Incidentally, I wasn't looking for anything because I really don't want to buy anything here in Chile. I prefer to save my money for traveling. But if I had been in the market to buy something, anything, I could've bought an antique lion statue, that useful/useless kitchen gadget, (bootlegged?) dvds, soccer jerseys, a colorful sofa, and an animal-head shaped toothbrush holder.
The variety of stuff isn't what struck my friend and I. Rather it was how different, very different this area of the city felt. It felt like the Latin America I've experience in other countries--the brightly colored buildings and loud music and good street food alongside the graffiti and stray dogs in the dusty street.
One of Magda's roommates told her the market was very dangerous and she probably shouldn't even go. But we saw no evidence to warrant this stern warning. We were the only gringas but no one harassed us or even stared at us. Everyone around us seemed to be families, out on a Sunday afternoon.
We walked through a few neighborhoods to arrive at O'Higgins Park, where there is a futbol stadium and an amusement park and a huge area for roller blade-ing. I took the metro home and again marveled at the contrast.
My neighborhood, Providencia, feels European. It's beautiful, quiet and clean. I told one of my friends that Bio Bio Market is like real Latin America. But I shouldn't say that. Maybe real Latin America is about the contrasts, none of which is better or more authentic. All beautiful.
No comments:
Post a Comment