Luna de Miel Begins in Santiago

Some lessons have been learned in the past 48 hours. (The first being, that when I started this post in the airport 48 hours ago, it would take me another 48 hours to return to it to finish it).

Lesson number 1: Copa Airlines is not awesome. It got us here, though, so I can’t complain. But, if you find yourself flying Copa, a few tips — pack all your meals ahead of time unless you are a fan of egg with a filmy crust and chicken in mystery sauce; don’t willingly choose seats in the final row; and if Maria from Venezuela sits next to you, get ready to smile and nod for 5 hours straight. Maria was a 59 year old woman who watched every kids tv show and movie, with a particular bent toward Paw Patrol (all with no sound), drank Coca-Cola mixed with beer, and took quite a liking to Joe (thanks for taking the middle seat, babe —I owe you).

Lesson number 2: Chile is complicated. I’ll admit, prior to coming to Chile, I knew very little about its history. I knew there was a dictatorship and that the US was complicit in making that happen, but that was about it. Joe, being the perpetual learner that he is, took the lead in educating us in advance of this trip. We watched several documentaries about Chile’s history, watched a terrible fictional film about Pablo Neruda, read Isabelle Allende, and capped it off with an incredible book by Marc Cooper (Pinochet and Me). Naturally, our first stop the first morning was The Museum of Memory and Human Rights. 

The story of Chile’s recent past is haunting and important. A regime of torture, “disappearing” dissenters, and censorship ruled for nearly 20 years — a reaction to Salvador Allende, a democratically elected socialist. The books we read by Cooper and others as well as the Guzman films we watched, make the case that this history, while not so distant , has not fully been reckoned with in Chile. Capitalism blossomed as the dictatorship fell, and in the 90s a sort of amnesia and disengagement seemed to settle in. Where Chile had been an incredibly vibrant democracy, with over 90% voter turnout, post-Pinochet, that number dropped significantly. The museum was a big step taken to remind Chile and the world (the U.S. was no innocent bystander, and to the contrary was an active participant in the terror) of the truth and ensure it isn’t forgotten. I’m not going to pretend like I can do justice to sharing the story of Chile. I do recommend everyone read about it on your own.

It is possible to walk on the streets of Santiago and not know that the presidential palace had been bombed just over 40 years ago. The city is vibrant with bike lanes and public art. 

You can eat massive lomitos with delicious beer. 

You can ride a fernicular and a teleferico across the park. 

You can drink special coca pisco sours. You can eat delicious indigenous foods. 

You can see jazz.

You can also walk down the street and see armed, riot police, and think to yourself, “wow, that is a lot,” and casually walk a bit out of your way to not have to walk in between them. And then 30 minutes later after you’ve eaten that aforementioned delicious lomito, walk out of the restaurant and witness one of those armed officers beating someone in the street with a baton, followed by a armored personnel carrier blasting a group of protestors with a water cannon. It worked. The protest dispersed. And we carried on to enjoy our evening. Because what else do you do. But it was a powerful reminder that protests live on. The violence isn’t over here or at home. And our lives depend on remembering.

Lesson number 3: Bluetooth mini keyboards are amazing. I wrote this blog on my phone! Another smart idea by Joe.

Lesson number 4: honeymooning is pretty great. We are off to a great start (even with a minor sinus infection and some sunburns...). We have now been in San Pedro de Atacama — but more on that later

Though, because it is Christmas, I do feel the need to acknowledge that. So, Merry Christmas from a thermal bath at 14,000 feet!