Santiago

Plenty of people had told me not even to bother going to Santiago, but that I should try some place down the coast. But I decided to go anyway, and had a good time - including one of the most bizarre experiences of my life. More of which is to come...

As I was still recovering from the excesses of my time in BA and Mendoza, and because of the late arrival time, I ended up heading into town to find a place to stay.

And ended up finding this really great place.

I`d already decided that I needed to take it easy before my flight to Oz, and that meant steering well clear of party hostels - or any kind of hostel for that matter. So I checked out a few places in the Planet, and ended up at a place bang in the centre of town. Only $18 a night - which was great. It was also quiet - which was also what I needed.

The hotel was in a place called Paris London, which looks a bit like this:



And is called this because of this:



And what it looks like at night:



After a quick sandwhich I headed to bed and managed to get a good night's sleep.

The next day I was out of the hotel for 10am and exploring Santiago. I must say, after all the negative things people had said, I was really surprised by it - it`s actually a really neat place (did I just sound American?).

It`s not the kind of place that`s going to blow you away - but it`s perfect if your looking for a few easy days of hanging out.

I started off doing the walking tour from the Planet - here's a few pics of Santiago:

A classical style arch:



The stock exchange - and where all the business gets done:



Not sure what it is but it's pretty cool:



A view of the city:



Clean, fresh, healthy air - and the Andes in the background:



The main art gallery (OK - but no cigar):



The Cathedral:



The Presidential Palace (I think):



Now this is a terrible picture, but this building grabbed my attention because it shows what you can do with a terrible concrete building and a few lights:



Another interesting building:



Street art:



And then a really strange thing happened. I stopped by one of the squares to see where I should go next, and I`m thinking that I could do with a coffee, and that a Starbucks would just be the thing. So I put my book back in the rucksack, and when I turn around...

...I`m standing outside a Starbucks. How weird is that!!!

Unlike back home - they ask for your name here. Now for some reason - all South Americans have a major problem with my name. Like this:



The next day I headed to the park where everyone goes to hang out, and caught the small funicular up to the top of the hill. The views were great, and it was nice just to walk around and enjoy the sun (sorry :-).

The funicular:



Needs no explanation:



The Cable Car down the other side of the park:



"Swinging AND Smoking are forbidden". What about just swinging? Or just smoking? I decided to swing on the way there, and smoke on the way back :-) :



After a really early night, and after sorting my stuff out I went for a wander around town and then off to the airport...

So what`s Santiago like? Well the downtown area is like the world`s largest shopping mall. If you`re into retail therapy - this is the place for you. It`s chilled out, with plenty of international brands - although it`s not as expensive as BA.

If BA is the wild child you likes heavy rock and all night parties, Santiago is the the more laid back twin who likes to take things easy and hang out with friends, go shopping, and eat ice cream.

And so - on to the most bizarre experience of the trip so far - and one of the wierdest in my life.

They have a thing here called "Cafe Con Piernas" - which translates as "Coffee With Legs". Now a few people had told me that they were coffee shops where the waitresses wore short skirts, hence the name. And the Planet walking tour had one of these Cafes as the final destination - describing it as a perfect place for people who like cultural experiences, or for caffeine addicts.

Given I fall into both categories I decided to give it a try.

And nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to encounter.

One minute I`m standing on a bright hot Santiago street, and I open the door and step into a pitch black room.

I`m struggling to adjust to the sudden change in light, when a young lady appears before me, dressed in nothing more than a tiny string bikini.

The next thing I know, her face is getting closer and I realise that - just like everyone does on the streets here - were supposed to kiss each other on the cheek.

So I lean forward and she plants a big kiss on my cheek, and says hello.

As you`re supposed to drink coffee in these places - and as I`m not entirely 100% certain of what the done thing is here, I order a coffee without milk in my best Spanish, and she walks off to get my order.

There`s no tables - just long bars, where you`re supposed to stand - which is not unusual - as plenty of the coffee shops here (where the people are more normally dressed) have this format. The room's also lit by nothing other than ultra violet tubes - so not only is it really hard to see, but as my shirt is half white, I`m glowing in the dark - in fact - I'm the brightest thing in the room :-)

A few minutes later she returns with one of the best coffees I`ve had on the trip so far.

It appears that the job of the ladies is to entertain the customers (all male - unsurprisingly), and given that I speak no Spanish, and she speaks no English - the conversation is going nowhere fast.

We eventually work out that I`m English, and that she`s from Columbia. After some other faltering conversation, she wanders off to talk to someone else.

My eyes have adjusted to the dark at this point, and as I look around I find that there are three or four other girl`s all with next to nothing on - although there's nothing more on display than you'd see at the beach (just in case anyone was wondering).

After a few minutes the waitress returns and, it`s obvious she`s supposed to keep me entertained - but the conversation`s not happening - and the next thing I know she`s touching my new ear piercing and pointing at the one in her tummy button. Nice!

I try to explain that mine`s new (in Spanish), and that I only got it 10 days ago. But there`s not much you can say to that. So she wanders off, and I finish my coffee, settle up, and head out back into the sun - and normality.

I wish I could speak Spanish - because there were loads of questions I had for her.

I`ve since found out that there are loads of these places in town, and that it`s a bit of an institution, and I was told that even business people go to these places for meetings (yes - you read that correctly - although I'm not sure if that bits true).

Everyone if quick to point out that there`s nothing more on the menu except coffee, and that the places close at 6pm or so - and that it`s all very innocent.

Now I`m no prude - and I`ve always thought that people should be free to do whatever they want in private. But it kind of felt really strange, and it left me asking the question: why?

It was certainly an experience.

My final day was a bit more normal. Starbucks and a large chocolate cake for breakfast, pizza for dinner, and ice cream for tea - such a healthy diet. And then it was off to the airport for the flight to Oz...more of which - next time.

Just in case my plane explodes mid-air and I land on a deserted island - be sure to look out for the TV series :-)