After a handful of visits during the past twenty years, Santiago has finally earned its place among my regular destinations, fitting conveniently along my South American migratory path after Colombia on the way to Argentina; it has always been an easy place to live and work for a while. Santiago is convenient to other destinations like the Atacama Desert, Patagonia, and Easter Island, making it a great adventure launch point and an easy place to live and work remotely. An additional plus is that it doesn’t get much hype on the international radar, and you aren’t likely to find a lot of other foreigners living and working in Santiago — they are attracted to more popular destinations like Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina. I’m not quite sure why, though because you can find a lot to love in Chile — and the majority of Chileans live in the city of Santiago, which makes it an exciting place automatically 🙂
I stayed in downtown Santiago this time, unregarded by the locals I talked to. Since Covid, it’s more dangerous, and it isn’t the most beautiful part of the city compared to other neighborhoods. Still, I enjoyed my time staying there — walking around during the day, going to and from my gym, having breakfast, and going for coffee afterward. I would never describe myself as a city person, but I enjoy being around many people doing their business while I do my own thing. There’s a sort of independent solidarity and unspoken communication by people who stand at a crosswalk alongside one another waiting for a light to turn green, or that funny reorganization that happens on a sidewalk when one person is walking faster than another, and they automatically work around one another. It’s a series of non-social social interactions that I find comforting – more so than simply being alone somewhere. A city’s downtown always provides limitless exposure to things to watch, hear, and experience. A two-minute walk will take you somewhere entirely new.
On a weeknight around 11 pm, I walked home from a movie downtown on a fifteen-minute stroll. The streets were empty but well-lit. An occasional car passed. Out of nowhere, a transsexual prostitute appeared (really — out of thin air) and walked uncomfortably near me while beckoning something entirely disturbing to my state of mind at the time. I did the “funny reorganization that happens on a sidewalk when one person is walking faster than the other” while increasing the distance between us as fast as possible. That was the first time I had a jump scare like that! Isn’t downtown grand?
Next time I visit Santiago, I’ll stay somewhere other than downtown to change the scenery. Providencia and Las Condes’ neighborhoods are lovely – night and day different from downtown. I stayed in Providencia last year when I visited Santiago for a few days. Las Condes is more of a suburban, newer development area, with many restaurants and new infrastructure that feels like the USA driving down the road. I love returning to places because I can experience them differently with each apartment/neighborhood I live in.
