Walking the Streets of Santiago

Santiago is bustling with people, especially youths and a ton of university students (something like 19 universities). There are teenagers kissing in the parks at all times of the day, street performers entertaining the crowd, and Christians zealously preaching along the Paseo Ahumeda as well countless shops along the walkway. When you get to the Plaza De Armas, you find musicians, entertainers and families sitting on benches enjoying the unseasonally warm temperatures and an ice cream, or roasted caramelized nuts that local vendors sell. You can get your shoes shined, or walk around the plaza entering museums, cathedrals or enjoy a coffee standing at Cafe Caribe. I was told by a fellow Couch Surfer that there was a baby boom after democracy was restored in Chile, and the resulting youth population is very socially active and volatile. There are frequent protests around the Moneda, and I hope we are around long enough to see one because unlike Canadian protests, it gets pretty intense and a lot of shit disturbers come out to do what they do best. I hope we have our camera with us when it happens!