SANTIAGO DE CHILE 14.01.2023

Today we are on our own, Franzi has an invitation outside the city. She took us to the nearest metro station 'Pedro de Valdivia' and took care of our tickets. In Santiago, a 'bip card' (tarjeta) is required to use public transportation. It is a sensor-controlled ticket that costs about €2 and can be loaded as needed. A single trip costs around 80 cents. The prices vary depending on the time of day, with mornings and evenings being slightly more expensive due to high demand. The ticket allows for a two-hour journey with the possibility of transferring multiple times. Franzi had two of these tarjetas (the price is non-refundable) and we loaded one with 5000 Chilean Pesos. Then we headed to Cerro Santa Lucia. This is another one of the three hills here in Santiago, designed as a recreational/leisure park. The summit (Torre Mirador) can be reached via a well-developed network of paths and/or steep basalt steps. These stairs, some with railings, would all be closed in Germany for safety reasons! We went up slowly along wide paths, but the shortened descent was not without risks, especially since the entire area was continuously irrigated, requiring even more attention on the stairs. But the quiet oases for relaxing compensated us. Here, a seating area with a mosaic surface like Gaudi, there, a water basin, and everything under shady trees. We strolled through the park so relaxed, as if in a protected space, while the big city with all its buildings and noises surrounded us. A wonderful island in the middle of the big city! Very beautiful!

Afterwards, we wanted to visit the nearby Biblioteca National de Chile and take a break in the cafeteria, but reality and the lonely planet did not coincide, closed on Saturdays!? Franzi developed the theory that many offerings were scaled back due to the restrictions of the pandemic and are no longer available in the "new era." So in the future, we should rely more on the more up-to-date internet!

So we continued to Centro Gabriela Mistral, which was supposed to impress with its "... arch-like and seemingly floating elements inside..." But here too, there was a significant gap, in our opinion, between reality and the travel guide. Only the outer appearance as a 'rusty grater' is okay, but there was no mention of broken windows, tattered giant tarps, and filthy masonry. From here on, we also entered an area of the city that is far from beautiful: old buildings that were completely covered in graffiti, bricked-up ground floors with steel doors, dilapidated bus stops with no information to read, somehow reminiscent of Kreuzberg in the worst times and corners! And then not even five minutes away, modern skyscrapers again?! Franzi informed us that this part of Rio (Plaza Italia) is the main gathering place for demonstrations and protest movements. When such events take place, one should not stay here, as the protesters and the police would engage in massive violence! According to Franzi's opinion, the entire Chilean population is divided into two very contrasting camps. On one side, there are the left-wing people who strive for communist ideals (self-sufficient without dependence on foreign capital, even without economic ties to other South American countries, closer to China), and on the other side, there are the conservatives: heavily oriented towards the American way of life, obsessed with outward status symbols, even if it leads to high personal debt, supported by a currently strong peso and massively xenophobic. Chile is supposed to have a similar position in South America as Germany in Europe, which is why there are many illegal immigrants from economically struggling countries (Venezuela, Peru, etc.). And of course, the same criminal structures and processes exist as well.

The last elections here (about 1 year ago) were also only decided by a very close runoff! America with Biden/Trump, Brazil with Lula da Silva/Bolsonaro, and now Chile with Boric/Kast, all countries where two uncompromising population groups face each other! The future of Chile will show in the next few years, especially since many government members have already been replaced within the first year and the oppressed indigenous peoples are now increasingly demanding their rights! We can only hope that the time of the military dictatorship under Pinochet, with all its horrors, will never be forgotten and will always serve as a emergency brake!

We couldn't implement our plan to take the bus home from Plaza Italia at the next ruined bus stop, so we took the metro back home instead. With beer, fried potatoes with scrambled eggs, and another sightseeing evening on the balcony, this day ended!