Fotografo de Bodas, Santiago

February 11, 2009

Have you ever been shopping in any of the various caracoles in Santiago? They are ABSURD. For those of the non-Spanish speaking readers, caracol means snail. And these malls are exactly that. They’re spiral shaped shopping centers, filled with Pokemones*, ten thousand piercing/tattoo parlors, hair cut places that will only dye your hair pink and/or give you a mullet, and massive amounts of polyster clothes.

I was at one of these caracoles the other day because someone told me there was a craft store there. Looking for photo books I walked in, and since I haven’t been feeling well for the past couple days, I have to say that the task of urban hiking uphill in the heat to find what I was looking for was daunting. I just wanted to take the damn stairs, but if you do that then you miss out on all the stores on the part of the caracol that curves around in between floors. I made it to the top, pathetically out of breath by the time I reached the last floor and there was no craft store. As I walked back down I couldn’t help but wonder how SO many grungy looking piercing shops stay in business! I mean seriously, I don’t want to get my nipples pierced…ahem, unlike someone I know.

Anyways, so after that failed mission I left to go print out the actual photos. I had wanted to put them in something pretty because I was leaving them at Japi Jane’s office so that people who go there to buy sex toys might also decide they want boudoir sessions(speaking of, I have another session that I can post after V-Day that I am SO excited to show off!). But I decided to just print the photos and leave it at that. Off I went to the only place of know of in Santiago that does a decent job printing and usually doesn’t distort colors too bad. They were open, the sign on the door said open and there were other customers inside, but I walked in the lady instantly said, “We’re closed.” So I asked her when they were going to open back up and she told that they wouldn’t be printing digitially until the end of Feb. I asked if they had another location or another print store they could recommend me to since I needed the photos sooner than that and she said, “Everywhere is closed until the end of Feb.”

Me: Blank stare.

(…..)

Me: Everywhere….like, there’s no place I could get to get quality prints right now?
Lady looking at me as if I were retarded: Yes.
Me: (in my head) Mentirosa culiada!!!!! (out loud) Ok, thanks, have a nice day! (in my head) BITCH.

You know, if you doesn’t know where to recommend, then just say, “I don’t know.” I find it particularly hilarious that some people here seem to be incapable of uttering those three little words, especially when it comes to giving directions. On a worse day this would have infuriated me. Fortunately I was in a good mood. I just walked out thinking, “Stupid little gringa…expecting people to always give you straight answers. HA! In what world?!?”

*Pokemones are an “urban tribe,” in Santiago. I would best describe them as ascribing to the sort of Asian version of style where they purposely wear “freak” clothes to try and stand out, and then end up all looking the same with their black skinny jeans, dark black eyeliner, and black scraggly mullets. Also, this is a personal prejudice but I’ve found them to be incredibly rude mostly because a big group of them once spit on my friend. I don’t know if having a punk attitude is part of their whole look and vibe or what.

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13 Comments

there are 2 caracol centers by my place that focus on hair. last time we got my bfs haircut we asked the lady (3 floors up in which every other store looked the same) how they all stay in business and she just replied, unconcerned “there’s enough to go around” (HA, in translation that makes a good pun!!)

the other one is seriously so nauseating as it resembles being drunk inside a disco ball.

Comment by lydia — February 11, 2009 @ 6:44 pm

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The caracoles are pretty ridiculous. I was in one recently, and after I had walked by all the piercing and backpack-patch stores to the very top, I found a store where there was just a desk and no one seemed to be selling anything. Drug front?

They would be really fun places to Rollerblade, though.

Comment by Leigh — February 11, 2009 @ 8:42 pm

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This has nothing to do with your snails or nipples, but I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos by makeup gurus lately, and some girl who says she lives in Chile said that every “real” girl she knows curls her lashes with a spoon? What up with that?

Comment by EvilJoy — February 11, 2009 @ 10:06 pm

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I’m a fan of the Drugstore. After discovering that I never set foot in that dirty caracol again. And I bet someone might have photobooks there, too. Actually, probably not. I’d recommend going to the paper stores in parque arauco. Probably overpriced but they’d have a good selection.

Comment by Amanda — February 11, 2009 @ 11:07 pm

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hey – i am a friend of ruthie and rebecca’s from IES, and i just wanted to say that i really enjoy reading your blog!

Comment by Marisa Runs Boston — February 11, 2009 @ 11:44 pm

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Hmm, we have some of those skinny-jeans mullets in Paris too. It must be a worldwide movement.

Comment by jonnifer — February 12, 2009 @ 4:07 am

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ick, i hate the caracoles. i went into one thinking it was the kinda cute, cheap clothes one, but it was that pokemon one you went into. iÂ´ve also been in the pedicure one. at least theyÂ´re themed!

Comment by Isabel — February 12, 2009 @ 6:41 am

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Skinny jeans here, but bed head instead of mullets. Mullets are still kind of an anathema here.

Comment by Ordinary Girl — February 12, 2009 @ 7:14 am

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I used to use a travel agent in the caracol in downtown Stgo. My theory was always stairs up, caracol down.

Yes, girls in chile use a spoon to curl their lashes. I think they are right– it works better and looks more natural then the crinkers american’s use. That is once you learn how to do it.

I think that the punks can be really rude. In general the pokemons aren’t. I am biased because my cousin is in the scene, and DJ for the scene, and so I know them personally and she, her friends and randoms on the street are nice to me. That said, if I nad been spit on, I would feel differently.

As for the nipple piercing— did we really have to bring that up again? hahaha.

Can wait for the new photos!!!

Comment by Clare — February 12, 2009 @ 8:02 am

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Haha, nipple piercing.

And like everyone else has said, they’re horrible. They just never seem to have any decent stores, and they make me feel trapped.

After seeing a group of pokemones get in a fight and one of them whipping out a taser while the rest of them attacked one guy (who apparently had hit a girl with his lit cigarette, but STILL), I too am inclined to keep my distance. I’m sure that there are some who genuinely feel like that style of dress, music and behavior best expresses how they feel, but I think there are too many who just think it’s cool and don’t realize that actions have consequences. You could say that about plenty of groups, it’s just that pokemones are pretty easy to spot and therefore avoid.

Comment by Emily — February 12, 2009 @ 1:29 pm

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I know this wasn’t the main topic of the post, but how did you get into shooting boudoir sessions and how do you get over photographing someone in their “intimates” as some would call them? The description of the Caracoles that you all provide sounds extremely interesting and disappointing at the same time. And are the Pokemons kind of like Goth kids in the US? Just on a side note, I thought you were referring to the Anime cartoon at first.

Comment by ShawnaHanna — February 13, 2009 @ 10:07 am

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As soon as I hear “everbody” or anything with an “every” in it like she said to you, I immediately assume it’s code for “I don’t know and can’t come up with a more creative answer.”

Comment by Sara — February 13, 2009 @ 11:34 am

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So, in the end, which place would you recommand for printing good quality digital pictures in Santiago?

Comment by jyby — March 8, 2009 @ 12:02 pm

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