El Mercado Central

On November 2, 2010, I made my first visit to Santiago's Mercado Central (Central Market). It is not, as I had partially expected, a big market with lots of fruit and veggie stands. It is mostly known for its seafood, both for purchase-and-take-home, and also in the form of restaurants. According to my rough translation of the website blurb:

"The Central Market of Santiago is the place with the largest concentration of gastronomic locations that commercialize typical regional dishes. In its installations you can enjoy varied dishes that come from the maritime zone or from rivers, from the hands of the best chefs of the Metropolitan Region (i.e. Santiago). Thanks to its historical transcendence it has been transformed into a place that people demand to see, proof of that being the great quantity of tourists installed in the urban area."

Like I said, it's a rough translation. But you get the basic idea. You can also find various touristy trinkets and mementos that you can mostly find throughout the rest of the city, too. All in all it is neither terribly big nor terribly impressive, but a place you should visit if you make it here, and fantastic if you like seafood.

During my first visit I simply went for lunch with a friend and tried the paila marina, a seafood soup, which was heavy but excellent. It is a typical Chilean dish and I definitely recommend it.

I took very few pictures on this occasion -- two, to be exact -- but the second one was a pretty nice view from the second-floor of the restaurant we were at:

My next trip to El Mercado Central came a few weeks later and was not at all seafood-related. To be covered in an upcoming post. :)

Apartment Post #1: My Apartment!

I still don't have internet in my apartment, so I am taking advantage of the wifi here at La Tetería (one of my FAVORITE places in Santiago) for a quick post introducing my new apartment!

I currently live in Barrio Bellavista, Santiago. It is a bit further downtown from where I lived before, and a much younger area that is basically a nonstop carrete (party) at night, so there's lots of accessible nightlife. This is perfect for me, the old lady that I am who cannot keep up with Chileans that party until 6 or 7am. This way, I can go home when I want -- and I don't even have to pay cab fare!

The apartment building is gorgeous and brand new, and comes fully equipped with a pool, event room, TV room, and lavandería (laundry room), which was lacking at my last place. There was a washing machine in my old apartment, but no dryer, which was pretty crazymaking for my spoiled self. Now my laundry is done in a couple of hours instead of a couple of days! Ah, creature comforts...

My apartment is walking distance from the Cerro San Cristóbal, where you can find a beautiful view, mote con huesillo (a sweet Chilean drink/snack), barbecue pits, and the Santiago Zoo. It's also a good hike...for people who like hiking. My depto is an even closer to walk to Parque Forestal, a beautiful place to sit or stroll, and an area that I can't wait to explore more.

Here are some photos of the apartment as it came -- bare as a baby's bottom. At the moment, it does not look like this -- it looks more like cyclones had made their way to Santiago, specifically to the 10th floor my apartment building. I did manage to get the basics in place (bed, refrigerator, light bulbs), but it is still lacking in the furniture department, and technically speaking, it is a freaking mess. When it is all finished and pretty, I'll post some after pictures. For now, I hope you enjoy these!