Santiago: Piscos and Protests

A few people had warned me that Santiago was nothing special. Whilst I like to make my own mind up about places I go, I can’t say I came to a different conclusion. Flying into Chile, the landscape is stunning with the Andes providing a striking barrier separating the country from its neighbours. This isolation is reflected in the people, who i often found to be rather cold and unwelcoming. I know what you’re thinking. Pot, kettle, black. 

Dumping my case at my Airbnb I set off to explore the city, starting with Cerro San Cristobal, a hill with great views of the city. I climbed on foot instead of taking the funicular in preparation for all the fat bastard eating I was planning to do that day. At the top I bought a Chilean speciality drink, mote con huesillo, which is basically like drinking the juice from canned peaches but with lots of wheat grains floating in it. I found the nearest bush to throw it in. 

Then it was time to begin the quest for the best empanada. I walked about 1.5 miles out of the city to get to the first stop, Empanada Mia. There is no distance too great when it comes to food. I ordered the classic empanada de pino, which is basically beef, onion, an olive (unnecessary) and boiled egg (bizarre). It was the size of my hand, which isn’t saying much, and more like a Cornish pasty than an empanada. I found the empanadas at my next stop, Chipe Libre, to be tastier and more reasonably sized (albeit perhaps less authentic and more expensive). However, their pisco sour was one of the best I tried in the city, and believed me I tried A LOT 🤪

That evening I booked a cultural tour with a local called Carlos. I was originally booked onto a different bars and bites tour which was cancelled due to protest activity in the city. Apparently the night before I arrived there was a big demonstration. Prior to coming here I was aware of the violent protests in October last year, but thought the situation had appeased, which isn’t entirely the case. The first thing you notice about the city is the amount of graffiti and vandalism, which didn’t exist 4 months ago.

At the first stop on my tour with Carlos, a cafe called Fuente Alemana, there was a brief moment when they had to barricade the doors due to a passing group of protestors followed by riot vans and water cannons. I feel at this point I should reassure my parents that I’m perfectly safe and at no point was I in any danger.  Anyway, nothing could distract me from the sandwich the size of my head that was placed in front of me, filled with pork, avocado, tomato and mayonnaise. They could’ve locked me in there all night for all I cared. I was warned not to have lunch before I came, but obviously I didn’t listen to this ridiculous advice. I’ve got two days in this city Carlos and about 15 food hotspots to get through. You do the maths!
 

The political situation in Chile and the resulting protests haven’t had much coverage in the UK, so it was interesting to see it first hand and get a detailed explanation. In a nutshell, the government is corrupt and full of right wing arseholes (sound familiar)? Apparently the city looks nothing like it did before October. As well as the graffiti, many of the traffic lights have been torn down and pavements have been ripped up (with the stones used as weapons to throw at the police). The police in turn respond with violence, firing rubber bullets into the eyes of protestors to blind them in an attempt to deter further demonstrations. Which is why you see graffiti everywhere portraying people with bleeding eyes. It certainly puts our own Brexit battles into perspective. Us brits know how to complain about a situation we’re unhappy with, but ultimately we do f-all about, so hats off to the people here for trying to effect change.

My second day in Santiago started with a raging hangover (more of that to come later). Therefore, I only made it out of the house when the munchies set in around 1pm. After a very large plate of lomo soltado, a Peruvian meat dish served with rice and chips, I embarked on a free walking tour. It was more walking than it was tour, because there isn’t a hell of a lot to see in Santiago. An obnoxious American, theres always one (or several) was outraged at the level of vandalism against historic buildings and the lack of respect shown. I had to bite my tongue so as not to point out that she had no right to judge the political situation of other countries! 

By 5pm I was ready for hair of the dog with a Terremoto (translates as earthquake). The name says it all. Basically you’re hammered and stumbling about after only one these. It’s like an alcoholic float (with sweet white wine, pineapple ice cream and pisco).

On my last night in Santiago I witnessed yet again how precarious the situation is here. Walking from my air bnb into town I pass the entrance to ground zero, the area where the major protests occur. Something was definitely brewing as you hear the banging of the drums, and pass all the protestors en route with their gas masks on. Sure enough, a few seconds later, a bunch of protestors come running out of the adjacent street and riot vans pull up and start tear gassing people. I was on the other side of the street away from the activity. Again mum, I stress that I was never in any danger. You can sense when something is brewing and you avoid that particular area. Still, it’s all a bit surreal and it’s impacting heavily on tourism to the area. Although it’s not necessary unsafe, most people have stopped coming here. I frequently found that locals would thank me for coming, like you’re doing them a favour. I respond by telling them they have some of the best wine in the world. Why wouldn’t I come?!

I ended my time in Santiago at Bocanariz, a wine bar and restaurant. Here I had two wine flights, sampling some amazing Chilean wines, and amazing short rib of beef. Perfect way to finish my time in my first stop of my Chilean tour.