26/04/04- 30/04/04 Santiago

Arrived on the 26th after an overnight bus which was pretty scummy. Booked into a rather nice hotel in the centre and decided to settle for a while as we had been skipping through Chile up until then. After a bit of a sleep we wondered around and managed to find the bottom of the park where all the nice restaurants and bars are. I think there is a bit of a pattern emerging to our exploring of new places. Anyway after a few beers we decided that we were too poor for a proper dinner and fancied a pizza so got two and headed back to the hotel. On the metro Roger managed to get assaulted by a dirty yuf type who gobbed on him for not giving him any pizza. Not the best start. We spent the next few days wondering around Santiago and the surrounding area, we visited the art galleries (not up to much) and a vineyard (yum) and spent the day in the park which was lovely. On the last day we went to watch the changing of the Guard which was the funniest thing I have ever seen. All the usual pomp and ceremony but the band played “we are the world” and walked in the most effeminate way that I am very surprised the country hasn’t been invaded. Managed to get our passports, emergency money and some cards etc nicked on the bus out of Santiago which was not much fun.

By assaulted Fiona meant gobbed on from afar by some dirty tyke who was well practised in distance spitting. No need to worry about my physical well-being.

Aside from that I felt that Santiago de Chile (to give it its full name) is one of the shittest cities on this planet- it is incredibly hostile, the art galleries are falling apart, food is crap, the river is half boarded up and full of refuse, the streets are full of thieves and cut-throats and oh I could go on and on. Oh and the old dancing grandma- on a big piece of cardboard in the pedestrianised shopping street with a tiny battery operated tape recorder battling for attention with the evangelists screaming their fiery, ignorant abuse- so so pitiful! And this has nothing to do with getting robbed or spat on. Investors! Don't invest in this city, let it fall back into the wretched guts of hell from whence it came.

http://www.chile-travel.com/santiago.htm

Still.

I suggest a fortnight there, regular flights from London Heathrow with British Airways.

That should be long enough to raze it.