Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride. J.F.Kennedy
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Santiago
I had a free hour, so I watched the bustle. Five big buses of different companies left for Santiago – mostly Volvo Marcopolo. Stiff competition, which was reflected in the fares. The cipher on the ticket stated 30000 pesos, then a discount was printed next to it, so I paid half, 14900 pesos to be precise.
A Canadian of roughly my age greeted me and expressed keen interest in my trip. He had once cycled along the western US coast from Vancouver to San Diego. He had many questions, I gave him my card so that he could write to me later. It was funny how his wife shooed him away from me. Perhaps she did not like the fact that I was drinking a beer, but she was probably especially concerned about her husband’s zeal for bike travel. They lived on Vancouver Island, which I had cycled across years ago, so we had much to talk about.
The fun was not over even when the wife finally managed to drag him away. A peddler selling patented sponges for shoe cleaning was throwing himself at the feet of travelers and cleaning their shoes. He ignored me, as he expertly evaluated my dilapidated cycling sandals. I went to him and asked him to use the sponge to burnish my bald head. Everyone around started laughing and trade flourished in the joyful atmosphere with his sponges selling like hot cakes. The vendor then stopped next to me, thanked me and appreciatively patted my shoulder.
I wrapped the pedals in plastic bags so as not to dirty the luggage. I did not make any further adjustments. I waited to see at which bus stop the bus would arrive. Then I rode around to the cargo compartment. It was not under the bus, but at the back at the level of the lower deck. I tied up the bags two by two with tape and waited for instructions regarding the bike. The conductor who was loading the luggage and issuing receipts wanted me to disassemble the bike and turn the handlebars upside down. I obliged and dirtied my hands, but it was not so bad, because I had washed the bike at the fish market in the afternoon with a hosepipe.
Panamericana S of Santiago: I had a great view from the top deck of the bus
I chose a seat right at the front window on the top deck. I had already tested in the past that this was the ideal spot. After tilting the backrest, I stretched out my legs comfortably, rested my feet against the rim of the windshield and thus turned semi-cama into a comfortable cama (bed). Thanks to this arrangement, I had a good night’s sleep and at 09:00, fresh as a daisy, got off the bus at the Turbus terminal near the center of Santiago.
Panamericana S of Santiago: Comfortable 'long legs' enabled a good night's sleep for me
Everything was easy. From the last visit to Santiago, I knew that Barrio Paris-Londres is approximately 5 km away and that there is a bike path in the middle of the main Alameda avenue. I had a hotel reservation, no problem. I checked in after arrival before 11:00. My expectations were met – a hotel in an old building, high ceilings in the bedroom as well as the bathroom, a table and chair. The ideal accommodation for me. The center of Plaza de Armas was a 10-minute walk away, everything was nearby.
Santiago: Assembly of the bike at Turbus terminal
I remembered the cycle stores in San Diego Street. My first steps led there. I succeeded at the third store to buy a new box for the bike. I gladly gave them the requested 2000 pesos ($2.50). Near the hotel, I picked up a clean box to pack other things in (boxes are commonly left on the sidewalk to be taken away by garbage collectors at night) and I was almost ready for the flight. I only had to buy packaging tape and a big bag which I could use in the event of rain on the way to the Airport. Rain was unlikely, but the weather can change in four days. At that time, the hot summer weather was cloudless. There would be no problem to get the rest of equipment; a well-supplied store on the edge of Londres sold packing needs – boxes, bubble and shrink wrap, tape and everything else needed. I'd stop there on the Monday.
Santiago: Square in Londres Street
Santiago: Cars only occasionally venture into Londres Street
I went into the city to check whether everything was in its usual place. Plaza de Armas is still standing, Catedral de Santiago also. Cops have new electric bikes that seem to be derived from Segway. I asked them about these and they proudly boasted that they were new machines from the United States. I repeated the tour to the Cathedral and surrounding churches and was surprised how much I remembered after four years.
Santiago: Carabinieri and their American electric tricycles
Santiago: Festively decorated main Post Office
Santiago: Side door of Cathedral
Santiago: Statue of San Francisco Javier Agonizante
Santiago: Skylight in Templo de San Augustin
Santiago: Doors of Templo de San Augustin
I did not find any defects during my inspection, so I could go for a few beers at the workers pub on the market, which I knew from the past. On the way back to the hotel, some hookers bothered me, quite openly offering their services and in so doing grabbed at my hands and promised all kinds of pleasures at discount prices. Unfortunately, I do not know my favorite reply, "I’ve just climaxed" in Spanish, so at least I let them know politely and with a smile that I was clearly not interested. What worked was the magic phrase: Más tarde, amiga (later, friend).
El Cajón del Maipo
My immature organism, unprepared for the grave, requires constant physical activity. Instead of wallowing in bed until noon, I hopped on my bicycle to see all the major districts. I was equipped with a good map from the tourist information center. Two hours later, I'd had enough. I entered San Alfonso as the destination in the GPS and cycled out of the city, to El Cajón del Maipo. In Avenida Florida, I realized that half of Santiago had the very same idea. It was a tough battle through the heavy traffic. In some sections, I could use the sidewalk or a parallel road. But drivers on the main road were blinded by the proximity of the popular vineyards and did not really respect my presence on the same road.
Fortunately, the road was lined with stalls with mote con huesillo which is my favorite Chilean soft drink. The first time I'd bought it was four years before in a supermarket, when I wondered how it tasted. Buy it from a woman at a stall and you will understand. Slightly sweet juice, one-third of the glass filled with corn, and huesillos (sun-dried peaches) soaking in it like two princesses.
La Obra: My favorite non-alcoholic beverage, mote con huesillo
Las Ventientes: El Cajón del Maipo
In El Canelo, I turned back, so, unfortunately, saw only the worst part of the entrance to the valley. Traffic on the return was tolerable, downhill, although against a slight wind. A girl on road bike overtook me. I saw that the bag under the saddle was going to fall off at any moment. I called to her, but she apparently was concerned that I had ulterior motives and so she hurried on. I had no choice but to overtake her on my unloaded mountain bike. It took her a while to understand what I was telling her in my imperfect Spanish. Then she touched the loosely hanging bag, thanked me warmly and fixed the problem. Perhaps I had demoralized her during the chase, as she did not try to overtake me anywhere again.
Santiago: Pub with Clinton's name
After my return, I went downtown, had dinner there with some glasses of Carménere and listened to musicians performing at several city locations. The best was a young lady who sang Chilean folk music while people danced in the street. In contrast, a very loud rock band was really horrible, so I stayed only until the beginning of their second number.
Santiago: Plaza Mekis
Santiago: Plaza Mekis has European charm
Santiago: City bikes
Santiago: When you have many children, load them on the back
Santiago: Cathedral tower
Museums
I dedicated the Sunday to museums. It was my last chance, because the museums are closed on Mondays. Admission is free in many of them on Sundays, while some are free only on the first Sunday of the month. I started at the Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda, the three-story underground gallery which is hidden beneath the lawn in front of the Moneda Presidential Palace.
Santiago: Advertising for the upcoming Rolling Stones concert
Santiago: Homeless people still asleep in the morning
Entry was free and the Armaduras de Japón SAMURÁI exhibition was the main attraction. The superbly prepared and installed exhibition displayed Samurai outfits and weapons. There were several accompanying events, the most interesting to me were three Japanese bikes (heavy and without derailleur) affixed to cylinders. By pedaling you could produce a current activating a fan which blew on you in proportion to your efforts. A perfect experience for me. I had seen thousands of those bikes in Japan and finally had the opportunity of riding one.
Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda – statue in front of the entrance
Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda - entry to Samurái exhibition
Santiago: Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda - inner hall
Santiago: Samurái exhibition
The gallery also hosted an exhibition of photographs, in my opinion mostly of poor quality. There was no ordinary photograph with a story. Only experimental, blurred or otherwise deliberately edited photos bearing the label of ART.
Santiago: La Moneda Presidential Palace
I walked out of the gallery and the changing of the guard outside the Palace was underway. This is no modest event as in Prague with a total of about five persons. Chile does it in a big way. Soldiers do not take part in it, but the Carabinieri. A 50-member military band, several companies of Carabinieri and cavalry with weapons. The whole performance takes more than half an hour.
Santiago: Changing of the guard - the procession is led by a Carabinieri on horseback
The best moment was when a clarinetist, trombonist and saxophonist marched stiffly in front of the band and began playing real jazz, accompanied by the band. They have a really good sense of humor, I would not have expected it from them. The "snapping of suitcases" is also funny – a soldier, after saluting, moves his right leg almost to the horizontal level and then slams it against the left hand with a clashing of spurs. I do not know why, but the uniforms and snapping of suitcases reminded me of the Nazis, as we know them from documentaries.
Santiago: Changing of the guard - marching military band
Santiago: Changing of the guard - polished bass bombardons
The whole bunch marched from the Palace, with civilian behind them cleaning up the horse droppings, followed by other with disinfectant spray. I asked a patrolling Carabinieri when I'd be able to explore the Palace. He told me that I had to wait at least an hour, and that the entrance was on the other side. Then he asked me where I was from, we discussed my cycle trip. I told him about my weakness for Carménere and mote con huesillo, which he acknowledged with pleasure. Finally, we shook hands in a friendly manner, his hand being in a white leather glove. People are really great there.
Santiago: Policewoman on BMW
Santiago: Window washer at bank skyscraper
I did not want to waste time by waiting. I went to a nearby museum. Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino is reportedly the best museum in Santiago. It is definitely well arranged, has lovely bright rooms with daylight, and clearly visible exhibits. An exception is the underground exhibition without any daylight ("Chile before Chile") dedicated to the culture of the Mapuche Indians. The most notable exhibits are the Mapuche wooden sculptures whose replicas overflowed Argentinian San Carlos de Bariloche.
Santiago: Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino - Mapuche figures
There are many Mayan monuments from locations that I had visited on my Mexican trip. Also statues from Bolivian Tiwanaku, the Peruvian Inca monuments, objects from the Caribbean and the Amazon, but not much from the Chilean territory. I was very satisfied with the permanent exhibition.
Santiago: Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino - hall with the best pieces
Santiago: Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino - hitchhiker
Santiago: Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino - flute decorated with Ferda the Ant image
The "Mantos funeracios de paracas: Ofrendas para la vida" exhibition was held in the hall. The exhibition consisted of the shrouds in which distinguished dead men were wrapped. Most textiles were decorated with variously stylized human figures; no two figures were identical on a single sheet. That is because the figures symbolized the ancestors and the diversity of depictions increased the chance that one of the ancestors would recognize himself and take care of the deceased on the other side. The subdued lighting and ban on photography were a disadvantage – both would probably damage the unique, beautifully preserved textiles.
Santiago: Spring quickly changing into summer
Cerro San Cristóbal
I walked out of the Museum and noticed that spring had quickly passed into summer. My legs began to burn from desire, so I skipped other museums and hurried to the hotel for my bike. I started across the Mapuche River and reached a gigantic department store. They had impeccable service for cyclists. Two employees locked bicycles in the racks. I only had to give my name and passport or ID number. I told them "Jorge" as my name, and phone number instead of passport number, because this is one I remember. I did not stay in the mall very long, but it was clear to me that I would find most of the gifts there on the following day.
A genuine sightseeing tour must be uphill. This is also possible in the center of Santiago. Although bikes are not allowed to enter the top of Santa Lucia, the much higher Cerro San Cristóbal is accessible. I cycled through the popular "boozing" district of Bella Vista, instead of alcohol, buying mote con huesillo from an old woman at the foot of the hill, and stepped on the pedals. The advantage was little traffic, because the police only allowed entry to cars when there was a free parking space in the upper parking lot.
Santiago: Cerro San Cristóbal – city vista
I was surprised how much energy I had. I passed more than ten cyclists going uphill, even on road bikes. And nobody overtook me. Daily cycling bears fruit. At the summit, I had to laugh when I saw the exhausted faces of the arriving cyclists who seemed to be experiencing heart attacks.
Santiago: Cerro San Cristóbal - vista from the statue of the Virgin Mary
The city views are impressive. Moreover, on the Sunday evening there was no smog, which afflicts Santiago from time to time. At the very summit is a huge statue of the Virgin Mary who protects the city from this position. Polish Pope John Paul II celebrated a Mass in the church under the statue and this is seen as a major event to this day. It is difficult to photograph the statue at such a short distance, so you have it with a nearby pillar.
Santiago: Cerro San Cristóbal - statue of the Virgin Mary
The modern Way of the Cross leads to the statue, where each station has been created by a different artist, and of course in a different style. One finds a psychedelically painted cross, as well as a cross painted with orthodox icons. Actually, it is very impressive, innovative and fun. Although the photos do not give this impression in the sharp evening sun.
Santiago: Cerro San Cristóbal - modern Way of the Cross
Santiago: Cerro San Cristóbal - Way of the Cross with city views
I cannot boast about the way down, during which almost everyone overtook me. My rear tire was already very worn, the brake pads were not working properly. I just cycled carefully like an old woman. Which was useless anyway, because the rear tire was flat at the bottom of the hill. The hotel was 5 km away, so I decided to fix it. I did not have a spare inner tube, but in foresight had taken the pump and patch with me on the trip. Unfortunately, my method for detecting a punctured spot failed. Usually I inflate the tube and then move it a short distance from my face until I feel a gust of escaping air. Because it was quite windy, I did not feel anything. I had to carry the bike to the park 200 meters away, climb over the fence and plunge the tube into the fountain. Subsequently, everything went smoothly and before 20:00 I was back at the hotel.
On the Monday, I bought gifts, and this time did not take too much time over the task as in previous years, but made quick decisions. I traveled to the mall by Metro, the ticket for a single journey costs about $1 and is valid until you leave the subway. I wisely also bought supplies for the following day, because I regularly suffer from hunger on a plane and a bunch of bananas is a reliable aid.
Santiago: Shopping mall reflected in the opposite building
I did not pack in the evening but instead, went to the pub in the center for the last time. On the way back, I stopped at a vocal group singing rhythmic and, as I later discovered, religious songs. People were dancing there. I smiled at the dancing couple beside me and, in a break between songs, the lady came to me and asked me directly, Crees en Dios? I started to equivocate in Czech fashion "meno más" (more or less) and it was clear to her. "I'll pray for you, amigo." I was really touched. All such support can come in particularly handy, especially on the road.
Santiago: Metro - Universidad de Chile station
Santiago: Metro - Universidad de Chile station - mirror between the platform and escalator
On Tuesday, everything went smoothly. I set off at 10:00 to the 20-km distant Airport. I remembered the route from four years before when I had flown to Easter Island. The bike, extended by a meter due to the boxes, behaved stubbornly for a while, but then I got used to it. By the way, I did not like the sky in the evening, it looked like a weather change was on the way. That's why I wrapped the folded boxes into a large black bag. Caution is appropriate here, sodden boxes would be useless. Luckily it did not rain, there were only clouds.
Santiago: The cycle path along Mapuche River will be 42 km long when finished
First I cycled on a sidewalk to the cycle path at Moneda Palace, which took me to the river. The cycle path along the river had improved considerably since the last time. It is now part of the constructed 42-km long cycle trail along the Mapuche River. I cycled up the highway near the Airport where I had committed about ten traffic offenses the previous time, before arriving at the Airport. This year, I rode only about 300 meters contramano (in the opposite direction), otherwise I was exemplary. At noon I was at the terminal, by 14:00 I was packed and half an hour later, after paying the obligatory $100 for the bike, I was checked in.
Santiago: After two hours of work, all packed up
With regret, I threw away my retired Keen cycling shoes. They served long and well, traveled tens of thousands of kilometers. Keen company produced two models. The first one lasted 6000 km at most. After each trip, I regularly reclaimed them and got a free pair in exchange. However, the company achieved perfection with the second model, which is probably why they canceled their production of cycling shoes as they had nothing to develop further. Incidentally, note that the logo of the company is almost undamaged even in the very worn out shoes. The designers obviously know what matters most in a shoe.
Santiago: My cycling shoes ended up in the trash can at the Airport
The flight was long and tedious, I entertained myself by writing. Only one funny detail – the stewardess asked me whether I was German, which I denied. But when she offered me cognac after dinner, I asked her for a Kummel. She laughed heartily and gave me three cognacs right away. In the morning, I chatted with her for 20 minutes at the galley. Her friend was a cyclist too, so I gave her my card for him to look at my site. She said that she was interested and would also look at my site. So I hope that web traffic figures will increase a bit from France.
Well, dear children, you have read another fairytale about a wandering grandpa. If you behave well and the grandpa is not taken away by the devil meanwhile, you might read a new story in a year’s time. And now, it's time for bed, you little rascals.
