18-01-20: The other Santiago (Saturday)

We spend our last days in the southern hemisphere in Santiago. Yesterday (18th) we visited many important points in the city. It was Saturday and it seemed like all Chileans were out and about. From Plaza de Armas to the only pedestrian zone, the market halls and the many small side streets, there was a lot of activity. Unlike our first visit in December, the street vendors and small and large shops seemed to be doing well. We also noticed that there were more tourists in the city, mainly Americans. Surely, a cruise ship docked in Valparaiso and brought people by bus to Santiago. Everything seems very relaxed and people don't seem unhappy.

In the evening, we immerse ourselves in the nightlife again. As already mentioned, Bellavista is the entertainment district in Santiago, comparable to Friedrichshain in Berlin. There is a great selection of restaurants, bars, and clubs (do we still call them clubs?). People sit comfortably outside and inside, enjoying their Saturday evening.

And then something happens again (relatively early, just after 8:00 pm). It seems that the police have cleared Plaza Italia on this evening and some protesters are streaming towards Bellavista. We are standing in front of a restaurant and are not sure which one to go to. Then a tear gas canister explodes at the corner, only about 20 meters away. At the other end of the street, we see a water cannon dispersing protesters. The street is practically blocked from both sides. Protesters wearing gas masks mix with people who just want to go out. No one is sitting on the chairs anymore. Everyone seeks shelter from the tear gas and what might happen next, in one of the restaurants or bars. We do the same. A waitress tells us that the commotion will probably be over in half an hour. And indeed, it was, and the rest of the evening was very relaxed. Later, we were near Plaza Italia again and there were no more protesters there. Some trash cans were still burning in some places. There was a rental bike burning on a junction. But the cars just drove around it.

By the way, almost all traffic lights in the city center are destroyed. The police can only regulate a small part of the traffic with their own forces. So, volunteers have been found who regulate the traffic at intersections and receive tips from the drivers. It is great how the Chileans function in such events.