I'm getting to love these Street Life posts! They contain any old weird and wonderful things I spot on the streets when I'm out and about. This time? It's Santiago, Chile!
Look at all these neat products lined up in a vending machine in the metro station. It's yoghurt! All of it! Yoghurt!
And this one is full of ice cream. In a metro station! In London, there is nothing. There might be a newsagents. But no vending machines. And a distinct lack of yoghurt.
First day on the metro? Yes, a frightened face. But there was no need. Even the beggars and music players on trains were charming (and talented!)
This was one of my favourite spots in Santiago, the Costanera Centre. It is the tallest building in South America. And a favourite place for, like, everyone.
In Lastarria district, there is the most adorable bookshop. If you look closely, most of the books are net-Marxist, feminist, certainly left wing. Imagine being able to have an entire bookshop full of net-marxist books and make a profit. Hold on, profit?!
Some jolly flowers outside the library which I used to study in Providencia.
Ah, food. Where would be without you? These were ice-creams hand-dipped in tempered chocolate and freeze-dried strawberries. I did NOT try them but they looked lovely.
Here is the cause of 2 weeks of food poisoning (I think)… a Chinese sesame chicken with dodgy rice.
Ah, my favourite hairdresser in Santiago. OK Style. Not Great Style, not Shit Style, but OK Style. Don't expect much, cos you're not getting it.
This shop had a Santa Claus as its CENTRAL display. In May.
This was the weirdest French Onion Soup (and the restaurant didn't warrant a whole post). It was a French restaurant and promised a dark, unctuous onion soup. I've made this. It's an easy soup (more or less, caramelise onions slowly in a big pot and add beef stock). This wasn't terrible but the onions were regretfully uncaramelised.
So, EVERYWHERE in Chile, you needed to take a ticket and wait your turn. This was a charming thing. Most of us have done this at super-busy places – the deli counter, or maybe a bakery. But they do this everywhere in Chile, especially pharmacies.
Some delicious hand-made copper Chilean bells (copper is the main national export). Charmingly, these were hand made in China by a machine, but still, the intention was there.
