I didn't spend all my time in Chile on a bike. I also had a chance to explore some of its cities.
Maybe it's because I was attracted to more shady parts of the cities, but somehow everywhere I went I was seeing graffiti. A lot of it. Murals everywhere. So much that when I started looking at my pictures from Santiago, Viña del Mar and Valparaíso it felt like the main theme connection all the places.
White Christmas? No this year. I did this many times, I spent many Christmas periods in warm places and it still feels weird to see a christmas tree in a summer setting.
But Chile has some new surprises. I think it must've been quite hot with the beard on...
... because it was more than 40 degrees! If this lady knew how hot it is she wouldn't be so happy.
Chile has its own ways to get cooler on a hot day. When street vendor replied "mote con huesillos" to my question I felt that my Spanish is still lacking (I knew "con"). I'd be feeling more of this in Chile - chilean accent is one of the most difficult Spanish accents you can find!
Sangría I knew.
Food-wise it was slightly underwhelming. The most typical food in Santiago is... hot dog. Called "italiano" because it's a traditional Italian hot dog? Not really. It comes with avocado, mayonnaise and (under all this avocado) tomatoes. Any guesses?
It's so good even Joker ate hot dogs when we was visiting Chile and "they left a smile on his face". Just in case you didn't know where Joker's smile comes from.
A little bit of history
Chilean cities don't feel too exotic. They easily could be mistaken for some cities in Europe. Still, there's some indigenous influence that can be felt, even more so in recent years. Mapuche - the community that has never been conquered - is making itself quite visible. There are also some elements reminding of Inca period. Here - Inca "writing" or "accounting system"
Most tradition feels more colonial though.
Chile used to have great railway system, unfortunately equipment now mostly populates museums. Some positive changes are coming though - there are active plans to rebuild some parts of the network, like the link connecting Santiago with the coast that's currently being worked on.
Valparaíso on the coast used to be connected with Santiago in mid-twentieth century, as I learned reading "A long petal of the sea" (a perfect read for Chile travel!). Apart from the link Valparaíso used to be one of the biggest ports in the world, but it lost its status because of Panama channel.
What's left is the funicular system, very much useful in a city that's mostly vertical.
100 pesos to go up, 100 pesos to go down. Feels unfair to me - going down is so much easier.
Just as pretty much every country Chile has its darker side of history too. Military coup in the seventies left thousands of people dead or "disappeared" and excellent museum in Santiago reminds of what happened. On the wall with pictures of the victims you can find a picture of a musician/poet Victor Jarra murdered on a stadium in Santiago. There's also plenty of information about murdered president Salvador Allende.
And Chile seems to remember. Fifty years later people would wear T-Shirts with picture of killed president. Feels a little like Lennon?
Occasionally some tend to cross the line... Cafeteria that lets you feel the taste of rebellion? Not sure if I'm buying it.
What was happening in Chile over last couple of years will also make it to the history books. Massive protests which left many dead, fight against inequality and recognition of the rights of indigenous communities, citizen-created, very progressive constitution (which ultimately has been rejected in referendum). The change can be felt in Chile, and the mural represents all the most important symbols of the protests.
I was also lucky to experience history in the making. It was great to watch one of the most memorable World Cup finals ever together with Argentinians in Santiago and a tiny little bit of regret that I'm not on the other side of the border today.
Artsy face of Chile
I promised murals right? Here they come. Some are absolutely amazing!
Others capture my attention because of references. Maus anyone?
Pinky & Totoro finally reunited.
Did Nick Cave visit Valraraíso and did it himself? Sort of "Nick was here" carved on the tree? In fact I think that Valraraíso has the right vibe for Nick Cave.
Rage Against The Machine playing on a pavement - street musicians get it to the next level.
Just don't overdo it, you're being watched.
You're being watched... This is so weird I was thinking of buying it, but couldn't afford dragging it with me over next couple of month. One day I'll buy it thouh.
Walking along the streets I've found Marcel Duchamp's house.
Relaxing afternoon with a book.
There's one more person that has to be mentioned here. Pablo Neruda, the most famous Chilean poet, not only lived in Valraraíso but created a house that's an art piece in itself. Who knows how many poems have been created because of this view.
City of cats?
Even they feel the vibe. It's been a relaxing couple of weeks, time to go!
On my way to the north, I'm being explained security rules in the bus. They're being explained by... Bus Willis.
Amidst the mountains en route to Port Elizabeth, I'm going to encounter a myriad of fascinating creatures, some slightly scary. There are also some that I will try hard not to meet. Views continue to be amazing all the way though. Trip map created with Wanderlog , a trip planner on iOS and Android To the coast. Twice. Starting this part of the trip on the northern side of the mountains, on the very first day I'm jumping over the pass and going south. It's mostly down, but today's ride down is going to be anything but easy. It's going to rain and the wind is so strong, that going downhill I'm pushing hard in the low gear and barely moving at all. What's at the end of it? Mordor? Nope. It's Shire. Listen to the squeak. Hobbit house is a good prize for the struggle. My Hobbit house is inhabited though. It comes with this little friend. I'll have to politely ask him to leave the house for me for this night, just this...
No, this is not going to be a fairytale, despite the title that would suggest it. No, I'm not starting a punk rock band with a fancy name. I've just finished two weeks long cycling trip through Chile and wanted to share it here. Where the silly name comes from then? You'll have to read it to find the answer. I'll be going through four different provinces in the central-south part of this very, very long country. Some things would change along the way, weather being one of them, others will stay there all the way, like omnipresent volcanoes. Map created using Wanderlog, a vacation planner app on iOS and Android The Tree This time I'm not randomly wandering on a bike. This time I'm on a mission. So... long, long time ago, beyond seven lands, beyond seven seas I decided to go to Los Ángeles in a search of the tree. (No, not this Los Angeles. Mine was different, and I've heard this joke countless times when someone was asking where I'm coming from and w...
This supposed to be a short trip from Buenos Aires to Misiones province, mainly to see famous Iguazu falls. It ended up being something slightly different. Iguazú falls are located where borders of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil meet. Temptation to visit these countries was simply too strong. I did return to Buenos Aires, but instead of retracing my original path I went there through Brazil and Uruguay, with a short visit to Paraguay. Map provided by Wanderlog, a travel planner on iOS and Android Misiones Misiones is a province in north-eastern Argentina known for one of the biggest waterfalls on earth and for being a host to a number of Jesuit missions. Jesuits have been very successful in building their position, economical position included, in South America. Successful enough to be expelled from the continent by the king of Spain in the eighteenth century because economically they were becoming stronger than Spanish Crown in this part of the world. Ruins of ...
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