one of the more developed South American countries: great infrastructure, high GDP per capita and for one reason or another, it has been able to avoid the pitfall that has doomed most other South American countries ... unstable political scene, corruption, roller-coaster economies. Chile is the stable brother!
What surprised me re Santiago? The prices. Food, for example, is comparatively priced with many European cities. Given the high prices, you can see that the economy is doing well and that the country is prospering. BA and Rio are much, much cheaper. Another surprise ... the smog! It was bad when we were there, but I hear that it's terrible throughout the winter.
And did you know that Santiago also has it's own big statue overlooking the city? OK, it's not as big as the Jesus in Rio ... but a Virgin Mary still graces the Cerro San Cristobal hill paying attention to what you're doing!
HOW TO GET THERE:
I had a heart attack when we landed at Santiago's Arturo Merino Benitez International airport! As I went through immigration, the lady asks me if I've paid my fee. I said what fee? She says Canadians, Americans, Australians and Mexicans have to pay a fee. So off I went to another line to pay my fee. When I get to the counter, the lady says the so-called Entry Reciprocity Fee is US$ 132!!!!! My blood pressure just shot through the roof. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Thank god I also have a European passport because I had absolutely no intention to pay that much money for a visa.
I enquired later why such a steep visa fee and was told that these countries impose the same fee on Chileans ... and thus the Entry Reciprocity Fee. To be fair, I also found out that the visa is valid for the duration of your passport. But when your passport expires ...
The national airline of Chile is LAN and is supposedly very good. For domestic flights try Sky Airline.
> Getting around: the metro system in Santiago is modern, efficient and clean. And taxis are very cheap.
WHAT TO DO:
> Cerro Santa Lucia: from this hill, which is located right in the centre, you have a fantastic view of Santiago. I even found a plaque that mentioned that Charles Darwin had enjoyed the view from this point as well.
> Plaza de Armas: I imagine this is the main square in the city centre. A beautiful cathedral flanks one side while the National Museum of History is on the other. I simply enjoyed sitting down on one of the benches and watching the people stroll by.
> Basilica La Merced: a beautiful basilica, with something that I had never seen before in a church ... at least not that I can recall ... hard-wood floors! A beautiful parquet floor adorned this wonderful church.
> stroll down the Mapocho River: the murky brown waters of the Mapocho river cut straight through downtown Santiago. There is a lovely park that goes along the river right by the centre. I walked all the way to the classical Palacio de Bellas Artes, and then veered into the city centre.
> Shopping: I didn't expect to go shopping here, but if you're interested, there is a fantastic mall called Parque Arauco. You could have thought you're in the US! Besides shopping, there are also a lot of great restaurants there.
> Cerro San Cristobal: to get a fantastic view of the whole city, take the gondola up the San Cristobal hill. The ticket is very cheap and the views are amazing. Unfortunately, I picked a cloudy day to go to the top. And when you get there, you will see a statue of the Virgin Mary towering at the pinnacle, overlooking the whole city and giving it its blessing. A simpler version of Jesus in Rio. Instead of going back the same way, take the furnicular from the top to the Bellavista neighbourhood at the foot of the hill.
> Bellavista neighbourhood: every guidebook I read mentioned that this is a charming neighbourhood, with dozens of little artisan shops. The shops I found ... but charming? I wouldn't call it that. But go see for youself!
> drive to the coastal town of Vina del Mar: driving the 100km route to Vina del Mar you realize how beautiful and fertile Chilean land is. Undulating hills, orchards, wineries, farms, wild flowers and shrubs, the land is vast and bountiful. Vina del Mar is a city on the Pacific Ocean that prides itself on its artistic and cultural repertoire. Especially in the summer months, the place is packed with colourful people. If you're planning to stay in this city, then you must stay at the Sheraton Miramar Hotel. Perched on some rocks right next to Caleta Abarca beach, this new hotel is magnificently appointed. Built in a semi-circular fashion, each room faces the ocean and has a terrace so that you can smell the ocean air. And best of all, it's right in the city centre.
> drive north of Vina del Mar: going along the coastline you will notice wild waves, beautiful beaches and a very rugged terrain. Stop at cafes, watch the pelicans soar and enjoy the fresh sea breeze. We stopped for coffee at a hotel that I would definitely have stayed at, had I more time. The Radisson Acqua Hotel & Spa located in the small coastal town of Concon was set atop a rock, just slightly above the water level. From the rooms, that all have ocean views, you had a wonderful vista of the Pacific Ocean and the rocky coastline. A romantic and quaint place to stay for a few days ... to discover the surroundings and to unwind.
WHERE TO SLEEP:
> San Cristobal Tower Hotel: As far as I understood, there are actually two hotels here: the Sheraton, and then the San Cristobal Tower which falls under the Luxury Collection of Starwood Hotels. In any case, they're adjoined. The design is very classical - old style European, rooms full of antiques. The rooms are big, however, the service was poor given that this was part of the Luxury Collection. It took them forever to get the room ready when checking-in, we entered and we had a welcome note addressed to someone else, one day returned to the room at 1500 and found out house-cleaning still hadn't paid a visit, etc. Note: ask for a room facing the city and mountains.
> other hotels: we drove past the Marriott Hotel and the Grand Hyatt Hotel and at least from the outside they looked great.
RESTAURANTS:
> Mercado Central: I had a fantastic lunch in this covered market. Amongst the meat, fish and vegetable stalls, you will also find a cast iron covered central square with lots of different restaurants. I chose to sit at Donde Augusto ... and loved the fish they served me. But I'm sure the other places were equally nice.
> Zully (Concha y Toro 34): located in barrio Brazil, this trendy restaurant is located in a very quaint little square. It kind of reminded me of a 30's Havana. The square in front of the place was dilapidated, paint pealing of the buildings, students hanging around ... but full of character. And then you walk into this trendy restaurant, something you wouldn't expect when you're standing outside the building.
> El Otro Sitio: we wanted a typical Peruvian meal, so some friends took us to this restaurant located at the Parque Arauco shopping mall. I had a delicious rice dish with various seafood, and ceviche to begin with. And we tried a wine with a grape that I had never heard off ... Carmenere. The wine was called Missiones de Rengo and it was very full and rich. Delicious!
> Camino Real Restaurant / Enoteca on San Cristobal hill: The view from this restaurant is spectacular. Make sure you make a reservation, for it's a popular dining spot. And remember, people in Santiago eat late ... so if you come there at 1900, you will be sitting by yourself until the dessert arrives. Also, as we were leaving, a guy approached us and asked us in very broken English if we wanted to see the museum. Of course we didn't, so we said 'no, grazias!' Well, ends up that what he referred to as the museum is actually their wine cellar and is supposedly worthwhile seeing. Lost in translation!
Bojan Tercon
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