Santiago

Well first impressions of Santiago are boring, grey, smoggy and full of high rises: like Birmingham on steroids. And then all of a sudden it isn`t, well boring that is; it was still grey and the smog hadn`t thickened enough to obliterate my view of the high rises. The reason for Santiago`s change in presentation is a demonstration in the centre of town, taking place between two large statues of men on horses. It`s full of loud students with one or two elderly types among them, many waving peculiar flags: " Estudiantes contre los Pedagouges"; blue and white ones with U C on them; and green and yellow ones with the word Fleche. Just in case all this wasn`t enough to get them noticed there was also a liberal use of loud hailers to chant out the rythms of the workers united etc etc..

It all seemed good natured, but there were a few signals of how things are dealt with here if the authorities get fed up. Down the side streets there were a lot of guys with batons shields and Darth Vader helmets. Alongside them a whole range of vehicles, which looked as if they had been diverted from the Falls Rd: armoured cars, water cannon and a whole fleet of green buses with slits for windows and the exhausts coming out of the roofs. Overhead helicopters flew in circles. It all passed peacefully and no skulls were cracked, well none that I saw. If there was I will see it on TV because there were cameras everywhere..

As if that wasn`t enough for one day things got even more interesting when I met with a friend of a friend here, who introduced me to a concept that I`ve never heard of before: "Cafe con piernas". These are coffee shops where you are served coffee by very shapely ladies who happen to be wearing not a lot, and I mean not a lot. There is a whole string of these places in the centre of Santiago: they are well lit, cheap and don`t have any bouncers. Amazingly they are not allowed to sell alcohol, only coffee, fruit juice and soft drinks, well in Santiago anyway. Furthermore the lady serving you gives you a hug and a kiss when you go. It is possible there is more to these places than I have hitherto discovered, only time will tell. I have also been informed further north there are premises called "Schopp con piernes" which is the same idea only with draught beer.