Travelogue from Chile: National Pride, Rodeo, and the Andes
When Argentina's western neighbor was set to celebrate its national day on September 18, it was clear that this was something we had to experience!
This text is translated using AI.
View the original article here.What started with a couple of students booking a trip to Santiago de Chile quickly turned into a trip for almost the entire house.
Suddenly, nearly 30 of us had booked flights to Santiago—even though we didn't really have much of a plan for what we were going to do there.
It actually turned out to be perfectly fine, because Santiago had more than enough to offer. We were there for a few days before and during the national day celebrations, so we had time to explore the city, sample a range of Chilean specialties, and experience a national day that is quite different from Norway’s.
Fonda, rodeo, and quite a bit of food
Friday, September 18 was Chile's National Day. Among other things, it is celebrated at so-called “fondas,” large festival grounds with food, drinks, music, and various activities. We bought tickets to two different fondas—one during the day and one in the evening.
During the day, we went to Parque Padre Hurtado. The grounds were enormous, with everything from games and activities for children to countless food stalls, dancing, and rodeo. In other words, there was quite a lot to take in all at once.
The people I was with and I decided to take the opportunity to try a variety of foods. Among other things, we got a terremoto cocktail, vegan choripán, and churros.
Terremoto is a sweet Chilean drink, while choripán is a sausage in a bun—something that may not sound all that exotic, but definitely adds to the atmosphere. As a vegetarian, I also really appreciated that they offered vegetarian choripán!
It was also here that I discovered mote con huesillo, a traditional Chilean dessert made with ingredients including wheat kernels, dried peaches, and a sweet, spiced liquid.
I'll be completely honest: I didn't try it. It looked pretty disgusting, to put it mildly.
But maybe that's exactly why you should try it if you're in Chile—someone has to find out whether it's actually any good!
We also got to see a rodeo and the cueca, a traditional Chilean dance.
The cueca was especially fun to watch, with people in traditional clothing dancing around with handkerchiefs. It was quite clear that Chile's national day means a lot to Chileans.
In the evening, at around eight o’clock, we continued on to the O’Higgins fonda. It was quite different from the one we had visited earlier that day, with more of a focus on bars and concerts. There were still food stalls and activities, but the atmosphere was more like a party than a family day out.
A little tip if you're going to Fonda: keep an eye on your phone. Unfortunately, one of my friends had hers stolen during the evening. So even though the atmosphere was great, it was wise to pay a little extra attention to your valuables.
Military parade and national pride
The national day celebrations did not end after September 18 either. The following day, the festivities continued with, among other things, a large military parade in O’Higgins Park.
We were a little late heading there, which turned out to be a bad idea. By the time we arrived, there were already huge crowds, and we couldn't get into the park.
So we ended up watching the military parade from outside instead—not exactly a front-row view, but at least we got to experience some of the atmosphere.
It was actually quite a unique experience in itself. Before the parade began, soldiers stood lined up in formation everywhere, while people gathered around to take part in the celebrations. It was a far cry from the May 17 celebrations I’m used to back home in Norway.
Vintage shopping, Barrio Italia, and views of Santiago
We spent the rest of our time in Santiago taking things a little easier. Among other things, we went hunting for thrift stores, and Santiago turned out to be a great place for just that. I know someone who had to buy an extra piece of luggage for the flight home, so there was certainly no shortage of enthusiasm for shopping!
We also visited Barrio Italia, an area of Santiago known for its small shops, cafés, and restaurants.
We had Italian pizza here, and I can honestly say it was the best pizza I've had all year.
It may not have been the most Chilean meal we could have chosen, but after several days of national holiday food, it was perfectly fine to take a little break from choripán and churros.
Another day, we took the cable car up San Cristóbal Hill. From here, you get a pretty incredible view of Santiago. The city stretches out in every direction, and it’s only from the top that you truly get a sense of just how big it is.
But what perhaps impressed me most wasn't the city—it was the mountains.
On clear days, you can see the Andes in the background, and they are hard to miss, to say the least. After living in Buenos Aires for a couple of months, it was quite remarkable to suddenly find myself standing in front of gigantic mountains.
All in all, the trip to Chile was a great mix of a little shopping, lots of food, National Day celebrations, a rodeo, a military parade, and some pretty spectacular views. Even though we only had a few days in Santiago, we managed to experience a surprising amount.
I still think I have to go back to try moto con huesillo.
