La Bandera Gigante

Awoken to the sounds of bugles, Friday morning we ran downstairs to find the best parade waiting in our street- the horseback marching band! Who knew?! The bandera gigante (giant flag) was getting raised that morning, and true to form the parade started on our street. Naturally, we followed them down to La Moneda and got pretty prime spots (standing on benches so we could see over heads) to watch the mornings’ festivities.

The flag really is gigantic- the size of a basketball court! They hoisted it up and had the military planes at the ready to fly over. We watched Presidente Piñera make a speech- about 40ft away!! It was pretty cool to be that close to the president of, well, anything really! He’s a controversial figure in Chile- a conservative millionaire who generally seems to be a little out of touch with reality. The giant flag seems to be somewhat typical of his style- very showy, expensive, and kind of pointless. And, to add insult to injury, the flag was made in the USA! That seemed to be a little offensive for a symbol of national identity.

I, however, claim to be no expert in Chilean politics and don’t have strong feelings for or against Piñera, the government, or the military here, so I thought it was pretty cool to see the president and a crazy big flag- and of course a military band on horseback

In the afternoon Tina, Monica and I went to a fonda- an outdoor party/BBQ that is typical here. This one was hosted by our favorite bar, The Clinic, at the castle on the hill right in the center of the city, Santa Lucía. There were entertainers that did skits, walked on stilts, juggled, and put on a slightly macabre puppet show for the kids. There was a band and people dance the cueca. And of course there was BBQ and jugs of wine-fruit-ice cream drinks. The weather was gorgeous, and it was a perfect way to spend a spring afternoon!

Walking home by Plaza de Armas