Reality Tour, South America: Los Buenos Muchachos!

 

 

The park on top of Cerro San Cristóbal, the big mountain overlooking Santiago, was incredible.

 

Our group took the 10-minute tram ride to the top, where a few last steps (o.k., it was a workout and Debbie and I were the only takers) led up to the 72-foot statue of the Virgin Mary, who seems to be casting a protective eye over the bustling cityscape where the Andes Mountains loom large. It seems romantic couples head here as well to enjoy the epic view…

 Revelation #2

South America is NOT home…there are cultural differences that take some getting used to.

I’m no spring chicken but even I was slightly amazed that our group wasn’t departing for dinner and a cultural folkloric show tonight until 8:00pm. For passengers used to eating early and retiring at 10pm, all I can say is “we’re not in Kansas, Toto!” Things don’t get started here until much later with dinner served between 9pm and 10pm.

So off we went after a very short rest in our spacious room at Atton El Bosque to Los Buenos Muchachos, a quirky (the ladies room is adorned with posters of shirtless male models), popular restaurant with a nightly show that showcases traditional Chilean dances. Our group was seated at a long banquet-style table. The venue holds 1100 people and while it was certainly by no means full, there were an impressive number of patrons for a Thursday evening.  The food was quite good (and we tried our very first pisco sour and it tasted like a margarita) for this type of venue and the show portrayed dances of the different regions of Chile from the far North to the Patagonia region.

The best part…they get the audience to participate! And yes, Debbie and I did oblige…

I vaguely remember twirling a white cloth napkin over my head and Debbie did a nice Easter Island routine (think Polynesian influences)—I only wish I pressed the right button on my video camera and had captured Debbie’s dance for posterity’s sake! I, on the other hand, was apparently attempting to fake my way through the national dance of Chile, the Cueca. This dance has historical roots in both African and Native American cultures and is a parody of the courtship of a chicken and rooster. The dancers wave handkerchiefs above their heads during the dance. These handkerchiefs can symbolize the feathers of the bird or the rooster’s comb. The choreography (movements) of the Cueca consists of circles, moving in semicircles back and forth (known as half moons), and turning towards the partner and then away. Luckily, I had an understanding partner (we just smiled and nodded at each other since neither of us spoke the other’s language) and thankfully it was all over quickly! Here’s a little snippet of me doing the dance…

I can’t believe I’m still up. It’s 11:16 here…. 9:16 pm at home. That’s right, we’re two hours ahead!

Buenas noches until tomorrow,

 -Melissa

 Favorite shot of the day:

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posted by Melissa McKee

Collette Vacations

Tags: Arts and Culture, Chile, Escorted Tours, Reality Tour, South America

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