Rebel without a clue

I've always wanted to come to Chile, but like the vast majority of tourists who come here my interest is in the glacial parks in the far South and the desert of the far North. Santiago doesn't have any World famous attraction to draw in the visitors and most people pass through on the way to other parts of the country. We've come to realise that this is a shame. Whilst non-Chileans won't have heard of the places in Santiago, there is plenty to see here in the many churches, public squares, markets and mix of modern, glass office blocks next to colonial buildings.

Not knowing what to expect from Santiago has made a refreshing change. Whereas Rio felt like a bit of a rush to get round to seeing everything at times, we're seeing Santiago at a much more leisurely pace and enjoying spending time in cafés and ice-cream bars. I found a particularly nice café this afternoon. Just off the main square, was a quiet looking café with darkened windows. I was mildly shocked when I opened the door to go in and saw a waitress wearing just heels, G-string and a black leather bra (not that I was paying any attention, I'm just very observant). I wasn't as surprised as the man she was serving who was visibly embarrassed at being seen in such an establishment in the middle of the day. Still, the café was directly across the road from the cathedral so he could immediately go and repent for his sin.

It´s really inconsiderate of Brazilians to speak Portuguese whilst the rest of South America speaks Spanish. The one word picked up in Rio was obragado, meaning thank-you, but it´s not the same in Spanish so is useless here in Chile!

This morning Sarah pointed out that I should be starting work in Ottawa in a week's time (we haven't had an update on the work permit, so we'll still a bit in limbo). With this being my last week of freedom I decided to do something a bit rebellious and got a tattoo done! It was only a little one of a Chilean Indian, which you can see in our photos.

Oh, our first impressions of Santiago being a really nice city to stroll around where tempered somewhat on the way back to our hotel last when we saw a man squatting to wee in the street. Not a quiet back street either, but one of the main routes to the central square and there were lots of people walking past him. We could have stayed in Romford to see that kind of behaviour.