We finally arrived in Santiago on Saturday around 8 AM. After grabbing our bags and a cab, we headed in to the city. Santiago is a beautiful city – modern architecture, excellent roads and public transportation. It’s exceptionally clean, has tree lined streets and lush public parks.
The cruise line provides nearly door to door service. There was a representative to greet us at the airport. There was also a dedicated check-in/service desk at the Ritz Carlton. The hotel sits in the Barrio El Golf section of the city.
A Metro stop is a 2 – minute walk from the front door. We purchased a BIP! card and loaded it with $10,000 Chilean Pesos. That’s the equivalent of $11 US/Euro. James and I traveled from one end of the city to the other over the course of 12 hours. Each separate trip along way averages about $790 Pesos – that’s $1.66 for both of us!
We began our exploration of Santiago by traveling to the Centro Artisanal Santa Lucia. This market was once renowned for its quality crafts. However, recent reviews suggest it may have lost its luster. Nevertheless, we decided to chance it. In doing so, we ran into something far more interesting…
As we exited the metro station, we found ourselves smack-dab in the middle of the Santiago International Women’s Day parade. Tens of thousands of women were demonstrating, chanting, dancing and celebrating. It was a spectacular event to witness. Here are a few images I managed to capture as we walked the route:
I have to say that I loved every minute of this experience! I was really encouraged to see so many really young girls and woman participating in the march. They were taking up space, demanding accountability from their leaders and supporting one another. Very cool.
After walking around the Santa Lucia area, we decided to head back to the hotel. It was a hot afternoon and the rooftop pool was sounding great! We made a plan to have a swim, nap, then explore more in the late afternoon. That adventure will be in my next post!
Michele Travels 
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