We stayed in Santiago for a few days with Judy, a Maryknoll lay missioner. While there we went to Cafe Brasil, where we listened to two women sing while we drank bottles of wine. Their voices were rich and sensual and powerful and resonated deeply in my body along with the musky red of the wine. Cafe Brasil has live music most nights, and used to be a place of resistance during the Pinochet regime.
the next day Andrea and I went wandering through the markets in Santiago, where we saw street performers singing opera, drank jugo natural, and were followed by trails of men asking what country we were from. It was so exhilarating to feel like anything possible could happen, and we had the time and space to be present to it all.
THEN!
We went to see the Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera exhibit at La Moneda!!! These are probably my two most favorite painters of all time, and it was incredibly moving to be in the presence of their work. It was nothing short of monumental.
While passing through the Metro station, I convinced our friend Felipe, who is a violinist, to break out his violin and play with the street performers in the station. It was so fun to watch them create music together. I love how music can create community anywhere, at any time. It again filled me with a sense of how wonderful the world is, and how everything is possible.
That night we went salsa dancing at a charming, old, dark place with white taper candles on all the tables.
The next evening we took off for Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, where we stayed with Mimi's friend Janie. Vina and Valpo are hilly coastal towns. All of the hills are blanketed in house upon colorful house and full of secret passageways and murals. In Vina we spent a lot of time lounging on the beach, wandering the artisan fair, and watching the majesty of the ocean waves crashing on the shore. After sunset we saw animals jumping in the waves! We also went to an old mansion that is now a public park, and explored the music stadium where Juanes will be playing in February! (BUt I'll be in the States so I'll miss it :( . )
In Valpo we wandered several of the big hills, took a little boat ride and saw seals, and ate a fantastic meal in the garden at a restaurant. Although the place was out of our price range, we were lured in by the Brazilian waiter and the amazing ambiance. We sat amidst fuchsias and hibiscus overlooking the ocean bordered by the coastal towns with the mountains in the distance. Thanks to Andrea speaking Portuguese, we were able to get a $60 bottle of Chilean Syrah for about $20. Since we had only been eating one meal a day due to our economic situation, we figured we deserved a more fancy meal.
We went back to Santiago for Christmas. On the 24 we went to mass and had dinner (Calf tongue!!!) with a family, and on the 25 we went back to Judy's for a light meal and wine. One highlight of our second visit to Santiago was visiting the artisan fair of one of Felipe's friends. Let me tell you, this place was a hippie paradise! As soon as we arrived, various instruments were thrust into our hands (I ended up with maracas) and we made a hippie-band procession through the local markets playing "music" and handing out flyers about the fair. Oh, my life is so random! I love it! Another great moment was seeing Arak Pacha, the Andean music band in which Felipe plays violin. The "bar" that hosted the event wasn't clearly marked and we probably would have missed it if not for the neon strip club across the street. The music was fantastic, and the band is really dedicated to nature, human rights, politics, and social justice. They were very involved in singing out against oppression when Pinochet was in power.
Our last full day in Santiago we went to Isla Negra, where the poet Pablo Neruda had one of his homes. We took a tour of the house and spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach there and watched the sunset. I highly recommend this beach to anyone who comes to Chile! I'll post some pictures so you can see why :)
No comments:
Post a Comment