Walking in Chile—Santiago (4)
Arrive back at Santiago Airport at around 10pm. Although Santiago is the capital, the airport is very small and not as luxurious as the airports in my country's second-tier cities. Arrivals are on the first floor and departures are on the second floor. International is on the left and domestic is on the right. Although it is small, it is well-equipped. Coming out of the first floor, you will see unlicensed taxi drivers coming to you and shouting "taxi taxi". Even regular taxi drivers have to mix in with the unlicensed taxi drivers to try to attract customers, because they don't see the kind of queues that are common at the airport. There were taxis and passengers queuing up for taxis. We were inexplicably pulled into the car by a driver wearing a vest uniform and holding a price list for various hotels in his hand (we had to think that this was a regular taxi), and the chaos began. Unexpected. It felt like I had stepped out of a train station in a second-tier city in China at night and was immediately caught in a melee of black cars.
There were not many cars on the road at night, and the Santiago Airport was not far from the city center. We arrived at the hotel quickly. After completing the formalities, I wanted to find a convenience store downstairs to buy something to eat and drink. I asked the hotel clerk downstairs where there was a convenience store. The waiter pointed us in the direction, and then told me, who was holding a mobile phone, that I needed to put it in my phone. Put your phone away. Although I didn’t know if there was a risk of being stolen or robbed while holding my phone, considering it was already dark, the friendly reminder from the locals immediately made us very nervous. Walking out of the hotel, this place is less than ten minutes' walk from the bustling Plaza de Armas. Plastic bags, waste paper, mineral water bottles and other garbage are scattered on the ground. It makes you wonder if there was some kind of party held here during the day. Most of the shops have already close the door. Because I was too nervous, I no longer cared about observing other things. I couldn't find the store he mentioned according to the direction given by the waiter. Plus, the alley looked a bit eerie, so we gave up the search immediately. It was better to go back to the hotel as soon as possible, and then we were like escaping. Escape from this "dangerous" world as quickly as possible.
Above, in just two hours after I arrived in San Diego, the chaos at the airport and the filth in the city were the first impression this city left on me.
I thought that the knowledgeable student Z could guide the country, inspire writing, and leave a voice of wisdom for the South American people on the land of South America. However, who would have thought that he would suffer from diarrhea and could barely attend meetings for one day and rest in bed for one day. Over the next two days, I made my way across San Diego on my own. Before I came here, I had heard that security in South America was worrying. Although many people say that Chile is relatively good in South America, I can still see many people in their travel notes saying that they lost their mobile phones, wallets, and even passports, especially thieves. Will target obvious tourists. The thought of carrying an eye-catching camera on my body was like reminding a thief to come and steal me. In addition, even the hotel staff warned against theft, which showed how dangerous the situation was. I suddenly felt like Alexander. On the first day, I walked onto the streets of San Diego with a windy and cold mood. I held my camera and backpack tightly on my chest all the way, with only 200 yuan in cash on my body. Because I am highly focused, I am always on guard against everyone around me. Once someone approaches me, I immediately avoid them. At the end of the day, I feel extremely exhausted. Especially in the Plaza de Armas, which is a high-risk location for crime in the travel notes, I watched everyone passing by me as vigilantly as a lunatic. With my weird look of snooping around, others probably thought I was a thief. On the penultimate night, I was just about to take the final step back to the hotel. I was just about to let my guard down, but a kind girl on the subway reminded me not to expose my camera because we had three bottles of wine in our backpack, so I had to put the camera away. Hang it inside, then wrap the jacket outside. All the hard work paid off and we finally spent a few days in San Diego safely. I'm lucky that nothing has been stolen in the past few days, but it doesn't mean that the security here is good, because even the locals are reminding you to pay attention to safety, which shows that it is not very safe. But the bad guys are abstract, and fortunately we have not met them; the good guys are concrete, such as the hotel waiter who reminds us kindly, the subway girl who proactively gives us directions on the subway and reminds us again to pay attention to the camera when we get off the train. I don’t know how to evaluate all of the above. Maybe this is what the real world is like. There are thieves everywhere coveting your money, and kind people remind you to pay attention to safety. They live in this world at the same time. Cities make it impossible for you to use a simple word to summarize them. The world has never been a single color .
Despite the slight reversal in my growing impression of the city's dirtiness, it remains one of the dirtiest capitals I've ever seen. After wandering around the streets of Santiago for two or three days, it was normal to see all kinds of garbage strewn on the streets. Even in bustling areas like the Plaza de Armas, in the center of the city, the alley next to the famous Catholic Church was crowded with people selling food. At the fast food stall, there is an unknown liquid flowing next to the roadside steps less than one meter away. All kinds of uneaten leftovers are discarded everywhere. Some of the garbage is actually floating on the flowing liquid. It is so dirty. The chaotic scenes should have appeared in Chinese cities in the 1990s. What surprised me even more was that the Mapocho River, which is formed by melting snowwater from the Andes and flows slowly through the city of Santiago, was filled with garbage. In addition, there is less water in winter, and large areas of the river bed surface. There are mountains of garbage on the river bed. Some garbage flows along the water, but there are still pigeons flying on the river. During this period, I passed an abandoned bridge. The bridge was locked, but the garbage was not locked. God knows how the bridge was covered with garbage. I thought walking along the river would be a kind of enjoyment, but who would have thought that there would be such a garbage river... I have never seen a city with such a dirty river. In my impression, the rivers that pass through the city are all dirty. Bringing vitality and aura to the city, it seems that my impression needs to be updated.
But the most bizarre thing is that we later took a bus to Valparaiso, passing through the east and north of the city. Sitting in the car passing the city's streets and roads, all we saw were cars speeding by and buildings of different heights. The garbage in the streets and alleys completely disappeared from our sight, as if this city was no different from other cities. In the evening when we returned from Valparaiso, we visited the tallest building in South America. Costanera, the Las Condes district where this building is located is located in the northeast of the city, which is completely different from the central area of Santiago that I visited before. The northeast of the city is a newly developed area as the city continues to expand. The buildings here are brand new, high-rise buildings, and the lights are brilliant at night. Unlike the Plaza de Armas that is crowded with tourists, the crowds of people here are mostly white-collar workers working nearby and local young people who go shopping. We accidentally discovered a large supermarket on the basement floor of Costanera. After a walk around inside, it was really a familiar feeling of city life, with shelves lined up and a wide variety of goods. You see, the old city is backward and chaotic, but it has historical sites and history to attract tourists to visit; the new city is brand new and clean, and life is convenient, but it is dull and monotonous. This is really a problem that you can't have both. problem. Then I thought, if I just sat in the car to see the city, and then got off to go to Costanera, a modern shopping mall, to walk around and have a meal, then my impression of the city would definitely not be dirty. How could I know that there was dirty water flowing in the alleys next to the Plaza de Armas? Therefore, what you see with your own eyes may not be the truth, and even if it is the truth, it may not be the whole truth; There is a huge gap between what you see and what conclusions you draw.
I actually spent three days in the boring city of Santiago. The Plaza de Armas and Santa Lucia Hill, which are must-visits for tourists, are all in the central sentiago. This area is not big and can be easily reached on foot. And the modern urban area where Costanera, the tallest building in South America, is located in the northeast of the city, is a bit far from the central city and requires a subway. But it is said that the wealthy people in San Diego live in the northeast. After all, there are complete modern living facilities and a one-stop service for work, life, consumption and entertainment. Standing on the top of the famous San Cristóbal mountain and looking around, I was a little surprised by how big Santiago is. The central city where I visited for two days is just a very inconspicuous small area of the entire city of Santiago . There are broad streets in all directions. The buildings were in areas I had never heard of. Because San Diego is located in the central basin, if you stand at a high place and look around, you will have an unobstructed view of the entire city. Various buildings extend unscrupulously in all directions, which is somewhat similar to the development and expansion of Beijing spreading a pie.
(This picture I found online says it shows the proportion of upper class. I don’t know what the specific standard is, but the color depth can roughly reflect the degree of affluence)
As for the prices in San Diego, food may be slightly more expensive than in first-tier cities in China. Mineral water is about five or six yuan a bottle, fast food is about thirty or fifty yuan per person, and toilets are six yuan, which is one or two yuan cheaper than in Europe; Clothing and Shoes are really cheap. They have their own local clothing chain brand. The stores are very dense, with only one available every three or five steps away. The styles of clothing are like the designs of clothing hypermarkets in third- and fourth-tier cities in my country. The prices are very cheap, ranging from one hundred to two hundred, two to three hundred, and so on. You can choose at any price, many are made in china;Shoes are especially cheap. You can even buy Adidas and Nike for two to three hundred yuan. There are all popular brands on the market, most of which are produced in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia.
In the old town, there are all kinds of local brand stores: There are clothing stores like Uniqlo and Zara, cosmetics stores like Watsons and Mannings, electrical appliance stores like Suning and Gome, as well as specialized sports brand discount stores, maternal and child product stores, and quite a few drugstores, but no chain convenience stores like 7-11. Other store formats are similar to my country's small commodity wholesale markets, with various separate shops in a building or corridor. I went to some electronics stores and found that almost all stores that sell mobile phones have Huawei counters, mainly selling phones in the one to two thousand yuan price range, but not too high-end models. The mainstream televisions are still Samsung and LG, with TCL occasionally seen.
There are a lot of pharmacies, which are much denser than those in Japan, but if you want to buy medicine, it’s really inconvenient. First of all, we need to go to the number-taking machine to get a number. Because we didn’t get to this point at the beginning, we found that we would never get our turn despite waiting. Then I went shopping for the second time and forgot to pick up the number... Secondly, some products in drug stores are sold on open shelves, but most of them are kept in cabinets. Some stores don’t even have open shelves, so what do you want? You have to go to the counter and communicate with the salesperson face to face. Again, everyone who called the number needed to communicate with the salesperson for a long time. I seemed to feel that the person in front of me was chatting with the salesperson, talking, laughing, and whispering. There was another person who only bought a tube of toothpaste. queue. Think about 711 in China. If you wait a few seconds to pay with cash, you will be looked at with disgust by the people in line behind you. Here, three to five minutes is not considered time.
Let’s talk about the Chileans. Let’s just talk about appearance. I don’t know what kind of mixture of races created the current Chileans, but this is really a group of people that I can’t like because of their appearance. The figure is not as tall and tall as that of Europeans, and there are quite a few fat people. Women generally have a fat lower body. I thought that Asian women's figures were already typical of a fat lower body, but I didn't expect that Chileans are even worse. I don’t find the men very eye-catching, so I don’t have any significant impression now. They generally have darker skin tones, there are many black people on the streets, and their facial features are not that good-looking. Looking back, I don’t remember seeing any handsome men or women, but maybe it’s because I’ve been seriously guarding against theft and didn’t care about anything else. Through limited contact with Chilean people, such as tour guides, service staff in hotel restaurants, and other ways, I feel that the locals are quite warm and friendly.
Finally, let me add some basic information about this city. The construction of the city began during the Spanish colonial period in the 16th century. The Spanish colonists established a block layout with the Plaza de Armas as the center. This layout continues to this day. Early buildings include the Catholic Church in the Plaza de Armas. There is also the San Francisco Church next to our hotel, but many of the buildings at that time suffered varying degrees of damage due to earthquakes. As the capital of Chile, Santiago now has a population of nearly 7 million (about the same as Hong Kong, which is currently in dire straits), accounting for almost 37% of Chile’s total population of 19 million. Its GDP is about 45% of the country’s. This city accounts for the entire Chilean population. Half of the country.
It is said that there is a Plaza de Armas (Plaza de Armas) in the center of every Spanish-colonized South American city. Someone on Zhihu specifically asked why this is. The most agreed answer is: The Plaza de Armas was the largest square in every city in Spain at that time. The center of the colonial city was located, but this municipal planning structure did not come from Spain, but from ancient Rome. What kind of structure is this? Large square + radial roads + grid blocks, the main roads intersect in the central square, around which important municipal facilities such as city hall, cathedral, castle or fortress, armory, market and so on are usually built; Then The streets are perpendicular to each other, dividing the city into a number of grid blocks. Each block forms the city according to its geometric longitude and latitude. This layout is beneficial to lighting, water supply and drainage, transportation, military, public security, etc. This kind of urban planning originated from ancient Roman style has affected an extremely large area with the expansion of the Eastern and Western Roman Empire. Now, a similar pattern can be found in the old city of almost every European city, and Spain is no exception. When the Spanish colonists arrived in Latin America, they copied this urban structure. However, because the colonies needed to guard against Indian resistance or sneak attacks from pirates, the central square emphasized its military defense function. Troops often gathered in the square for military operations. It is an armed drill, so it is also called the Plaza of Arms.
I casually walked around the National History Museum in the square. I didn’t know whether I should be happy or regretful that the introduction was only in Spanish and not in English. Reason for being happy: Finally there is a reason not to stare at the small letters. If it is English, I would feel like I am indulging my own shallowness if I don’t force myself to stare at the introduction. But look, such small letters are very It’s painful, not to mention tired, and half-understood; Reasons for regret: Shopping around is the same as not shopping at all
There are several newspapers in the window, and there are a few names I am familiar with: Allende, Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou
Because of Allende’s striking name, I guess it records the period of history when Pinochet overthrew Allende and came to power.
La Moneda Palace, the seat of the Presidential Palace. I don’t know what day it was. People walked all the way to the Presidential Palace beating gongs and drums. The military band played a few songs. There were many spectators watching. I couldn’t squeeze in, so I had to watch from the outside.
This was also the site of the 9/11 incident in Chile. Pinochet fired more than a dozen missiles at the presidential palace. Allende did not know whether he committed suicide or was killed. Pioneer came to power.
The famous central market. Someone in the travel notes said that I must visit it, but I found that there is nothing to visit . It is all selling seafood or gifts and souvenirs. There are also some restaurants and some selling fruit at the door. , but sold in kilograms
I pass by the clock tower countless times every day
I was really shocked when I first saw this river, but this did not hinder the peaceful work and life of people on both sides of the river. People still shuttled on the bridge, and no one took a look at the garbage in the river. This river, backed by the Andes Mountains and flowing in the capital of a country, left an indelible impression on me.
Don't think that these are stalls selling things. What they sell are actually old clothes and shoes. I was first surprised, Does anyone buy such rags? The second feeling is that they need a salted fish app.
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