Day Hike from Santiago. Best Barrios in Santiago. 36 Hours in Santiago, Chile. 5 fun places in Santiago, Chile that your guidebook may have missed. Photo by Tom Gates.
Though shaken by the recent February 27 earthquake, Santiaguinos are getting back to normal life, which means you can get back to touring this bustling city. MATADOR IS CRAZY about Chile. While your guidebook may offer popular sightseeing spots—La Moneda and the museum under it, the teleferico (cable car) in Cerro San Cristobal, and the Pre-columbian Museum—take a break from the norm and discover the city locals love and tourists hardly ever find. Day Hike from Santiago. Best Coast Towns. Best Barrios in Santiago. Liz Caskey Culinary & Wine Experiences. Santiago: chill out in Chile's capital. "This is most definitely not the new caipirinha," I think as I take a sip of my first terremoto cocktail in downtown Santiago.
A mix of sweet fermented wine, pineapple ice-cream and fernet (a herb-infused spirit that tastes a little like dentist's mouthwash), it defies all sense and, within not much time, all sobriety. The terremoto – meaning earthquake – is the house speciality at La Piojera, an infamous downtown drinking den in Santiago. The theory is the drink earned its name after being concocted from the few ingredients that remained after the big 1960 quake or, more simply, because one too many will make your legs tremble.