Lauren –
Arriving in Santiago was rather surreal after a long month in Ecuador. We were expecting a European vibe, a cafe culture with a hint of social unrest. Along our travels we had met countless people who had visited Santiago, as it is the base point for further travel north to the Atacama desert or south to Patagonia. We had been told of social demonstrations and protests that disrupt the city, but no-one had really explained what it would be like.
Our hostel was in the ‘hip neighbourhood’ of Bellavista, chosen for it’s cool bars, restaurant scene and youthful vibe. This was also the home of the protests that had taken over Santiago for the past four months, but with no ‘do not travel warning’ on smart traveler and positive reviews from countless travelers we arrived with eager anticipation.
It was a beautiful summer’s afternoon, not a cloud in the sky, the temperature a perfect 29 degrees. We’d missed enjoying long summer evenings where the sun doesn’t set until well past 9pm, and the neighbourhood was lively, happening and vibrant.
It was Friday night and we were headed out for drinks and a bite to eat. I heard the hostel volunteer talking to David downstairs and I assumed she was advising us of the best places to eat in the neighbourhood, but she was infact warning us of where not to go in case we came across a protest. She didn’t seem too worried, so nor were we and we set off.
Everyone was enjoying their Friday, not a worry in the world. We sipped our cocktails and beers on a side walk bar watching workers saunter by and party goers dressed to their nines. As we walked along the sunny boulevard discussing what to have for dinner, David turned to me and said “I think I’ve got hay fever” – strange I thought, but we carried on walking. Suddenly I felt a slight tickle in my throat and before I knew it my eyes began to water. “I think I’ve got hay fever too!” I exclaimed!
We kept going, but eventually we had to stop. It was actually getting hard to breath. We looked around and saw that people were starting to get goggles and bandannas out of their office briefcases and party purses. This wasn’t hay fever…it was tear gas. We saw the riot police blockading the path we were trying to walk on and quickly turned back and called it a night. We fell asleep to the sweet sounds of rubber bullets, water cannons and tear gas.
The next morning we set off for a walking tour of Santiago. As we walked through our now decimated neighbourhood we couldn’t believe that this was a daily/weekly occurrence here. Citizens are affected, shop keepers can’t keep their livelihoods open and restaurants have had to close.
We learnt on our walking tour that these types of protests have occurred in Chile on and off for the past 30 years. Chile has an extremely high disproportion of wealth (the 7th highest in the world) and they have never really recovered from the brutal dictatorship that ended in the 90’s. Our walking tour guide told us that he regularly partakes in the protests and is incredibly proud of how Chileans have stood up for equality. He mused that the buildings are regularly destroyed through frequent earthquakes so a little helping hand wasn’t so bad. It was fascinating hearing this side of the protests after having experienced the scarier side the night before.
He explained the common graffiti and sculpture symbols that we’d frequently seen drawn around the city which represent key parts of the movement. The motif of the eyes or ‘ojos’ are there to remind Chileans and the world of police brutality. The second motif he explained was that of a black dog with a red bandanna. The dog was a resident of the nearby university and regularly protected students from the police, he had died some years ago and has now become a symbol of the protest movement.
That night we attempted to cross the river and go to a bar with supposedly the best Pisco Sour’s in town. We were a bit wary that we had to cross the main square – which had been the site of the protests the night before. We made it to the bar and enjoyed a few cocktails (they were amazing!). The bartender told us how he has to run home from work so to avoid the tear gas which can lap the door of the bar on some bad weekend protests.
On our way home we were walking through the park when we saw a small handful of protesters in the distance, we did our best to move closer to the edge and squeeze by (I started following a man walking his Pomeranian dogs – they wouldn’t be tear gassed surely!) when a big police truck zoomed by spraying water cannons at the crowd some meters in front of us. We quickly jogged past (still following the Pomeranians) and managed to escape. A man ran up to us rocks in hand gesturing for us to take one and get involved. We politely declined and briskly walked to the safety of our hostel.
The next day we decided to visit the Museum of Memory and Human Rights to learn a little more of Chile’s turbulent past which may give us some more context to the current movement. We passed a few colourful markets on the way and couldn’t help wandering around to take a few pics of the yummy looking fruit produce.
The museum was an eye-opening experience. To learn about how the Chilean people suffered under General Pinochet gave some real insight to the current climate. The country feels like it’s on the brink of some real change and it will be interesting to watch from afar now that we’ve left and see how the population’s protest is reacted to and received by the Government.
We spent our last afternoon in Santiago climbing atop of a local mirador or viewing point to take in the city’s beautiful views. Visiting Santiago could not have been more of a different experience from Ecuador. But we were really happy to be in a vibrant city with lots going for it. We really enjoyed learning about the city and the country’s history and felt somewhat lucky to catch a glimpse of it in this very important time of protest for change. We will be back again in the not too distant future i’m sure of it.
Far Away From Home 