Santiago Returns

Chile

March 2007

SANTIAGO RETURNS
13th to 15th March

So back down to where we started from eleven days previous, in the capital, Santiago De Chile. This would be our exit point from the American continent that had kept us so busy for the past seven months. We were only here for a day so we spent it just near our hostel checking out the Parque Metropolitano.

This park is situated on top of what used to be a series of rocky hills. But due to a lot of money, time and effort it is now lush and green and packed full of animals in the city zoo. As well as the zoo you can ride up and down on a very steep cable car, much like San Francisco, but called a Funicular. You can hop from hill to hill on a gondola, relax in one of the many tranquil gardens, swim in the outdoor pool or eat with a view.

We rode the funicular to the top of the main hill and looked out over the whole of Santiago on a very hot clear day. The city looked vast and almost surreal with the massive mountain backdrop just behind. A short walk further and we stood at the base of a very large white statue of the Virgin Mary, which could be seen and worshipped, from the city dwellers below.

Taking the chair lift across the three peaks was a great way to get an ariel view of the place and also some cool breeze. We landed and took a stroll through the small but immaculate Japanese garden. Lovely lilly filled ponds lined with shapely stones and a large old water wheel at its rear. Very peaceful and the perfect spot to simply lay on a bench and shut your eyes listening to the birds and distant city beyond.

As we were leaving that section via a gravel path, Sarah screamed from behind me and I spun around to see why. Nothing was obvious, but she soon told me that a long orange and red snake had been right by my foot and slithered off in to the bushes when I walked past. Hearing this and knowing I was wearing just sandals made me feel vulnerable and uneasy. Once I knew we were safe from it I then got cheeky and started poking the bushes with a long stick as I really wanted to see it… But alas now, he was long gone.

Shortly after and still a little jittery, Sarah jumped again as she’d heard or seen something black scurry in the bushes to our left. I got closer to see what, expecting a rat or just a bird but nothing was visible. So I turned back around to continue my stroll up the lane when an object caught my eye and on a quick glance I realised that a large Tarantula was now just by my right, sandal clad, foot. Boy did I move fast! What the hell is going on here I thought….. I felt like Steve Irwin!

No word of a lie, this was a monster. Big as your hand and twice as hairy! It walked along the road fast, trying to find a place to get up the kerb. We followed it, keeping our distance, but when I did get just that little bit too close he soon let me know by stopping and shifting his body round to face us. He wasn’t scared of us, even though we were over a hundred times its size. We got a few cool photos (see gallery) and then ran to the safety of the zoo where all such living nightmares are quite rightly behind bars.

Once in the zoo we were lucky enough to see some marvelous specimens. The giraffes were great to observe, as you’d expect, especially the babies on their long bony legs. The baboons were so fascinating, the way all the males sat around being de-flead by the women, who painstakingly searched through every inch of fur in hunt for annoying ticks. The males looked so bored by it all and looked back at you as if to say… I’m just like you mate… except I have this disgusting big red bottom!!

The sleek black jaguar looked like a cool calm character but the way he paced back and forth made us feel sorry for him. The confines of the cage seemed to be taking its toll on the lonely creature. Next were two of the biggest tigers we’ve ever seen. One, your typical orange and black but the other was a sort of bluey grey and black. Both looked like they just wanted you to take the fence down, just for just a second so they could unleash hell on all those annoying spectators who kept calling them cute pussy cats. The lions were all asleep, but no mistaking, they were still king of the zoo…. Except for the zoo keeper of course.

So that’s all we did on our last day in South America. We were sad to be leaving the Americas but we had no reason to be for the trip was about to get even better.

Next…. The land of lamb chops! New Zealand……