Santiago, Chile

We have spent the past week in Santiago, Chile with one of Bridget’s great friends from her sabbatical over a decade ago in Ecuador, Ruth.  Ruth and her compadre, Jose Luis have been wonderful hosts who have shown us a great time.

We have been to the Andes mountains.

We have been to the sea. This is Isla Negra. We saw Pablo Neruda’s house on the beach. He was later poisoned by an injection because he was communist, it is thought. His homes are great with lots of toys.

Pablo Neruda’s house at Isla Negra.

Ruth and Jose Louis have treated us so kindly. They have gone out of their way to share Santiago with us.  Take a look at some more sites.

Santiago, from the hills.

A sculpture in a local park.

The Santa Maria sculpture on top of the mountain beside the city of Santiago.

Santa Maria from the bottom of the mountain.

This is another cool sculpture in the local park next to a rio que no es rio.

This river, does not get much higher than is it in this picture, which leaves the walls open for graffiti.

We visited the Museo de Memoria, as you cannot visit Santiago without thinking about the history of Chile.  The strength of the Chilean people is incredible to have made it through such a difficult period.

This is a wall in remembrance of those who were tortured and lost their lives during the Pinochet regime from 1973 to 1990.

Above is the oldest church in Santiago.  It is half a block away from 38 Londres St., which was a known place of torture during the dictatorship that has been turned into a museum.

Graffiti directly across from the museum.

Chile survived dictatorship and continues on with a level of development that is truly amazing given such a history.  Viva Chile!!!!

Bridget at the market.

The market is gigantic.  You could easily get lost here.  As with many of our other destinations, wealth and poverty exist side by side in Santiago.  Thailand, America, Chile; all wonderful places with problems.  Walking around the city, you get a very European feel, as you can see from the pictures below.

Next up: Valparaiso!