From Patagonia, we wanted to make our way north and a cheap one-way flight made the decision easy – our next stop would be Santiago de Chile! After being in small towns, or hiking, or on a boat for the last few weeks, we were looking forward to exploring a city again. We wandered around our neighborhood that first night with mountains visible in the background. The surroundings, along with a delicious bottle of wine and a seafood dinner contributed to a lovely first impression.
A must-visit in Santiago is the Memory Museum which catalogues the 1973 government coup, the brutal 17 year dictatorship that followed, and the ultimate downfall of the regime. The museum was hugely informative and really impressive. As a visitor, I think it’s an important backdrop for the city. All of the terror was so recent! The impact of those years is still very tangible throughout the city. Along with tons of graffiti, Santiago is a major hub for protests and demonstrations – we even had restaurant placemats that displayed the human right to free speech.
Along with the graffiti, we stumbled upon tons of street art throughout the neighborhoods. I’ve seen plenty of these displays throughout South America, but these were especially impressive to us!
After Europe, I thought I wouldn’t step foot in another museum for several months…and here we are entering our second museum in Santiago! I actually really enjoyed the archeology museum – especially the collection of textiles which were unbelievably well preserved for being thousands of years old.
I have noticed a pattern in South American cities – religious monuments atop huge hills with a cable car and/or train to transport tourists to the top. It’s hard for me to resist a nice overlook, so obviously we made the trip. Worth it!
We only spent a few days in Santiago, but it was a nice impression. Our focus of this trip was Argentina, so it was time to make our way back! Our next stop was to be Mendoza, the center of Argentina’s wine region. Alex found a bus route from Santiago to Mendoza that drives across the Andes Mountain range and we were sold! We boarded our double decker bus and stared out the window for 7 hours as we snaked through the windy mountain roads.
Wandering Between Meals 
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