Let´s Get Pisco´d!

And so to Santiago, where our South American adventure begins.

The first thing you notice when flying into Santiago is that it has the most magnificent setting for a city - nestled in the middle of the Andes. The second is the circle of smog hanging below the clouds - a result in no small part of the number of buses we're sure - and the third is the rioting! Yep, in true Travelling Percivals style we arrived the day after Pinochet's death so emotions were high and the streets were full of both anti (singing & dancing) and pro (sobbing) Pinochet-as, not to mention riot police! We managed to avoid most of it though, and just witnessed one or two peaceful marches.

First impressions of Santiago are that a) we'd arrived back in civilisation and b) it's distinctly European with it's neo-classical buildings, wide boulevards and well dressed natives. We'd both been here before which helped, not least because we knew to avoid the downtown area (not much there except offices, shops and fast food joints) and head to Barrio Santa Lucia - home to a beautiful park, some very trendy shops and Artisan markets and an abundance of laid back bars and restaurants.

We stayed at a lovely hotel overlooking the park and within walking distance to pretty much everywhere, and soon (within an hour of checking in) (re!)discovered the power of Pisco - Chile's national drink! Sat outdoors in a quiet cul-de-sac, supping fresh Papaya & Mango Pisco Sours whilst munching on tapas, you know, we think we're going to like it here :-)

After getting the camera fixed (no mean feat when you don't speak the lingo and the repair man works out of the 5th floor of some obscure office block!), we wandered Plaza de Armas in seach of some photo opportunities (Steve had cold turkey!). We weren't disappointed - a bustling square flanked by an amazing cathedral, the nicest post office ever, the Natural History Museum and lots of cafes, as well as a giant Christmas Tree (the first we'd seen - awww!) - the square even had an area for the old men to play chess!

Later we ventured further afield to Bellavista, renowned as one of Santiago's liveliest neighbourhoods. Spoilt for choice in streets lined with bars, cafes and restaurants, we eventually settled in a nice square with a Peruvian band playing live on one side and a giant tv on the other - yep Steve had finally found somewhere to watch the football! And what a match to find - the final of the South American cup featuring the local team (Colo Colo) making for a fantastic atmosphere. Unfortunately they lost to the Mexican Pachuca team but it didn't damped the Chilean spirit and Steve readily joined the party, very much enjoying the local 'Kuntsman' beer!

Bellavista is also home to the giant San Cristobal park - a 900m high hill crowned by a 36m statue of the Virgin Mary which can be seen from pretty much anywhere in the city. The park itself is huge and we're sure you could easily get lost there for a week! It has amazing views of the city and the mountains, a zoo, botanical gardens, three outdoor swimming pools, a cable car, a funicular and loads of cafes, restaurants and craft stalls - at least that's the stuff we noticed!

Finally we visited the upscale neighbourhood of Providencia - a lot calmer than the centre but still bustling with life, shops, bars and restaurants. Ali found it particularly hard not to buy up the place!

We've really enjoyed Santiago (could you tell?!) and been very impressed with the lovely people, the atmosphere and the food - we're very much looking forward to coming back on our way to Peru!