It wasn't until long after I moved to New York that I was introduced to the poetry of Pablo Neruda. As a lifelong Francophile, my literary interests always led me elsewhere - and honestly, I was a little intimidated by the thought of traveling to South America. But when I saw a good opportunity to head to Santiago for a long winter weekend, I packed my swimsuit and summer dresses and left my snowboots at home.
After an overnight flight through Atlanta, I checked in bright and early to the Crowne Plaza (thanks, IHG points!) and immediately set off to explore the nearby barrios - Lastarria and Bellavista. I was blown away by the street art and the people were so friendly. Plus, the street life was so vibrant — I found myself in the middle of a parade with dozens of marching bands from all across South America - Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and more!
One of the highlights of my trip was booking a guided photo walk through Foto Ruta Santiago. I met up with Cat, a local professional photographer, to explore street scenes off the beaten path. We met up at Centro Cultural Gabriela Mistral to explore the beautiful and imposing campus. Originally built to be the venue for the United Nations trade and development conference in 1972, it was repurposed by Pinochet's military junta as the center of operations for his defense ministry. Cat told me that to this day, people don't know the full story of all the terrible things planned within its walls. But now, it's been restored and reused as a beautiful cultural center at the heart of the city; we watched dozens of dance teams and musicians meet in its enclaves to practice.
Setting off from the center, we explored the back streets and alleyways of the city, checking out star attractions like the Mercado de Flores and Mercado Central along the way. I loved seeing the city through her eyes and hearing about her experience living there, and it's definitely an experience I'd recommend for any photographer - especially one traveling solo. Returning to my hotel afterwards, I was pleasantly exhausted and buzzing with stimulation, so grabbed my handy Neruda compendium and headed to the pool to relax and dream about my next trip back. Perhaps it should be to Valparaiso and the Pacific coast to see his houses at La Sebastiana and Isla Negra? Let's go!
All photos shot with either my Pentax 645N & Kodak Portra 400 or my iPhone.