Santiago Chile: Putting the ‘Fun’ in Funicular
Just kidding! I have come to the conclusion that any city, anywhere in the world that has a hill that isn’t developed, will build some sort of monument or other attraction on top of said hill. With the monument in place, they will then build some sort of transportation apparatus to take people to the top of the hill. Surrounding whatever attraction is on top of the hill will be an array of vendors hawking various local wares and regional food and drink.
My first experience on a funicular was laughable. Marsha and I, having run out of ideas of what to do took the recommendation to take the funicular in Wellington, New Zealand to the botanical gardens on top of their undeveloped hill. The ticket was about ~$3.00 as I recall, which seemed like a bargain until we realized the ride ascended no more than about 300 feet up the hill. For extra laughs, there was a stop midway at…well, I don’t remember what the stop was for, probably a fish ‘n chips stand or something. The experience we had after meeting a Dutch couple turned out to be the highlight of the day, but that is another story.
The funicular in Santiago is, at least, a better value for the money as it ascends quite some distance, but at the top, one finds exactly what one would expect to find – a monument and vendors. At least the emerging economy version of safety and maintenance provided a bit more “thrill factor” than Wellington’s funicular, but all in all, the experience was blase at best. My promised “scenic vista” of Santiago was shrouded in heavy smog. The monument atop the hill was being repaired. I did take the opportunity to have a go with the local cuisine which consisted of an empanada filled with ham, cheese and tomato and to drink I had a mote con huesillo which is a tea made with dried peaches and wheat. Who came up with that idea? I didn’t much care for it!
I ended the day in Barrio Bellavista which seems to be the hip, trendy neighborhood in Santiago. I found a little cafe called La Case En El Aire (house in the air – meaning ‘open air’ dining). There, the staff wore T-shirts bearing the likeness of Che Guevara, Commandante Marcos (of the Zapatistas) and two other prominent, but lesser known socialist leaders. The irony wasn’t lost on me when I discovered the cafe served a selection of international beers and piped in muzac versions of 70’s & 80’s American pop music. Viva la resistance and death to imperialism and all that.
Will @ October 30, 2009
Comments (1)
I guess you are right many cities have some sort of monument or other attraction on top of hill.