Two down and four to go!

Day 101 - Monday 21 April 2008 (See ... over 100 days ... get in!)

Continents I mean ... have I really cracked two of them already and preparing myself for number three ... you bet ya!

Since I last blogged I've kind of been killing time - a strange feeling 'cos it's been pretty much exploring and adventuring all the way until now - but this is about the only place on my whole route that I didn't actually pick to visit - I was forced this way by all round the world tickets connnecting to New Zealand via Santiago

But that said I've hardly been sitting in my hotel room getting bored - that would be sacriligious (probably literally on this Catholic continent) - and Santiago's been a top place to hang out for a week that's flown by - speaking of which I fly out tomorrow and have just over 24 hours left of using my, at times fluent, at times terrible, Spanish!

Santiago's Metro is easily the cleanest I have ever used anywhere and, in fact, takes my prize for being the best I've ever used - it gets my top spot (for now!) ahead of Washington that is very similar and only falls behind by doing construction work and closing a line the weekend I was there in January (how many experiences ago?!) - here's my local, Universidad de Chile, station resplendent with it's murals and widescreen TV!











And so I used this baby to get to my second Cerro of Santiago (hill in Spanish) - San Cristobal- although it's the biggest so arguably 'numero uno' - it turned out to be Santiago's Parque Metropolitana so, on a Saturday, was full of the locals recreationing (maybe a made up word but author's license here please!) - to be translated as either cycling, running, or praying while taking in the splendid views of the city and the Andes - the praying bit is due to a statue of the Virgin Mary (always either her, Jesus or a cross on every South American hill) and an amazing open air concert venue for worship - complete with candle burning and a few happy clappers singing their hearts out - and clapping!

This photograph off the back of the Cerro does include a snowy peak if you click on it again and make it big - I've quickly learned that what mountains the eye can see the camera can as well - but only just and not half as cool as in real life - no skiing yet and that gondola just took you to the other side of the Parque - it was about 90 degrees (arrh - am I turning American!) so I decided I might cook in there so passed the opportunity!
















I've also done a couple of 'only OK' museos (the art and pre-Columbian history ones) - but I'm starting to get a bit concerned that I'm measuring them all against the Met in New York - I'm thinking of heading back there in a couple of years and spending a week in the biggest and best museum I have ever laid eyes on! - but hopefully that'll wear off and I'm sure the language barrier's the biggest reason I didn't think much to them - mind you it makes you realise quite how incredible the USA are at presenting artefacts!

But downtown Santiago really came alive last night when everyone with half a talent came out to play on a sunny Sunday evening - the Plaza de Armas and surrounding streets were full of talented performers that put Covent Garden to shame in their ability and variety - this robot dancer dude was my favourite!













And I think I mentioned the street art before which is especially prevalent in the Barrio Bellavista (Santiago's bohemian neighbourhood) - this is a reflection of me with my new found interest in photography - my hair's grown a bit since being on the road ...











Yesterday I also found where all the foreign money is being spent in Santiago when I visited the area surrounding the brilliantly named El Golf metro station - it could easily have been Silicon Valley in CA had the buildings gone sideways not up - and the weather here was hot, hot, hot on the weekend - but this picture was all about a phenomenon I have only just got my head round in the last week of being in South America - check out the leaves - it's Autumn here - 36 years of being conditioned to the northern hemisphere is difficult to break - I'm strolling around enjoying AUTUMNAL sunshine - that's why this will be a year to remember forever ...











And so as I'll try to do with each continent (or maybe a few countries) I'll try and summarise a few thoughts on South America - now where I say South America in the following I actually mean Peru/Bolivia/Chile - I'm certainly not suggesting the other countries are the same - I guess I'll have to come back and see - but not just yet!

South Americans don't give two stuffs about their personal space - you will be bumped into, jostled, touched (not like that!) and leant on throughout every day!

And linked to that they're very open about their feelings and the Latin American passion is right out there - you can't walk down the street without seeing people snogging (in Chile especially) - they're clearly all in love and good on them!

Now language barrier aside I don't feel like they're the friendliest group of people - let's park the language barrier issue for a minute - whenever I've let people through a gap or held a door I've not once been thanked (which I could understand in Spanish) or even smiled at - maybe I shouldn't be so Britishly polite and if I lived with political uncertainty all my life maybe I'd be the same

But I'm not really judging - how can I when all I can do in Spanish is sort out my laundry, book hotel rooms, book and ride buses, order food, pay for bottled water, say hello/goodbye and thank people - all of which I'm very proud of by the way!

This is twitchers paradise and should be on Robbie J's and Swifty's must do continents - I know ...!

School does that whole start and finsh early thing - you can't move for school kids hanging out on sunny afternoons - really sociable, really educational and really fun - go them! - and the school girls wear dresses and long socks a bit Asian-esque - which is very cool and very smart ...

And much like Europe the South American style puts us to shame - from traditional dress in the Andean highlands to everyday shirts and Farah slacks on the Chilean coast - some people in the UK are so scruffy! - maybe it's just 'cos I'm hanging out in different places but I don't see any chavy baseball caps or tracksuit bottoms here!

Everything is brilliantly run off pencil and paper! - and in Chile you get a handwritten receipt for even buying a bottle of water - genius!

Altitude burns the skin like you wouldn't believe - although I am leaving here just a shade off Bob Monkhouse's normal colour!

South America is a very controlled society - more so than the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office would have you think - I understand how brilliant a resource that is - and being forewarned has been forearmed for me - but it did also scare the pants off me a bit - although that was no reason not to come here ...

And linked to that the ID card rules - is this the UK in the future - or if Maggie Thatcher had got another term?! (if memory serves me right!) - you can't board a bus without showing your ID card or my passport (a photocopy's always good for them by the way - you can have that travel tip on me!)

Yet they're surprisingly laid back (and welcoming?!) about paying for stuff - only once have I had to pay on checking into a hotel - and you always have to ask for 'la cuenta' (you're never rushed out of a restaurant and can happily read half a Lonely Planet over a coffee!)

TV is dominated by the USA and Warner Brothers, Universal and HBO all have their own channels (in English and sub-titled in Spanish) - a joy for a British traveller this week and I've watched way too much Two and a Half Men! - I'm a bit like Charlie ... including all the hot women?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_and_a_half_men

And you can't make any statement about South America without mentioning religion - you have to admire the way South Americans are dedicated to it in the face of an increasingly commerical world - a Sunday is still a Sunday here - and I love it for that - we have just two 'selling' Saturdays for weekends but here places are shut, the streets are quiet (in the day at least) and people go and make their peace with God - I also like the way the descendants of indigenous people fuse a pre and post Conquistador belief system - they've made it their own and no one's going to tell them otherwise!

And boy am I already missing (and will continue to miss) Inca Kola - and the new 'green' me loves the way the bottles are recycled (washed and used again mind - not broken and reconstructed) - this resulted in three different phases of bottles all turning up on one restaurant table at the same time - genius! - there should be more of this - it all tasted great!











And, finally there they are - just about on the end of me armies (by the way Swifty your prize is now in the Chilean post mate) - and aren't they incredible - the Himalaya's had better get their 'looking amazing' act together - they've got some shoes to fill ...
















But not yet - not yet - it's the Southern Alps for me next - I have a 13 hour flight to smash and the International Date Line to cross which has got me thinking what actually happens to that day I miss - where does it go? - does a Champions League match scheduled for then actually take place?! - it's weird - and very , very Indy - see you in New Zealand and 'ka mate, ka mate' ...