A little complication
We would be spending roughly 6-1/2 days in several locations throughout Chile. I had originally had us flying in and out of Argentina but had decided to fly into Chile and then eventually depart out from Argentina. It wound up being a great decision since we were able to add Isla de Pascua, or more commonly known as Easter Island (or Rapa Nui) to the trip. Before we made the trip to the Island however we intended to spend some time in Santiago and hopefully, Valparaiso. When I booked the trip my research had told me that Chile was one of the safest and economically sound countries in South America as well as one of the more expensive ones to visit. We were looking forward to experiencing all the culture that Santiago in particular had to offer. An important lesson on world traveling was about to unfold.
Unfortunately, a few weeks before we intended to arrive, Santiago had erupted in protests. What started out as a few kids jumping subway turnstiles to protest increased fares, quickly escalated into more serious confrontations with the police. A coordinated campaign by protesters soon followed that resulted in the burning down of various metro stations. In the end, all the stations reported some kind of damage that forced the metro to completely shut down except for one line. Soon after, the Chilean peoples world changed almost overnight. Reports indicated that the police, in an attempt to gain control, beat and in some cases killed some of the protesters and looters. The result of that action was the evolution of much larger crowds protesting overall dissatisfaction in the government, a cost of living that outpaces pension funds every year and the general deep economic disparity between the various classes. Protest crowds of one million or more started to become a regular occurrence just days before we were scheduled to arrive. All that unrest within just a few short weeks inevitably forced us to reconsider our plans.
We had booked an AirBnb close to the Bellavista neighborhood. Internet research had promised a bohemian style atmosphere with dozens of interesting sites within walking distance. Unfortunately it was also extremely close to Parque Metropolitan, which was the everyday epicenter of the daily protests. While it was tempting to pretend we were journalists documenting a revolution, our lack of experience dictated we might want to avoid the area on our own.
During the course of planning our trip I had built relationships with four very different individuals who lived in Santiago, each having a different take on the situation. One of the four actually got involved in the protests to a degree and he ironically was the only one who thought we should be ok staying in Bellevista. The other three thought it would be smart if we re-booked at a different location, which we did. We wound up staying in the Las Condes area during the entirety of our time in Santiago. It was an upscale area of Santiago about 45 minutes away from the city center and main protests.
My contacts also made sure we got safe transport from the Airport to our AirBnb. The protesters, on some days, had begun to shut down highways from the airport into the city. Renting a car on our own or relying on unknown transport could have possibly put us in the line of fire. Since any non-citizen involving themselves in domestic protests is illegal in Chile, even getting caught up accidently could have had very unpleasant results. There were just too many unknowns. I needed to find a way to eliminate the risk of us unwillingly getting mixed up in any potential dangerous situations. Of course that doesn’t mean we were any less interested in the unusual situation we found ourselves in. The four gentlemen I had connected with in Chile proved to be invaluable in making sure we stayed safe and still had a great time. There undoubtedly was a lot that we missed out on in Santiago due to the situation but when compared to what the Chilean people were going through, it was a small price to play.
sewerPHOTOS BY: Angela Erdmann and Thomas Lonero
Economics and Politics
The area we stayed in was mere blocks away from the main mall, Alto Las Condes. It had just re-opened the day we arrived after being shut down for safety concerns due to the protests. A mall is literally the last place Angie or I would want to visit on any travel experience and yet, that’s exactly where we found ourselves. We needed some supplies. A contact that met up with us chose to take us there to get what we needed. The mall looked to be a fantastic mall with very upscale stores. That decadence was in stark contrast to the much poorer areas we drove past on the way from the airport to Las Condes and a reminder of why the protests were going on in the first place.
Every city of course has poor and rich areas. It’s the way of the world. What seems to be going in Santiago, as well as other parts of the world including in the U.S. is the divide between the rich and the poor is growing. The middle class in Chile has shrunk dramatically while the other two classes have grown exponentially. Our driver, whose main job was that of being a teacher, had to drive to make ends meet. Because of both of his jobs he wasn’t able to spend a lot of time at home with his family and children and yet, as he explained, was still one of the lucky ones. He was the one who also schooled us a little on the ultra rich of Santiago. The top 0.1%, of which the current President is a part of, decides the economic future of all of Chile and its people. The distribution of wealth is wildly unequal.
Chiles rich history at times has been a rocky one. To a large part, it’s been that way because of U.S. interventions in its politics for well over a century. Augusto Pinoche, gained power in 1973 because of help from a U.S. backed coup. The fear at that time was that the duly elected socialist government of Salvador Allende would move the country towards communism. After taking control as President, Pinoche went on to form one of the world’s cruelest autocracies. The US directly supported him all the way through the Reagan years. In 1988 U.S. policy shifted and by 1990 he was finally forced to leave office. Even then, through some sort of agreement it’s assumed, he still managed to maintain an active role in Chilean government affairs all the way until 2002. He died in 2006.
Chile, after the Pinoche regime, tried to reinvent itself. Moving towards a more capitalistic approach, it inevitably and maybe unintentionally, left millions behind. Many Chileans seemingly struggled moving into a future where capitalism is the new norm. Poor government planning and lack of good education for the bottom 40 percent contributed to the current situation. Putting money into education, training and protecting pension funds will go a long way in pulling Chile out of the current protest chaos it finds itself in. Even with promises by the current administration, many view it as too little too late and can’t help but to view recent government promises with a healthy bit of skepticism. The protests, still going on long after we returned home, seem unrelenting. The people’s patience has been long exploited by both the United States and the top 0.1 percent of the richest Chileans. The bottom 40 percent appears no longer willing to accept the status quo.
The current government controls most of the media. Much of what the top 40 percent and the small middle class see is what the government wants them to see. The media partially lays the blame of the bottom 40 percents problems at their own feet. While drugs or alcohol surely play a role in poverty it’s by far not the sole reason, but that doesn’t stop the media from spinning that theory. Dividing the people seems to be an effective tactic all over the world these days. Instead of figuring out a fair solution to age-old problems, the ultra rich work to maintain the status quo in order to protect their own interests. History shows that can only work for a certain period of time before the bottom half rises up against economic tyranny. This seems to be the crossroads where Chile currently sits.
For me, I’m not against being rich, I’m against being unfair and stacking the deck. The people in Chile want change and they probably won’t rest until the current administration completely steps down. The fear in Chile by the top 40% is that somehow that will result in Chile moving once again in a more socialist or even communist direction. Because there are two sides to every story its important to consider what’s in everyone’s best interest. The people on both sides have to figure out a healthy way forward for all. I wish them well. The people I met there, who are on both sides of the debate, are amazing people and deserve a stable, prosperous country that works for everyone.
sewerPHOTOS BY: Angela Erdmann and Thomas Lonero
Color and Contrast
One of my contacts took the time one day to drive us into the heart of protest central during a quiet time. It was quite daunting seeing the military personnel, extensive damage and graffiti defacing much of Santiago’s historic center. Blackened debris, lying in the middle of the streets, marked locations of some of the previous nights fires. Numerous buildings, normally bustling with activity, were boarded up to protect them from damage and looters. The boards now sporting new protest graffiti. Although not entirely looking like a war zone it wasn’t so far away from that look that one couldn’t easily imagine it moving deeper in that direction.
It made me a little fearful for the contacts and people in general that I had met in Chile. While everyone seemed to understand change was coming, they still disagreed on the type and extent of change that was needed. They did however agree that the damage caused by some of the protesters was unproductive and harmful to the process. The media was blaming Venezuelans and Cubans as instigators while some of my contacts said that idea was mostly preposterous. The fear tactic of blaming outside countries seems like a cheap ploy when the proof that economic problems have been stirring for decades is clear for anyone to see that chooses to. Besides, if anyone knows anything about either of those two countries, they’d understand have their hands full with their own problems. Most of my contacts in Chile believed the protest damage was being caused by an unruly few and that 99 percent of the million plus protesters that showed up daily were peaceful. Videos, sent to me by a couple of contacts, seemed to lend credence to the latter.
sewePHOTOS BY: Angela Erdmann and Thomas Lonero
Our Experience
Overall we feel very privileged to have visited Chile during the time we visited. We wish we could have experience many of the museums and cultural places we had wanted to but it just wasn’t to be. Our contacts looked over us and possibly kept us a little too safe. My adventurous spirit would have had us walking through the protests and interviewing people. Of coarse, my way could have resulted in spending some time in a Chilean jail cell.
Our first night there we learned real quick that Chilean cuisine was amazing. Like its neighbor Argentina, it’s known for its great cattle and beef production. Also, because of the entirety of the countries proximity to the Pacific Ocean, it’s a major epicenter for some of the freshest seafood in the world. Chile’s amazing volcanic soil produces almost every kind of fruit or vegetable you could want. For the epicurious, it’s a dream destination.
But there’s a dark side. Overfishing strains the oceans while farming and cattle production strains the water resources. Many villages claim the world’s appetite for avocados alone drains millions of gallons of the precious resource. Avocados need up to twice as much more water than most other fruits or vegetables. Rainfall is limited in many areas of Chile and they receive a lot of water from glaciers high up in the Andes. Glaciers, that due to climate change, are now shrinking. Chile also receives up to 150 million in loans from the World Bank and other institutions to help in rural water supply. Like many of us, my near daily avocado consumption is part of the problem.
Santiago’s beauty is strongly accentuated with the backdrop of the Andes Mountains. The sunsets bounce incredible colors off the mountains in all directions. We found ourselves mesmerized with this phenomenon from the balcony of our AirBnb..
The Las Condes area we stayed in was a nice area but it's still just your standard suburban experience. That wasn’t what we had hoped for. There is so much more we need to experience in Santiago. Both Angie and I hope to make it back to see the real inner city of Santiago that we always try and experience wherever we go.
seweLPHOTOS BY: Angela Erdmann and Thomas Lonero
