Friday, February 24, 2017

Santiago Scenes, 2

More scenes from Chile's capital city, mostly in or toward the Plaza de Armas...


















































Palm trees all over



















A fortune teller tries to interest a construction worker...benign
interpretation...















Pony rides















Better pony rides















Nice Carabineros















Massive sculpture in the Plaza















Street food vendors everywhere















Chess in the shade















The Elvis impersonator calls it a day















But not without offering a little chess advice















Interesting buildings here and there





























Sort of Art Nuvo











































Filming for a soap or a movie or whatever















Motels in Chile rent by the hour...




















Santiago Scenes, 1

So after the usual delay, Sky airlines whisked us comfortably from Puerto Natales to Santiago, Chiles's capital, (population 6 million), where we spent the next five days...resting and regrouping, walking around, seeing a few sights. Our small hotel overlooked the Cerro Santa Lucia park, right at the intersection of the Belles Artes, Lastarria, and Bellavista barrios. The Plaza de Armas was a ten minute walk away. Great location.
View from our 5th floor room















Cerro Santa Lucia Park















Fountain at the entrance to the park















Neptune hitting on a nymph, or maybe vice versa















A block away, oldest fire engine in South America, manufactured
in 1864 in Portland, OR; restored recently and fully operational
















Kiddie bike rental in the massive Forestal Park, which runs by
the Rio Mapocho for seeming miles
















Jade plant landscaping the the park















Lapis lazuli is the favored gem here, and in shops in Bellavista
and elsewhere we saw quite a bit
















In an outdoor crafts market in Bellavista















Ditto















Rio Mapocho; concrete basin, sort of like in
California




















Love-locked bridge















Big buildings all over















Sometimes interesting















Monuments and sculpture everywhere, mostly commemorating
political figures, military achievements
















Thus; wait, no, that's Robert E. Lee and Traveler, during their
banishment to South America
















A gift from Napoleon



















Mackenna and O'Higgins...where are we?















The most famous statue is of course Our Lady on Cerro San
Cristobal


































Our Lady of the Airwaves















On Avenida Providencia; to the left is the Torre del Santiago,
tallest building in South America, of which more later
















The not far distant Andes presiding over all; also subject of a
later post















Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Adios, Patagonia

We spent another day, more or less, in Puerto Natales, packing, waiting for the (as usual) delayed flight onward. Below are some more pix of Puerto Natales, which I sort of liked. It is the gateway to the Torres del Paine NP, attracting thousands of trekking aficionados every season, yet it seems to insist on its own regional identity. We found only two (2) stores that sold Torres del Paine merchandise (T-shirts, magnets, patches, etc.). Major business opportunity here, considering....
Block-long mural of note















Distances, hither and thither, customary for
extremes such as this




















Maybe next time















The giant sloth, again; tastes like chicken



















Our last night before the trek we tried the
trendy Aldea restaurant




















Sometimes you need to just look at the menu and say "no
thanks" and leave; several prospective diners did just this;
but not us (that is, me); the mains here consist of hare and
lamb, conger (not eel, they said), and a veggie


















So I went for the seafood curry appetizer (should have stopped
there, despite the fact it was tasty and ample)
















This is the first restaurant we have visited in 50+ years where
there was absolutely nothing on the menu Vicki found desirable;
so she had some tomato soup; but did not complain

















While I enjoyed the conger and whatever other stuff; sometimes
trendy is just a bit confining; anyhow, the redeeming aspect of
this restaurant was that the person who waited on us, a Chilean
national, had gone to college at The University of Montana, in
Missoula, graduating in 2008, the very year we retired and left
Missoula; an English lit major, too; since then she has traveled
the world, winding up, for now, in Patagonia; not the first
person we have met from tiny Missoula





















Old but still functioning old cash register at La Mesita Grande,
our favorite in Puerto Natales; great pizza served at one long
table

















Adios, Patagonia