So I’m on my way to Easter Island see. And you can’t get there without you go through Santiago.
Unfortunately, I only had one afternoon to get a handle on this bustling city in the shadows of the Andes.
Fortunately, being GNV’s own Philomena Cunk, I am a very quick study.
So here’s everything you need to know about Santiago.
First, Santiago is named after Saint Iago.
Who, I gather, became a saint for his seminal role in “Othello.”
A little known English play that took place in Italy. But never mind that.
Not surprisingly, for a city that was named after a saint, there are churches everywhere.
But since the invention of sex, drugs and rock & roll, some of those churches have been turned into museums.
Santiago is an eclectic mix of the modern and the old world.
Which is why you see so many spires, steeples, gargoyles and such reflected in the great looking glass skyscrapers that dominate the city.
Santiago is a City Of The Arts for obvious reason.
Left: A sculpture of the original Alien.
Right: A sculpture of the original Alien’s first victim.
Santiago is also awash in graffiti. It’s everywhere.
Which is why the city has erected this Shrine To The Unknown Tagger (bottom left corner).
Santiago has, by far, the most interesting street signs I’ve ever encountered.
High up on a hill overlooking the city is a massive statue known locally as Our Lady Of The Antenna.
No one can say exactly why or how this moniker came about.
Apparently its origin has been lost in the mists of time.
I got nuthin, folks.
Long story short.
Chileans once had the temerity to elect a socialist president.
Somebody complained to Nixon and Kissinger.
Next thing you know the Presidential Palace was surrounded by tanks.
Which led to 16 years of dictatorship.
So there’s now a statue outside the palace showing that behind every successful leader lurks the considerable weight of the military.
There’s more to tell..much more.
But I’m sitting in the airport and if I don’t file this blog right now I’ll miss my ride to Rapa Nui (Easter Island to you Mericans).
Just rest assured that, when I’m on the scene, nothing gets by me.
This because I am a trained observer of the human condition.
I mean nothin’.
FreeGNV 