Cerro Santa Lucia

Thursday 28th April 1988

We awoke after a good night’s rest for a change and had breakfast in the museum/stately home-like lobby outside our room. I sat down with the transistor radio playing to try once more to bring my diary up to date. I scribbled for a couple of hours while Karin debated what to do with her mass of excess baggage.

At 11:45 hrs. I went to meet Bill at the Argentine Consulate and collect our passports. We met another English chap at the Consulate, and he came with us to pick up Karin and change up some travellers cheques.

We went too a travel agent in an alley opposite the Burger Inn on Ahumada, which gave us 275 Chilean Pesos for cash and travellers cheques. We then went on to have a good set lunch in the “El Vegetariano”, a trendy vegetarian restaurant with modern décor.

I returned to the hotel after taking a few photographs and continued writing up my daily diary while listening to a radio station that played dreamy and romantic music all day long. Bill came back at 16:30 hrs., Karin had gone off in search of a cheaper hotel, and we set off to watch the sunrise at Cerro San Cristóbal (San Cristóbal Hill).

The sun seemed to be going down fast, so we settled for the lesser but closer Cerro Santa Lucia, which is a park built on a hill located in the centre of the city. At 69 meters high, this hill provides one of the loveliest views of the city and is a great place to spend an afternoon and watch the sunset.

This hill is actually quite the historical locale. First off, it is the remnant of a 15-million-year-old volcano. Secondly, the conquistadors used it as a lookout point when they were conquering Chile. It was atop this hill that Pedro de Valdivia declared the founding of Santiago in 1541.

In 1872 Governor Benjamin Vickuna Mackenna decided to turn the hill into a park to commemorate its significance in the city’s history. Since then, it has undergone many renovations. Today, it comprises 65,300 square meters, replete with bronze gates, metal stairways, and various fountains and statues.

Other than a few terrace areas, the park is essentially vertical. You’ll keep moving up and winding around the hill if you follow any of the various staircases. On each level, there is a place to pause, relax, and take in the view. However, to get the best shot of the city, you’ll have to head all the way up to the top.

A magnificent colonial building (arch) stood behind fountains and palm trees with stairs curling upwards on either side. At the top we watched the anti-climatic sinking of the sun amongst a group of school kids, amorous couples and people caught short. There were human turds and the stink of urine all over the place. A pall of grey smog masked the surrounding mountains.

We returned to our room in the Hotel Londres and Bill got dressed up for a night out with an old friend. I wrote some postcards and went out with David and another New Zealand yachtsman for a big meal in a Chinese restaurant and a couple of beers.

Above: Hotel Residencial Londres in Santiago de Chile.

We sauntered back via the Plaza de Armas, arriving back at the hotel as the pavement stalls were being dismantled at 22:30 hrs. Crowds gathered around clown acts playing in the main plaza and on the pedestrian precincts.

I got back to the room just before Karin who had been to the flicks (cinema). She hadn’t eaten so I went with her to one of the cafés on Avenida Santa Rosa. I had a couple of draft lagers while we chatted and watched one of the staff dismantling unsold pizzas to reuse the constituents tomorrow.

We dashed through the maniac buses across Avenida Libertador Bernado O’Higgins at midnight to get an ice cream on the way back to our room.