A Grey Santiago Day

Here are some impressions of just another grey Santiago day taken last week.

On my way to the mall I spotted a line of people queueing to get to the bus during rush hour near Escuela Militar.

Photo by Juan Pablo Ugalde

Nocturnal Santiago as seen from Titanium building. The lit tower is Costanera Center and with 300 meters it will be the highest building in South America once it's ready.

Photo by Juan Pablo Ugalde

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In order to be irreplaceable
one must always be different.
Coco Chanel

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Pomaire Pottery

About 60 kilometres from Santiago lies a little handicraft village called Pomaire, which was our destination last Sunday. Not many tourists find there so the prices for handmade products are kept low. You can find any kind of pottery made of clay - vases, plates, mugs, decor! Other typical Chilean handicrafts include ponchos and woolsocks made of alpaca's wool. Because of the vivid colours and self-explanatory images, I let mainly the photos speak for themself.







This time, of the Chilean cuisine a grilled chicken with a salad and mashed potatoes tickled our taste buds.

























































And so is another lovely place seen! Although, I could return to Pomaire any day again - friendly people, cute atmosphere, nice shopping. Anyhow, driving back to Santiago you saw the signs guiding you to the city, but do you see the city? Nope, that's right, because the smog is a cloud which blocks the view of the cityline!

The outskirts of Santiago look a bit different than Providencia...

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All we need to make us really happy
is something to be enthusiastic about.
- Charles Kingsley

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Up On El Colorado

Last week on Thursday Santiago looked like this:


This is the second time it has snowed in Santiago during these three winters that we have spent here. That had to mean only one thing...

The next Saturday we had to go skiing! Early Saturday morning we drove with Sarah and Raphael up to El Colorado, the closest ski centre to Santiago. This is the view you had from the slope facing the city. If you squint, you might be able to spot the Costanera Center's tower in the far back, midst the smog.







































This time the conditions were much better than the first time we were there two years ago. Back then it was snowing heavily and we could barely see or move in the deep snow.

The Andes are higher and wider than the Alpes but less steep, which works out well for me. Lukas would have probably preferred more challenge! Also the consistency of the snow is different, somehow drier. It has a good grip and it doesn't get icy even if many people are skiing on it.
However, since skiing is considered as an elite sport here, there wasn't too much traffic on the slopes. The Chilean ski centres also attract other nationalities from Brazil, Germany, France, Russia and USA, to name a few. The day was just amazing - fresh air, sunshine and wide slopes!

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Keep your face always toward the sunshine
- and shadows will fall behind you.
- Walt Whitman

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