Markets

Day 7-8

In these last two days in Chile, we had 7 hours hiking on San Carlos de Apoquindo Natural Park and went to the Vega market. The hiking in the free day was amazing and I was exhausted after it. All I wanted to do was lying on the bed and never leave it!!! The waterfalls in the mountains are beautiful. We drank the river water (because we didn’t bring enough water and the day was super hot) which is clean and sweet. After I went back hotel, I found my white shoes were covered by thick dust and they became black. My pants also turned from black to brown…

San Carlos de Apoquindo Natural Park

The very last day, we went to Vega market. I really like the market which is full of local foods and super fresh fruits. I haven’t seen so many fresh strawberries, yellow peaches, and blueberries and I found some fruits I had never seen before. Many local people were purchasing the vegetables and fruits with little carts. The flowers there are beautiful. After getting out of the market, I saw some people selling the lunch around the market and I got one box of the food. That was really inexpensive and good!

Vega market

Similar Chile

This is the very last day in Santiago, Chile. In this morning, I have the same fruits as what I had in these days, I will probably miss the fresh fruits here, especially peaches and strawberries, they tasted so sweet! I will miss the fruits here. Then we take the subway to the vega market. I don’t remember whether I have mentioned that the metro system is very similar to the metros in my hometown, shanghai. But shanghai has about ten metro line ways, and the underground system is way complicated than what is happening in Santiago. Every metro station has at least three different exit and where various metro ways intersect each other, the exits system become more difficult. But one thing I noticed about the metro here is they have seats where facing vertically to the direction of the metro, like the situation on the bus, that’s interesting. When we get to the vega market, it’s very crowded. It’s also similar to the markets in China. I remember when I was little, I used to go to the market with my grandmother. The various kinds of fruits and vegetables always catch my attention. It’s a good place to learn about names of fruits and vegetables when I was little. However, maybe my height isn’t helping me to follow our group of people, I feel that I will get lost in the market. Fortunately, everyone follows up the group. A lot of things here in Santiago reminds me of my childhood in Shanghai, I kind of having homesick for seeing the similar hometown sceneries in Chile.

VEGA market

Feeling Less like a Tourist

Today some of us got to go to a market near Baquedano, just by the metro stop. There were food stands, street musicians, dogs, and even some breakdancers entertaining the cars stopped at the red light in the crosswalk. It was really exciting, and you could tell most people were just going on about their daily business; totally mundane. I wish my everyday life walking to work or home had this much excitement. I was able to buy some nice souverniers for my family, and even haggle with a few vendors!

We also had the chance to visit a skatepark in Bustamente. It was awesome! It was full of locals, we tried hard to fit in with semi success. The park was pretty basic but still a blast. I got to interact with a few locals, mostly apologizing for almost running into each other. There was heavy traffic all throughout the park and you really had to be aware. It was a good time.

One thing I’m noticing is all of the street art around here. From the bus graffiti to the public murals, this city is bleeding with artistic expression.
This interesting piece was seen on a tourist info center near Baquedano.

Bella Vista

Day 2 was a hot one. After visiting the cultural center and Plaza de Armas Shelby, Serena, and I took a trip to Bella Vista before dinner. There we saw La Chascona House (one of Pablo Neruda’s houses). The house was situated at the base of the San Lucia hill. Although I thought the 4 part abode was beautiful I thought the city of Bella Vista was the best part. The city was filled with young adults, markets, street vendors, and restaurants. There we found several souvenir shops, where we picked up handmade wallets, mugs, and key chains. We passed a few clubs and bars along the way too. Another cool part was the street graffiti that lined many of the buildings, attached are some examples of the market facades and art we show. Another interesting part of our adventure to Bella Vista was everyone thought me and Serena were Brazillian. I felt everyone we past staring at us, and this guy came up to me and asked me if I was Brazilian. I also was surprised at how large of a Haitian population Santiago had. I wonder how did they immigrate here and what’s the history behind why they came. Overall today was a great, hot day.