CHILE: SANTIAGO's a Weekend of Hipsters, Haitians, Chinos, and Latinos

SANTIAGO

After a seven-hour bus ride down the picturesque coastline of Chile, we made it to the capital of Santiago just in time for the start of the weekend.  It was near sunset so we decided to take a cab from the bus station to the city center, which was a big mistake.  We learned later, that unsuspecting tourists would get stiffed when the cab drivers intentionally takes you on a two-hour route, stuck in heavy traffic.  Luckily, we were able to split the fare four ways, but still save your money and take the metro.  This was no ordinary Friday, as the Olympic games were about to kick off in Rio.  This was the first Olympic games in South America, so we didn’t expect anything less than big parties in the streets.

10 in the mornin

BELLA VISTA – the Hipster Side of Santiago

We chose the Bella Vista district because it’s the cheaper, hipper, and the happening part of this megacity of six million.  From the moment we left our hostel, it was on like Donkey Kong.  I haven’t seen streets packed like this since I was in Europe during the World Cup.  Imagine bar after bar, restaurant after restaurant overflowing with people like the tents at October Fest.  Thousands of Chileans moving like red blood cells down sidewalks to the cacophony of Reggaeton.  It goes without saying that the alcohol flowed and the dancing went on from the hips to the pelvis.  People barely paid attention to the Opening Ceremony on the big screens.  The night continued well into the afternoon and I paid for it the next day, as my bunk became my coffin until the next night.

I wanted to spend ample time seeing Santiago properly.  Especially interested in the Pinochet years, but time was not on my side.  Before I visit any museums, I like to get my bearing and explore a bit of the city.  We only had the weekend before we moved on to the city of Valpariso, and after Friday night’s debauchery my Saturday was a wash.  As a result, Saturday night was basically a repeat of Friday night, so Sunday ended up being the only day to explore.  The domino effect of late night partying. 

SELF GUIDED CITY TOUR

I managed to wake up by noon Sunday, and decided to try and explore as much of the city center as I could.  My self-guided walking tour took me through the graffiti tagged neighborhood of Bella Vista.  This area is the Wynwood or Bushwick of Santiago.  Great graffiti art thoughtfully reflecting the bohemians and hipsters artists who call this place home.  It was nice to see the days were just as alive as the nights with families and young people chilling at out door cafes. 

BARRIO CHINO Y EL CENTRO

To my surprise, once I left Bella Vista, all the businesses were closed.  Apparently, the European custom of keeping Sunday quiet and with family is the norm here.  I was sure that I’d find Barrio Chino open for business.  Asians will work at their own damn funeral, but sadly, they got the Asians to follow suit.  I was extremely disappointed when I showed up and couldn’t get my Chilean Chow Mein.  It was a complete ghost town.  So I moved on to the main plaza in the city center and there I found a pulse.  Hundreds of Chileans were chilling in the Plaza de Armas.  It goes without saying that Europeans and Latinos use their parks and plaza like North Americans uses Wal-Mart.  Sunday markets were open and hundreds of families were shopping and eating on the main street.  I decided to have a seafood lunch at the Mercado Central.  Sadly, Chile is not a cheap place for backpackers.  You’re gonna have to cough up some cash if you want good seafood.  But it was fresh and worth every peso. 

Barrio el Chino

Barrio el Chino

Plaza de Armas

Marcado Central

HAITIAN REFUGEES

Strangely the largest visible minority in Santiago were Haitians.  Most congregated in groups in the main plaza.  Apparently, after the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010, five thousand have been trafficked here with promise of a better life.  But like many places throughout South America, they are marginalized.    

5000 Haitians trafficked to Santiago since the earthquake of 2010

EUROPEAN VIBE

In spite of their presence, Chile felt like the least diverse place I had traveled to on this trip through South America.  Unlike, the strong indigenous population of Bolivia and Peru, Chile is overwhelmingly European.  The colonizer history here is more like that of the United States than that of Peru or Bolivia.  Latin, yes, but with it’s roots and identity still firmly European.  With the exception of their fondness for Reggaeton, the architecture, ethnic majority, Sabbath Sundays, and even the fauna and climate… felt very European.